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Fired/not recruited for playing the wrong brand.

Have you been fired of a band because you were playing the wrong brand if bass?

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    597
#21
Some bands are particular about their look and I'm fine with that. If the gig pays well I'll play anything they want me to. If it doesn't, I'm playing what I want. I pretty much always play what I want. Was never kicked out of a band because of my bass. Then again, I own pretty much every well known bass out there. Just sold my P though. Not a fan of P basses. If I were asked to play in a well known band that wanted me to play a P, I would buy another.
 
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#22
Maybe I just pretty much only play with friends or groups that are genres that have no traditional gear per say in sense, but I find it insane to get fired over that reason, I do always see listings saying stuff like "Pro gear only please" but honestly that is subjective and I understand that point and agree with it, but using the "wrong" thing is kind of odd, and I understand if you have a look but maybe a BL should provide it then... I dunno I'm not experience in that but I never been fired for that and agree with others probably would leave way before they could terminate me, especially if I was told to go buy a Rickenbacker (Unless provided with it :laugh:!)

Also for them to hate on Yamaha makes me mad and gives me shivers. Yamaha fan here and insane thought to think that, one of the most versatile basses ever and not to mention in Japan some of the coolest models out there...
 
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#26
Nek07 said:
I was twice.
The first time, the band I was playing was on an upward trajectory, I was in that band for two years, playing the band owned Squier Mickey Way Mustang Bass when at some point the band leader wanted me to change that bass for a more serious model as we were getting traction. So I brought my Yamaha BB614 just to be laught at, the band leader wanted a Rickenbacker (as the previous bass player used to own...well a cheap copy really). As I said that at that time I could not afford a bass that was two month salary for me, he showed me the door.

Second time, I show up to give a try to a band, nothing too serious, weekend warrior type with a few paying gig a year. I showed up with my Yamaha BB434M and was immediatly told "you do not have a real bass?". That band was loosing gigs because they cant find a bass player and they didnt wanted me to play with them because only Gibson is good enought for them (actual quote).

So I was thinking about that these days (the tread about the guitarist requesting the bass player to change his gear comes to mind, standing your ground) and I wondered if that happened to other peoples. I have noted Bass Brand, but it can be anything really, like people wanting you to play a certain rig.
Click to expand...

There's nothing wrong with your Yamaha BB434M bass. They make good stuff. The band in question must be a bunch of knuckleheads and have a lotta nerve specifying a Gibson only bass requirement when A) they only have a few paying gigs per year and B) only a relatively small percentage of bassists play Gibson basses compared to some of the heavy hitter models on the market. Think of this affair in terms of having dodged a bullet with them letting you know right off the bat that they are not worth a nanosecond more of your precious time.
 
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#28
that's nuts, but i wouldn't bring a hofner into a metal band, not that it wouldn't work...Sometimes a particular look is needed, but other than that they're sheetouttaluck, unless they wanna buy a different bass for you! If you been with them 2yrs, then why the sudden request in basses....IMO your in wrong band.:whistle:
 
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#29
HardNHeavy said:
that's nuts, but i wouldn't bring a hofner into a metal band, not that it wouldn't work...Sometimes a particular look is needed, but other than that they're sheetouttaluck, unless they wanna buy a different bass for you! If you been with them 2yrs, then why the sudden request in basses....IMO your in wrong band.:whistle:
Click to expand...

You know, I'd actually like to see someone ripping a Hofner for a technical death metal band.
 
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#30
Interesting... 3 times I was asked to play a different bass when I showed up with a ric 4003. Once in the studio I has handed their peavey t40 to track with, in a live band I went out and bought a P per their request. On a cruise ship gig with my 4003 I was asked by the bandleader if I had a more appropriate bass with me and I didn't so he lived with it.
Since those incidents I now show up with a P to avoid such drama....then after I gain trust I play whatever I like.
 
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#32
The Gibson thing is weird, because if it's a Thunderbird those basses aren't exactly polite and I would bet complaints would start about the sound (this is not a knock on them, but a guess that most guitarists are not familiar with the frequency range T-bird pickups tend to be in).
 
#34
I've played whatever bass I like in the bands I've been part of over the last 30 years. Same with my current band. Every once in a while the drummer or guitarist will let me know they dig the sound of one of my basses for a certain song, but that's about it when it comes to band members showing a preference for what bass I play.
 
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#35
I was in a Situationship with my old front man and two veteran rockers who were "almost-beens" touring with the likes of The Cars in the late 70s as a perpetual forgotten ignored opening act.
I was rocking my Steinberger Spirit 5 (the full bodied Q copy) and right away they were all up in my grill "NEVER have we played with anything but a Fender Gibson Rickenbacker!".
I shrugged. Dudes were in their mid 50s and even in the early zeros were forgotten 1970s almost-beens.
They fired me a few weeks later, I got over it pretty quick.
 
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#36
pepj said:
I'm sure it happens but I'd like to know how they would justify it and then i could gauge what they might be full of.
However if you turn up with anything less than a Tele, all is fair in love and war
Click to expand...
The first one was like "the band is growing, so should the price of your bass", while the band leader kept on playing his lite ash tele that he still say is US made.
Second one, just a question of image I think.
 
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#37
primussucks9126 said:
I was strongly encouraged to play a Fender P by a producer/project facilitator, but nothing actually came of it. The actual band members were happy with me playing ny Ric, Ibanez, or Danelectro.

I would love to know how that upwards trajectory of the first band ended up.
Click to expand...
I went away as told, the ended up out a bass player, could not do jobs they already agreed upon, made a mess of themselve (I was kind of the logistic guy in that band, plus I handled the finances, so when they didnt paid the reharsall space's rent for half a year, the owner first locked their gear, then sold it), so poorly.
 
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#40
To clarify, the first band was younger people (I was 35, they were 25-27), and we had signed with a touring compagny to open for Superbus, a big french band, for the south half of their tour. That got up to the head of the band leader (that I helped become one) and he was seing things big all at once.
The second was a band with an Hell Angel attitude and wanted a thunderbird or a grabber bass.
 

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