All the gear and no-eye-dear

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441491882' post='2859306']
I haven't said they don't deserve it, or that they shouldn't have it, simply that IMO it's not really necessary [i]for a local covers band[/i], and in some cases, perhaps a bit over the top.
[/quote]

I doubt that any weekend warrior type player frequenting small local venues buys a top end bass out of some perceived necessity but rather because they just fancy it (although some who are pro/semi-pro might), and by implying such you are engaging in something of a straw man argument which is probably why this topic has got a bit heated at times.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1441495091' post='2859346']
I doubt that any weekend warrior type player frequenting small local venues buys a top end bass out of some perceived necessity but rather because they just fancy it
[/quote]

Sure, and that's what I wanted to find out - did people feel it was necessary.

[timmo]

This has got to be the most pointless topic i have ever seen, and by god has there been some pointless ones. I just don`t understand it. Asking what the point of expensive kit is, which differs, because some people only have a few hundred pounds, and others have thousands. If i buy a £1000 bass, i would say that is expensive. Others might think that £500 is too much, where the other side of the scale, £5000 is acceptable. When people offer their views, it just seems that if you have a made in USA Fender, you are a snob because a Squire would do the job just as well.
I hope that some people have never watched Metillica at Glastonbury, because they would be outraged with Robert Trujillo swapping basses every 2 songs or so.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1441496257' post='2859355']
if you have a made in USA Fender, you are a snob because a Squire would do the job just as well.
[/quote]

If one does have a nice Fender, what's wrong with somebody asking why they didn't opt for the Squier? Perhaps it does serve their purposes just as well, so is therefore also a relevant option. What is it about that question that has got everyone's knickers in a twist?

[Rich]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441493472' post='2859329']
I didn't see that anywhere. Not from me, not from anyone.

Again, I haven't said that once. I'm not offended by it.

Perhaps you should stop making stuff up now.
[/quote]
Nobody actually called you a 'Communist dictator' either.

[gary mac]

I'm only reading this thread because I have an hour to kill before I can have my meds

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1441498781' post='2859369']
Nobody actually called you a 'Communist dictator' either.
[/quote]

No, quite right. I was flexing my tabloid journalism muscles there - sorry.

[lojo]

If anyone outside of the bass playing community reads this thread , what would they think

[lowdown]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1441520285' post='2859386']
If anyone outside of the bass playing community reads this thread , what would they think
[/quote]

The same as most/some from the Bass playing community, reading this thread.

[timmo]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441496736' post='2859358']
If one does have a nice Fender, what's wrong with somebody asking why they didn't opt for the Squier? Perhaps it does serve their purposes just as well, so is therefore also a relevant option. What is it about that question that has got everyone's knickers in a twist?
[/quote]Absolutely nothing is wrong with a Squier. Absolutely nothing wrong with a USA Fender. Absolutely nothing wrong with a suit from George (asda), and nothing wrong with Ted Baker (insert any brand you like). That is why i feel this topic is a bit pointless. If someone says that they just like the build quality and reliability of a Fender bass, over a Squire, it seems to never satisfy you. Maybe that is why you perceive that people have their knickers in a twist.

Edited September 6, 2015 by timmo

[Roland Rock]

Milty, I think that this thread has taken a nasty turn for a couple of reasons: some are being (unnecessarily?) defensive because they perceive your 'curiousity' as thinly veiled criticism. Others are exasperated by what appears to be a very obtuse reaction to something which has been explained quite clearly already.
We know you are a smart chap, and a people person, so this stance which seems to be based purely on logic and ignoring human nature is all the more baffling. To me anyway

[ubit]

[quote name='neilp' timestamp='1441493259' post='2859325']
If it offends your sensibilities to see an average player in a pub band with a Wal hanging from his strap, I'd suggest you haven't got enough worries in your life. Lucky man!
[/quote]


Im pretty sure this sums up my stance on this matter!

[TimR]

Well, I'm with Milty. It's interesting to see what motivates people and what lies behind their choice of instrument.

I never understand why some people see words on a page to have any malice. Non have been written. It's all in your heads guys.

I just thought there were two reasons for choosing a particular bass. Seems I'm wrong so the thread has at least been interesting to me.

Rampant consumerism? Hardly. We don't buy an expensive bass as soon as it's released and bin the old one. The supply chain and exchange of second hand gear is far more complex than that.

As I wrote earlier, if you feel you have to defend yourself then maybe you should look at really why you bought the bass. So far only one person has admitted to being an out and out poser.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1441525553' post='2859410']
Absolutely nothing is wrong with a Squier. Absolutely nothing wrong with a USA Fender. Absolutely nothing wrong with a suit from George (asda), and nothing wrong with Ted Baker (insert any brand you like). That is why i feel this topic is a bit pointless. If someone says that they just like the build quality and reliability of a Fender bass, over a Squire, it seems to never satisfy you. Maybe that is why you perceive that people have their knickers in a twist.
[/quote]

You miss the point - Why can't I ask a group of bassists, many of whom gig in cover bands at the weekend in the local pub, why they choose to use more expensive equipment at these gigs when cheap equipment would generally suffice?

The people who get upset at questions being asked are the ones who can't answer them. So far, one poster has had the balls to simply say that he bought what he bought because he just wanted it, and he wanted to show off too. He didn't get upset. He gave his answer and left. He said it like it was.

All this "I bring two basses in case one breaks" and "I buy superior quality gear because it's more reliable" just seem like mealy-mouthed justifications for what is simply an indulgence, although so many here seem to be unwilling to admit that's what it is. If you want to play at being a big-time rock star, if you do it as an indulgence, if you simply have more fun that way, just bloody well say it instead of getting all upset when I don't believe that you bring two superior quality basses to the pub "in case one breaks".

[timmo]

Why should they have to justify what bass they buy? You have already said that it was just a clickbait topic.

[Dad3353]

[attachment=200122:Screen Shot 09-06-15 at 02.44 PM.PNG]

[lonestar]

I dep paid gigs at weddings functions parties etc for several well paid "semi pro bands".
I wouldn't dream of turning up at a gig with one bass.
My reason ? A year or so at a rehearsal the nut on my p bas just broke for no apparent reason leaving the G string flat on the board and unusable. I muddled through but it was a real pain. If that was someone's wedding where we had 3 45 min sets ahead of us I could struggle on through the song, swap basses and carry on. Without a spare Id be buggered especially if. I only had my peavey active bass which was expensive once but getting on a bit.
I see that as professional and being prepared. Electrical things break. I carry spare everythings except an amp. Cant afford two and there is always just going through the PA contingency.
Recent pub gig and the guitard's speaker lead failed on setting up. I had a spare she didn't gig saved.
I buy the best instruments that I can afford when I feel the need and have the means. How is that self indulgent ?

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441542023' post='2859625']
All this "I bring two basses in case one breaks" and "I buy superior quality gear because it's more reliable" just seem like mealy-mouthed justifications for what is simply an indulgence, although so many here seem to be unwilling to admit that's what it is.
[/quote]

Declaring other peoples behaviour indulgent or unjustifiable does seem overly judgemental, so it's not surprising that you may have annoyed a few people. Look at it this way; you're professionally involved in a business which sells strings, right? If I was to declare that a five quid set of generic far eastern bass strings would do a perfectly adequate job, audiences couldn't tell the difference and spending £17 on a premium US made product like a set of D'Addarios was an unjustifiable indulgence I dare say you would disagree with me. It's surely not too much of a leap to realise that people may think that way about instruments.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1441543595' post='2859646']
Look at it this way; you're professionally involved in a business which sells strings, right?
[/quote]

Wrong. I'm not.

Further more, I wouldn't judge anyone for having an indulgence. Like me sitting surrounded by Apple technology isn't indulgent? That would be very hypocritical of me.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441543904' post='2859650']
Wrong. I'm not.
[/quote]

Professional or otherwise, that seems rather like splitting hairs. My point is, if you're going to write blogs on why we "need" to change our strings regularly or why we should pay extra for coated strings, you ought to be able to perceive that your judgement of what is needed for a given musical activity may not apply universally.

[Big_Stu]

Can I just say I have absolutely no idea what this thread is about any more?

[TimR]

I take two basses to a gig because I had a catastrophic failure of my semi-expensive bass. A machine-head snapped clean off. I didn't have a spare bass with me. The gig was 'interesting'.

My spare bass stays in its hard case - off stage.

I'm not sure how people manage to play different basses with different tones. My bass is what I like through the amplification I like. Everything (apart from the gain and volume) is set at 'flat'.

I've only ever had one complaint; from a guy who identified himself as a bass player, who said I should be playing a Fender for all the 70s tunes we did. He was a slightly odd bloke and I made my excuses and went to talk to someone a little bit more interesting.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1441544722' post='2859656']
Professional or otherwise
[/quote]

I'm not involved at all.

Also you do [i]need[/i] to change your strings - they're a consumable.

Of course I recognise that what I think is required for a certain gig is not what everyone else thinks. That was the point. I don't justify these things in the same way, and I was curious to know how other people did.

[gary mac]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441542023' post='2859625']
You miss the point - Why can't I ask a group of bassists, many of whom gig in cover bands at the weekend in the local pub, why they choose to use more expensive equipment at these gigs when cheap equipment would generally suffice?

[/quote]

I'm a regular pub band gigger, I use more expensive gear at these gigs because I can.

If all I could afford was cheap gear, then that is what I would be using.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1441550091' post='2859708']
Of course I recognise that what I think is required for a certain gig is not what everyone else thinks. That was the point. I don't justify these things in the same way, and I was curious to know how other people did.
[/quote]

Words and phrases like "unjustifiable", "indulgence" and "mealy-mouthed" suggest that you're not very willing to accept those other views when they are offered. I would feel less confident dismissing the experience-based opinions of people with vastly more gigging experience than myself, as you appear to do a couple of times in this thread. I'm not posting this to be unfriendly, just trying to offer my view as to why the thread has gone less than smoothly.