discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 9 minutes ago, Burns-bass said: Being brutally honest, if you're not much of a player it doesn't matter how much you spend on a guitar, cables or amp. This is the crux of the matter. I suspect some people buy gear in an effort to 'sound better' when what they should be doing is concentrating on their playing. IMHO, etc. Quote
AndyTravis Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, discreet said: This is the crux of the matter. I suspect some people buy gear in an effort to 'sound better' when what they should be doing is concentrating on their playing. IMHO, etc. All day long 😉 Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 8 minutes ago, AndyTravis said: He then sat and strummed between G/A/D for 5 minutes, paid up and left. Later ordered a perspex lidded Rick case for it and sent us a picture of it on his wall... Odd. Typical collector. Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, discreet said: Typical collector. I don’t have a problem with people who want to collect instruments - it’s their money etc. But I do think that there’s a rather odd degree of snobbery around instrument brands and prices.. “You must be good, you have a £2k bass” or “You can’t be that good if you only have a Squier” etc.. 1 Quote
ezbass Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 7 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: “You must be good, you have a £2k bass” or “You can’t be that good if you only have a Squier” etc.. Some folks listen with their eyes and prejudices. A shame, as they’re missing the point of what an instrument is for. Quote
AndyTravis Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 8 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: I don’t have a problem with people who want to collect instruments - it’s their money etc. But I do think that there’s a rather odd degree of snobbery around instrument brands and prices.. “You must be good, you have a £2k bass” or “You can’t be that good if you only have a Squier” etc.. It was an odd experience for me, him blowing £10k or the best part thereof when he couldn’t play wasn’t odd. watched a guy spend £70,000 on a piano he couldn’t play because it would “look great” in the foyer of his house....that was bonkers (it was a Yamaha c9 concert grand. Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, ezbass said: Some folks listen with their eyes and prejudices. A shame, as they’re missing the point of what an instrument is for. Yes exactly. Maybe I need to start gigging with a Marlin Sidewinder bass and an old Torque amp.. Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 17 hours ago, ianrendall said: Ok so, we as bassists can all agree that the granddaddy of basses is the P Bass, like it or not. And I assume that we can all agree that the three most recognisable basses in terms of sound are the P, the J and the Stingray. So what if another came first? If the J or Ray came in 1951 instead of the P would they be the benchmark? Is the P’s success down to it just being the first? Going back to the OP's question, I'm not entirely sure there's a whole lot of difference in the fundamental tone of those three basses. They sound a lot like basses to me... But the question of the P bass being the benchmark due to history? I don't know. If Jesus had originally appeared in 20th century Alabama, would the iconic symbol of Christianity be the electric chair instead of the cross..? Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Just now, AndyTravis said: It was an odd experience for me, him blowing £10k or the best part thereof when he couldn’t play wasn’t odd. watched a guy spend £70,000 on a piano he couldn’t play because it would “look great” in the foyer of his house....that was bonkers (it was a Yamaha c9 concert grand. Again, if people are upfront about the motivation for buying then, hey, why not? It’s the snobbery I don’t like. “Oh, I wouldn’t play a squier - it’s just so amateur” 1 Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Just now, Bridgehouse said: Maybe I need to start gigging with a Marlin Sidewinder bass and an old Torque amp.. Yeah, do that! I'm going to gig with an old Trace combo and a Shergold Marathon, so why not? Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Just now, discreet said: Yeah, do that! I'm going to gig with an old Trace combo and a Shergold Marathon, so why not? Shergold marathon and Trace? Luxury.. I want a bass that will shred my fingers and an amp that is more farty and wheezy than Albert Steptoe Quote
Muzz Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 2 hours ago, Burns-bass said: On bass, next the majority of situations, the quality of the note and the resonant qualities of the instrument are going to matter less. Not to me it doesn't, and it's my money I'm spending. Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 1 minute ago, Bridgehouse said: It’s the snobbery I don’t like. “Oh, I wouldn’t play a squier - it’s just so amateur” Some pros use Squier, it makes sense. If something catastrophic happens you can get one in practically any town or city likely to be on any tour and it's not going to affect your bottom line too much. Touring can have very narrow margins financially to say the least. Quote
ezbass Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, discreet said: Going back to the OP's question, I'm not entirely sure there's a whole lot of difference in the fundamental tone of those three basses. They sound a lot like basses to me. This was brought home at the recent SE Bass Bash where a ‘blindfold’ tone test was done with umpteen basses. A room full of players failed to identify a goodly number of different basses when played behind a curtain, through the same rig (dual p/up instruments were played with both on). A cure for tonal GAS if ever there was one. 2 Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 3 minutes ago, discreet said: Some pros use Squier, it makes sense. If something catastrophic happens you can get one in practically any town or city likely to be on any tour and it's not going to affect your bottom line too much. Touring can have very narrow margins financially to say the least. Which is exactly why I don’t understand the snobbery at all 1 Quote
Muzz Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) There's a fundamental difference between owning an instrument and playing one; the emphasis can be weighted heavily either way...YOB basses are an ideal example. Edited October 23, 2018 by Muzz Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 20 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: But I do think that there’s a rather odd degree of snobbery around instrument brands and prices.. “You must be good, you have a £2k bass” or “You can’t be that good if you only have a Squier” etc.. These opinions are generally held by punters and non-players, or at least non-giggers. I've gigged a Harley Benton and I've gigged a Sue Ryder P at a NYE gig at the Grosvenor in Park Lane... no appreciable difference compared with my USA 76 P. But recording is another matter... Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, ezbass said: This was brought home at the recent SE Bass Bash where a ‘blindfold’ tone test was done with umpteen basses. A room full of players failed to identify a goodly number of different basses when played behind a curtain, through the same rig (dual p/up instruments were played with both on). A cure for tonal GAS if ever there was one. At the end of the day, a bass is made up of a set of component parts that each add to the “sound”. In the main, these components are pretty much alike from one bass to another - strings, bridge, tuners, wood, pickups and how they are made/wound. We formulate and process information in our brain from a mixture of sensory sources - I’m not surprised there was little discernible difference in an audio only test as nobody had the visual cues that our brain often uses to interpret sound.. 1 Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 3 minutes ago, Muzz said: There's a fundamental difference between owning an instrument and playing one; the emphasis can be weighted heavily either way...YOB basses are an ideal example. I'd buy a YOB bass if I could afford it. I'd expect it to play well enough and sound good, however it's only wood and wire like any other bass. But I'd enjoy the history, the backstory, the 'mojo' and... the smell. Quote
Muzz Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 My point exactly. Apart from the smell, possibly, but hey, as long as you're not doing it in the street and frightening the horses... Any instrument can be anything from a decorative item, to a sentimental one, to a status symbol, to a simple tool*, to something to be sniffed in private...as I say, you pays yer money... * Shush at the back... 1 Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 Just now, Muzz said: My point exactly. Apart from the smell, possibly, but hey, as long as you're not doing it in the street and frightening the horses... Any instrument can be anything from a decorative item, to a sentimental one, to a status symbol, to a simple tool*, to something to be sniffed in private...as I say, you pays yer money... * Shush at the back... Basssniff.co.uk anyone? 1 Quote
Teebs Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 7 minutes ago, discreet said: ... the smell. But would a Fender P smell be more authentic and represent the quintessence of the bass guitar, rather than say, a Gibson, a Yamaha or a Hofner? Quote
Bridgehouse Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, Teebs said: But would a Fender P smell be more authentic and represent the quintessence of the bass guitar, rather than say, a Gibson, a Yamaha or a Hofner? Funnily enough the smell is often dictated by the glue they used to stick the case lining down with.... Quote
discreet Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 5 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said: Basssniff.co.uk anyone? Or 'snurglebass.co.uk'. Or 'moomphbass.com'... and so on.... Quote
Muzz Posted October 23, 2018 Posted October 23, 2018 The tangy aroma of forty years of Depsweat? I think I'll pass... Quote
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