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Do I need a "good" bass for auditions?

#21
I don't like Ibbys because...the necks are to thin for my ginormous hands. But that's the only thing I have against them - I'd love it if they made their nice, light basses, with a neck that my hands could work with. If you pull one out of the case, and proceed to rock it....most folks I know wouldn't give a darn what the name on the headstock is.

My basses have my initials on the headstock - they're Warmoth builds, but literally noone who I ever auditioned with actually knew who made the bass. Or asked. Or cared. Maybe in some circles it matters, but in my world, no.

I can play. I pass auditions because of that.
 
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#22
I always take a straightforward Fender 4 string to auditions. There are simply less questions. Only exception is if the audition material requires notes below my HipShot D. In that case, I bring a Fender 5 string.

The audition should mainly be about laying down the material better than the other candidates. For that reason, I try to take the bass out of the equation. Plus, most non-bass player musicians are comfortable with a Fender.
 
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#23
Yep it matters. But maybe depends on the players a lot.

Just remember: A professional has professional equipment..... just like a professional in the business world doesn't show up with a 40 year old suit from Goodwill.

Hate to say it, many times to get the part, you have to look like the part.

Now if the audition is for a bunch of amateurs in a young band with pieced together equipment and inexpensive instruments, totally different story.

I was always taught "Dress to Impress". Same thing for equipment. But don't need to always look at run of the mill ideas.

Personally I play Spectors, a little different from the rest. I have some inexpensive ones and then some custom ones. But I also have some cutting edge amp and equipment. Most anyone can tell the difference quickly. So I feel life is too short for short cuts. And I owe it to myself and my art to have good equipment.

Other players see that.
Berg.jpg
 
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#24
definitely no.

if you can really play - really, really play - with good taste, and all the things a particular gig requires, you'll get it.

One of the things each gig will require is a "good" sound. Don't forget, paul mccartney's hoffner was purchased because it was cheaper and he did not have the money for the fender. Being strung left easily was a bonus, and it just sort of stuck.

I've seen legit headline acts where the bass player has an SX on stage and nobody cares. I've also seen people play foderas in an open mic at a Chinese restaurant.
 
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#25
I once took a Warmoth 4 string Precision bass to a blues band audition. Three tone sunburst with a black pickguard, but... a Wenge neck.

I was told that the fact I didn't have a Fender was a factor in me not getting the gig and they gave the spot to a guy with a Fender 5 string! Go figure... brand matters more than the appropriate configuration.

:|
 
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#29
I know bass gear can matter at some auditions, but I've never been in that situation. However, some odd gear choices by guitarists have made negative impressions on me when I've auditioned.

For example, one guitarist had a stable of fifteen nice guitars he bought new, mostly $2k+ Gibson and PRS, and yet played through a Roland keyboard amp. It sounded passable, but geez, with all that disposable cash for quality gear, he could and should have sounded much better. Awesome guy personally, but strange musically, and didn't last in the band.

More recently, I auditioned for a Stones cover band, and the leader/guitarist was playing a Squier Tele through a low-powered Fender solid state amp. It sounded terrible--when we could hear him at all! He made all kinds of excuses about it, said he'd bring better stuff but didn't want to leave it in the studio, blah, blah, yadda, yadda. He never did bring anything that sounded good, so I let him use one of my guitar amps. (I was going to play guitar at times also, as I did when we auditioned a drummer.) This indicated a lack of professionalism on his part and made a horrible impression. Turns out this lack of professionalism extended into other areas, like firing awesome players while keeping a terrible vocalist, so I quit after a couple of months.
 
#31
Sorry, but yes. I went thru the Squier thing during a jam session with a probable group. Lead looked at the headstock, looked at me, headstock, then me...Did not get the gig. Was my bass brand the decision maker?
My main player is now a Sterling ray4 I recently bought new for $260. I have more expensive basses, but it is a fun bass to play. The current group I play for doesn't care. I do have another group I may audition for a short term project. I will bring the black on black Fender P.
 
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#32
I honestly get turned off my musicians with overly expensive or boutique equipment with first impressions. Generally those guys are better gear heads than musicians. I don't let that bias my final view of a musician, but it does add things of note when considering the personality.

Having said that, I am playing with a guy a who has some very expensive Les Pauls, and he plays just fine.

But, yes, there are folks out there who put a lot more importance on appearance that ability. If I ever get that vibe, I'll just laugh at them and leave with my $100 Peavey bass, $250 Peavey head, and $300 Avatar cab.
 
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#33
My instruments are conventional-looking, high quality, reliable, work very well for the music I play and they sound great. If somebody else has a beef with my instrument to an extent that it overshadows my playing then I probably don’t want to join him in a band. One exception: it’s a talented tribute band that’s busy and whose work I admire.
 
#34
This could be totally wrong for others, but just my experience. This assumes you don't really know each other upfront. Also it can matter if the songs are all original - I'd say they'd up the care factor because of the belief that more is at stake. Also, are they doing this as their full time job? It seems the part-time musicians care more because they have more expendable income.

Admittedly, I have experienced all except the Metal and Country crowds and have picked that up more second hand.

Blues: In my experience, these folks care the most because a lot of them are gear heads to the extreme and expect the same.
Folk/roots: As long as you look vintage-y (see: Fender style and shape), shouldn't care too much. Ibanez would probably not fit here unless you were using a hollow body or something like that. SR's probably don't fit in general.
Punk: Don't care as long as you look the part yourself - they probably have not the best gear also.
Metal: Can go either way - some are just like the punk crowd about, others are more the Dream Theater type and they care almost as much as the Blues folks
Country: Depends on the act - a lot of local acts don't care too much, at least in my area. Had a friend playing for a bigger regional act (singer got 4th place on the Voice one year) and he played a MIM P and a SBMM Sub Ray 4. Amp and pedals were all top notch though...
Rock: Usually care - tend to be similar to the Blues folk
Church: Don't care at all, typically. Just glad that you are there.

This is not a post meant to judge any style - just some casual observations. Your mileage may vary.
 
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#35
Some people are gearheads some people aren't. I tend to show up with a Squier, because that's what I play. You have to OWN your cheapazz stuff, though. You can't be bashful. If they're really image conscious, they will probably care, but I've never known an audition where there were more than a couple of acceptable candidates. I'm doubtful that they ever take place. An over-complicated setup or a bad-sounding amp is more of a turnoff to me than cheap equipment, because it means you'll have to babysit while the player babysits his gear.

I'm also not putting someone's Ibanez under a microscope to determine if it's the expensive kind or the cheap kind.

The fact of the matter is that one of the candidates is going to sound better with the band than any of the others. If you are that person and they reject you anyway, screw em. If you're not that person, you shouldn't get the gig.
 
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#36
This has a possibility of working the "other" way. You pull out a nice (insert brand name/model here) _____ bass and they may have expectations that go beyond rational. I am in no way stating that you wouldn't live up to it or "back it up", just saying that some musicians are very shallow/judgmental when it comes to things like this. I am a very average bass player (at best), but I don't care if I show up with my $199 Affinity PJ. I do my best, act in a friendly and cooperative manner, and see what happens. Pull out that Ibby and let them know you are "the guy", regardless of what type of bass you're using. Good luck.
 
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#40
pappabass said:
Sorry, but yes. I went thru the Squier thing during a jam session with a probable group. Lead looked at the headstock, looked at me, headstock, then me...Did not get the gig. Was my bass brand the decision maker?
My main player is now a Sterling ray4 I recently bought new for $260. I have more expensive basses, but it is a fun bass to play. The current group I play for doesn't care. I do have another group I may audition for a short term project. I will bring the black on black Fender P.
Click to expand...
Here's an epic thread where the auditionee was rejected because the band didn't like his Squier.

Got turned down
 
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