bassbiscuits

[quote name='jonsmith' timestamp='1441310408' post='2857877'] Some of my gear is quite expensive, one or two items are really quite cheap. As a few people have said, the audience does benefit from the expensive gear as most of it feels better and sounds better to me, which means I enjoy playing more and give a better performance. In my opinion it does also sound better and it becomes easier to give the audience a more pleasing overall sound (I think they do notice this, even if they don't always know why). Although I play better with a decent sound, I can cope with poorer sound, but I have worked with a few guitarists who went to pieces if their sound wasn't right - good players besides that too. Having said that, we live in a time where budget equipment is available at not massively higher prices than when I was starting out over 30 years ago. The difference now is that most of this budget equipment plays and sounds passable now - perhaps with a few rough edges - compared to back then when most of it was painful to play and often to listen to as well. When asked to go to the US last year I picked up a Squier P as I was worried that the airline might crush one of my 'decent' basses. As it turned out, this cheap bass was easy to play and sounded just fine for the music I was playing and by the end of the trip I was thinking I'd be upset if it got damaged too. It wouldn't be the first bass I'd pick up, but it still sees regular use at multi-band events with crowded stages where I don't want to risk something more expensive. I don't think there's any such thing as an unjustifiable purchase - if I can hear or feel something that attracts me to that instrument then I'm afraid that's all that matters and the purchase is entirely justified. Business sense doesn't enter into it, otherwise I wouldn't even be in a band in the first place. [/quote] This ^^^

Some of my gear is Far Eastern budget stuff, but sounds fine and works well. But when I use my more expensive better quality stuff, it makes me really enjoy more the whole experience of playing it, which I'm sure is reflected in the way I play and which is something the audience benefit from, whether they realise it or not. Nothing wrong with using great equipment if you personally can appreciate the difference, as its money well spent. But if you don't need that level of detail or quality, that's no problem either - plenty of decent budget kit out there. Regardless of what you're using, the main thing is that you're playing something good with it surely?

I'm gonna go back on my earlier comment about songs I don't want to play again. On balance, I'd rather play almost any song that suits the gig and keeps that dance floor full, instead of opting for something serious and muso-ish if it clears the dance floor completed. I go home after a gig remembering the overall vibe and energy, and if a couple of songs I'd regard as cheesy are necessary to keep the audience happy then so what? There are quite a few songs that bore the pants off me totally, but they tend to be ones that are less than kick ass for everyone involved too, including the audience, so I don't feel to bad about leaving them out of the set! Saying that, I'd rather aim for songs that are neither cheesy nor leave the vibe as flat as a witch's tit. The cool ones that make people think "wow what a great song, you don't often hear this" - that's where the fun is ha ha!

Weirdly as some one else has pointed out - I did all three of the original choices in a wedding gig a few weeks ago and the punters loved it! oh well.

In addition to the selection above I'd go for... Get it On Champagne Supernova Lucky Man Please no...

My boy is three and a half and is pretty fascinated whenever I start playing. Fairly soon he wants to join in and tries to play too and to be honest I'm quite relaxed about it. Tho he does often moan that it's too loud. I did catch him once about to tip my Gibson SG at the time out of its stand which would have been fatal for it, but since then he's more intrigued than destructive. At least in a few years time he'll have a few decent instruments to learn on should he want to. Tho at the moment things are limited to him nicking my mic to dance and sing Van Halen tunes (strangely he only likes Sammy Hagar era stuff).

Hiya Got my eye on getting a mini Dunlop crybaby pedal for my board primarily because its true bypass. Anyone tried one yet?

I'm a lead singing bassist - I don't find it presents any problems really (unless you're getting into the realms of Mark King-level playing, which is beyond me anyway). I'm ok for any mainstream stuff that you'd expect to hear from a good rock/pop function band. I did play bass for a long time before singing so maybe the two bits of my brain work quite separately. I also swap to dep on lead guitar and lead vocals for about 20 per cent of our gigs and that's ok too.

I'd be annoyed in your situation too mate. We all try to divvy it up in our band, taking bits of the PA that we know we can store. As a result, our bass bins never seem to come out with us apart from the very biggest gigs as no one can be arsed to move them. It's only fair for you to ask the singer to take some, and ask the guitarist what his problem is.

Yeah I'm just over the parapet into my 40s, and i struggle with heavy basses which give me pins and needles in my fretting hand, arm and shoulder. A few years ago i needed a cortisone injection as the doc reckoned the shoulder joint was somehow pinching the nerve channel inside. Out of curiosity i weighed the basses on my missus kitchen scales - 4.15kg (9.1lbs) for a precision, 3.8kgs (8.5lbs) for another precision, and 3.9kgs (8.6lbs) for my jazz-alike. The difference between the heaviest and lightest is only about the same weight as a full pot of jam, but its really noticeable - i guess because the heaviest one also has the thickest neck etc, making it more of a handful all round. Unfortunately, the heaviest precision does sound incredible, distinctly louder than the two others. But i guess its easier to dial in more bass than to ignore shoulder pain.

Ah man, I can't believe the knobs aren't original. That spoils it for me.

cool! it looks lovely. mine's got the matching headstock thing too, which looks lovely. Its a sort of cream/yellow lightly aged finish with a tort plate. my first Sandberg but so far very impressed with them.

I had a shockingly bad Satellite short scale bass as my first instrument in 1986 (my brother had the equally appalling guitar version). I sold it the moment i'd finished paying it off. it cost me £60, and another £60 for my first practise amp (something called a Badger Piccolo. No, me neither). Anyway, about 15 years later i came across one in a secondhand shop, and a quick check revealed it was my exact one! (The various nicks in the paintwork etc from where i'd fallen over in the garden playing it). The guy in the shop insisted it was brand new and was asking £120 for it! What a clown.

I watched a Stones gig on telly a while back and the best sound Keef had all night was from a mustard yellow one of these in Gimme Shelter. Have always lusted after an LP Junior. Nearest I got was a P90 SG Special but i didn't really get on with it that well.

My first P bass was the one I still have - a 1970 sunburst one, tort plate, rosewood board, from Musical Exchanges back in the early 1990s. It was my only bass for a long time. Some oik stole it in 1999 but I tracked it down and was reunited with it, unharmed. It's been everywhere with me, and has done an awful lot of gigs. It still gets gigged from time to time, and is light as a feather, resonant and very cool. Occasionally it wears flat wounds for recording etc, but its at its thumping snarling best with a set of round wounds. While in my ownership its had a refret and a new nut fitted, but apart from that its as it was when i bought it (well with a bit less paint from 20 years of wear and tear and gigs.) About 10 years ago (around the time it needed the refret) I picked up another P bass secondhand which went on to become my go to bass (a 1995/6 USA one) for run of the mill gigs. But lately the old girl has been coming out for more gigs, and sounds divine.

Nice one sir - I got a passive TT4 too about two months ago. It's a lovely bass. Loving the block markers and pearl scratch plate on yours tho - are they a custom order? Have fun with it!

I was surprised when I first played one by the combination of wider neck and vintage size narrow frets, rather than the more comfortable modern medium jumbo frets. Mind you, many people get on perfectly well with small frets and vintage correct spec necks, so don't be put off, but be aware they do feel different to a standard modern USA version. Smaller frets etc make for harder work string bending etc if that's your thing ( it is my thing ) but for more trad flatwound thump you're not gonna have any problem. I adore the look of the 50s P basses tho, with maple board, sunburst and gold pick guard.

Ah nice one. I must admit I like my amps or cabs on the floor as part of the thump of the sound, so I've been hesitant to stick them on chairs it stands. But last nights gig was on a small stage area, and I was practically standing right in front of the amp, which seems to be simultaneously too quiet to hear properly and too loud whenever I dug in a bit! Needs to be directed a bit better somehow. The guitar sound itself is great (a fender HSS start into a Hot Rod Deluxe via some Mooer drive pedals) but not much comfort when you can't hear any of it properly!