Are You a Bass Snob?

[merello]

Just wondering.
If all the fancy basses on the go just now were what we were used to and a wee guy in California called Fender introduced his 'Precision Bass'.
What would you honestly say about the shape, weight, balance and simplicity?
Bringing it up because I hear a lot of guys just saying 'you can't beat a Fender' when they have not really tried anything else.
I also think I'm a wee bit of a guitar snob but that's another question.....

[Pete Academy]

I have a fancy Roscoe bass. I recently bought a 79 Jazz and it's the dog's balls.

Both great.

[51m0n]

I have a really nice Roscoe too

I also have a Squire VMJ fretless, and its a blinding bass

I also have a 'Japcrap' Vester, which is also a blinding bass

[crez5150]

I definitely am a snob..... haven't found a fender yet thats playable (to me) apart from my '83 Strat Elite.

[derrenleepoole]

I think I might of been heading in the direction of becoming a gear snob - read basschat doesn't help But more recently I've mellowed out a lot, and while it would be lovely to own a really top end custom job, I'm happy with my lot. As a result, my playing isn't suffering

[Machines]

Yes and no. There are some brands that I look down my nose at, but they aren't necessarily cheap brands, there some are high priced ones I wouldn't want for free.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='crez5150' post='928110' date='Aug 17 2010, 10:26 PM']I definitely am a snob..... haven't found a fender yet thats playable (to me) apart from my '83 Strat Elite.[/quote]
I`ve tried numerous basses over the years, all with more features than the Precision, but have come to the conclusion that the Precision is the right bass for me. Its mainly due to that when I play them, they just sound "right". I suppose a lot of it is that virtually all my favourite bassists used them, so its sound association, as whenever I play another bass, no matter how good, it just doesn`t seem to have the correct sound for me. But the simplicity and playability, not to mention the near indestructable nature of the Precision, and the fact that they wear their battle scars with such pride, I think if the scenario from the original poster did actually happen now, in a few years the Precision would at the top "again".

[funkypenguin]

If i were to be brutally honest, if Leo came along with the P design against the gear i use.....i would say his design was ungainly, cumbersome (one of the worst heels around), poorly balanced and in need of a hardware upgrade

so yeah, you could say i am! i cant stand fender basses, but hey, horses for courses

Edited August 18, 2010 by funkypenguin

[OliverBlackman]

Yes and no, i like the idea of less known luthiers, but iv hated epiphone and gibson ever since i had a thunderbird and decided their guitars with 4 strings.

Edited August 17, 2010 by blackmn90

[Bassassin]

[quote name='51m0n' post='928103' date='Aug 17 2010, 10:22 PM']I also have a 'Japcrap' Vester, which is also a blinding bass[/quote]
I think you'll find that one's KoreaDiarrhoea! Excellent basses & quite sought-after too.

Anyway no - despite having a taste for esoterica I'm actually perfectly happy with a good Jazz. Love a nice P as well, but the tone doesn't really suit my music.

The faintly depressing truth is that the old boy got it spot-on 59 years ago. Everything else since has been little more than tweaking and it's moot whether or not much of it's even been that beneficial, never mind necessary!

This doesn't stop the GAS or stop me lusting after peculiar and unusual basses as well as their more conventional siblings. I'd love to have the money to get a design of my own put together - and it wouldn't look a whole lot like a Fender.

Jon.

[OutToPlayJazz]

No, not at all - I've had expensive custom made stuff & cheap as chips stuff. In every walk of life you'll find a diamond.

I just know what I like to play best, that's all and because it's my living, I play the best...

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='928179' date='Aug 17 2010, 11:19 PM']No, not at all - I've had expensive custom made stuff & cheap as chips stuff. In every walk of life you'll find a diamond.

I just know what I like to play best, that's all and because it's my living, I play the best...[/quote]

Same here, I have basses from both end of the ££ scale and I agree there's good and bad in both cheap and expensive

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='merello' post='928069' date='Aug 17 2010, 09:48 PM']Just wondering.
If all the fancy basses on the go just now were what we were used to and a wee guy in California called Fender introduced his 'Precision Bass'.[/quote]
It couldn't happen because many if not most of those so-called fancy basses owe a debt to your wee Californian.

[quote name='merello' post='928069' date='Aug 17 2010, 09:48 PM']What would you honestly say about the shape, weight, balance and simplicity?[/quote]
I'd say I like the shape, I'm happy with the weight, and I'm satisfied with the simplicity.

[quote name='merello' post='928069' date='Aug 17 2010, 09:48 PM']Bringing it up because I hear a lot of guys just saying 'you can't beat a Fender' when they have not really tried anything else.[/quote]
I've tried lots of things and there are basses I like as well as Fenders, but if I could only have one it would probably be a Fender or a Fender clone.

[quote name='merello' post='928069' date='Aug 17 2010, 09:48 PM']I also think I'm a wee bit of a guitar snob but that's another question..... [/quote]
I don't really see what it this has got to do with snobbery.

[Fat Rich]

Yup, I'm definitely a bass snob :snob:

But playing a Fender every now and then is the dirtiest thing you can do :brow:

[Ian Savage]

I don't think there's any snobbery in it, just that if I had to pick one bass and one only to play for the rest of my life it'd be a Precision or a passive Stingray...Leo had a touch of genius about him IMO.

[risingson]

Honestly, yes. I'm a Fender man through and through (although I love Sadowskys, Laklands, EB's, Alleva's etc), and there are a few brands that I turn my nose up at, particularly Ibanez's, although I'm completely sure that there are some excellent Ibanez basses out there that I'm missing out on.

Conversely I really love really old, battered semi-hollows that often get accused of being one trick ponies. I can go both ways!

[Delberthot]

Mainly no - I've owned many a top end bass but am currently happy with my Epiphone Thunderbird

One thing I've never been able to get my head around are US made Peaveys coming out around the £1000 mark. I know they're done a lot of truly impressive workhorse rigs over the years but I still think of them as making cheap basses so have never considered them.

If something looks bad then I;m not going to consider it, eg I;d never have a Stagg - my local Crack Generator / Smack Convertor usually has loads and the little metal badge on the headstock is always missing. If they can;t glue a little thingy to the headstock then it doesn;t say much about them as a manufacturer.

[thisnameistaken]

No, I can get a decent sound out of anything.

I might be a bit of an anti-snob though, because I wouldn't be seen dead using a bass with a coffee table top or any other common bespoke bass vanity features.

[Doddy]

As much as I love my nice fancy basses-Roscoe,Tobias,Shuker,-I still find myself reaching for one of my
six Fenders most of the time. No matter what basses I take to a gig,I always have at least one Fender
with me.

[JTUK]

I don't know....

You can pay a lot of money for something that isn't that great, IMV.
I don't mind paying it, but it definitely needs substance over style.
Having both is great..

I think my basses get that balance right, or I wouldn't have them

[RichF]

there are lots of different senses of "snob". One sense is when someone spends their time criticising others based on their own sense of taste in particular for things that cost a lot or have a good reputation. Such people are often awful but not always - my guitarist mate only plays ££££ vintage archtop guitars and only plays standards, refuses to play anything else, he doesn't get preachy about it though. There is another sense which is less focused on others and more on oneself - someone who cares about how they sounds, prefers better (not always more expensive) equipment, maintains their equipment, likes to stay in tune etc. I am in this camp - whatever I buy/own I prefer to be of good to excellent quality, but wouldn't think of criticising someone with a £20 bass. Most people are on the spectrum somewhere.

[Toasted]

Yes, 100%. There are no good jazz basses for under £2K.

Flame on.

[EBS_freak]

A bass isn't worth it's salt unless it's got sprague orange capacitors... but no, I'm no bass snob.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='Toasted' post='928345' date='Aug 18 2010, 08:57 AM']Yes, 100%. There are no good jazz basses for under £2K.

Flame on.[/quote]

Given that a jazz bass is a trademark of Fender... and only Fender basses can use the term jazz bass, then yeah, I agree... J bass copies on the other hand...

[BigRedX]

Yes! Absolutely!

For me though its all about looks and individuality rather than price.

I haven't got time for ordinary basses - they're boring. I don't care how good they play or sound, musical instruments have got to look fantastic too.

When I hit the stage how I (and the instruments I'm playing) look is just as important as how I sound. I don't want to look like just another guitarist/bass player. So I don't want to be seen with a Fender, Musicman, G&L or Warwick. To me they're dull and anonymous.

In fact I've just taken delivery (while I was typing this post) of a totally outrageous guitar to use in the video for the forthcoming Dick Venom And The Terrortones single "Vampire Man".

Edited August 18, 2010 by BigRedX