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Bandmates and your basses
- Thread starter db59
- Start date
I got more feedback on my basses when I was young: late teens, twenties. I'm no longer young -- hey, it happens.
Over the past two decades of not being young I've split time between a bunch of projects and gotten sub gigs with a bunch of bands. I rarely get comments on my instruments: looks, brand, sound. I'm guessing it's largely because I and most of my bandmates are middle-age or over: at some point, you realize that what's really important isn't the gear, it's the musician.
Of course the instrument has to function properly -- but that's about all anyone else should care about. Doesn't matter to me whether the guitarist is playing a Relic Tele for metal or a tiger-striped Jackson for blues. Shouldn't matter to anyone else whether I play a vintage-style bass or a modern-styled one, regardless of the music I'm playing. Bottom line: how well is the instrument being played?
All that said: a female lead singer recently said "oh good, you brought your blue bass, that's my favorite". Color preference is still preference, but blindfolded she wouldn't care, and again, I can't think of any other bandmates who really would, blindfolded or not. That's a good thing.
None of my band have ever expressed a preference for one bass over another. I usually take my black Europa to gigs with my main band and they just notice if I bring one that is not black but they never comment in terms of expressing a preference soundwise. I do know that they like the sound of all of them. Apart from the black bass the rest that I take to gigs are natural wood. So for them it's just a black bass or a wood coloured bass. I doubt if they know I have more than two.
Everyone has their own opinion, I stick with what tone and sounds I want to produce... your Sadowsky is a great bass. I play a Fender and sometimes my Yamaha BB for certain songs. Unlike most bass players I play nylon wound strings from Bella or D'Addario, use a Darkglass Ultra B7K and Electroharmonix Big Muff for effects. Ampeg Neo with Ampeg head. I can get a wide range of sounds and effects depending on what the song calls for and move a ton of air if needed.
The BL in my big band is an old jazz trumpet player. He likes the upright. I'm a notoriously bad reader so he says if I can't find the notes I should play the contour down low. The brass section and sax section hardly notice me. If I didn't show one time they might notice the silence where my solos should be but probably just keep on counting. The drummer doesn't care as long as we're hitting quarters together. The guitar player also plays bass guitar and he likes my Lyte Deluxe with the gold hardware and natural wood, but he says the action's too high. The piano player, she doesn't seem to like anything or anyone, except the guitar player. Oh, to be young again.
In the types of bands I’ve always been in, mostly hard rock originals, they’ve always, and I mean every time, want me to use my ATK 300. That is def the one bass that any band I’ve ever played with wants.
My fretless Squier VM tele bass is the clear favorite. When I started messing around with short scales and trying out different basses the rest of the band as very vocal about they’re preference for the fretless. In the end none of the shortys worked out anyway, and the VM is still (likely always will be) my main axe.
The last person I take gear advice from is a drummer , second to last is a singer . I actually don't care if any of them like my gear . lol
My bandmates are always asking me whether a bass I’m playing is new, when it is one I’ve been playing, with them, for years.
/sigh
/sigh
What I take to work depends on:
1) What Music I am playing
2) How good are my chops on that instrument
3) Who I am playing with
4) How dicey is the location
Recording jobs - take everything. Recording jobs are rare these days
Jazz job with purists, only the upright will do. If its a jazz class holding down the bass for students, i take a Epiphone Beatle Bass which is light, cheap, expendable and I carry it around for the entire day 8 AM to 10 PM.
Call jobs (church, orchestra), - Warwick Thumb 5, Zon Sonus 5 fretless, Peavey 6 string. I prefer 5s so I can cover all the basses.
Road tour subbing for ailing bassist for name performer and also for his "private party" band. He supplied his Precision and his amp, so my sound was closer to what he and the BL wanted. On one gig, the G string broke and I had to use a roundwound D until I could locate a music store with flats. (changed whole set out to roundwounds between sets). BL was not happy with roundwounds. BL opened up to wanting me to play the fretless on some of the numbers. He hated the Warwick.
Subs for Rock/Blues Gigs, jam sessions. My workhorse is an Epiphone T Bird (sold by GC for ~$200). It sounds great so $$$ does not necessarily equate to tone. And this is really weird.....folks come up during gigs and tell me what a great looking/sounding bass it is. With new strings, it has a solid tone. I will bring a 5 if needed.
Dicey places. I have A Sterling Sub 4 which I wouldn't miss. E string buzzes on lower frets.
1) What Music I am playing
2) How good are my chops on that instrument
3) Who I am playing with
4) How dicey is the location
Recording jobs - take everything. Recording jobs are rare these days
Jazz job with purists, only the upright will do. If its a jazz class holding down the bass for students, i take a Epiphone Beatle Bass which is light, cheap, expendable and I carry it around for the entire day 8 AM to 10 PM.
Call jobs (church, orchestra), - Warwick Thumb 5, Zon Sonus 5 fretless, Peavey 6 string. I prefer 5s so I can cover all the basses.
Road tour subbing for ailing bassist for name performer and also for his "private party" band. He supplied his Precision and his amp, so my sound was closer to what he and the BL wanted. On one gig, the G string broke and I had to use a roundwound D until I could locate a music store with flats. (changed whole set out to roundwounds between sets). BL was not happy with roundwounds. BL opened up to wanting me to play the fretless on some of the numbers. He hated the Warwick.
Subs for Rock/Blues Gigs, jam sessions. My workhorse is an Epiphone T Bird (sold by GC for ~$200). It sounds great so $$$ does not necessarily equate to tone. And this is really weird.....folks come up during gigs and tell me what a great looking/sounding bass it is. With new strings, it has a solid tone. I will bring a 5 if needed.
Dicey places. I have A Sterling Sub 4 which I wouldn't miss. E string buzzes on lower frets.
I have seen folks using Kala U basses and they are convincing.
D
Yes, I have. When I play casuals most bandmates prefer seeing and/or hearing a P or J styled bass guitar that has a lot of low-end punch. But if I'm playing a Gospel gig most players want to see a bass with a low B string, 5 or sometimes a 6 string, again something with a lot of low-end punch. I notice many of them seem to frown upon seeing a non-Fender styled bass, or something that sounds hi-fi and has an ostentatious paint job or finish. Guess some musicians are just traditional like that...tryna keep our instrument in the dark ages.
Nope, no preference from anyone I've played with.
My drummer did at last practice say he really liked my Affinity PJ but that's just because it's beautiful.
He also commented that it sounded more flat (referring to the flatwounds) but this was because normally I'm on the quiet side so I end up really digging in (I even picked the hell out of the string to prove it when he said that) and last practice I was on the louder side and thus using a softer touch.
It's also the only time they really noticed my switch from the cheapest possible rounds I could find to flats, in this case Fender 9050MLs. Which doesn't surprise me, all the switch from rounds to flats did was vastly improve my fundamental and cut out all the string-noise-garbage that just got lost in the guitar-stuff.
My drummer did at last practice say he really liked my Affinity PJ but that's just because it's beautiful.
He also commented that it sounded more flat (referring to the flatwounds) but this was because normally I'm on the quiet side so I end up really digging in (I even picked the hell out of the string to prove it when he said that) and last practice I was on the louder side and thus using a softer touch.
It's also the only time they really noticed my switch from the cheapest possible rounds I could find to flats, in this case Fender 9050MLs. Which doesn't surprise me, all the switch from rounds to flats did was vastly improve my fundamental and cut out all the string-noise-garbage that just got lost in the guitar-stuff.
If they're paying for the bass, they have a say. Otherwise, I bring what I wanna play.<Addendum> one of these
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I am student in the School of Rock adult program. I have a Peavey Grind that every one of the instructors has played and loved. We also switch out playing on different songs in our sets. Some of the guitarists will play bass on a song or two. We just keep my bass plugged in and everyone loves it.
