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Drummer hated my bass...

#44
GCPENG said:
But at this meeting, I also find out from guitarist that the drummer's big problem with my bass was actually that it was....Made In Indonesia! Apparently he told guitarist..."How dare he show up in a band setting with an instrument made in Indonesia!"
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Would have been nice if your guitar player had shared that with you before you got pushed into buying a bass just to keep the drummer happy. But at the end of the day, you have a Jazz bass and a T-Bird; life is good. :thumbsup:
 
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#45
May not be brand snobery these days. Could well be the recent rise in patriotism in anticipation of happy days soon to come.

Such overt displays of disdain for things not American are becoming more and more common around here.
 
#49
GCPENG said:
...but I only just found out why.

Several months ago, I joined a cover band working towards gigging. Early on, there was some minor drama around the drummer calling out the vocalist for not being prepared, which could have been resolved with no drama at all. Anyway, just before the drama, the drummer went on for a week or so about the sound of my bass, an Epiphone Thunderbird. He was having trouble hearing it, he said, and would call me with suggestions to improve things. Most of which involved a new bass. He would call me from the local guitar store and tell me about better basses that they had in stock, trying to get me to come out and check out these basses, and wanting me to trade mine in and upgrade. The next week, I brought my Fender Jazz. The drummer was much happier.

Last week, more drama. Drummer calls guitarist, complaining about the vocalist again. Drummer doesn't think vocalist is practicing. Doesn't think vocalist is serious. Wants guitar to get rid of vocalist. Guitar declines. First thing in the morning, drummer calls me, tells me his wife lost her job and he can't continue with the band. Okay.

Guitar, vocals and I get together over a beer for a band meeting. We find out about his conversation with guitarist. Good riddance, we figure. But at this meeting, I also find out from guitarist that the drummer's big problem with my bass was actually that it was....Made In Indonesia! Apparently he told guitarist..."How dare he show up in a band setting with an instrument made in Indonesia!"

(Joke's on him. Mine was Handcrafted In China!!)

Apparently, he figured that I didn't take this project seriously enough to show up with quality equipment - just some cheaply-made junk. Guitarist pointed out that the Epi SG that he practiced with was Korean. Now that I think about it, drummer often told the guitarist, "Hey, you should bring your (Gibson) Les Paul out to practice."

I guess the Fender logo on the headstock was enough to satisfy the drummer. He never did ask if it was MIM or MIA.

Look, if the sound of the Thunderbird wasn't cutting through the mix or pleasing to bandmates - I have no problem bringing something else. But I'd known it was the (economical) name on the headstock or the country of manufacture, I'd have told him to stuff it. Or brought my Squier Affinity.
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Classic case of listening with your eyes...and a penchant for drama to boot?

Good riddance indeed.
 
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#55
I literally can't believe it when I hear stories like this where a band member gets bent out of shape about the make, model, or place of origin of somebody else's instrument.

I've been doing this at a pretty high level for a long time, and I've never had it happen to me and never actually seen it happen. One of the very finest electric guitarists I grew up with played a Peavey Strat outfitted with EMG pickups. Not the "coolest" guitar by most people's yardsticks. Years and many tours with major Grammy-winning artists later, he's still playing it. Nobody says anything about it besides "sounds great" - because in his hands it does. This includes the Grammy-winning artists he worked with.

I'd tell anybody giving me a hard time about what axe I choose to play to listen with their ears instead of their eyes. It's a gentlemanly way of saying what I'd rather say.
 
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#56
It's funny the ideas people get in their heads about gear. I remember way back when, the guitarist in the outfit we had going at the time (who by the way was a nice guy overall) made a passing comment to the effect of wondering if I was going to get some more professional-looking keyboard stands. The stands I had at the time were Ultimate Support Invisible stands...the same keyboard stands Geddy Lee used for almost two decades. Who knew poor Ged was so hard up that he couldn't afford "professional-looking" stands? Here I thought his band was at least making a little bit of money. ;)
 
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#59
image.jpeg
I have an Epiphone Thunderbird. It is the Classic IV and is wired with Gibson TB pups. It's an absolute beast! The band digs it when I bring it. Granted, it's not the Ric or even the Geddy Jazz or the Tom Hamilton ASAT but it rocks pretty hard. The neck pup rules but if you dial in the bridge pup, you get some treble punch and a bit of growl. I'm surprised anyone would be critical of that particular bass guitar. It definitely gets me job done!
 
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#60
It sucks that you run into stuff like this, but with the price of a used US Fender P bass under $900 if you shop around, I really think every bassist should have one. It's a bass that will not get any second looks no matter where you go. A Fender P and some kind of active 5 Jazz and you're set. Plus, with a P bass, if you ding it on a cymbal or mic stand, cool. It looks better.
 

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