My bandmates make suggestions, I listen - and vice versa. But maybe I‘m lucky that we all follow the 5:1 rule: About five supportive and unmistakably positive statements to one constructive criticism. And if in doubt, bring cake as well. 
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Just a rant for a second.... drummer content following
- Thread starter madmarvin
- Start date
It sounds like he's trying to undermine your confidence in your current rig, so that you'll replace it with a new, smaller, lighter rig - that he doesn't have to help schlep.
I wish... at one point he asked if I bring my two 80-90s Hartke XL cabs, each about 80lbs, and my SVT II Pro - that weighs 120lbs. That was the perfect sound. I don't disagree with that. It's just a little much.
D
Deleted member 165050
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I find the idea of one band member dictating another's choice of gear to be suspect... the only time I indulge that is the guitarist with the 100w head + 4x12 at small gigs scenario. I still think the guy is messing with you.
We have an old saying for this in Texas: "ADIOS!"
And there you have the source of the problem.
Your drummer has it stuck in his head that the best bass sound is a massive, all tube, Ampeg head, sitting on top of a much more massive full stack.
Yet, you insist on playing through some new fangled, solid state and neodymium foofollah, because you're too lazy to carry around the perfect gear that you already own. He figures if he has to carry around a big ass drum kit, then you can't complain that the massive (but perfect) gear you aren't using is just too heavy.
If you are playing in a band everybody's tone is everybody's business, what matters is weather it is constructive criticism to improve the overall sound of the band or not, or selfish power tripping.
In my opinion in order to be able to function properly as a band you need to be open for suggestions from your fellow band members and their opinions, but that goes the other way around as well, and overall you should largely agree on the common goal and the musical direction, anything else is sooner or later going to cause serious issues and damage.
In my opinion in order to be able to function properly as a band you need to be open for suggestions from your fellow band members and their opinions, but that goes the other way around as well, and overall you should largely agree on the common goal and the musical direction, anything else is sooner or later going to cause serious issues and damage.
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Well hell, how did you know?!? Left 'em in 2018, been freelance sit-in demigod since...
After 40 plus years of playing music in bands, I’ve found the more professional the band was, the less I would hear critiques of my tone. But I’m obsessed with my tone. But it seemed the most friction I’ve had was with the drummer. Specifically with a drummer who had experience and had chops, but it was a jamming situation with a guitarist that was PHENOMENAL. He was a cross between Joe Satriani and Warren Haines. Some of the riffs and leads that he would pull out of thin air was jaw dropping. But the drummer would always be throwing out these passive aggressive digs my way that I would ignore just because of the music we were laying down. We had several originals and we could have been something but the guitarist was a family man and didn’t want to compromise that, which I could totally respect. What ended it was when the drummer stopped mid song and starting screaming about my tone, my singing, the color of my shirt etc. The guitarist unloaded back at him and told him the STFU, and he was sick of if his bitching and he quit. We never played again after that. So I guess the point of all this is how much are you willing to put up with to keep playing music. Only you can decide that. But the older we get, the less BS we will put up with.
I wonder why people can't stay in their lanes? This assumes that everyone in the band was chosen for their competence and ability to do their job.
When you have green players mixed with experienced ones, it makes sense for the experienced people to offer some friendly mentorship of some sort, but I've had drummers who could not hear a harmony attempt to dictate what a group of vocalists with more than a century's worth of experience between them should do. There comes a point when it's just disruptive and it doesn't advance the music at all.
I really don't get it. But I'm starting to think that the constant chorus of people who insist we should all have our minds so open that our brains fall out are often the same ones who can't stay in their own lanes.
- Feb 12, 2006
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- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Have you considered that the OP and others may prefer the tone they get with newer gear?
Of course.
I think I might have been less than clear with my post that I was attempting to interpret what the drummer might be thinking.
I was essentially "channeling" his assumed attitude that big, heavy, vintage gear must be better than modern gear, and that's why he's constantly pestering the OP with criticism of his tone.
Personally, I prefer my gear to be as hi-tech (and light) as possible. My big, heavy, vintage gear is sitting in storage.
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I never had that sort of thing happen with experienced players. But I HAVE had a few lead singers (who didn't play any instruments) harping at various members of bands about things they have no clue about.. Is it feelings of inadequacy prompting Napoleonic complexes?? nope.. just jerks.
You and the drummer share something the other band members don't. Ask him what he would prefer. To him and someone touched on this something may be lacking but out front is fine. Maybe he's not feeling you so he can lock up with you. To exaggerate imagine the band is playing James Brown tunes and a you have a Chris Squire tone. Brilliant but inappropriate.
What would he improve? Try it.
PS if I like how my drummer's kit sounds I say so.
What would he improve? Try it.
PS if I like how my drummer's kit sounds I say so.
I played in a prog/originals band (and yes we rarely gigged playing that kinda stuff) and while I was not told to change my sound I soon figured out my active Ibanez SR-1200 bass had TOO much low end. Sure I could dial some of it out but it didn't sound as good.
Around that time I bought a new Geddy Lee Jazz bass because "Geddy Lee".
That bass worked a LOT better with that band than the Ibanez. The keyboard player was a total wizard (one of those guys with four keyboards who would play two at once that were across from each other without looking at them like Keith Emerson). The thing was this guy would play absolute pounding ostinatos with his left hand, it was a LOT of low end and so with the Ibanez it was just too much low end.
The next band I was in was a classic rock (60's to 2000's) cover band with one main guitarist and a singer who mainly played acoustic but also played electric about 20% of the time.
I started out with the Fender which sounded fine, but then one practice I brought over the Ibanez and the guys were like "use THAT bass, it sounds a lot better". For that band and those songs it certainly did.
The bass tone needs to suit the music and the format of the band, that's why there are different basses and different amps.
The Ibanez is a great playing, great sounding bass....my main beef with it was the 9 volt in the preamp seemed to always decide to start crapping out mid-way through a set, and changing out the battery was a bit of a PITA at a gig.
Analogeezer
p.s. LOL, spell check does not recognize "Ostinato"
