bass snobbery

[Scoop]

I have some really lovely basses which I paid an arm and a leg for and I have an ACG, built to my specs, on order as we speak. Between 2002 and 2004 however, despite having a fab array of basses available to me, I gigged a Peavey Dynabass (in red, lovely it was) over 120 times simply because I loved the way it played and sounded. This set me back £159 brand spanking new... or about a 20th of the list price of my Roscoe.

Eventually, however, this utterly wonderful little creation began to flag under the pressure and bits began to fall off, and pots began to crackle, and it stopped sounding so lovely and it stopped being so easy to live with.

And there's the thing. It didn't matter with that bass that it got maimed. It does with my others.

Now, I gig ALL of my basses on a "what's at the top of the pile, today" sort of rotation - I frankly don't care if this bass sounds different to that one at a gig - variety is the spice of life and woe betide any band member who might suggest that my Rickenbacker or my Status isn't suitable for a particular song. Express a preference, yes. Diss a bass, no. Anyone who plays an Ibanez Jem DARE not talk to me about basses not sounding right, not if they don't want a Wizard II where the sun don't shine.

I've got nice basses and I know that gigging will, eventually, maim them. That's why I rotate them, it shares out the hurt so none of them takes a complete pasting. As a consequence, I have a local reputation as a gear snob because I have many and , supposedly, "flash them around".

Bollox to that. I want well made basses so that gigging doesn't hurt them too much, I want a good number of them so that I can rotate them, and finally and quite frankly I love them in the way that some people love paintings or porcelain or VW camper vans. I can spend hours just gazing lovingly at my basses and, often imho, the most aesthetially pleasing to my eyes tend to be the ones with the expensive wood grain tops. Snob? I don't think so. Do I care if I have the label attached to me? Not in the bloody slightest.

[OldGit]

Yeah I'm a snob

I've owned a Squier JV P bass which was Ok but I didn't ant to wear a Squier ...

It's not a money thing because even though I have a brace of Shukers I also enjoy my very cheap SX P bass and Stagg upright.

[Waldo]

[quote name='finnbass' post='190200' date='May 2 2008, 01:23 AM']I have to confess to being a [b]reverse snob[/b], nothing gives me greater satisfaction than tweaking a cheap bass so it sounds brilliant.

I also filled up this pedal board:



Behringertastic!!

I could fill up another now

I've got boutique pedals, Deep Impacts and the like but I bloody well [b]expect[/b] them to sound good [/quote]


Would love a go on that pedalboard

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='Scoop' post='190625' date='May 2 2008, 03:22 PM']Anyone who plays an Ibanez Jem DARE not talk to me about basses not sounding right, not if they don't want a Wizard II where the sun don't shine.[/quote]

wot you trying to say then? ibby players dont know sh*te?

that right there is bass snobbery

at the end of the day if it sounds right regardsless of wether it costs the right amount of money then thats waht matters.


edit been down the pub cant be arsed to spell check

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='Waldo' post='190655' date='May 2 2008, 04:01 PM']Would love a go on that pedalboard [/quote]

especially as the boss equivalent would be £900 + dry up the arse compared to £200+ for the behringer

[Scoop]

[quote name='lowhand_mike' post='190715' date='May 2 2008, 05:08 PM']wot you trying to say then? ibby players dont know sh*te?

that right there is bass snobbery [/quote]

When have you ever seen a Jem bass? Where do I say Ibanez basses are crap? How is it bass snobbery?

I know you've been to the pub but you could at least read it properly before you reply.

And it's never a good idea to be when you're beered up.

Edited May 2, 2008 by Scoop

[nick]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='190512' date='May 2 2008, 01:49 PM']but ultimately I'd sooner have 10 unusual & interesting basses than one "pro" bass with a four-figure price tag.[/quote]

+1

[OldGit]

[quote name='gilmour' post='190295' date='May 2 2008, 09:26 AM']I'm not a bass snob - but I am definately an Amp snob I'm afraid. My tech Spec specifies that I won't use an Asdown as supplied backline [/quote]

I'd have to put that on my tech spec, if I had one. No snobbery this time, I just can't hear them in a band situation.

[Linus27]

I would say I am not a snob because 95% of basses I see I think are ugly. Either they have a horrible head, a horrible pointy shape, or the necks to long or something else. So most basses i see I don't like. The ones that are on my list of likes are,

Musicman Stingray
Warwick Streamer
Fender Jazz
Fender Precision
Fender Telecaster Bass

Most other basses are ugly to my eyes.

However, one thing I really do not like is basses that have lots of knobs or controls. For me it should have volume and tone. nothing else.

Also, If you asked me 20 years ago, even 10 years ago if I would own a Squire, I would laugh and say no way. However, now a happy owner of a Squire Vintage Modified Frettless Jazz which I feel is one of the best basses I have ever owned and played.

So all in all, my choices are limited due to personle taste. I have about 2, maybe 3 basses I want to own. They are,

Musicman Stingray 2 EQ in Cherry Burst. I used to own a Musicman and it was the nicest bass to play and is the best looking bass you can buy so i want another.

Squire Vintage Modified Jazz. Beautiful looking bass and hopefully sounds a good as the fretless.

So at least i am easy to please :)

[BigBeefChief]

I like sh*t gear.

I'm a sh*t bass player. I'd feel a c*nt playing anything to flash.

I'm also def as a post, so my Carlsbro combo sounds much like an Ampeg.

[BigRedX]

I suppose I am a gear snob. However my values are my own...

On the whole I don't like popular stuff. Also an instrument has got to look the part as well as play well and sound good. Unless you're going to be a recording artist only and never play live or be photographed playing your bass, your choice of instrument should say as much about you as your choice of notes or the tone you use.

Because of this, my tastes are exactly opposite to those of Linus27, the basses he lists are the ones that for me wouldn't warrant a second glance in a music shop.

It doesn't have to be expensive - just different but still good.

[trent900]

As with all things, I'm a snob for the unusual. It doesn't have to be expensive or flash to me as long as it's weird. That's why I love my Tobias, even though it was comparitively cheap at £300. Heavy, yes. Unwieldy, yes. But I love the look and I love when people say 'what's that then? Tobias? Who are they?'

Next basses - probably a Rick 4001 and a Fender Jazz, just because Bruce Foxton looked so damn cool and because I've never heard a Jazz that didn't sound the dogs.

What's [i]really[/i] odd, and rather stupid, is that I'd be perfectly happy to pass up something brilliant and common in favour of something less good but rarer. Which is why I'll never be able to take the sensible choice and buy a Mondeo...

Any else get that? Or is it just me?

[Jono Bolton]

I don't think I'm a snob. There's nothing special in my gear list, and my next purchase is probably going to be an OLP. Hopefully an MM3, but maybe an MM2 tuned BEAD. I'm firmly of the belief that a hardwear/pickup change on a lower end bass such as an OLP/Squier/Mexican Fender can give you a bloody good instrument, and you don't necessarily have to spend loads of money either.

[urb]

I think this is really a case of getting the gear that bes suits [b]you[/b] first and foremost. If you happen to find a cheap Fender copy that totally rocks your world and sounds and plays like you want it to then that in that circumstance you've fulfilled all your requirements.

I've never really been a gear head - I was lucky that when my grandma passed away when I was 17 she was kind enough to leave me £3000 in her will. My only basses until that point had been a Kay bass and a Marlin Sidewinder...nice! But around that time I had played my first Thumb bass and as they were the [i]original[/i] Warwicks back then it was a pretty amazing bass. So I took my inheritance and decided I'd get a Thumb bass so I had one really great bass that would last me for years - and it has - 18 years to be exact. So from that point of view I always had a decent bass, one that I felt was far too good for me when I first got it, but has now become something of a limitation for me and the sounds and playability that I feel I need now.

Personally I am a 'snob' but I'd change that and say 'I know what I want' - the term 'snob' implies that you pre-judge and instrument before you play it - for all sorts of reasons. Try before you buy and having a good idea of the tone and feel/playability that you prefer is all part of getting the bass you want - if a bass meets those requirements then hey - it the bass for you. If not keep looking. that all comes through experience and years of playing - a great player can make the cheapest of instruments sound amazing - but a great instrument will highlight your limitations (due to it's higher-fidelity sound etc) - so I'm still trying to be a good player first and a gear head second.

All that said I just gigged my Sei bass last night and it was an utterly brilliant experience - it just sounded wicked all night and totally kicked ass on my solo - it really is a wonderful instrument.

M

[andy67]

a quick change of direction...

I am definitely 100% a gear slut!

[wateroftyne]

Am I a snob..? I dunno.

I don't think so, because - theoretically - I'd be happy with any decent no-name Precision clone (barring a few upgrades here and there).

[OldGit]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='191690' date='May 4 2008, 05:15 PM']Am I a snob..? I dunno.

I don't think so, because - theoretically - I'd be happy with any decent no-name Precision clone (barring a few upgrades here and there).[/quote]

Swap one of your P basses for my SX P bass ? )))

[Jase]

I'm not a snob at all, I will only use stock factory basses, I'd take a Fender Jazz over any bass.

[Jobiebass]

Update to the snobbery.
Im getting rid of the jazz and getting an OLP 5hh ray.
This is where my "more money then sence" comes into play, im pretty sure if I love that bass ill end up getting an EBMM 'ray 5er to go with my EBMM 'ray 4er. I still want a US Jazz, Still want a Bongo, Still want a Shuker.

All this and im a terrible bass player.

Im definatly a gear whore.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='OldGit' post='191711' date='May 4 2008, 05:55 PM']Swap one of your P basses for my SX P bass ? )))[/quote]

Good Lord, no.

Get off my land, you ghastly oik!

[kevbass]

[quote name='jono b' post='191385' date='May 3 2008, 11:20 PM']I don't think I'm a snob. There's nothing special in my gear list, and my next purchase is probably going to be an OLP. Hopefully an MM3, but maybe an MM2 tuned BEAD. I'm firmly of the belief that a hardwear/pickup change on a lower end bass such as an OLP/Squier/Mexican Fender can give you a bloody good instrument, and you don't necessarily have to spend loads of money either.[/quote]

+1

[leonshelley01]

Having recently decided to upgrade my rig (from an Ibanez GSR through a Zoom B2 into the PA. Cheap as chips!), I went in expecting to spend about £2000. Having tried 6 amps and 17 basses, I came away with a MIM Jazz (plus new bridge and pickups), Ibanez SR300 and a Marshall MB 4210, so with the unexpected change, I'm buying a car to get to rehearsals!

I tried lots of expensive basses, but those two felt right to me, and the Marshall gave the volume and tone I wanted. So each to their own, I just hope people are buying what is right for THEM, not because of what is written on the headstock or resale value.

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='leonshelley01' post='192066' date='May 5 2008, 09:39 AM']Having recently decided to upgrade my rig (from an Ibanez GSR through a Zoom B2 into the PA. Cheap as chips!), I went in expecting to spend about £2000. Having tried 6 amps and 17 basses, I came away with a MIM Jazz (plus new bridge and pickups), Ibanez SR300 and a Marshall MB 4210, so with the unexpected change, I'm buying a car to get to rehearsals!

I tried lots of expensive basses, but those two felt right to me, and the Marshall gave the volume and tone I wanted. So each to their own, I just hope people are buying what is right for THEM, not because of what is written on the headstock or resale value.[/quote]
+1

That's the important bit, getting what is right for you as a player. What feels right and what sounds right should come first. After that, looks come into it I suppose but for me, it's never been the brand of a bass or bass amp, it's the sound that matters.

I used to have a '66 Fender Jazz which cost me a lot of money 15 years ago but I sold it on because I didn't like the sound of it, nor the way it played. In fact, I much prefered the sound and feel of the '84 Tokai Jazzsound that I had..

Having said all that, I do have a Wal, so I'm probably a bass snob just by virtue of owning that

[The Burpster]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='192077' date='May 5 2008, 09:59 AM']Having said all that, I do have a Wal, so I'm probably a bass snob just by virtue of owning that [/quote]

Nik,

buying quality gear doesnt mean your a snob does it? Have I got it wrong?

Oh Sh1t what am I then with my little band of warriors?

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='The Burpster' post='192098' date='May 5 2008, 10:44 AM']Nik,

buying quality gear doesnt mean your a snob does it? Have I got it wrong?

Oh Sh1t what am I then with my little band of warriors?

[/quote]
Not at all! You're a connoisseur, like many people here on Basschat. That is:

[i]'A person with expert knowledge or training'[/i]

or

[i]'A person of informed and discriminating taste' [/i]

I think that's a fair description, just like being a connoisseur of fine wines or fine art....