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Snobbery in equipment.

Al Freed (144)

Bass Equipment Forum · 6/29/2012 7:18 PM
I read so much on this site about what is the best for this and that etc. It seems, and i may be wrong and very often are, that unless you have some super dooper and no expense spaired, bass, you are looked upon as a bit of a looser. Know, as i said, i may be wrong. I have changed to the bass after years of playing guitar because i love the bass. I have been and checked out basses in local shops and read reviews on what is and isnt a good bass.

I have bought myself some bodies and necks, plus and old Vantage P bass, and have found i get what i want from these options. I have tried just about every bass on the market, except Sadowsky, and honestly the old Vantage i bought plus the Stellah and Squire kits i put together, make the others feel, well not right. Some of the MIA Fenders, and i loved Fenders, felt not right, nor did the Gibsons, Warwick etc. The only one i did like, but the cost was way too much, was the Allembic, think thats how you spell it.

The question i have been building up to is this, does it really matter if you think a Bass is gig ready or not or the fact it doesnt have some fancy name on it, the guys in my band just love the sound of the things i have built and they are all well established musicians. One brought along his sons, Vintage P bass and i tell you the sound i got from that old Vantage was identical. So i ask again does it matter what you use, as long you can play.
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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

7/6/2012 4:02 AM

Craig Ditchfield (8302) wrote:

Al, I am not usually a fan of name brand basses, have played many over the years just have never thought there was anything really special about them. I have made 10 basses I use about 4 or 5 of them regularly playing live. Some of the local bass players (gear snobs) have heard me play and commented favourably on my sound. When they have come up to see my basses i get asked...."EMG's...DiMarzios etc, etc. My reply is that i have never spent more than $50 - $60 on p/ups. My only concession is a Artec 3 band EQ on all my basses I pick them up on ebay for $35.00 ea.

My point is similar to other replies - you don't need to spend a bomb to have a decent sound. I have cheap basses, 2 home made cabs and a run of the mill Hartke 2500 bass amp (although I would like a GenzBenz amp)
;-)

Gumby



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

7/7/2012 4:28 AM

Al Freed (144) wrote:

I have just finished making a bass from bits i had lying around and it sounds great, didnt cost me a whole lot either. I get more satisfaction from this than spending money on something that will not make me play any better.



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

7/8/2012 3:48 PM

WILLIAM HULSEY (25098) wrote:

+1 to that sir.



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

7/9/2012 5:19 AM

Craig Ditchfield (8302) wrote:

Yep and +1 from me too.

Gumby

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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

9/30/2012 3:39 PM

Peter Finlay (111) wrote:

You've got it right. I bought a Warwick Thumb, neck through, bubinga on eBay for £700. Tucked away in the the gig back was the original ticket £2,058. It was a fabulous bass and so well made - a dream come true. I kept it for a week, didn't like it, couldn't play it comfortably, put it back on eBay and sold it for £800. Conversely I decided to dabble with a fretless and bought a cheap secondhand Warwick Corvette ROCKBASS made in Korea or somewhere like that. Had it for a few years now and will never part with it. Such a comfortable neck (for me). I don't get to play it that much as it isn't the sort of sound that fits into our set, so now I play an ESP LTD five string, a mere £500 but I wouldn't swap that either, because it suits me, it is comfortable, sounds great with a tight 'B' and has a great EQ and a low action. Mind you I do have a decent rig TC Electronics amp and cabs - sounds great. Happy at last after 18 years!!!
Forget the brands, just make sure you get something you like playing because you sure as hell will play better.



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

9/30/2012 5:13 PM

Gar Whitenton (5737) wrote:

the last paragraph says it all...perfectly stated!



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

9/30/2012 7:45 PM

Greg Rhodus (7832) wrote:

no doubt.

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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

10/1/2012 11:42 AM

Sean Benedik (4277) wrote:

I'm not impressed by fancy instruments or gear. Everything you play ends up sounding like you in the end.
There's a big difference between being a gear snob - someone who judges another player by his gear - and a gear lover - someone who appreciates good craftsmanship. Everyone knows dudes with the sickest rigs who can't play; they compensate for their lack of skill by spending money on gear. I've also known dudes with cheap rigs that blow me clear out of the water.
I play Carvin basses. A 1998 LB76 fretless six-string, and two awesome Carvin 4-string bass kits that I finished and built; one fretted (walnut, maple, ebony) and one fretless (mahogany, maple, ebony). They're exactly what I need; nothing more, nothing less.

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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

10/1/2012 5:11 PM

ELLIOTT Q. GOMEZ (14024) wrote:

There are a lot of bass players (members and non-members alike) who build there own "FrankenAxes". So, I think that if one is comfortable playing the instrument one has nothing else should matter.



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

10/1/2012 10:05 PM

Roger Gumbs (30426) wrote:

"Franken-bass"done right is the way to go. I wish I would have done it sooner. My latest build is spot on- better than the Select Jazz I paid double for.

I don't knock other bass player's equipment. You make do with what you have. I've seen players out there with cheap basses that will run circles around me.

Take Dave Magaro for instance. He's been playing on his relatively inexpensive BC Rich for years, and he can fly on bass.



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Re: Snobbery in equipment.

10/2/2012 11:15 AM

Gar Whitenton (5737) wrote:

Jaco Pastorius' favorite bass was a Fender Jazz he picked up for dirt cheap and yanked the frets out with a pair of pliers.

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