Is it just me or are all bass players like this?

[Bassmastertim]

Ok,
I went and auditioned for a new band on saturday. Pretty standard drop D rock. The audition was at the drummers house.

So I show up about 15 min early and set up. The drummers dad is a live sound engineer, so there is no shortage of speakers and such.

About 15 min later, the guitarist shows up. Everyone is really friendly and they had sent me a track with no bass line, so I had a bassline ready to go. Thats when the trouble started.

The guitarist didn't have an amp with him so the drummer decided to use one of the powered monitors he had to hook up the guitarist. Hooks everything up, clicks on the switch and...nothing.

He fiddles with it and finally gets sound out of it. Not enough to keep up with the drums or the bass, but at least it's working. He then goes and sets up a mic on another powered monitor and tries to get that working as well.

With almost no sound coming out of that one either, the guitarist and the drummer are scratching their heads.

"I Guess we are all gonna have to play really soft." says the drummer.

So all this time , I'm setting up. I get everything right with my cab and offer to help them with their dilemma.


Within 2 min I had both monitors hooked up properly and everything at the right volume.









Is it just me or are most bass players good with gear?

[CharlieDog]

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

[ryanrex]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

+1

[TonyRockyHorror]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

hilarious

[JimiLL]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

+2

[Exploiter8]

The fact they play in "standard drop D rock" should have been your first clue.

X8

[Slowgypsy]

My nickname is MacGyver, cause when it all falls apart, everyone glances in my direction. And (maybe this is the "bassists curse") while I roll up my sleeves and get it figured out and solved... whatever "it" might be... I always remind myself that it's self-inflicted. That I somehow, in spite of myself, manage to always get myself cast in the role of MacGyver. The "bassists curse".

[infamusblkdeath]

Originally Posted by Bassmastertim

Is it just me or are most bass players good with gear?

or maybe it's cause there are alot of dumb guitarists...?
i'll hold out on the drummer cause :

1. they are damn rare

and

2. they don't have to mess around with electronic gear before playing their instrument.

[Honk'n_down-low]

Lot of Bass Players become Producers (we got it going on) we get gear. I have always been the go to guy for gear in my Bands.

Clueless is a kind name for the other band mates

[jchrisk1]

Guitards and drumders.

[nutso42]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

The drummer in our band can't put his hi-hat together.


On the other hand, our keyboard player is a genius. She has a computer hooked up to the keyboard, along with a mixer, two speakers, and a microphone, and she can set it all up in the amount of time it takes me to plug in my effects pedal.

Genius I say.

[dave_bass5]

Originally Posted by Bassmastertim

Ok,
Is it just me or are most bass players good with gear?

Certainyl all the bands ive been in ibve always been the one who knows where the wires go and can work around problems etc.
The others tend to buzz around pulling their hair out and pronouncer the gig as doomed.

I think Bass players are just a bit more logical. Maybe its due to the lack of over inflated egos ;-)

[adhus]

This thread's really good!! and am with you OP...
Myself in my band is the manager, the soundmen, the leader, the public-relation..etc,..etc...and ofcourse the bassist!!
What the band / music would be without the low end?? Anyway, keep it up bro!!

[Setebos]

Well...... not in my case

[gareth dunster]

We're not glory hunting egomaniacs and as such tend to be a bit more team minded, I reckon.
I personally love setup, so long as everyone else ****s off to the bar and leaves me alone.

[GeneralElectric]

Originally Posted by Honk'n_down-low

Lot of Bass Players become Producers (we got it going on) we get gear. I have always been the go to guy for gear in my Bands.

Clueless is a kind name for the other band mates

+1.

I don't want to have an Ohm discussion with a guitarist ever again.

[varunkapahi]

maybe we just have more time or interest for gear in general! my band couldnt setup their mixer setup without me at all, serious bunch of knuckle heads heh!

[bassman0221]

I got the "MacGyver" nickname also but the 2 guitarist and drummer are very good when it comes to running/setting up/fixing sound equitment..however they do freak out when the smallest thing goes wrong. Fixed a wire issue with a piece of gum once (wire for jack in a guitar came off and he didnt have a back up...thats all i had, worked great).

[dougjwray]

I'm not a technically-minded person, so that part certainly doesn't fit. However, I do seem to be the guy whose gear ALWAYS works. Maybe it's because we bassists have the option of keeping things simple (axe directly into amp, period)?
I'm also ALWAYS the first guy to arrive, the ONLY guy with gaffer tape to spare (genuine gaffer tape, I hasten to stress), the ONLY guy with extra spaces in his power strip to offer, etc., etc., etc.

[RobertPaulson]

Originally Posted by CharlieDog

It's not that you're a bassist, it's that one of them is a guitarist, and the other one's drummer.

haha i got a good chuckle out of that.