Bass Snobbery

[chris_b]

Snobbery is when someone buys expensive gear when they can't tell the difference.

 

Inverted snobbery is when someone buys cheap gear and claims there is no difference.

 

[peteb]

5 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Snobbery is when someone buys expensive gear when they can't tell the difference.

 

Inverted snobbery is when someone buys cheap gear and claims there is no difference.

 

 

Exactly 

 

[SteveXFR]

1 hour ago, Barking Spiders said:

True, I believe it's probably an industry term for 'cheap production line instruments made in Indonesia/China'. 

Even worse than musical instrument snobs are those car snobs / petrolheads who sneer at mass market models. So, your fancy xx can do 0-60 in 3 seconds and reach top speeds of 200 mph. Where are you going to taken that for drive then? the salt flats in Utah?

 

I think you misunderstand petrol heads, most love a basic, no frills hot hatch even if they do own a super car. I'm quite a fan of the Suzuki Swift Sport, wicked fun little car and dirt cheap. The Fiesta ST is fantastic fun as well.

My car is one of those stupid fast cars and while you'll use a fraction of its speed on the road, what is fun is using the monster midrange grunt to fire it between bends on a twisty B road. There's also track days Nurburgring trips and V max top speed events. There's also the fact that a car with 500+ horsepower makes for an extremely relaxed motorway cruiser.

There are some car snobs but I'd say they're less common than instrument snobs. I've experienced more reverse car snobbery with people ranting at me about fuel consumption and too much power etc, etc and telling me I should get a sensible car, I have one and it does 90% of my miles.

[Nicko]

53 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

As someone with odd shaped legs … what and how expensive 

 

Not vastly expensive.  More expensive and trendier brands are available.  I have an issue with Levi's - the standard 501 doesn't fit my thighs and going for a relaxed fit makes them baggy around my ar5s and crotch. It's the same with a lot of the established jeans brands.  £120 or so  on (sadly no longer made) medium rise relaxed taper Diesel Larkee BEEX solves the problem. although I've bought a few pairs at reduced prices to keep me going.  Previously GStar Raw were my brand of choice but they discontinued the style I liked.

 

[Nicko]

1 hour ago, chris_b said:

Snobbery is when someone buys expensive gear when they can't tell the difference.

 

Inverted snobbery is when someone buys cheap gear and claims there is no difference.

 

No.  Snobbery is believing that something is better simply because it costs more.

 

Inverted snobbery is refusing to pay more for a brand that others have decided is the minimum standard, even if it's actually better. 

 

There's too many people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

[peteb]

9 minutes ago, Nicko said:

Inverted snobbery is refusing to pay more for a brand that others have decided is the minimum standard, even if it's actually better. 

 

 

No, inverted snobbery is the attitude of seeming to despise anything associated with status or what is generally perceived as quality or, while at the same time elevating those things associated with lack of status or quality. 

 

[nekomatic]

4 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

 and I nearly bought a sue Ryder P bass

 

That’s a signature model I wasn’t previously aware of…

[Nicko]

7 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

No, inverted snobbery is the attitude of seeming to despise anything associated with status or what is generally perceived as quality or, while at the same time elevating those things associated with lack of status or quality. 

 

I think we are in agreement, except that I don't associate status of people with the things they happen to possess.

[SteveXFR]

There's definitely some great basses that cost bugger all used. Some of the old Peavey's like the Zephyr are superb and can be had for a couple hundred squids.

I much preferred my old Zephyr to my Fender Jazz which cost 3 times as much.

[Reggaebass]

11 minutes ago, nekomatic said:

 

That’s a signature model I wasn’t previously aware of…

Definitely a signature model, look it was signed 😁

[peteb]

43 minutes ago, Nicko said:

I think we are in agreement, except that I don't associate status of people with the things they happen to possess.

 

Very commendable, but we are not talking about the status of the people who happen to possess a particular type of bass, more the status associated with the bass itself. 

 

Edited June 10, 2022 by peteb

[Richard R]

Everybody looks up or down at some other people. It's human nature.  Sadly. 

[Dad3353]

2 minutes ago, Richard R said:

Everybody looks up or down at some other people. It's human nature.  Sadly. 

 

Cue 'The Two Ronnies' (revamped...) ...

 

 

[Nicko]

7 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

Very commendable, but we are not talking about the status of the people who happen to possess a particular type of bass, more the status associated with the bass itself. 

 

Oh, in that case we don't agree.😀

 

Snobbery and it's reverse is IMO about the status of the owner rather than the object.  A snide comment on the quality of a bass or the gratuitously ostentatious nature of an instrument implies that the player is less than discerning.  

[peteb]

12 minutes ago, Nicko said:

Oh, in that case we don't agree.😀

 

Snobbery and it's reverse is IMO about the status of the owner rather than the object.  A snide comment on the quality of a bass or the gratuitously ostentatious nature of an instrument implies that the player is less than discerning.  

 

But in this context, we're talking about the status associated with the instrument itself. 

 

In the real world, how many decent musicians would make a snide comment about another guy’s instrument? Most musicians learn pretty quickly if you act like an entitled d1ck then you don’t get called for many gigs. But that is not to say that they wouldn’t think that it lacked credibility, but if the guy was a good enough player then it wouldn’t really matter.

 

On the other hand, if someone turns up for an audition with a Fodera everyone would say ‘cool bass’. But if they turned up in a Range Rover with three Foderas, then they would have prove that they weren’t a dilettante before they would be taken seriously. Again, if they can play well enough then it very quickly wouldn’t matter. 

 

 

[bassbiscuits]

I’m the first to tell people how much my cheap secondhand Yamaha bass cost (£200 including postage) when I get compliments on how nice it sounds at gigs. 

But I’ve also got a 50+ year old vintage Fender too. 
I must admit at first I only

bought the Yamaha as a spare but it’s proven itself to be a great all-round gigging bass regardless of the value or (lack of) prestige. 
Good and bad basses exist at all levels and prices I’ve learned…

[Nicko]

20 minutes ago, peteb said:

In the real world, how many decent musicians would make a snide comment about another guy’s instrument?

That's the question the OP is asking. and having read some comments here I suspect instrument snobbery is alive and well.

[zbd1960]

6 hours ago, Nicko said:

Surely this patently false statement is the whole basis of snobbery.  It's possible to compare instruments in terms of quality of components. quality of design, quality of construction but ultimately a good instrument is one that the player feels comfortable playing and that produces the sound they want. 

 

The sales price of an instrument is largely driven by the cost of labour in the country of manufacture and the perceived desirability of the product. 

 

I write this as someone who recently disposed of a US P as I always end up using my Chinese Squier P. I have a Mexican Fender branded Tele (the snobs would actually have to look at the serial number to tell), a Patrick Eggle and an Epiphone 339. 

 

These all do exactly what I want and I choose to spend the savings on expensive jeans which fit me better than the brand leader.

 

 

err... whilst you don't always get what you pay for (seems to be an issue with guitars where fashion seems to be an element) my main experience is with orchestral instruments and as a general rule more money = better made

[LukeFRC]

2 hours ago, Nicko said:

 

Not vastly expensive.  More expensive and trendier brands are available.  I have an issue with Levi's - the standard 501 doesn't fit my thighs and going for a relaxed fit makes them baggy around my ar5s and crotch. It's the same with a lot of the established jeans brands.  £120 or so  on (sadly no longer made) medium rise relaxed taper Diesel Larkee BEEX solves the problem. although I've bought a few pairs at reduced prices to keep me going.  Previously GStar Raw were my brand of choice but they discontinued the style I liked.

 

I’ve short legs with big calves. Edwin seem to fit well for me. (Not at full price) 

[Nail Soup]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

Cue 'The Two Ronnies' (revamped...) ...

 

 

I didn't know about that version (or had forgotten it).... I think there was at least one other update after the original?

[Nail Soup]

According to Wikipedia: Snob is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.

Bass snobbery would therefore (IMO) translate as a correlation between (perceived) quality of an instrument and the worth of the owner as a musician.

An inverted snob would see the correlation as negative, perhaps embodied best in the phrase 'all the gear and no idea'.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nicko]

1 hour ago, zbd1960 said:

err... whilst you don't always get what you pay for (seems to be an issue with guitars where fashion seems to be an element) my main experience is with orchestral instruments and as a general rule more money = better made

If the title of the thread was Brass Snobbery your point would be more relevant🙂. 

 

I have no experience outside of a rock band environment in terms of bang for your buck but certain manufacturers trade at a premium on a perception of quality which isn't necessarily deserved.  I'm not saying that a Fodera isn't worth more than a Harley Benton because of what it's made from and how it's made.  It doesn't necessarily mean its a better instrument than something half or a tenth of it's price though.

[peteb]

12 minutes ago, Nicko said:

I'm not saying that a Fodera isn't worth more than a Harley Benton because of what it's made from and how it's made.  It doesn't necessarily mean its a better instrument

 

Let me put your mind at rest. I've played a Harley Benton (extremely good for the price point) and I've played a Fodera. I can assure you that the Fodera is by far the better bass (probably the best I've ever played)...! 

 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, Nicko said:

 

Not vastly expensive.  More expensive and trendier brands are available.  I have an issue with Levi's - the standard 501 doesn't fit my thighs and going for a relaxed fit makes them baggy around my ar5s and crotch. It's the same with a lot of the established jeans brands.  £120 or so  on (sadly no longer made) medium rise relaxed taper Diesel Larkee BEEX solves the problem. although I've bought a few pairs at reduced prices to keep me going.  Previously GStar Raw were my brand of choice but they discontinued the style I liked.

 

Sadly I can only dream of such sophistication. The most I get from clothing is somewhere to put my change and keep the rain off (bonus points for obscure quote, well more of a paraphrase)

 

[Mastodon2]

In the ultra-conservative world of bass guitar, you're more likely to face snobbery if you're playing something high-end. More than 4 strings, exotic woods, luxury appointments etc, the more you have the more likely you'll be to draw the ire of the "P Bass is all you need" crowd.