I don't own a Fender but if I need traditional I'd go with one of these babies: Warmoth neck/Squier body Jazz or F bass VF4.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Do I need a "good" bass for auditions?
- Thread starter Yonni
- Start date
An audition is a job interview.
If I had a job interview and my research told me that everyone at that company wore suits to work, I'd wear a suit to the interview. If my research revealed that NOBODY wore suits to work there ever, I wouldn't wear one to the interview either.
If I had an audition for a classic rock band, I would take an instrument that would seem to fit in a classic rock band. And so forth.
If I had a job interview and my research told me that everyone at that company wore suits to work, I'd wear a suit to the interview. If my research revealed that NOBODY wore suits to work there ever, I wouldn't wear one to the interview either.
If I had an audition for a classic rock band, I would take an instrument that would seem to fit in a classic rock band. And so forth.
i'm afraid it does matter a little, there are still some superficial musicians out there! the last band i auditioned for mentioned that the last bass player had great gear, but he coudn't play it! luckily I own a very attractive bass, a heavily modded Fender jazz bass Special ( all Blacked out) it's a looker! I get a lot of good comments. My rig is just okay( nothing special). My chops were up to par, solid & i was over prepared( the lead singer was impressed) I know quite a few songs. the guitarist was a very cool guy, a self professed gearhead he was enchanted with my pedaboard (just 4 or 5 modest pedals) nothing that great, but i must admit my tone is great. the drummer concurred. he's the one who kept talking about the old bass players gear. iwas reassured i was better sounding than him, and the gear didn't matter. so I say if i had subpar gear it would have knocked me down a couple of notches, but having my "act" together helped me out more. i'm sure the gear snobs could have affected my status. being prepared & having really good tone are just as important not secondary to having name branded gear! Don't be too worried about what other musicians think about your gear, be more concerned about your preparedness & how it sounds in the mix!
That being said I too am a gear snob!When I audition, I'm always curious as to what kind of guitar the guitarist is playing, for instance, if he has a neon pink "pointy" guitar & bright red marshall stacks, I get a little worried. I m more impressed if he's rocking a worn out Les Paul & 2-12 Fender blues Jr amp
i'm always pleased to see a fender or squier strat & modest amp though! first impressions do exist.I think you need to be aware of what & who you are auditioning for, maybe they are looking for a pointy guitar guy, not a guy showing off his collection! know your audience & have your chops Down. good luck!
There used to be a tale retold over and over on this board. Lenny Kravitz held bass auditions, apparently open ones. 200 guys showed up. Before they heard anyone, one of Kravitz' guys sent everyone home who had brought a bass with more than 4 strings.
Not sure if it really happened or not, but the moral of the story works - Lenny Kravitz plays throwback rock, and if you bring a Modulus 6 string or something, you probably don't understand the optics of the gig as well as other people do who play just as well as you do.
The correct basses for that audition would have been a Fender P and a Fender J, and ask Lenny which he preferred. Once you're on your third tour and eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family, bring the Warwick Dolphin and see how it goes.
Not sure if it really happened or not, but the moral of the story works - Lenny Kravitz plays throwback rock, and if you bring a Modulus 6 string or something, you probably don't understand the optics of the gig as well as other people do who play just as well as you do.
The correct basses for that audition would have been a Fender P and a Fender J, and ask Lenny which he preferred. Once you're on your third tour and eating Thanksgiving dinner with his family, bring the Warwick Dolphin and see how it goes.
I (and I would hope most people) totally get that.
There is, however, a big difference between auditioning for Lenny Kravitz's band, and auditioning for the local dad-band that plays the animal lodge twice a month for $100 a piece on a good night, and maybe a couple of free beers.
In some circles, an overly ostentatious bass can be a negative. Case in point, last band I was in. Post Punk Americana-ish (think Long Ryders and you'd be close). Guy shows up with a boutique 5-string (one of several in his stable) and GK amp. What we really were hoping for is a guy playing a P-bass through whatever sounded good. I've got no axe to grind with GK, it just doesn't work for me. But it has a sound. Ditto with 5-strings.
The guy was a really crappy player, but he was literally our bassist of last resort. We took we too long to figure out what I knew after the audition: he was a bad player and a bad fit. All he ever talked about was Paul Gilbert and Primus. He also had a terrible sense of rhythm. But he loved to tell stories about his time at Musician's Institute. I'm convinced he must have done nothing but smoke dope in the parking lot.
Back on topic, one thing I dig about MM Sting 4s is that I can go on ANY audition and the look and sound of the instrument are appropriate. Country, rock, funk... Sting 4s work great in all contexts.
The guy was a really crappy player, but he was literally our bassist of last resort. We took we too long to figure out what I knew after the audition: he was a bad player and a bad fit. All he ever talked about was Paul Gilbert and Primus. He also had a terrible sense of rhythm. But he loved to tell stories about his time at Musician's Institute. I'm convinced he must have done nothing but smoke dope in the parking lot.
Back on topic, one thing I dig about MM Sting 4s is that I can go on ANY audition and the look and sound of the instrument are appropriate. Country, rock, funk... Sting 4s work great in all contexts.
Whether people like it or not tpaul has spoken the truth. I have 0 bilateral symmetry.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I'm doing an audition to do some fill in work tomorrow. Even though they've seen me play my Lull for other shows, yeah, I'm bringing the old Fender Jazz.
I also question the authenticity of that story. Why would a guy with the stature of Lenny Kravitz hold a cattle call style audition? It is true that you should do some intelligence gathering before you audition. On the other hand, if you don’t know much about the situation you’re walking into a 5 string would be a good choice.
It’s unfortunate that this gotta-have-a-Fender mindset is what drives the sales of counterfeit Fender decals.
LOL, the problem is that hacks sometimes think they're the next Lenny Kravitz. The guys who shot me down and ripped me a new one were basically guys who fantasized about being a band leader. They got off on the idea of hiring and firing people. In real life, they're seldom in that position. The last guy to "fire" me had recently been fired from his day job.
Agreed. He wouldn't have to, for sure. Probably a legend.
For a few minutes, at least. A lot of local musicians warned me about him because he had a tendency to snap and burn all bridges. I shrugged it off and thought it was the local clique trying to blacklist someone as usual. I was in 2 bands with the guy before he eventually snapped. Oh, THAT was what they were talking about.
I have custom made instruments, they are practical and not too boutique looking but after many strange looks and auditions, I had a custom 5 string Fender style Jazz made tune E-C just to get the foot in the door. If I need a low B, I'll bring my 6 string.
I also had an audition where the guy told me, you have a great sound, can play and great gear. I said ok whats the kicker. He literally told that I would make him look bad because he's the guitar player and needs to have the spotlight. I am not one for the spotlight whatsoever. Place me in the back and I'll groove the entire time.
So yes, some musicians are snobs, like the ad on CL for a band seeking a bassist 18-24, must have specific gear or style, no older than 35, etc.
I also had an audition where the guy told me, you have a great sound, can play and great gear. I said ok whats the kicker. He literally told that I would make him look bad because he's the guitar player and needs to have the spotlight. I am not one for the spotlight whatsoever. Place me in the back and I'll groove the entire time.
So yes, some musicians are snobs, like the ad on CL for a band seeking a bassist 18-24, must have specific gear or style, no older than 35, etc.
Wow, in this day and age you would think that there would be a rule that you can’t post an add like that as it’s discriminatory. You can’t in the UK for business but obviously bands aren’t regulated. How about just saying that you are a young band or have a young and energetic fan bass? Surely that gets the message across and they’d ultimately still have the final say in hiring someone. Both parties could be missing a match made in heaven by being so narrow minded.
Yeah, it's regulated but ageism in the workplace is rife. It's too easy to circumvent the rules.
In my line of work, it gets really tough to keep getting hired after 50 or so. At least with bands etc if it's explicitly stated you know where you stand.
I mean, just look at The Partridge Family. It really came together when mom sang along!
