"Does gear really matter"?

David Sutkin

David Sutkin

“Bass Upfront” Founder
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Apr 20, 2017
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#1
The dreaded question ... especially for those of us that like to collect basses and other related gear.

I recently watched this Adam Neely video, I wanted to share it with the rest of the TB crew ... it's really quite good, just like all of Adam Neely's videos:



And last week I watched another video that really emphasized the point as Scott Devine did a blind A/B test of a $11,000 Fodera vs "The cheapest bass on Amazon" ... an $80 "Amoon" brand bass .... I'll admit, I got the answer wrong!



Not being able to / or having a very hard time telling the tonal difference between an $80 bass and a $11,000 Fodera is pretty sad and pretty eye opening ...

Makes you think ....
 
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#2
BK bassist said:
The dreaded question ... especially for those of us that like to collect basses and other related gear.

I recently watched this Adam Neely video, I wanted to share it with the rest of the TB crew ... it's really quite good, just like all of Adam Neely's videos:



And last week I watched another video that really emphasized the point as Scott Devine did a blind A/B test of a $14,000 Fodera vs "The cheapest bass on Amazon" ... an $80 "Amoon" brand bass .... I'll admit, I got the answer wrong!



Not being able to / or having a very hard time telling the tonal difference between an $80 bass and a $11,000 Fodera is pretty sad and pretty eye opening ...

Makes you think ....
Click to expand...

Jimi Hendrix couldn't have made his albums sound the way they do without lots of gear, regardless of his talents.
 
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#4
Just watched the Scott Devine video. Both sounded good, I did manage to correctly guess which was the Amoon but really just because it sounded more like a J, the other had more bottom end. I think the bottom line is that you can get decent sound out of just about any gear.

I play acoustic guitar in church, and for a long time pretty much thrashed along on a B-stock Alvarez I had picked up for about $200. One Sunday a musician friend of the pastor's came to visit and was willing to play an offertory piece if someone had a guitar he could borrow. I offered mine, and this thing that I wrestled with and considered pretty minimal in quality, he brought some beautiful music out of. Taught me a lesson... though I still went on to buy a more expensive acoustic later. My wife chided me over my GAS, and pointed out that the sound came from the player, not the instrument, which is true.

And yet, the really good players still seem to feel it's worthwhile to invest in quality instruments. At the end of the day, yes you can get great sound from affordable gear. But at the same time, there can be all those little subtleties, the subjective things about how the instrument looks and feels, not to mention how it holds up over time, that make you want the higher-end stuff.
 
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#8
Playing music and obsessing over/collecting musical equipment are two separate activities, and neither is required to enjoy the other. Most people like to combine them in some way and most people lean one way or the other.

It is totally fine to lean on the gear nerd side of it, especially if that is what makes you the happiest. Just try not to overestimate the effect those efforts have on your actual musical output, because that effect is usually pretty minor.
 
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#10
esa372 is right. Quality does matter; it generally insures an instrument that is easier to set up ; that stays that way; and probably won't break when you least want it to. But, you can get very, very good instruments without mortgaging your house - or selling a kidney. IMO, once you reach the point of getting everything out of it that good gear has to offer? Unless there's something that you need, and just can't get without spending a whole lot? More $$$'s can just carry you into the land of One-Upmanship, Vanity and Ego. Which is fine, if that's where you want to go...
Can you make decent music with "lesser" gear? Of course you can. But, it will take a lot more effort on your part, and you'll reach a point where... sorry, but that's as good as it's gonna get, unless you upgrade. And that point can come pretty quick...:whistle:
 
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#11
I think it's simultaneously the most and least important part of the equation. Watch the pros play a POS bass and still sound just as good as they do through a 10k coffee table bass and you get the sense that it's not the equipment that makes the player. However, if you don't have an instrument that speaks to you and makes you excited to play then you're always going to struggle to find time to play and improve.
 
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#12
I think it matters some, at least up to a point. Even a cheap bass can be a winner with a good set up, so long as the parts are functional.

Personally, I think you get to an adequate bass before you get to an adequate amp price wise. And I’d rather play a cheap bass through a good amp than vice versa
 
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#13
BK bassist said:
The dreaded question ... especially for those of us that like to collect basses and other related gear.

I recently watched this Adam Neely video, I wanted to share it with the rest of the TB crew ... it's really quite good, just like all of Adam Neely's videos:



And last week I watched another video that really emphasized the point as Scott Devine did a blind A/B test of a $11,000 Fodera vs "The cheapest bass on Amazon" ... an $80 "Amoon" brand bass .... I'll admit, I got the answer wrong!



Not being able to / or having a very hard time telling the tonal difference between an $80 bass and a $11,000 Fodera is pretty sad and pretty eye opening ...

Makes you think ....
Click to expand...

It's similar to golf clubs, Lots of golfers think the next new innovation in clubs will be game changing. Rarely happens when attached to the hands of the same old golfer, flaws included. Will new clubs make you feel better? Make you like the looks of the shiny new club you are staring down at before the big shot. Yep probably will, same as a nice new bass will make you enjoy playing more. Will it make you better? I doubt it.
 
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#14
I’ve seen both vids as well. I think both make good points. Does gear matter?... as Mr Neely said, “kinda...” is completely true.

Can you make music on inexpensive gear? Absolutely. Can gear limitations hinder you as a player? Yes and no, it really depends on what you are trying to achieve.

In my case, I can pretty much cover everything I ‘need’ on a simple setup, but I know I’m going to always question if my limitations are because I need more practice or because my gear isn’t up to snuff.

I’ve run the gamut, from instruments that are very affordable to very expensive, and I’ve learned that most of my limitations are because I need more practice. Unfortunately, I don’t know if I would have figured that out if I hadn’t gone through the range of gear that I have.

So, all that to say... I could certainly get by on one bass... even a passive P, but there’s nothing wrong with owning/playing one or multiple of any given boutique equipment.
 
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#15
The Amazon bass was 80 GBP, not 80 dollars.
Gear does matter, because I'd rather play good-sounding stuff than cheap dull-sounding, uncomfortable to play stuff.

My rule when I rebuilt my collection of gear was that it had to wow me. My Ibanez Premium wowed me so much that I decided immediately that I needed to buy it.

There is a price point where it ceases to matter as much.
For instance, I'm happier with my Premium vs. the twice-the-price Prestige, but mainly because the Prestige has Bartolini pickups in it.
Can't stand Bartolini!
 
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#16
Have you seen this guys YouTube channel? He's an excellent bass player and IMO a very good bass teacher .... and he chooses to play the same white Squier in every video, it sounds great too.

It's oddly refreshing to see a player who clearly has great chops play an inexpensive bass.

Anthony Muthurajah
 
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#18
BK bassist said:
Not being able to / or having a very hard time telling the tonal difference between an $80 bass and a $11,000 Fodera is pretty sad and pretty eye opening ...Makes you think ....
Click to expand...
sure does! but when i first thought that (some years ago) = i was liberated! i no longer had to think that spending a lot of money on an instrument was necessary to get the necessary results. so i disagree that "sad" is a given, but i'm with you on the "eye opening" thing! ;)
 
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