Gauging what to bring

[iceberg]

When is that Cass show?

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Shoe, I wouldn't call it snobbery....I think older instruments, or at least instruments with that kind of voice (like a cool Nash or a good Fender reissue) just simply tend to work better in the larger part of the LA session scene, unless (as I've said before in this Forum) you're doing jazz, gospel, new metal/emo, or certain types of R&B. In the circles I travel in, the tones of those instruments are chosen for reasons of sonic placement and character. I don't have a complete vintage bias...I have a lot of basses, old and new. I have way over 50 instruments. Which ones tend to actually SOUND the best? And which ones do people like in the control room without even seeing what I've got strapped on? The vintage ones. Trust me.

I have hollow bodies w/ rounds and flats. When they're rounds, they tend to be old and crusty. Tapewounds are awesome! I wouldn't poo poo that at all.

JMJ

 

[ShoeManiac]

Thanks for the feedback, Justin! It's much appreciated.

 

[JimmyM]

i hear a lot of whining on here from fender/ampeg haters who complain about being asked to play fender or ampeg..."i can play all the same notes on my 6"...that kind of stuff...and then they talk about gigs they lost because they didn't have a precision or jazz. i even saw one guy getting raked over the coals on here because a solid working band he wanted to join required him to play an svt and he wanted the gig so he bought one. so while the haters are complaining and sitting at home, this guy has a sweet gig that pays him decently, plus he bought a used svt-cl that he can always sell for what he paid for it, so he's not even out of pocket all that much.

i believe there is a lot to the axiom "it's not the gear you play but how you play it," but let's face it...there are some bands who want you to have certain gear, and if you don't have it, you won't get the gig. and despite what some might think, it has very little to do with gear snobbery and everything to do with getting the right sound for the band. i'm sorry, but if you show up with a fodera 6 string, it may be a great bass that gives you all the notes that an old fender gives you, but it's never going to sound like an old fender.

otoh, you might be playing a genre like contemporary christian/gospel where a modern 6 is exactly what they want, so it can go both ways. but if you're faced with a situation where someone wants a particular piece of gear, either you bring it or you don't get the gig. simple as that. and all the righteous indignation in the world won't change a thing.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Epic, and true. All of that applies to my scene over here, for sure. But again, it is "scene-specific", if you will.

JMJ

 

[Pirkka]

I think it's not wise to whine about equipment and different sounds. Music determines the sound, not people. People just have to bring the sound alive, if you know what I mean. If you say, that modern 6 string Fodera has all the notes needed in a ZZ Top song, I think you didn't listen to the music.

 

[jmjbassplayer]

I think it's not wise to whine about equipment and different sounds. Music determines the sound, not people. People just have to bring the sound alive, if you know what I mean. If you say, that modern 6 string Fodera has all the notes needed in a ZZ Top song, I think you didn't listen to the music.

So people don't determine the sound? Only music determines the sound? Couldn't disagree more, unless this is just a misunderstanding of semantics...

JMJ

 

[Pirkka]

So people don't determine the sound? Only music determines the sound? Couldn't disagree more, unless this is just a misunderstanding of semantics...

JMJ

aargh.... F**k. My english is just so bad that I can't really say what I mean. Please, don't get me wrong. I was trying to say that it's about understanding aesthetics of music to know what kind of sound to offer. As Jimmy said, the 6 string fodera has all the same notes but it doesn't have the vibe that P-bass has. So, the notes won't sound "right".

 

[jmjbassplayer]

Thx for clarification...completely understand and agree with your very eloquent point.

JMJ

 

[JimmyM]

aargh.... F**k. My english is just so bad that I can't really say what I mean. Please, don't get me wrong. I was trying to say that it's about understanding aesthetics of music to know what kind of sound to offer. As Jimmy said, the 6 string fodera has all the same notes but it doesn't have the vibe that P-bass has. So, the notes won't sound "right".

it's a strange dichotomy. i'm pretty fond of saying, "it ain't the gear, it's the player." i believe that ultimately, the people ARE responsible for how the music turns out, and if you gave justin a fodera 6-string, he's going to play a great track that would work for the situation, and i also think there's a very good chance he could play the same line on any bass from a precision to a wal 5 to a beatle bass, and it's going to have the right vibe and very similar tones just because that's how he rolls. left to their own devices, i think people do tend to eke out similar tones with whatever gear you hand them. but it would also be crazy to sit here and say that a fodera 6 with stainless rounds sounds the same as a beatle bass with flats. but i once heard victor wooten soloing on a gibson eb-2 and doggone if it didn't sound like victor wooten soloing on an eb-2.

regardless, though, i think we're all on the same page here and i think we all get the idea