I'm pretty sure my high school is doing it wrong.

Pascy · #1 02-02-2013, 08:27 AM

The jazz band has an old Fender P-bass. It's nice but in its current state it is so hard for me to play compared to my cheap Ibanez. The pickups are screwed down almost flush with the pickguard, the strings are rusting, and the neck is bowing out. These all seem like easy fixes but the jazz band bassist refuses to do any of these. The amp is a brand new Fender Rumble 150, which sounds fantastic when it is EQ-ed properly, but right now the bass is at 8, the low-mids at 0, the high mids at 10, and the treble at 10. It sounds like garbage to me, but again, I'm not the jazz band bassist. Am I crazy or is this actually the wrong way to do it?

topo morto · #2 02-02-2013, 08:38 AM

You already know in your heart he's wrong, and he does not deserve to live.

Do you have what it takes to do what needs to be done?

throughthefire · #3 02-02-2013, 08:38 AM

I don't see this as being your problem. Leave the Jazz Band bass guitar to the Jazz Band bass player. Nobody is forcing you to use it.

In fact, leave it in this situation (or let it get worse), and suggest to the other bass player that the school needs to buy a new one. Then offer the school a good deal for you to take the firewood away...

Pascy · #4 02-02-2013, 08:43 AM

Lol, not likely that will happen, as just last year we got the Fender Rumble 150 to replace the peavey keyboard amp that had been in place for 10 years.

AaronMB · #5 02-02-2013, 09:05 AM

Perhaps you could volunteer your time, effort, and an old pair of strings.

kreider204 · #6 02-02-2013, 09:08 AM

They're doing it wrong, but it's not your place to say. If and when you become the jazz band bassist, then it will be.

C.Linton · #7 02-02-2013, 11:35 AM

How about talking to the teacher in charge, and be nice about it, just tell the person, you played the bass, and it's your opinion it could be made better, and you would be glad to do it for them, free of charge. Then the teacher would likely consult with the bassist, and decide whether or not to proceed. That's about all you could do, just present it as an option to the person in charge of the band.

Stilettoprefer · #8 02-03-2013, 01:13 AM

I'd just let it be. If you're not in the jazz band, then it's not really your place to criticize. If you play a horn in the jazz band, talk to the teacher about how crappy this guy sounds and suggest to him that you could give the bass a quick setup and give the bassist a lesson on EQing.

When I was in high school I found a 1/4 size upright in the back of a closet and it was missing a string and needed a bunch of work to make it a nice instrument. I told the band director that I would throw a string on it and give it a diagnosis on what repairs would need to be done. It needed a new fingerboard since the stock one was cracking. he didn't want to get it fixed, so I ended up with a free bass.

Things can happen in your favor if you're really nice to the people in charge. That's how I ended up with a near mint 80's fender 2x12 guitar amp from the same band director for $50, it just needed a solder joint fixed to get sound to the speakers.

96tbird · #9 02-03-2013, 07:31 AM

Talk to the music teacher. Put it in their perspective. "Hi sir, do you have a working knowledge of string instruments? No, you play French horn and piano. You like them to be in tune right? Music sounds bad when it's out if tune, right? I've been noticing that the schools bass is way outta whack intonation wise as you play further up the neck. I've been playing for a year now and there's a great forum for bass players that has all the info about maintaining basses and tweaking them so that intonation and playability are as perfect as possible. The school bass is just neglected and needs some attention to optimize it; just as a trumpet needs regular cleaning and lube of its valves, a bass needs seasonal adjustments to maintain it properly.etc.

I think it is your business as a student of the school. It belongs to you as much as it does Johnny jazz bass player.

Pilgrim · #10 02-03-2013, 10:31 PM

It's always OK to volunteer to improve the setup. Just be aware that you'll also be responsible for any problems or breakage that results if they take you up on it.

I have never been one to sit by and say "not my problem"....but this is really close.