I don't get it

[RustyAxe]

I gotta ask! Other than socializing, what the hell do a room full of bass players do at a get together? Show off their solos? Show off their gear? I don't get it.

[DeepCalls2Deep]

I haven't been to a GTG, though I did try to go to the Dallas one 2 years ago.

The GTG's were started as a way for the people who communicate on a regular basis here on TB to have a chance to meet with each other face to face, to socialize, to network, and yeah look at freaking amazing gear that you may normally only see.. well, here on TB.

That and have a good time.

[wingnut]

Drink beer, bounce ideas off of each other, drink beer, compare notes on observations of bass playing, drink beer, go check out some local talent, drink beer, go swimming, drink beer, play poker, drink beer, have some fine 20 year old scotch, drink beer, discuss gig swapping, drink beer, tell campfire stories and lies, drink beer, etc....In general, just have a good time and put a face to the name you've been corresponding with over the last few months.

[kesslari]

I'll be going to my first one this month.
I'm excited about the chance to meet some cool people, and to see, hear, and feel a bunch of gear that I've only read about.
This will hopefully extinguish GAS for some items (eh, it's cool but I like what I have) but will probably incite GAS for others (OMG, that kicks serious booty)

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by wingnut

Drink beer, bounce ideas off of each other, drink beer, compare notes on observations of bass playing, drink beer, go check out some local talent, drink beer, go swimming, drink beer, play poker, drink beer, have some fine 20 year old scotch, drink beer, discuss gig swapping, drink beer, tell campfire stories and lies, drink beer, etc....In general, just have a good time and put a face to the name you've been corresponding with over the last few months.

and drink some beer too

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by wingnut

Drink beer, bounce ideas off of each other, drink beer, compare notes on observations of bass playing, drink beer, go check out some local talent, drink beer, go swimming, drink beer, play poker, drink beer, have some fine 20 year old scotch, drink beer, discuss gig swapping, drink beer, tell campfire stories and lies, drink beer, etc....In general, just have a good time and put a face to the name you've been corresponding with over the last few months.

If there was just a little more beer drinking it might be a good time!

[ga_edwards]

I'm a regular on the uk.music.guitar usenet group and have made many friends on there. We started have a few regional P**sups in pubs to get to know each other, and after a couple of years someone had the great idea of a weekend 'national' PU.

First one was very much a freeflow, unplanned event with about 30 to 40 of us, later ones 50 to 60 of us. We booked out an entire hotel in somewhere central to the UK, and spend the weekend drinking lots of beer, eating curry, showing toys off, comparing rigs, and impromtu jams. Later events became more organised, curry Friday night, 'what yer brung' sat morning, some noise making after lunch etc.

But the big thing was what we christened 'Guitar Idol'. Each of us pick a tune, and ask others to learn other parts to it. There's a few bassists, some singers, a couple of drummers and keyboardists between us all, someone also provides the PA. So the Sat night we each get the chance to get up on stage and play our respective tunes with a live band, which other than the bits we've each learned at home, is completely unrehearsed. Every tune's line up is different, so is the skill level. And it is great fun. We get to play songs that we normally wouldn't be able to in a regular pub circuit band, and some of the bedroom guitarists get to play in front of an audience. Some of the tunes don't always work and become trainwrecks, but that's to be expected unrehearsed, but it doesn't matter, and it's great fun anyway. Heck, sometimes, the drummers don't even know the song! But there are some genuinely awe inspiring perfomances that make your jaw hit the floor and wonder how it was possible that it worked. I mean, last year I was roped into Dream Theater's 'As I Am'. I haven't a clue how we pulled that one off, but it was apparently bloody good!

It's a really weird thing playing for an audience of other guitarists and bassists. On one hand, it's the most nervewracking stage I've played on (even some of the pro's say so), as there's some seriously talented guys there, and they all play. But on the other hand, we're all friends, all in the same boat, and no-one's going to critisize if it all goes wrong. If anything, they're willing you on, especially if you're playing something particularly challenging.

Anyway, I digress. Yeah, we talk shop about instruments, and gear. But after doing this for nearly 10 years, I've made some great friends, and everytime we meet up is a social event, and a chance to catch up and have a good laugh over a few beers about anything and everything, like you do with your mates. We're not all guitar geeks and nerds!

Just for a bit of fun, some video's of some of last years performances:
http://ukmg.guitarshed.co.uk/buxton08.php

I was involved on As I Am, Yankee Rose, Tie Your Mother Down, Are You Gonna Go My Way, Hunting Shooting Fishing, Mercury Blues, Life Is Beautiful

[GregC]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I gotta ask! Other than socializing, what the hell do a room full of bass players do at a get together? Show off their solos? Show off their gear? I don't get it.

I've been to several GTGs of varying sizes, including the International GTG in NYC last August, a big one at Lakland in '07, a smaller one in a church and a tiny one in a studio in Madison, WI. It's always a mixture of meeting and talking to people with varying musical interests/backgrounds, trying each other's gear out (which is a lot of fun for me--I have very little experience with most basses, heads and cabs, not to mention pedals), drinking, eating, etc in a very relaxed atmosphere. I haven't seen any real showing off, and nobody's looking to see if you're a hack (like I am ). It can be fun to watch the monster players once in a while, but it's not about that.

I have seen lots of mutual respect, people helping each other load in and out, that kind of thing. Sometimes, there's also buying and trading activity that happens either on the spot or as a result of the GTG.

I urge people to go to these when it's at all possible. I can honestly say I've had a great time on every occasion. A lot of TBers have great gear, and more importantly, they're very cool people.

[Gruntollio Bass]

They're a good way to get the real low-down on gear that is talked about a lot on these pages. Probably more useful than going to a music store and having some dweeb that plays drums trying to tell you how great the latest (insert brand here) amp is because it's all kewl n stuff...........
You actually get guys that have been using it and can show you all the good and bad things about their rig / basses.

Oh and they generate a bucketload of GAS!!!

[gkbass13]

at one that i went to and helped get together, mike dimin did a little clinic, and some local luthiers brought some basses to show in addition to the gear brought by players. mike tobias, harvey citron, joe veilette and martin keith were all there, and all had some amazing stuff to show off!

[MikeBass]

Eat, drink, play, talk, drink, Pizza from Hell (ask Tom Bowlus and the other B3 guys), talk, drink, play, tell Burk to turn down, drink, eat, play, talk.
Repeat as needed.
But not necessarily in that order!!!

[Joe Kyle]

im two years too young to drink beer, but id still like to go check it out.

[Jeff Martinez]

If my Mile High brethren and I could ever get our act together, I might actually get to experience all that a GTG has to offer.

[Slax]

I'd love to go to this years NYC GTG but it's $60 a head plus drinks... Idk if I'll be able to afford that. (I'm recently on the biggest budget I've ever been on... it's frightening!) I saw last years pics and it looked like a hell of a time! I don't see what's not to get...

[wingnut]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

If there was just a little more beer drinking it might be a good time!

Oh I forgot, sometimes my wife and all her hottie friends BRING us BEER! Then theres always beer tag and hide and go seek beer. And beernopoly! Always remember, a beer in the hand is worth, well...another beer! This is Vegas after all!

[ChiliPepper]

Originally Posted by Slax

I'd love to go to this years NYC GTG but it's $60 a head plus drinks... Idk if I'll be able to afford that. (I'm recently on the biggest budget I've ever been on... it's frightening!) I saw last years pics and it looked like a hell of a time! I don't see what's not to get...

DO IT !!! you don't wanna miss this...

[GregC]

Originally Posted by ChiliPepper

DO IT !!! you don't wanna miss this...

Indeed!

Laurent, you should post a picture of what you got at the International GTG in this thread, to show what's possible sometimes.

[ChiliPepper]

Here's what I won last year :

[GregC]

That is/was a very cool bass, Laurent. How's it working out for you?

I see Nino has the four-string bass from the raffle (#70) for sale on his site. So tempting!

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

I gotta ask! Other than socializing, what the hell do a room full of bass players do at a get together? Show off their solos? Show off their gear? I don't get it.

Friendship, some playing, stories from the trenches, jokes, and perspective that which bass players are most likely to understand. I don't think of these gatherings as "showing off" anything. I don't view it as a competition or exercize in one-upsmanship. Some may, but I don't.

Kinda like why would another bass player want to talk to another bass player? Or why Talk Bass exists? After all, there is only one bass player in most bands. Why would you need to know another bass player? The answer to this, of course, is obvious, I think...

I hope you'll soon get it, and can get together with other bassists sometime. It's more fun and less competitive than you think it will be. Trust me.