Knob placement and Rod Stewart

[Brookdalebass]

I got blindsided at tonight's gig when my singer called the next tune while we were on the outro of the previous one. That's not unusual, and something I normally have no problem dealing with. Smile and go. At this juncture he evidently had his eye on a particular girl and had the hots to perform Rod Stewart's Da Ya Think I'm Sexy. OK. Also something I'm used to. However, my band consists of three musicians and singer, so I don't have a keyboardist to do all the rest of the bass line of that tune. I play a 5 string Spector Legend Custom (set neck, Korean built--sweet instrument btw. trying to find another...anyone have one you don't like? lol).

Anyway, on that tune I have zero free time on my right hand to change settings on knobs that are just three or so inches from my fingers. It's all disco octaves: boom ditta boom ditta boom ditta...I'm moving my plucking fingers higher up the neck to try to get the sound I want, but I know that to really make it happen I need to dial back the bridge pickup, pull off a lot of treble, add some mid, a skosh of bass and some neck pickup.

It was really weird, playing that line, looking down at those knobs and thinking "poopie...it could only tweak that one, that one and that one, I could just relax and dial this groove.

So that made me think further: why are those shaging knobs so far away? If they were on the top side of the strings instead of the bottom, I could reach them more easily...

 

[WhoSeyes]

Pedals, bluetooth ring controller, google glasses, have a personal technician, double neck bass, special switch on your bass or just speak with your singer.

 

[bholder]

If they were on the top side, careful about position or they'll get turned accidentally by your forearm. Happens on reversed lefty basses like my MIM J

 

[Luckydog]

Hate rod stewart so I avoid that specific issue

 

[Immigrant]

Best thread title ever.

I used to like him when he was with the Faces, but that knob has moved himself further away from my tastes. Don't blame me, blame the singer. And that cover of National Lampoon that I can't scrub from my memory.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

Sorry, Immigrant. My guttural mind went there, too....

 

[40Hz]

In 1986, bass makers entered into an informal agreement among themselves regarding that Rod Stewart song and moved the controls on their basses to a less convenient spot precisely to make it more difficult to accomplish what you were attempting to do for that number. They considered it a humanitarian gesture on their part.

Sorry that you had to bump up against it.

 

[Winfred]

I got blindsided at tonight's gig when my singer called the next tune while we were on the outro of the previous one. That's not unusual, and something I normally have no problem dealing with. Smile and go. At this juncture he evidently had his eye on a particular girl and had the hots to perform Rod Stewart's Da Ya Think I'm Sexy. OK. Also something I'm used to. However, my band consists of three musicians and singer, so I don't have a keyboardist to do all the rest of the bass line of that tune. I play a 5 string Spector Legend Custom (set neck, Korean built--sweet instrument btw. trying to find another...anyone have one you don't like? lol).

Anyway, on that tune I have zero free time on my right hand to change settings on knobs that are just three or so inches from my fingers. It's all disco octaves: boom ditta boom ditta boom ditta...I'm moving my plucking fingers higher up the neck to try to get the sound I want, but I know that to really make it happen I need to dial back the bridge pickup, pull off a lot of treble, add some mid, a skosh of bass and some neck pickup.

It was really weird, playing that line, looking down at those knobs and thinking "poopie...it could only tweak that one, that one and that one, I could just relax and dial this groove.

So that made me think further: why are those ****ing knobs so far away? If they were on the top side of the strings instead of the bottom, I could reach them more easily...

I had one of those Spectors, 4 string version. Loved it! To this day I regret selling that thing..

Anyway, you did the right thing. Just play it as best as possible. Or you could have stopped playing, dialed in the tone you wanted, and then started playing. No one in the audience would have cared. And if your singer complains afterwards, that's your chance to explain why you need a few seconds to turn some knobs for that tune.

 

[Jim C]

In 1986, bass makers entered into an informal agreement among themselves regarding that Rod Stewart song and moved the controls on their basses to a less convenient spot precisely to make it more difficult to accomplish what you were attempting to do for that number. They considered it a humanitarian gesture on their part.

Sorry that you had to bump up against it.

Best!
Many would say that Rod hadn’t produced much in the way of music after Faces and working with Jeff Beck…
Actually, I think the guy is brilliant but really prefer his earlier work too.
When a band mate calls an audible, I used to worry about the tone that I REALLY wanted.
Now it’s all about playing great and right hand position to get to where I need to be.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I'm moving my plucking fingers higher up the neck to try to get the sound I want, but I know that to really make it happen I need to dial back the bridge pickup, pull off a lot of treble, add some mid, a skosh of bass and some neck pickup.

Just curious: What was the previous tune you guys had been playing where your tone was so different?

 

[Doctor J]

That ascending run at the end of the verse, just do that with your left hand only, right hand tweaks the controls and your singer can worry about his knob placement. No fuss, no muss.

There's scope in every song to fiddle about.

 

[jjmuckluckjr]

Use a lefty strung upside down. Then you can roll on/off with your forearm. It might be a litte uncomfortable the rest of the gig, but playing Rod Stewart should involve some discomfort.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Why couldn't you have plucked closer to the neck to help add back in the boom your knobs took out?

 

[3rdpath]

you shoulda just gotten all slinky with it ( like you're SeXy and really into the song ) and gotten all close up to the singer and glided your bass tone knob down his thigh until you had the tone you want.

oldest trick in the book...

 

[MJ_Sotti]

I remember a story about rod Stewart a couple years ago that in a round about way that had something to do with "knob placement "

 

[mellowinman]

So? Did she? You kind of left out the most important part of the story.

 

[202dy]

No one in the audience noticed.

If they did, they didn't care.

If they did care, they are musicians who weren't gigging on a Friday night.

 

[hrodbert696]

I seriously doubt anyone in the audience noticed or cared that your tone wasn't quite optimal for the song. Or would have cared if you went from disco octaves to just hitting quarter notes for a measure to make adjustments.

Still, though, it's nice to get the tone you want, for your own sake, and maybe the crowd's subconscious enjoyment. That's one of the things I like about my VT Deluxe pedal; I can preset tones and change them with a click of the foot. Very handy for situations like this.

I've also made a virtue of a slight defect in one of my basses. I have a Carvin SB4000, one of my main gigging basses, where the tone knob is a little wonky. In effect, instead of running from 1-10, it runs from 2-10 and then 1. In other words, the "fully open" position on the knob is actually "fully closed" (it's passive, so this is the treble cut) and to get fully open tone you have to roll it off slightly. What i found in practice is that it allows me to go from Squire to Jamerson with only the slightest touch; minimal knob twiddling. I thought about sending it back to Carvin to fix, but found that I like it the way it is.

 

[devnulljp]

No one in the audience noticed.
If they did, they didn't care.
If they did care, they are musicians who weren't gigging on a Friday night.

This is Yoda-level wisdom.
Stealing that I am!

 

[Selta]

Play more percussively with your left hand. The notes will still sing true and you'll have your right hand free for at least a bar where you can tweak.