cheap gear and basses

magsepi · 12-20-2011, 02:56 PM

Do you play lower end or starter basses or even no name off brand basses in the worship band? Does it matter to the worship leader?
Im afraid to audition fir worship bands because i don't have high end stuff.
I just don't think you need fancy stuff to sound good.

**Sean.thomson** · 12-20-2011, 03:02 PM

It's not the name printed on the headstock that matters, its the playing. If someone didn't want me to play with them because I play a Johnson Tele I would want to not play with them less than they wanted not to play with me...

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**bobthecockroach** · 12-20-2011, 03:03 PM

There are exceptions, but as a general rule *no one* cares about your gear.

Bassman1185 · 12-20-2011, 03:50 PM

I've got a no-name fretless six string that I built from parts and a Dean Performer acoustic that I play at my church. I've never heard anyone complain. I also played a Squier Vintage Modified Jazz ($300) and a TBC AP-400M ($250) with my old hardcore bands, and nobody seemed to care.

to_be_released · 12-20-2011, 05:35 PM

At my church they're just happy if you actually have your own gear. Chances are that the non-bassists in the team you want to get into won't really know the difference.

If they don't let you in to the worship team because of your gear, then I'd suggest finding a different church that will let you serve in the music team.

**thesteve** · 12-20-2011, 05:50 PM

I can see both sides of this...

I've worked with a lot of guys that had no-name gear that, regardless of their playing ability, constantly had something on the verge of breaking. I've worked with guys with high end gear that weren't very good players, too.

I think whether or not this really matters is going to vary on a church to church basis and a player to player basis. I will say that when I see guys come in with brand new low-end gear, my expectations usually aren't very high. The same goes for guys who come in with really beat up/dirty low-end gear. Most of the people I've played with in the former scenario were too new to the instrument to work well with the team, and the folks in the latter example tended to get their gear that way through misuse and abuse.

**Giga Hertz** · 12-20-2011, 05:52 PM

My Yamaha I got for $350 and sells for, probably, around $500. The only problem people have with it is the socket's loose and my lead keeps slipping out.

If a worship leader is getting concerned about the low end gear (unless it sounds terrible or is causing problems) they're very much focusing on the wrong thing.

My most expensive piece of gear is my acoustic ($400). My amps are all <$350 and my FX pedal is $300. As long as it sounds good and does the job, it won't matter.

**Rainer.** · 12-20-2011, 09:21 PM

You don't need fancy stuff to sound good. You just need to sound good to sound good.

magsepi · 12-20-2011, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

You don't need fancy stuff to sound good. You just need to sound good to sound good.

I agree.

BaconRocks · 12-20-2011, 10:20 PM

I agree too. I've been using a 200$ bass and 100$ amp at church for the past year and they've worked just as well as the more expensive gear the other guys have used.

magsepi · 12-22-2011, 06:34 AM

I have started going to what was my home church a few years ago. They need another bassist for the rotation. I would be the only true bassist meaning bass is my only instrument. The others all play other instruments besides bass. They all have high end basses one guy has a fodera and someone else has a sadowsky and one has a fender.
My best bass is an epiphone t bird.
The other band members and worship leader seems like they might be gear snobs. This church is in a rich section of the suburbs too.
I have good tone and play well and dont see a need to have a sadowsky or fedora.

caeman · 12-27-2011, 07:40 AM

I play the following:
1. A Fernandes I bought for $100
2. A Gretsch G2202 short scale for which I paid $140
3. A Dean EXO short scale that cost me $94

What is important is the resulting sound, not the look of the bass. A cheap CAN sound good, but they may require more setup to get it, whereas a more expensive bass should -- in theory -- already come with higher quality components.

That said, I very much like the vibe of a low rent equipment. I don't buy gear to impress other people. If it sounds good to ME, then it will be just fine.

bassfreak423 · 01-06-2012, 03:46 AM

Well I can understand if the worship leader is afraid your gear isn't dependable enough, but other than that, they shouldn't have an issue.. I mean I usually play on a $2000 Musicman Stingray 5, but every once in a while I pull out my old peavey patriot that probably isn't worth any more than a hundred dollars, because I trust it and I love the tone when set up properly. As already stated, it's not about the gear, it's about the hands that are holding it, tone starts at the fingers.

rfclef · 01-15-2012, 10:02 PM

I have a $2k bass, but Geddy Lee and a $50 bass would still wipe the floor with me. Does not matter what the bass is if you sound good on it...

(I also have several cheap basses I use... sometimes I do not want to exose my good bass to certain... situations...)

Jammin97 · 05-19-2012, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rainer.

You don't need fancy stuff to sound good. You just need to sound good to sound good.

+1
I've been playing with a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass for 7 months and just upgraded to a Squier VM Jazz Bass back in August.

As long as you know what you're doing, then all should be fine