Here’s a grrrrreat RHCP Acoustic performance, where Flea stands in almost close-up 50% of it (bass p0rn? 
)
Incredible how Chad Smith massacres drum sticks! by mid performance the stage floor is full of stick pieces!
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I love this because Flea is such an exception to every Bass Player rule. Nice share!
I loved Parallel Universe and how he plays before to get the tone/distortion to his liking, such a lovely frisky attitude! (didn’t know is played with a pick either)…
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How is this conversation complete without bringing up Glen Fricker?
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[groan] . . . 
After reading the negative comments about Gibson for this video on YouTube, I wonder if I should re-think buying a Gibson T-Bird or SG bass . . .
Are they really as bad as I’m being led to believe? Somebody please tell me!
All my life I’ve wanted a Gibson, but couldn’t afford one. Now I can afford one, but the more I research them, the less I want one . . . talk about irony. 
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Play some at music stores and see if you like it! Buying basses online is way way way less reliably going to make you happy.
Thanks for the share @eric.kiser, if I close my eyes Glen sounds like Weird Al when he’s yelling. 
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First off, at the risk of sounding indelicate…
F@ck Those Guys!
Nobody gets to tell you what you like and nobody gets to shit on what you enjoy!
Having said that, the comment section on Glen Fricker’s YouTube videos are, quite often, a hot bed of irrational hate and crapping on just about everything. Take anything you read there with the smallest grain of salt.
I have found some of Glen’s videos to be enlightening. I like him because he’s willing to, unapologetically, call out musicians, manufacturers, and the music industry in general, on some of their arrogance and foolishness. I do a lot of research and I listen to Glen when I’m looking for a counter point to something else I’ve read or some assumption I’ve made.
Glen can be gregarious, opinionated, and polarizing. A lot of his audience reflects this in the comment section and he is definitely not everybody’s cup of tea. One of the things he is best known for is hating on bass players. Not because he doesn’t like or appreciate bass players but because his 20+ (?) years of experience running a small studio has shown that bass players are generally the messiest, least prepared people to come into his studio. That was why I posted this here. “Bass Discrimination!”
As to what they are all talking about…
Recently, Gibson has flubbed some on their public relations. A “Play Authentic” video that people took issue with and a lawsuit against Dean, supposedly for copying their designs or something. I’ve never seen the video and I know nothing about the lawsuit. What I do know, is that people have started dog piling on Gibson to the point that it’s impossible to differentiate between accurate statements and people just being Internet trolls because that’s what people do on the Internet.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that Gibson, an icon of the music industry, and everything they have ever made, has suddenly become ‘bad’. If any of this does make you hesitant, give it a few months. The Internet will find something new to hate and things will get back to normal.
tl;dr F@ck those guys!
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Thanks for your responses @JoshFossgreen and @eric.kiser . . .
Yeah, I hadn’t heard of him until now . . . he reminded me of Howard Stern.
Agreed . . . a lot of nasty commenters seem to be on the Tube. This is not the only video where I’ve read such negative comments about Gibson, however.
Exactly where I’m coming from . . . 
It’s very hard for me to believe that Gibson has suddenly become “bad” as well . . . but it gives me pause for thought (which was a factor in posting my “USA made vs Foreign Made” poll). I know they had filed for bankruptcy and have ongoing legal problems. If Gibson is pricing themselves out of existence, thus sparking more interest in the “affordable” (read = “Foreign Made”) Epiphone version, does this mean they are starting to cut corners? Is their quality deteriorating, or is it just a matter of bad management and/or economics?
Even though I’ve always wanted a “real” Gibson, it’s difficult to justify plunking down $2,300 for one if a $700 Epi will sound and feel just as good. I wonder whether I’m paying (a lot) more for a name on a headstock and/or if I’m just being egotistical.
Getting hands-on experience with both of them (including the neck dive issue) is the only real way to decide for myself . . . you said it, @Gio said it, others here alluded to it, and I agree . . . regardless of negative comments on YouTube.
My title on these Forums should be “The Great Overthinker” . . . 
Thanks again for your input and all best, Joe
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Check out That Thing You Do next time you want to watch a fun movie. Then watch the credits the guy playing the bass is listed as just that: TBP - The Bass Player. He’s never given an actual name through the entire movie! LOL
Proof: That Thing You Do! (1996) - Ethan Embry as The Bass Player - IMDb
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As a certified introvert, I’ve always considered the fact that the bass player gets the least attention a Good Thing.
Ditched the guitar, got a black bass, dressed in black, hid at the back of the stage at the hi-hat side of the drummer. Sorted! 
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