Do all muscians whine as much as bass players?

[sedan_dad]

Thats what my wife asked me today.
Today and in the past she has read posts from guys complaining about how much equipment weighs.
She asked if guitar players or drummers do this much complaining about moving equipment or if bass players in generail are wimps.She said it sounded like they spend more time moving equipment than playing it.
I didn't know what to say.
She has a cutting sense of humor at times.

[vindy500]

i also wonder this, if guitarists go into there little forums and say, i hate bassists they make fun of me coz i play little strings ect

[Rick_no7]

Well, from what I see, all the whining has gotten us is alot of nice light weight equipment that guitar players just don't seem to have. The roadies are usually stuck with the guitarist trying to get his archaic devices working. Bassists have to fend for themselves.

Our amps don't have to have tubes in them to sound very good(my opinion). Without the tubes, we can get smaller and smaller, lighter and lighter. We now have amps like the Thunderfunk that weight just under 20. We have Mark Bass amps that crank 500 real watts(not just a gimmick number) that weighs 6 pounds!

Cabs? We have 3 way 1x12's that are in the 30-40 pound category that is enough to play to a nice sized group of people. Send in two of them, and you're set for most gigs the average player on Talkbass plays to.

We whine about cheaper basses that are actually quality instruments. We have the most amazing set of 400-600 dollar basses I have ever seen. Guitars certainly don't have the options we have in TRUE quality instruments that have variety in them. We even have some amazing neck throughs in that category, and whatever tone you're after you can find in that category too. There are even coil tap switches working their way into the $500 range. You aren't just stuck with Strat vs. Gibson tone like the guitarists are.

Luckily, unlike guitars, our whining has allowed us to step out of the 60's and embrace the modern age. Imagine how small a guitar amp at 100 watts COULD be if they weren't stuck on old technology? They could use single 12's also to great effect if they weren't stuck on the image of a Marshall Stack(nothing wrong with them, I actually want one for my guitar lol).

We whine because engineers hear it and have answered us amazingly well.

Disclaimer: Ok, i make some sweeping generalizations of guitarists lol. I love guitarists, and any exaggeration was a lighthearted attempt to make my views above look better :P

[jerryjg]

Well, heres a litle story. Im 5'8 and I play six string. My bass player is 6'4 270 lbs. One night before a gig i was whining about this and whining about that, and he asked to speak to me privately. He politely said if i didnt stop whining he was going to kick my a$$ right there and then. No shouting, no shoving-just very business like and calmy spoken. Well, I dont whine too much anymore. One thing though, that guy is great and he's saved my ass more than once when someone twice my size felt like stomping me into the ground.

[Barisaxman]

You make good points Rick . I think more and more bassists are realizing that smaller is better. PA systems are cabable of handling more and more of the amplification, so we don't need to haul around the massive stacks to try to keep up with the screaming guitars. Luckily the guitar players in my group have discovered the same thing. Even though there's nothing quite like an overdriven tube sound....they've found that it can be achieved very well with smaller amps and letting the PA do its thing. On the other hand when guitar players are bringing screaming all tube half and full stacks, bassists end up hauling more gear just to be able to hear themselves. At some point we are at the mercy of the guitarists desire for volume....a legitimate gripe.

[Infuscos]

I must admit, If I saw a big amp in a shop and a little one, i'd definately go for the bigger one.

[Jim Carr]

Maybe she doesn't want you to spend a zillion bucks on a Bergie IP?

[Elionjamz]

We tend to have the biggest rigs that weigh the most! At the same time, at leaste for me, the most simple rigs... Yea moving my gear hurts my back, but once I get into a gig, I plug my cab into my head, head into wall, bass into amp, and bam, I'm ready to play. No pedal boards, no drum hardware.......

[BrandonBass]

i always hear stuff lik 'oh why dont i get any attention, my guitar player makes fun of me etc)

makes me ashamed to be a bassist!

[Trevorus]

I can play nearly anything with 500 watts and my Aggie GS212. I have a guitarist friend that wants a 6-12 stack, with a 100 watt Marshall head. I think he's nuts. I play guitar as well, and I use a 60 watt, 410 Fender DeVille. It's almost too loud for me. I think it's crazy that we use so much volume, especially at practice. And I can't wait until my guitarist friend gets the 610 and starts whining about the weight and too much stuff to move. Heck, I've played my 112 with the GK and never had a problem with volume...

[ihateusernames]

just tell your wife we aren't all he-man types like yourself.

okay, some of us are, we just don't like showing off all the time. hell, some days it's a chore to carry myself around.

[Fretless5verfan]

Yes.

[ibz]

I buy the right gear so I don't have too.

Also, spending time getting into solid physical shape can do wonders for this, as well as improve a plethora of other areas in your life.

[Fretless5verfan]

Originally Posted by ibz

I buy the right gear so I don't have too.

Also, spending time getting into solid physical shape can do wonders for this, as well as improve a plethora of other areas in your life.

I'm too busy gigging and surfing TB to get in shape! LOL

[Pegstone]

Being a long time guitar player recently spiritually returning to bass...I can say that guitar playerz whine way more. Tubes, distortions, Od's sustain, single coil vs humbuckers, open vs closed back cabs, how can I get that SRV sound etc.

Bass amps no longer need to be SVT's w/ hernia inducing heads...I lust for that Walter Woods about the size of a cigar box and a one 12 w/ horn cab. Bigger venues you can easily DI 2 the pa and let the sound man actually be able to do a good job.

I think there is an amazing array of gorgeous basses that are so beautiful they are pornographic.

(hmmm did I say that out loud?)

[i_got_a_mohawk]

My drummer complains about having to carry cymbals and my guitarist complains about having to carry his amp head, its universal !

[Fealach]

Most musicians don't whine. Only the most intelligent, eloquent ones can hold a coherent thought long enough to whine, never mind type and post it online. These are musicians we're talking about.

[Nino Valenti]

For your next gig, you could ask your wife to be your Roadie. Load in, load out, bring it back in the house, etc.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by Nino Valenti

For your next gig, you could ask your wife to be your Roadie. Load in, load out, bring it back in the house, etc.

+1 Brilliant!

[Rwm8088]

Unfortunately we can't all have roadies, who are paid not to complain about hauling massive cabs... I'm one of those guys. I just acquired 2 Distex 2x15 'Sugar Scoop' cabs in trade for some work, and even though I've got nerve damage from hauling them around, they sound great. Recently a guitarist from another band playing the same gig, got drunk and left his 4x12 60's era Marshal half stack bottom at the club... after a week of it sitting there, with people sitting on it, spilling drinks on it, puking on it, etc, I was called by the manager to pick it up... I was the only one that the GM had a number for, so it sat in my living room for 3 months, before the other band's guitarist noticed he was missing a cab. So I was kind enough to deliver it. WHen he saw it in the back of my truck, he whined, complained, and generally badmouthed me because of how the cab looked. I laid into him about leaving a '60's era Marshall cab at a club. He finally shut up when I picked up the cab, and jumped down from the truck bed with it in my arms, and set it at his feet. THeir singer told him to watch it, I was on pain meds for back injuries due to moving bass cabs. He apologized, then had their singer help him lift it into thier van.
Here's something... Even after a night of heavy playing and drinking, I can remember where my cabs and amps are... there seems to be a trend around here with 6-string players losing thier stuff, pedals, PODs, tuners, cables, stands... anything not stuck to a head or axe. We had a running joke with our guitar player that he'd quit forgetting people's birthdays by removing the first E string and B string from his axe. If he went and bought a cheap bass, he'd get brownie points, and more than a few IQ points.

Just had to whine for a bit about whiners... you know how it goes...