Why not just bring an electric?

chicagodoubler · #1 03-08-2009, 11:14 PM

Friday night: best gig in recent memory. Incredibly creative and sensitive (quiet) drummer. Very low amp volume, real acoustic sound, audience goes apesh*t.

Saturday night: loud but "good" drummer, high amp volume, very electric sound, audience flounders and many dancers just walk out.

Despite personal gear trading adventures aplenty, it occurred to me that maybe we should stop worrying so much about pickups, strings, basses, etc, and concentrate nearly exclusively on making our drummers learn how to play with dynamics.

I personally have had enough. From now on I'm leaving a cheap P bass in the car. When the knucklehead drummer wants to bash away without attention to the other musicians on stage, the audience, groove, or good taste, I'm simply going to the car and getting the porkchop. In the end, my overamplified acoustic bass usually ends up just sounding like a shoddy slightly out of tune Fender anyways, so why waste the calories?

Jazzdogg · #2 03-08-2009, 11:18 PM

So many drummers, so little time (or subtlety)

Jefenator · #3 03-08-2009, 11:39 PM

I totally "feel" you, bro! If it's going to be a rock gig, I'm going to bring the rock axe.

fingers · #4 03-09-2009, 12:38 AM

Just got home from one of those. The drummer wasn't the issue though, the soundman was.

Mark Perna · #5 03-09-2009, 04:44 AM

I've never been more tempted to commit murder than when a loud, dynamics challenged drummer sits in. Or worse, is on the gig.

mark

Evan_S._Brown · #6 03-09-2009, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

Just got home from one of those. The drummer wasn't the issue though, the soundman was.

well you know, mixing rock is the same as mixing jazz

heaps of bass drum and low mids and nothing else

Bassmickeyd · #7 03-09-2009, 05:40 AM

Well said CD. I finally caved to insensitive musicians, usually drummers but also the odd guitarist, and started bring out my electric upright to gigs I knew they would storm troop all over. I think it's their nerves getting the best of them. Thinking of a song as one large presentation as opposed to a chance to play a well written composition.
Sometimes it like being in a car that's about to crash. You can see the bend mental and carnage up ahead but there's nothing you can do to stop it from happening.
And more often than not it's us who witness the audience reaction while the perps high five each other in the back.
Too bad electric shock is no longer an option.

fingers · #8 03-09-2009, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Evan_S._Brown

well you know, mixing rock is the same as mixing jazz

heaps of bass drum and low mids and nothing else

And what made it worse was the drummer had a beautiful old Slingerland bass drum with no dampening, calf skin heads on both sides, and a great tone. He was using one if those fur bass drum beaters. Acoustically this would have been ideal. Put it in the hands of a guy who is used to drums shoved full of dirty laundry and a hole in the back head and you have a recipe for mud. I was never really sure what note I was even playing.

AMJBASS · #9 03-09-2009, 08:27 AM

I often feel like just playing electric on the gig when it starts to get loud, however, a lot of the time I am hired to play the double bass because they want to see the double bass(more so than hear). I am sure you guys know what I am talking about!

Uncletoad · #10 03-09-2009, 08:36 AM

I'd rather play my double bass no matter what the gig or how obnoxiously loud it gets.

Eric Hochberg · #11 03-09-2009, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

I'd rather play my double bass no matter what the gig or how obnoxiously loud it gets.

I'd rather play your double bass, too.

fingers · #12 03-09-2009, 09:05 AM

Phil, I honestly don't know how you take that thing out of the house. So many rock venues seem to have **** everywhere with not very careful people weaving in and out of said ****. I'm a basketcase with my measly Shen Willow. I'd probably have a heart attack with your bass.

Uncletoad · #13 03-09-2009, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

Phil, I honestly don't know how you take that thing out of the house. So many rock venues seem to have **** everywhere with not very careful people weaving in and out of said ****. I'm a basketcase with my measly Shen Willow. I'd probably have a heart attack with your bass.

I'm big and obnoxious. Nobody ****s with me.

...sometimes I bring the ply. I'd rather play that than my '63 Fender. That's saying something isn't it.

fingers · #14 03-09-2009, 11:26 AM

I'm with you. I've actually sold all but one of my porkchops.

It is usually not the volume that is the issue when doing DB. It is often where the soundguy is crossing over the bass signal. Subs in the wrong hands are evil. I've actually taken to having them use my Fishman Platinum Pro if they are taking a direct line. You can make the XLR post eq and thwart some of the idiot choices soundguys that have never even seen a DB make.

For these kinds a thing a mic is a joke too. Rock soundmen have no idea what to do with a mic on the DB. They always say **** like "I couldn't really get the mic loud enough before it starting feeding back". That's 'cause the stage was so ****ing loud and the bass was cranking in the monitors you moron! I should also just outfit my ply with the Bassmax I have somewhere and an insane amount of dampening foam and call it a day or no do gigs like that. I'll likely do the former as my children like to eat.

edit : and cue a resident soundguy to defend his brethren. Freak?

Ed Fuqua · #15 03-09-2009, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Nobody ****s with me.

I thought that was because you were ugly and your mother dresses you funny?

Gubna · #16 03-09-2009, 12:35 PM

maybe you should become a drummer.

Uncletoad · #17 03-09-2009, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

I thought that was because you were ugly and your mother dresses you funny?

Oh yea there is that.

Ed Fuqua · #18 03-09-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncletoad

Oh yea there is that.

That's OK, somebody asked me what I use for birth control, I told'em " my personality...".

Bassmickeyd · #19 03-09-2009, 01:22 PM

More often than not you get a call for a gig and they know you double so they ask me to bring the BIG bass; "Yea man it'll sound so cool, we just love the sound of the double bass." Then they play so loud they complain they can't even hear themselves, which is the most telling of all.
A few years back I lucked out and found a used Wilson pickup locally. Get's loud enough and still sounds like an upright bass. But between loud drummers and small stages I take my electric upright everywhere.

Treyzer · #20 03-09-2009, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

It is often where the soundguy is crossing over the bass signal. Subs in the wrong hands are evil......You can make the XLR post eq and thwart some of the idiot choices soundguys that have never even seen a DB make.

For these kinds a thing a mic is a joke too. Rock soundmen have no idea what to do with a mic on the DB. They always say **** like "I couldn't really get the mic loud enough before it starting feeding back". That's 'cause the stage was so ****ing loud and the bass was cranking in the monitors you moron!
edit : and cue a resident soundguy to defend his brethren. Freak?

Marc,

This is so funny I nearly shat myself. Having dealt with live sound geeks (as opposed to actual recording engineers), this struck me as very funny, as well as accurate. Most have NO CLUE!!!!! Combine that with the typically anti-social personality exhibited by these clowns and you have a great recipe for sonic disaster!

OLD JOKE: How do you know if a rock drummer is at your front door?

His knocking slows down...