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For You Session Players

#23
First of I want to thank you guys for your opinion. Very well received.. and also I want to apologize if this topic has been covered before. I guess in my "Search", I couldn't really fine what I was looking for. In all fairness, I guess any bass will do if the producer knows what he/she is looking for but I suppose the P Bass has become an industry standard, possibly for the same reasons Pro Tools has.

I was thinking of personally buying a mid grade bass and my focus has been on the Carvin B5. I've tried several in the price range and it seems this one has a very decent feel and sound, one that can possibly cover the P Bass territory without spending a lot of $$. Any comments would be appreciated.

Also, would the Carvin B5 sound better than the lower grade Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass Active V 5-String? Maybe I should start a new thread but will give this a go.

Thanks again,

Z.
 
#26
For sessions involving "modern pop" or some such variant, I would usually default to a good J style 5 string. I always ask what kind of material is being tracked, and may bring a P bass, and my Wendler if we're looking for a more organic vibe.

Dave, good post, and I agree with what you say about the venerable P. I wonder if you've really checked out the V-Bass system since I often see you talking about the Variax. The Variax is a nice system but the V-Bass is superior (IMO) in every important respect not the least of which is it can be installed on any bass you want. Just a thought....

Anyway, if I got called for such a session I would bring my Stambaugh 5 which also has a V-Bass pickup, which I might also bring.
 
#27
My past studio experiences have led me to believe that a versatile bass that can cop different types of basses in an all-in-one package are the most ideal. A bass that has multiple pickups, switching and coil-tapping is really ideal because it allows you to get a variety of tones from one axe. I am a bit of a trumpeter for Lakland obviously, but there are other basses out there that offer the same sort of flexibility. When it comes down to it, the engineers (not to mention the mixer and mastering folks) will in most cases tweak your beloved tone regardless of what goes into the board and on tape. Therefore, an APPROXIMATE Jazz/P/MusicMan tone will definitely suffice for most applications. One axe, multiple voices. That said, some folks only want the genuine article, so a true Jazz/P/MusicMan bass must then be used. IMHO, it's a good idea to ask the folks beforehand what basses they might want. If they don't state specifically one kind of bass, go with a catch-all like a Lakland, MusicMan Stingray HH (or HS), or some other flavor of flexible bass. I agree that a good, solid, punchy tone direct to tape with NO fiddling is the best, and for that reason a bass with a powerful, flexible active/passive system will get you there in spades. I did a session this past summer with a classic Jazz, my active MusicMan SUB fretless, and my Lakland 5-string, and the MusicMan and Lakland blew the Fender and and the fact that those basses have so much more OOMPH overall than a passive Jazz.
 
#28
I think strings are the most important. Flats for some things rounds for others. You can have tons of variation with different pups AND eq, but you can get reasonably close with the correct(flat vs rounds) EQ.

My Rick with humbuckers has some cool tones, but the G&L has all those and more. I will be trading my 4004 for a 4003 for more variation in my arsenal. The P/J may get sold if I already have those tones covered. I should finish up the wiring today so I can plug it in and hear what it will sound like. Then all that's left is the pickguard!

I'm thinking an L-2500 with rounds(although it may get Chromes too) and a Rick 4003 with Chromes may be the most versatile arsenal I could have.
 
#29
For any pro session, including that kind of simplistic poppy stuff, show up with good P bass*. If you don't have one, then a Jazz, but better yet borrow or rent a good P as well. Then bring a few other options and make sure at least one bass has flats. Having one "vibey" shortscale, or hollowbody or whatever is always a good idea--a Longhorn, Hofner, whatever. You want to be able to quickly deliver some classic sounds, but also have something modern and something "quirky" up your sleeve. Unless you know exactly what you're in for, never show up with just one bass (and while some basses CAN get a variety of sounds, they're always just an approximation--sure my L2500 can sorta kinda do a p-bass sound, but it's just close and doesn't sit in the mix the same way---and the time it could take to dial it in to everyone's liking just wouldn't cut it in a pro session). Personally, I do bring a five string too in addition to 4 or 5 four-bangers, but it hasn't gotten used on anything in a while (on pop, rock, hip hop, rnb, etc. sessions).

*but I don't believe that it HAS to say Fender on the headstock. I agree you won't get any grief walking in with a nice Lakland, Lull, etc. It just needs to be that classic design, and sound like it.
 
#31
BIG +1 with what pbass2 said above--that's right on.
I like to bring several instruments with me---the basics that i would bring would most often be 4 basses:
1. Jazz or P (usually jazz) with rounds
2. jazz or p with flats
3. a 5 string
4. a hollowbody or something similar

sometimes i bring more, but usually no less than what's above. that can cover most everything. In my opinion, a good passive jazz bass with broken in rounds is a very versatile sound that can fit (and record) really well in almost all situations. that's what i would recommend if you wanted to get one "go-to" bass. in the last few years my collection has grown---but before that i got a lot of mileage out of two basses--- a jazz and a j or p with flats.
 
#32
timmarks said:
BIG +1 with what pbass2 said above--that's right on.
I like to bring several instruments with me---the basics that i would bring would most often be 4 basses:
1. Jazz or P (usually jazz) with rounds
2. jazz or p with flats
3. a 5 string
4. a hollowbody or something similar

sometimes i bring more, but usually no less than what's above. that can cover most everything. In my opinion, a good passive jazz bass with broken in rounds is a very versatile sound that can fit (and record) really well in almost all situations. that's what i would recommend if you wanted to get one "go-to" bass. in the last few years my collection has grown---but before that i got a lot of mileage out of two basses--- a jazz and a j or p with flats.
Click to expand...


That's where I'm at, and I feel really covered, the only thing missing is a fretless, but the last time I pulled out a fretless at a session the artist ran for the friggin' trees . . .

My quiver I bring, and feel very confident with even heading into the great unknown is:
US Lakland Glaub with Labella flats
MIA Fender P-bass with Roto rounds
Sadowsky Vintage J(with VTC) with DR Nickel LoRiders
Jerry Jones Longhorn with Chromes
Epi Casady with Labella flats
L2500 with Dr Nickel LoRiders

I'll even tote along my guitarron for quirky singer-songwriters and folky stuff.

But, the minimum I would bring would be the Glaub, the Sadowsky J, and the JJ Longhorn.
 
#33
Here is what I consider the absolute minimum you must have in order to do any gig offered and please everyone no matter what they want:

1. Jazz or PJ with rounds
2. Jazz or Precision with flats
3. 5 or 6-string, any make
4. Fretless, any make or amount of strings

The beautiful thing about this list is you can spend as little or as much as you want. You want to get cheapos, no problem. You want to get midline models, no problem. You want to go nuts and spend $4000 on each of them, no problem. As long as they sound good, that's what seems to matter the most. Never had complaint one about my cheapo Fender copies.
 
#34
zackmacak said:
First of I want to thank you guys for your opinion. Very well received.. and also I want to apologize if this topic has been covered before. I guess in my "Search", I couldn't really fine what I was looking for. In all fairness, I guess any bass will do if the producer knows what he/she is looking for but I suppose the P Bass has become an industry standard, possibly for the same reasons Pro Tools has.

I was thinking of personally buying a mid grade bass and my focus has been on the Carvin B5. I've tried several in the price range and it seems this one has a very decent feel and sound, one that can possibly cover the P Bass territory without spending a lot of $$. Any comments would be appreciated.

Also, would the Carvin B5 sound better than the lower grade Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass Active V 5-String? Maybe I should start a new thread but will give this a go.

Thanks again,

Z.
Click to expand...

The Carvin you mention can get a traditional tone, but more of the Jazz bass tone than a P-bass if you use the single coil mode. It doesn't sound exactly like a P-bass but it can function in that kind of music where a P-bass would work(most kinds). For example, I've used it in a country setting, blues setting, etc. and it works just fine.All it takes is a bit of messing with EQ on the amp. If going active, I like to use the single coil mode, panned slightly towards the neck pick-up and I get a sound that works great for blues or country-actually as traditional sounding as a Fender jazz, especially in the passive mode.
 
#37
Dave Hill said:
The old school studio guys don't call it an "electric bass" or "bass guitar"...it's a "Fender Bass".
Click to expand...

Because Fender was the first electric bass to become so heavily associated with studio recording and it set a standard for all other electric basses to follow.

And it was also a slang term used to identify the electric bass in general.
 
#38
I hate to say it but a lot of people that I have sat in with in the studio like the sound of a VJ with the genesis technology neck and the Villex pickups.

I swear some of it is how it looks and its mental......However with that being said it is a real nice, smooth and organic sounding instrument.
 
#39
basswave said:
I hate to say it but a lot of people that I have sat in with in the studio like the sound of a VJ with the genesis technology neck and the Villex pickups.

I swear some of it is how it looks and its mental......However with that being said it is a real nice, smooth and organic sounding instrument.
Click to expand...

Yeah, like the "I can hear the difference in cables when I see them, but not during blind testing!" ordeal. So much is mental, until they hear and track it, and then they shut up. ;)
 
#40
I do a moderate amount of session work, but all of it is very local and not what I would call "high end" stuff .... commercials for several of the AC casinos, local cable company commercials, some over-dub junk for local groups having trouble cutting demos with their bassist, etc.

I always ask what they're looking for, and if a preference is expressed than that's what I bring with me. If not specifically asked to bring a certain bass, I always have a Fender J 4 string, a fretless (in my case my FBB fretless 6, which records extremely well and engineers love it), and my FBB fretted 7. I recently began doing some stuff with the Barker fretless 5, as well .....

I'm being paid by the hour, the studio time is by the hour, and everyones goal is to get the tracks down and get out. I do whatever I can to help make that happen ....they're happy, and that means they'll call me again the next time. For me, it's all about getting paid and I make sure my equipment will meet their needs ..... :cool:
 

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