What are your irrational prejudices? I have some bonkers ones...

[Steve Browning]

17 minutes ago, Sean said:

My main bass-related irrational fear/prejudice is technique-related. It obviously stems from a fear of RSI (repetitive strain injury). It's bassists (or should I say "people who play bass"?) that just seem to use their index and ring finger to play and their little finger flies around all over the place.  

 

There's a few variations of this that I just can't even watch. It makes my joints ache just looking at it. I can't watch a Jonny Dibble video for example (there's just something about the way he plays, it goes through me like fingernails down a chalk board) and there's a band I'm going to see later this month where bass duties change between two members of the band during the set, one has what I call "correct form" and looks like he was born playing bass, the other one looks like he'll be in need of a hand physiotherapist and a prescription of anti-inflamatories before too long. 

You'd hate me.  My 'redundant' fingers have worn substantial grooves in my basses just above the scratchplate.

[Jack]

24 minutes ago, Sean said:

My main bass-related irrational fear/prejudice is technique-related. It obviously stems from a fear of RSI (repetitive strain injury). It's bassists (or should I say "people who play bass"?) that just seem to use their index and ring finger to play and their little finger flies around all over the place.  

 

There's a few variations of this that I just can't even watch. It makes my joints ache just looking at it. I can't watch a Jonny Dibble video for example (there's just something about the way he plays, it goes through me like fingernails down a chalk board) and there's a band I'm going to see later this month where bass duties change between two members of the band during the set, one has what I call "correct form" and looks like he was born playing bass, the other one looks like he'll be in need of a hand physiotherapist and a prescription of anti-inflamatories before too long. 

I get that it's awkward and slow but is it actually unhealthy? 

[Sean]

5 minutes ago, Jack said:

I get that it's awkward and slow but is it actually unhealthy? 

I guess that's one of the questions that is answered by "It depends."

 

People earn a living and play some great lines with techniques that make me pull a face, good luck and all power to 'em, but I'll be listening to them, not watching their hands. 

[Sean]

16 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

You'd hate me.  My 'redundant' fingers have worn substantial grooves in my basses just above the scratchplate.

 

I probably should have said "fretting hand".

 

I'll edit that now.

[Grooverjr]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

My prejudices are all completely rational.

I have an irrational prejudice against people whose prejudices are all completely rational 🤣

[RhysP]

12 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

People who say the latest bass they have bought is life changing then sell it a few weeks later (I have done this, I am this person, and yes, I dislike myself for it).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, you mean "pretty much every bass player ever"...

[RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE]

Drummers / personal chauffeur who are deaf, angry and way too fast jolting all the time with a satnav with the woman’s screeching voice telling me about places of interest.

 

Hofner violin basses that look older than the people that invented them .

 

So many ‘made in Indonesia’ basses these days. I do wonder if the necks are as fragile as they look 🤔. The Ibanez headless seemed to have quality control issues now and again . 

 

Active circuitry! I prefer plug’n’’ play .

 

over complicated multi effects ! 

[Count Bassy]

Bass players who have way too many effects pedals (i.e. more than zero). It's a bass guitar, no-one except other bass players will even notice.

 

Also goes for guitarists to some extent. Pedal boards that they spend ages fiddling with between songs. Just play the bloody thing.

 

[MichaelDean]

Bass players who think just going straight into an amp is always the best 😜 EVERYONE notices when you're swelling three octaves of the same note, with an additional octave up & down into delay, reverb and shimmer reverb and you sound reminiscent of a church organ.

[Steve Browning]

Two others. 

 

Light coloured basses. They look huge on me. I'd love a white precision, a la Pete Farndon etc, but I know it'd look daft on me. 

 

Buyers (not sellers) who give no indication of their approach to the seller. It raises a level of expectation if there's no recorded interest, and you find the item sold. 

[Terry M.]

Music stores where I have no choice but to demo a bass wearing headphones while the guitarists and pianists (Yamaha Music) get to make as much noise as they like.

[Jonesy]

Bassists have an area on stage to move about on that's roughly shoulders width. You stay in that area and look slightly bored whilst playing. 

 

Anyone who moves out of their area, or looks remotely excited whilst playing,  should have their epaulettes stripped and be excommunicated from the bass players union.

Edited Monday at 22:04 by Jonesy

[Leonard Smalls]

16 hours ago, Count Bassy said:

It's a bass guitar, no-one except other bass players will even notice.

Funnily enough, I was sound checking for a gig a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give my funky envelope filter a go. After a quick wallop through Herbie's Chameleon the guitarist from the other band (serious hardcore punk, they were!) came running up and said how they wanted that sound in their band. I bumped into them again at Rebellion and once again they mentioned it!

However, I'm not allowed to use it in Choked - everyone reckons it's "not punk enough".

[Beer of the Bass]

17 minutes ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Funnily enough, I was sound checking for a gig a couple of weeks ago and thought I'd give my funky envelope filter a go. After a quick wallop through Herbie's Chameleon the guitarist from the other band (serious hardcore punk, they were!) came running up and said how they wanted that sound in their band. I bumped into them again at Rebellion and once again they mentioned it!

However, I'm not allowed to use it in Choked - everyone reckons it's "not punk enough".

 

I've had comments on both my envelope filter and my fuzz. I use them unsubtly but quite sparingly - the envelope filter is in a downwards "bowww" setting on specific sections of two songs, and the fuzz is a Univox Superfuzz clone which is never on for a full song, just when a part really needs to stick out. 

[EssexBuccaneer]

13 hours ago, Jonesy said:

Bassists have an area on stage to move about on that's roughly shoulders width. You stay in that area and look slightly bored whilst playing. 

 

Anyone who moves out of their area, or looks remotely excited whilst playing,  should have their epaulettes stripped and be excommunicated from the bass players union.

I’m a bass player with a lead guitarist’s ego. Our guitarist hangs back like a bass player. 
 

We’re a strange lot, tbf 

[Stub Mandrel]

I have to confess to being a bit of a bounce around bassist...

[asingardenof]

On 08/08/2025 at 12:53, Frank Blank said:

I have a cheese grater called Pierre.

I have a cheese grater called "AGHyafeckinbastid!"

[asingardenof]

On 08/08/2025 at 16:49, tauzero said:

Scratchplates.

 

Calling scratchplates "pickguards".

I call them "dodgy routing covers"

[RhysP]

On 09/08/2025 at 16:14, kwmlondon said:

My dad's a keyboard player and he's genuinely one of the nicest people I know... but ... I can't share a stage with him!

The only time I've had anything approaching a musical collaboration with my dad was when I used some of his ashes in an old 35mm film canister as a shaker.

He never had a sense of rhythm when he was alive but I gave him one after he died. 😂

[Jack]

On 09/08/2025 at 16:14, kwmlondon said:

My dad's a keyboard player and he's genuinely one of the nicest people I know... but ... I can't share a stage with him!

 

26 minutes ago, RhysP said:

The only time I've had anything approaching a musical collaboration with my dad was when I used some of his ashes in an old 35mm film canister as a shaker.

He never had a sense of rhythm when he was alive but I gave him one after he died. 😂

You guys think you have it bad? My dad's a ... lead guitarist. Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

 

 

Nice guy though. Shared the stage with him before.

[kwmlondon]

5 hours ago, asingardenof said:

I call them "dodgy routing covers"

Sounds like a review of one of my bands...

[jazzyvee]

Mine is, when the strings on any of my basses get old enough to start exhibiting a P- bass type tone. They get a new set fitted. 
Nothing against that tone but it’s not for me ………yet. 

[40hz]

Oh guys. I'm full of hatred. I'm practically a Bass Palpatine.

 

The Phrase "plays like butter" - seriously, just F*** off.

 

Jazz Funk and the wave of bands that ironically try to make it cool. Vulpeck etc - get right in the bin and put the lid over your head.

 

Sunburst. 

 

Expensive P-Basses. They all sound the F***** same. Just buy a CV Squier and be done with it.

 

Pointy Metal basses/Metal-centric brands.

 

Absolute winner is the phrase 'upgraded' to describe modified basses. 99.9% of the time it is not an upgrade either. I want a bass stock, not someone's interpretation of one.

 

Ashdown combos - a youth spent seeing them everywhere has installed some serious aversion.

 

Headstock wraps.

 

The fact I have never been able to find a compressor that sounds anything like Stuart Zender's live compression sound.

Edited 2 hours ago by 40hz

[AlexDelores]

 

Yamaha TRB & Ibanez GSR shaped basses. I know they’re probably very good. But they make you look like you’re a beginner and are playing a bass that came in a starter pack. 

[Rich]

There are many things I dislike, but one of the things I like least is irrational prejudices.

On 08/08/2025 at 01:40, HeadlessBassist said:

it's a bloody bass!

To which an orchestral musician would say "Bass what? Clarinet, trombone, sax..?".