I use a Thunderbird and a Stingray for most of our stuff and every now and then I'll bring my Geddy Fender Jazz for some of our acoustic songs.
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Multiple basses - Do you use several live?
- Thread starter walknbluez
- Start date
I use two....one with active pickups, the other with passive. My 5-string Schecter with the active EMG's is my main bass but I use my passive Fender Jazz for several drop-D songs where I want an open low D (especially helpful for Tool covers, but I digress...). I've got a Line 6 HD750 and have two very distinct channels programmed, one for each bass. Switching channels is the push of a single button (the "A" channel is my Schecter....the "D" is my Fender). I'm also wireless and I wear my transmitter (instead of putting it on a strap) so switching basses takes me somewhere in the neighborhood of about 10 seconds....maybe less. Since I have the setlist in front of me, I know when the switches are coming so I'm prepared to switch at the end of the song. I sometimes begin the switch as the band is holding the last note so that we can immediately start the next tune with no break. It ain't rocket science and its not a hassle. I get the tone I want, and as was mentioned earlier, I'm just way more comfortable playing certain songs with and open D string.
From the "Go Figure" Department:
I decided to just use just my P bass on this gig. It's strung with flatwounds and the set was a mix of an 1) original slow blues, 2) a slightly funky original rock tune, 3) a straight ahead original rock tune, 4) a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", 5) a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man", and 6) an original slow ballad original where the guitarist plays acoustic. I played 1 and 2 finger style, 3 with a pick, 4 finger style, 5 with a pick, and 6 fingerstyle.
My friend was in the audience and I told him to listen and give me constructive criticism afterward. He didn't know I own a Jazz and that I was debating whether to do switches or just take one bass.
I come off stage and the first thing he says is "It was good but you should get a Jazz bass for those songs"
Later, I go over to say hi to the guitarist's wife and she says "My friend that was here earlier said to tell the bass player how good the bass sounded".
Goes to show it's subjective....
And I'm still debating in my own mind which bass sounds better for this new band and some of these songs.
I decided to just use just my P bass on this gig. It's strung with flatwounds and the set was a mix of an 1) original slow blues, 2) a slightly funky original rock tune, 3) a straight ahead original rock tune, 4) a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", 5) a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man", and 6) an original slow ballad original where the guitarist plays acoustic. I played 1 and 2 finger style, 3 with a pick, 4 finger style, 5 with a pick, and 6 fingerstyle.
My friend was in the audience and I told him to listen and give me constructive criticism afterward. He didn't know I own a Jazz and that I was debating whether to do switches or just take one bass.
I come off stage and the first thing he says is "It was good but you should get a Jazz bass for those songs"
Later, I go over to say hi to the guitarist's wife and she says "My friend that was here earlier said to tell the bass player how good the bass sounded".
Goes to show it's subjective....
And I'm still debating in my own mind which bass sounds better for this new band and some of these songs.
Did he say why he thought a Jazz bass was a better choice? Sounds like he was "listening with his eyes" to me.From the "Go Figure" Department:
I decided to just use just my P bass on this gig. It's strung with flatwounds and the set was a mix of an 1) original slow blues, 2) a slightly funky original rock tune, 3) a straight ahead original rock tune, 4) a cover of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", 5) a cover of Neil Young's "Old Man", and 6) an original slow ballad original where the guitarist plays acoustic. I played 1 and 2 finger style, 3 with a pick, 4 finger style, 5 with a pick, and 6 fingerstyle.
My friend was in the audience and I told him to listen and give me constructive criticism afterward. He didn't know I own a Jazz and that I was debating whether to do switches or just take one bass.
I come off stage and the first thing he says is "It was good but you should get a Jazz bass for those songs"
Later, I go over to say hi to the guitarist's wife and she says "My friend that was here earlier said to tell the bass player how good the bass sounded".
Goes to show it's subjective....
And I'm still debating in my own mind which bass sounds better for this new band and some of these songs.
Really, the decision to play flats or rounds is going to make WAY more noticeable difference to your tone than the choice of bass.
Sometimes I'll switch basses when we're on break, usually from a heavier bass to a lighter bass. Though I love the sound of my Jazz, it sometimes gets too heavy later in the night. Tone wise I usually dial up the tone I want for the bass I'm using, and with the EQ dialed in I get the tone I like.
Depends on the gig. If you are rubbing elbows with nationally known acts, u bring out the ken Smith /lowendjazz,& if we are about 2 sponsor a blues jam @ the local gas station turned blues bar, out come my trusted squires because not every wanna be blues bassist washes his hands. (As you know strings r not cheap!
No but he is really into music and knows the difference between the two sounds. He said it gave it a more of a classic rock bass sound.
I agree with that. The Jazz has rounds and the P has flats and that is the main reason I was trying to decide which to use on these songs.
I switch between my five string ATK and my P-bass when the setlist allows. There's really only one song that I really like to play 4 on, but I can manage with the 5 if the crowd or timing dictates that I cannot switch. I actually like the sound of my P-bass a little better, but a lot of the newer country tunes we do make judicious use of the low B string, and don't sound the same if i go up an octave. I too wear my wireless on me, rather than the strap, so I can change in 10-15 seconds. I give my bandmates a heads up at the beginning of the set where I'm going to change so everyone knows not to rush into the next song.
Since my P is much quieter than my ATK, I use either my MXR Micro Amp or my MXR M80 to boost my P bass signal to match the output of the ATK. Works like a charm.
Since my P is much quieter than my ATK, I use either my MXR Micro Amp or my MXR M80 to boost my P bass signal to match the output of the ATK. Works like a charm.
yes.
I have 3 guitars with me at most gigs.
First and foremost is my 5 string Yammy. This is typically my mainstay.
Second is my 8 string Hagstrom, useful for some songs
3rd is my Ibanez, which plays backup and I sometimes use it for slap due to the fact its far more comfortable to do so on it!
I have 3 guitars with me at most gigs.
First and foremost is my 5 string Yammy. This is typically my mainstay.
Second is my 8 string Hagstrom, useful for some songs
3rd is my Ibanez, which plays backup and I sometimes use it for slap due to the fact its far more comfortable to do so on it!
A BIG + 1 for this.
This is what I do as well if I'm taking a fretless.
I'll only ever carry 2 instruments to a gig. If I'm not taking the fretless then the 2nd bass is a spare and just sits on the stand all night.
If I'm taking the fretless then it's because I will play it on a tune or two so then both basses go into the BassBone and then to my amp.
Good to give the soundman a heads up though and take a couple of minutes to get the two balanced on the BassBone. Then just forget about it.
I've been looking at the Radial BigShot™ i/o true bypass instrument selector. Cheaper than the Bassbone and would probably do what I need. I need to switch between two basses, fretted and fretless. The fretless gets most of the action, but driving eighth notes work better on the fretted. I have just been muting and plugging in real quick, but the fretted is a little hotter. The Bigshot would hopefully take care of that.
I have been using a passive (wishbass), an Active (spector ns2000-4) and an Upright. All three have very different signals and impedences. My solution is to use my mini-Mackie mixer as a preamp, it makes switching easy and quick.
1. I use a Squier VM Jazz Bass w/ a Badass II primarily.
2. I also have a Dean that I screwed around with and made into a pretty nice sounding fretless.
So yeah, just two for now, but I'm working on a doubleneck once I can get the parts to finish it. That'll be # 3. After that I'd like a Ric.
2. I also have a Dean that I screwed around with and made into a pretty nice sounding fretless.
So yeah, just two for now, but I'm working on a doubleneck once I can get the parts to finish it. That'll be # 3. After that I'd like a Ric.
This is a good unit. Be aware though that if you use the pot to dial down the volume of channel 2, you will also lose a little high end from that channel. It never mattered to me. I just choose channels accordingly.
I usually split between a fretted and fretless six about 60/40% on the fretted side. Fortunately both are Roscoes so they blend well together. As far as disrupting the show goes, with a simple a/b box and a separate strap for each instrument you can change very quickly without hurting the soundman. Avoid unplugging cords at all cost. I have played musicals that give you less than 10 seconds to switch between BG and UB. I actually had to practice switching basses more than the music.
I usually take both of my P's(maple MIA & rosewood MIM), but usually end up playing the MIM. There are a few songs where I prefer to use the maple, but it gets to be a PITA to switch.
Whatever you do, make damn sure the rest of your band knows what you are doing!!! Got caught once when they weren't paying attention and started the next song without me.........
Whatever you do, make damn sure the rest of your band knows what you are doing!!! Got caught once when they weren't paying attention and started the next song without me.........
