All the gear and no idea....

[diskwave]

Buy what u like but spending more money was never a substitute for cold hard practise. S'funny cause Ive spent less over the years and those lovely savings is what makes me play better...weird.

[bass_dinger]

2 minutes ago, greavesbass said:

Buy what u like but spending more money was never a substitute for cold hard practise. S'funny cause Ive spent less over the years and those lovely savings is what makes me play better...weird.

 

I take the view that I need to be better than my bass, to justify an upgrade.  So far, I don't feel that the bass that I have is holding me back. Rather, it is is my inability to sight read complex (or simple!) rhythms.  A new bass won't fix that.

 

However, do wonder if a better bass with a lower action would make it easier to play (say) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - as it is, I do not have the strength and dexterity in  my little finger to hit the E string on the 4th fret.

[LukeFRC]

On 13/05/2023 at 01:16, roblpm said:

So tell me what the ethics are on being interested in beautiful bass gear when just an intermediate player.

 

Obviously I could be an amazing player on a £300 squire bass. 

 

But is there such a thing as a bass hobby that doesn't have to do with skill??

Some people buy the expensive Kellogg’s shreddies rather than the Lidl version we do.

 
never something that has tempted me, but you know what, if I was into my cereal, and I work hard in a good job, so if I wanted to try I think I would be able to justify getting them to try. 

 

I don’t really understand the ethical dilemma you’re having. 
 

our society isn’t equal, some folk have more money than me, some less, some choose to spend more on things, others less. 
 

sometime it might be nice to try the fancy shreddies just to see. 

[diskwave]

2 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

However, do wonder if a better bass with a lower action would make it easier to play (say) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

Well, as someone whos played it on and off for nigh on 40 years my view is finger strength and technique is the key to getting those 16ths smooth, action less so. Oddly, as I age Im playing it better ...yet ole Norm was just a kid when he recorded it. Talent in spades. Him or course not me.🙄

[Beedster]

3 hours ago, bass_dinger said:

However, do wonder if a better bass with a lower action would make it easier to play (say) Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick - as it is, I do not have the strength and dexterity in  my little finger to hit the E string on the 4th fret.

 

A good setup and perhaps some lighter strings might help? I find HMWYRS a whole lot easier to play on a bass that I've set up to my preference, irrespective of the quality of the bass itself 👍

[nilorius]

11 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

A good setup and perhaps some lighter strings might help? I find HMWYRS a whole lot easier to play on a bass that I've set up to my preference, irrespective of the quality of the bass itself 👍

Looks like You have found Your goal, greetings !

[chris_b]

I've been playing since the 60's and the three things that made the biggest difference to my playing was solid practice (including high standards), gigging with people who were better than me and good gear.

[Downunderwonder]

I played for almost a year solely through house rigs , if I was lucky, or the PA at open mics, when I only had a practice amp of my own. So I got a little bit of experience and out of the blue I get offered a gig that was paying some real money!

 

So I had to make a decision on what I was going to spend my hard earned on, with a view to carrying on as a well paid bassist.

 

Enter Messrs Trace and Elliot. They beat out Mr Marshall by virtue of a dealer driving to me. I was living way out in the sticks on contract. He demo'd the Trace and I was sold.

 

< I only learned about Trace and Elliot being fictional characters that rolled well off the tongue many years later when the internet happened >

[White Cloud]

There always seems to be a greater fascination with advancing ones collection of gear as opposed to advancing ones ability on this and other related sites...

 

I might be going out on a limb here however, could it be related to the overwhelming male membership? 

 

In the parlance of psychology longstanding sociological studies have revealed males are far more interested in 'stuff' whilst the female of the species tend to gravitate more towards people. 

 

Casting my mind back, none of the female bassists I've known have ever been as remotely obsessed with the intricacies of their instruments (fingerboard radius anyone) like the guys.

 

Just putting it out there ☺️

[Paolo85]

From my point of view, that is, the point of view of somebody maybe just above beginner, the issue with advancing abilities in relation to the forum is that there is not a lot to discuss. I feel like I have a good sense of areas that needs improvement (not very difficult to identify a number of them, really). I have piled up more manuals and transcription books than I could go through in a couple of years (at the very least). I have enrolled into online courses. My youtube front page shows me every day new free online lessons.

I don't feel like I am held back by lack of discussion or information available. Any time I want to improve my playing I know what to do and that does not involve asking questions online for the most part. I am not saying I have not benefited from reading stuff here from time to time, but still..

Gear is different. There is not much that can be done about it without buying objects. These objects are expensive and bought unfrequently (at least, less frequently than one plays). Careful reading lots of chatting can help a lot with purchasing objects that are "right for you"

[Rich]

On 13/05/2023 at 10:10, Waddo Soqable said:

Gave em to an orphanage?... Mate, you should've sold the kids.. Doh

 

On 13/05/2023 at 10:12, fleabag said:

 

Oh i tried.  They're 'orrible bu$$ers. Couldn't get anything for 'em

You should've taken the BC marketplace approach. Can't sell that bass? Flog it as parts. Two kids, well that's 4 kidneys for starters...

[Waddo Soqable]

1 minute ago, Rich said:

 

You should've taken the BC marketplace approach. Can't sell that bass? Flog it as parts. Two kids, well that's 4 kidneys for starters...

Genius.. 👍

[Rich]

15 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

sometime it might be nice to try the fancy shreddies just to see. 

I've tried John Lewis boxers and while they are definitely superior to Asda George ones, I'm not sure they're worth the price difference.

 

Hold on, you were talking about underpants, right?

[Waddo Soqable]

14 minutes ago, Rich said:

I've tried John Lewis boxers and while they are definitely superior to Asda George ones, I'm not sure they're worth the price difference.

 

Hold on, you were talking about underpants, right?

If he wants "fancy" maybe try Anne Summers... 

[Johncee]

On 13/05/2023 at 07:55, itu said:

Relative things: take a look at the price of a recorder, then find the price of a top end cello bow.

Alternatively, take a look at the price of a basic Chinese cello bow, then find the price of a top end recorder.😋

[Rich]

29 minutes ago, Waddo Soqable said:

If he wants "fancy" maybe try Anne Summers... 

Gigging in crotchless knickers is a non-starter. Frequent adjustments to the undercarriage are necessary.

 

Errm, so I'm told.

[LukeFRC]

3 hours ago, White Cloud said:

There always seems to be a greater fascination with advancing ones collection of gear as opposed to advancing ones ability on this and other related sites...

 

I might be going out on a limb here however, could it be related to the overwhelming male membership? 

 

In the parlance of psychology longstanding sociological studies have revealed males are far more interested in 'stuff' whilst the female of the species tend to gravitate more towards people. 

 

Casting my mind back, none of the female bassists I've known have ever been as remotely obsessed with the intricacies of their instruments (fingerboard radius anyone) like the guys.

 

Just putting it out there ☺️

Also practicing and theory doesn't generate as much chat as talking about capitalism's endless production of 'stuff'.
So it's self selecting, the people on a forum where people talk about bass gear are more likely to be interested in bass gear than others.

But I think the OP was trying to make an ethical distinction to suggest their own approach was morally better than anyone else's. 

[TimR]

I think all the gear and no idea is about people who start a hobby and go out and buy all the gear without having any idea what they're buying or why they're buying it.

 

Similar to the fishing story above:

 

I once took a guy up Snowdon who arrived with brand new tent, sleeping bag, stove, etc etc. I told him we didn't need any of it today, it was an easy walk up the mountain to see how he coped. Not very well with all the gear and no experience at all. 

 

The next day we went completely 'off piste'. We sat down for lunch and he began to unpack and assemble all his cooking gear, rations and shelter. I sat on a rock, ate my cold pasty and crisps, and was thinking we should really get a move on when he emerged from his shelter and asked if I had any matches. 

 

So in terms of bass playing, this is the equivalent of taking tons of brand new gear to a gig, spending ages setting up, moving kit around to look good, and then realising you don't have a lead. 

 

Learn the basics first before deciding what gear to waste money on, and what gear to spend wisely on, otherwise you are buying blind and spending on equipment you may not need or may not suit your requirements. 

 

Which then reminds be of a gig I did where the guitarist set up 6 guitars on a stand and then complained there was no room. So I told him to put the guitars in the wings. To which he replied "The audience won't see them there."

[Rich]

31 minutes ago, TimR said:

I think all the gear and no idea is about people who start a hobby and go out and buy all the gear without having any idea what they're buying or why they're buying it.

 

Etc.

 

Similar story. I used to go club sailing with a mate on an old gravel pit near Reading. We used his old Mirror dinghy, it was a bit beaten up and on about its 38th coat of varnish, but we made a good crew and knew how to use the boat to its best (we were demons with the old spinnaker too), consequently we came 3rd overall one year and 2nd the next. There was another couple who had a brand new boat they'd spent a shedload on, plus matching range-topping Helly Hansen gear, all the best of everything. They came dead last by a mile in every single race. Every one. I'm not sure they even enjoyed it much.

[fleabag]

45 minutes ago, TimR said:

 

I once took a guy up Snowdon

 

Must of brought some tears to the eyes

[asingardenof]

1 hour ago, TimR said:

Which then reminds be of a gig I did where the guitarist set up 6 guitars on a stand and then complained there was no room. So I told him to put the guitars in the wings. To which he replied "The audience won't see them there."

Six guitars? JFC

[Waddo Soqable]

49 minutes ago, fleabag said:

 

Must of brought some tears to the eyes

I've never heard it referred to as the "Snowden" must be some sort of Whelsh Polari 

[TheGreek]

I have a friend - an only child - who moves from one hobby to the next without any concern for the expense. Golf, RC cars, bicycle, mopeds, his Subaru - threw money at all of them.

 

Another mutual friend described him by saying "Stewart isn't happy with a hobby unless he can throw money at it".

[roblpm]

8 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

Also practicing and theory doesn't generate as much chat as talking about capitalism's endless production of 'stuff'.
So it's self selecting, the people on a forum where people talk about bass gear are more likely to be interested in bass gear than others.

But I think the OP was trying to make an ethical distinction to suggest their own approach was morally better than anyone else's. 

 

I definitely wasn't trying to say I am better than anyone else! I was implying I am worse.... Gear much better than my ability....!

[Waddo Soqable]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

I have a friend - an only child - who moves from one hobby to the next without any concern for the expense. Golf, RC cars, bicycle, mopeds, his Subaru - threw money at all of them.

 

Another mutual friend described him by saying "Stewart isn't happy with a hobby unless he can throw money at it".

Get him into bass gear, then buy it off him for a song when he gets fed up with it... 👍