Are you one of those guys who ...

Munjibunga · #1 11-16-2008, 10:39 PM

... reaches down to turn a knob every other measure? I mean, I see all these guys who, whenever there's a half-note, go to a knob and futz with it.

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

Stumbo · #2 11-16-2008, 11:23 PM

Nope. Once I had my setting. Didn't touch it for the evening.
Maybe to adjust the volume a bit, but that's it.

**Rune Bivrin** · #3 11-16-2008, 11:32 PM

I've been wondering the same. And I was never able to hear a difference. It's probably just a nervous tick.

Deluge Of Sound · #4 11-17-2008, 12:02 AM

Depends. If its a section where I'm going to make a delay self-oscillate into oblivion or something similar, then yeah, I'm going to hit a whole note and twiddle and tweak to my heart's content.

I'm not really sure of the merit of this question, though, because you can apply this to every single thing someone might do onstage during a song:

I mean, are you one of those guys that plays notes every measure? Are you one of those guys who switches basses every song? Are you one of those guys who does scale runs every measure? Are you one of those guys who is going to do some obnoxious Marcus Miller impersonation or "quote" Jaco any time you get a chance to do a fill or a solo? Are you one of those guys who tune down to Z and make your bass sound like nothing but fret buzz? Are you one of those guys who bought a LMII after hearing about the hype on TalkBass? Are you one of those guys who...

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

And so on.

Munjibunga · #5 11-17-2008, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Depends. If its a section where I'm going to make a delay self-oscillate into oblivion or something similar, then yeah, I'm going to hit a whole note and twiddle and tweak to my heart's content.

I'm not really sure of the merit of this question, though, because you can apply this to every single thing someone might do onstage during a song:

I mean, are you one of those guys that plays notes every measure? Are you one of those guys who switches basses every song? Are you one of those guys who does scale runs every measure? Are you one of those guys who is going to do some obnoxious Marcus Miller impersonation or "quote" Jaco any time you get a chance to do a fill or a solo? Are you one of those guys who tune down to Z and make your bass sound like nothing but fret buzz? Are you one of those guys who bought a LMII after hearing about the hype on TalkBass? Are you one of those guys who...

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

And so on.

Apparently you've never seen one of the people about whom I am talking.

bassrique · #6 11-17-2008, 12:14 AM

If I'm touching my strings more than my knobs, I know I'm on the wrong track

**bassybill** · #7 11-17-2008, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

... reaches down to turn a knob every other measure? I mean, I see all these guys who, whenever there's a half-note, go to a knob and futz with it.

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Depends. If its a section where I'm going to make a delay self-oscillate into oblivion or something similar, then yeah, I'm going to hit a whole note and twiddle and tweak to my heart's content.

I'm not really sure of the merit of this question, though, because you can apply this to every single thing someone might do onstage during a song:

I mean, are you one of those guys that plays notes every measure? Are you one of those guys who switches basses every song? Are you one of those guys who does scale runs every measure? Are you one of those guys who is going to do some obnoxious Marcus Miller impersonation or "quote" Jaco any time you get a chance to do a fill or a solo? Are you one of those guys who tune down to Z and make your bass sound like nothing but fret buzz? Are you one of those guys who bought a LMII after hearing about the hype on TalkBass? Are you one of those guys who...

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

And so on.

Is that a "no", then?

lunarpollen · #8 11-17-2008, 01:21 AM

In my band, it's necessary for me to change knobs on the amp and pedals depending on the song, because our sound is very varied and textural... Ideally, I just like to be able to set everything the way it should be for each song at the beginnings of each song. However, sometimes I forget to change a setting before starting a song, and then I have to find a spot in the song to fix it. Also, because the performance environments vary drastically from venue to venue, sometimes I find that the settings I normally would use need adjustment in order to sound right (or even audible).

Often, when I do find a quick moment to fiddle with a knob mid-song, I am only able to adjust it only part of the way it needs to go in that brief moment, so I have to wait for the next quick pause to turn the knob some more... It's a pain in the butt but a fact of life in my band.

In another context (i.e., band with a different style/genre), I might not tweak any knobs at all once we start a set. It would depend on the specific kind of music we were doing.

Rattman · #9 11-17-2008, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rune Bivrin

I've been wondering the same. And I was never able to hear a difference. It's probably just a nervous tick.

I see this alot on TV shows where live bands are really on the spot... As for the constant adjusting, I also can't hear one whit of differance... Probably is just a nervous reaction. Much like singers who constantly have to touch/readjust their headset mics when they are already picking up just fine...

JimK · #10 11-17-2008, 04:37 AM

Way back I was one of those guys.
IMO, it's nervous energy...wasn't all that comfortable with my playing or with people looking at me.

It's funny you asked-
A friend just gave me a DVD of his trio...he is definitely one of the better bassists in this area...& he's fiddling with his knobs every other measure.

bassteban · #11 11-17-2008, 04:50 AM

No, I'm not.

varunkapahi · #12 11-17-2008, 05:29 AM

i have a passive jazz not too many knobs anyway but i just lower the volume sometimes when we go to a soft song or when i dont really know the song :P lol

SuperDuck · #13 11-17-2008, 05:33 AM

I typically see that in guitar players much more than I see it in bass players. I don't have that many knobs to tweak, myself.

Phalex · #14 11-17-2008, 06:18 AM

I haven't adjusted anything but the volume on my head in a couple of months.

Put me in the no column.

**baba** · #15 11-17-2008, 08:50 AM

I'm a set it and forget it guy.

derelicte · #16 11-17-2008, 09:25 AM

i adjust volume at times for swells........

**Freddels** · #17 11-17-2008, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

... reaches down to turn a knob every other measure? I mean, I see all these guys who, whenever there's a half-note, go to a knob and futz with it.

[seinfeld]What's up with that?[/seinfeld]

Not me. I'm not very good at multi-tasking.

Sometimes I don't even touch the knobs b/w gigs.

standupright · #18 11-17-2008, 09:28 AM

i like to grab my knob

dejm1 · #19 11-17-2008, 11:46 AM

hate to say i'm a twiddler! depending on the tune i will roll off the treble or volume. in one band i play a new dano 63 and depending on the tune i need to ease back the treble a bit. on my 51 precision for my ZZ Top trib. band it's pretty much as is, occasionally roll of the volume a touch for softer blues tunes. nothing wrong with tweaking now and again.

Pilgrim · #20 11-17-2008, 12:01 PM

I pretty much set it and forget it. If I need more gain for a specific number. I usually set my BDI-21 direct interface to a higher output and just stomp it On when needed.