Anyone Else Not Have a Guitard in the Band?

[gotmule?]

First of all, I'm in a trio band w/ a guitarist who also sings, bassist (me), and a drummer. Now I'm best friends with both of them, but this post is about the guitarist. First of all, the guitarist started the band so he is head of it, but he always makes sure everyone is happy and having fun. He also listens to everyone's suggestions and write their own parts for songs. He doesn't care about my bass tone as long as it fits, and believe me, I've tested that. At one point, I had a different tone almost every practice for about a month, lol. Now here's the best part.

We were at practice about 3 weeks ago and practicing for a gig we have coming up. Well, we were just taking a break and hanging out when I said "wow, I'm getting a lot of solos today", being serious of course. That's when he said "for now on, every song we jam on, your getting a solo." Now I understand my role as a bassplayer is to keep the groove, but I'm not afraid of taking a solo once in a while, so when I heard that, I got really excited.

So does anyone else have a cool guitarist in their band?

[prizefighter]

sadly the 3(yes three) guitards in my band seem to think that them having solo's is the only way to go.but i fixed it by playing super busy basslines one practice and now i get quite a few solo's

[capnsandwich]

My band's got a cool one. He's actually a trained musician from the Musician's Institute in L.A. but his attitude doesn't reflect the slightest bit of arrogance that you'd expect from someone like that. He's cool, respectful, and knows his stuff but still knows his role and everyone else's too. He's always asking my opinion on parts that he comes up with and asks me what I do on certain parts in order to play along with me in rhythmic sections. He's all about syncopation and tightness, which is cool with me. He also loves it when I lay down a slap line in a song, which is so unusual. We finally got someone we can keep after our 6th guitarist.

[fourstringdrums]

Well I'm the drummer in my band, but we have two guitarists. Both of them, and my bassist as well all value each others input and as far as I'm concerned usually tell me to just go with what I'm happy with as far as my tone, my parts etc.. I'd actually prefer it if they were a bit more suggestive with things they'd like from me, but they are definitely cool so I'm not complaining.

[gotmule?]

Oh, I forgot one thing. He actually tells me to turn the bass UP! I always think its loud enough, but he wants it louder, it really makes me feel like he appreciates my bassplaying.

[Slax]

I've been in a band with a few people who aren't "guitards" before. It's awesome. I love the dual "do the best you can" attitude coming from everyone in the band. It's ridiculous when it's not, but that's just how it goes I guess... (Probably the reason I'm still looking for a new band. )

[Phalex]

My guitard has been gigging since the 70's. He's an old man (Like the rest of us) and he has more experience than you could imagine. He is a fabulous guitarist, and makes everything he does look quite effortless.

So I love my guitard, and my knuckle dragging drummer, but that's no reason for me not to give them as much crap as I can as often as I can.

[Deacon_Blues]

I've never had one that I would call guitard in my band, but I recently heard about a guy who actually would earn to be called that. At least if everything they sad was true....:

That guy also runs an booking agency (he is good at that), but recently he has obviously started to book himself as the guitarist in several both mid-and large size gigs, even though he according to my friends who know him have no ear, very limited skills and crappy equipment. Lately, on a smaller gig in a very popular local pub, he had been showing off so badly (in the word's all meanings) so that the keyboardist, normally a really cool guy, had in the pause been shouting him right in the face how bad he was and that he refuses to play a single more gig with this band if he is still in it. They have a few gigs coming up that this same guy had booked, this was just the first one. Wonder how they will go....

Anyway, that "guitard" left the place crying. Perhaps he learned a lesson. Just wanted to add that all other persons in that band were professional musicians (well the keyboardist is not, but a super-talented keyboardist/flutist whose main income is music anyway)...

They said he also booked himself for a big Queen show that is planned for the autumn. My guess is that that won't go very well...

[BigKahuna13]

I've only really ever dealt with one guitard in my life. He was also my closest friend at the time so I cut him tons of slack but even so the long solos got to be tedious and became a huge sore point.

Current guitarist is pretty cool. He often defers to me on questions of arrangements -
though it's usually with a smiling "I have to do what you say you're much bigger than I am" - and has asked me to play more notes "hey it sounds a little empty here why don't you do some kinda jazzy bass thing."

I'm happy.

[Deacon_Blues]

I'm extremely happy with the guitarist I play the most with nowadays as well. He don't know what "cheating on the guitar" means. His playing is cleaner than a laboratory even with lots of dist on. Very tasteful playing, admires among others John Mayer, Hendrix and The Meters, and can pull off most of that stuff incredibly well too.

[peabody]

The guitar player in my band and I have been best friends since kindergarten (we're both 48 now). He is one of the nicest people I have ever met, and certainly one of the most talented musicians I've ever met. A few years ago he had a '59 Gibson Ranger amp that belonged to his dad stolen out of his car...this of course happened shortly after his dad died. He was crushed. I was able to find an almost exact duplicate on eBay (finding a tweed '59 Gibson Ranger amp in good condition was no easy task) and all of the guys in the band chipped in and we presented it to him before one of our shows. It was one of the most touching and humbling things I have ever witnessed. I read all of the posts about the problems with the guitar players, and I just can't relate....and hopefully I'll never have to.

[ilikethump]

My band doesn't currently use a guitarist (synth/bass/drum), but only once have I met with a diva. All the other guitarists have been awesome and supportive.

The diva came in to the band and thought we were there as a package deal to make his musical dreams come true.

But only once has that happened.

[Vanceman]

Yup, very happy with my guitar player/band leader. He's mostly a rythum player, doesn't solo unless it's part of the song, and tells me to turn up! He also wants me to vary my tone if the songs calls for it and has a very good ear for what everyone else is doing.

Needless to say, I'm happy.

[lpdeluxe]

I've been gigging for 36 years and have never been in a band with anyone I would be comfortable calling a guitard. For one thing, that term is only sort of funny the first time you encounter it. After that it's stale.

I have been exposed to some for whom the term is appropriate at jams and parties...one time we had a guy who loudly insisted that we do a Heart Song. We finally gave in, and he played this awesome solo part.

So we started another song, and he played this awesome solo part...wait a minute, wasn't that note for note the same awesome solo part he just played?

Turned out it was the single thing he could play on guitar.

[MonsterBass101]

Well i just backed out of a project where the guitarist (lead) was a total A**hole. He started dating my girlfriend, and thought he was the boss of the whole operation. He wanted to do a led zeppllin cover band when we invited him to join us. He was a d*ck.

[Qvist]

My good friend and guitarist of our band doesn't give a flying doodoo about my bass tone or playing either, as long as I can lay down the low end of the song and it sounds good! I could play roots with all knobs turned 12 o'clock on the tone controls 24/7 for all he cares! But do I listen to his soloing all the time? No, not while playing. As long as they don't say anything, it sounds okay!

I think it's a little unfair to call a person a guitard just because he or she does not compliment your sound or playing. Better that than being told your tone sucks =P

[Ampeg SVT]

I have one, he is a terrible guitard that cant come up with good riffs, instead he takes them from his favorite band and butchers them. also he thinks his gear is awesome (cheapo schecter with crappy Mesa MarkIII and Peavey Stereo 412 cab) and he bosses EVERYONE around. at least we are kicking him out.

[Geddyfleaharris]

LOL @ thread title because of this thread.....

Can we please refrain from the term "guitard"?


P.S. I just notice another thread with the offending term in its title. Too funny. I love Talkbass.

[varunkapahi]

Originally Posted by Geddyfleaharris

LOL @ thread title because of this thread.....

Can we please refrain from the term "guitard"?


P.S. I just notice another thread with the offending term in its title. Too funny. I love Talkbass.

+1

[thesteve]

no guitard in my band.