No one cares...

[Grinderman]

Many years ago I had a woman ask me what is that instrument your playing, she didnt know what a bass guitar was

My partner didn't really understand either until she had heard me play the bass enough and I helped her learn to recognize and appreciate the bass parts in the music we listen to. She gets it now and why its a somewhat subtle but essential foundation of virtually all music we like and she thinks its all pretty cool... so for me that's a big win.

 

[emblymouse]

Walk in with a headless bass, and it's amazing how many "experts" suddenly materialize, with vital commentary you absolutely must hear, even before you plug the thing in.

I auditioned with a roots guitar band with my Pepto Bismol Pink Kubicki years ago. They were aghast when I took it out of the case! Lucky for me they were Fender endorsers and I had a new black AVRI 62 P Bass pronto.

 

[devnulljp]

Turn the treble way up and the bass frequencies way down. Then, they'll suddenly care about your bass tone.

 

[PennyroyalWe]

Not all attention is good attention. Some people care about what bass you bring more than you do.

I played in an originals band that people sure did care. My main bass is a fretless telebass, but when I get a new bass I like to hear it in a band setting, so I’d bring a different bass to practice now and then. The BL didn’t like this at all, said I played differently with frets, and it throws off the feel of the song and messed him up. I mentioned at a gig once that I had been considering bringing a p bass I picked up instead of my telebass and he said something to the effect of “I’m very glad you didn’t, and please don’t do that.”

Don’t get me wrong, I loved that band (good people and great music) and I love my telebass, so I wasn’t sad to be playing it exclusively, but I had a lot deserving basses sitting at home on a rack those few years not getting their fair share of play time.

 

[coy garcia]

Not all attention is good attention. Some people care about what bass you bring more than you do.

I played in an originals band that people sure did care. My main bass is a fretless telebass, but when I get a new bass I like to hear it in a band setting, so I’d bring a different bass to practice now and then. The BL didn’t like this at all, said I played differently with frets, and it throws off the feel of the song and messed him up. I mentioned at a gig once that I had been considering bringing a p bass I picked up instead of my telebass and he said something to the effect of “I’m very glad you didn’t, and please don’t do that.”

Don’t get me wrong, I loved that band (good people and great music) and I love my telebass, so I wasn’t sad to be playing it exclusively, but I had a lot deserving basses sitting at home on a rack those few years not getting their fair share of play time.

I also play in a group that notices if I bring one of my fretted basses. Feels great when bandmates tell you they prefer your fretless playing

 

[jamro217]

This is a breakthrough! The guitarist actually heard and responded to your question! You're not invisible anymore. Wow!

 

[lermgalieu]

I've had both experiences. Guitarist in my current band takes a keen interest in my bass sound (and which bass I am using - P basses were the winner until I got my Ultra Jazz, and now that's all any of us care to hear) and is also commenting on it. However, he has the quirk of referring to any tone he doesn't like as "womby." While I theoretically understand the comment, in practice it often seems a bit vague.

 

[Jim Nazium]

I once had a guitarist, who I'd been jamming with weekly for a few months, ask me if I had ever tried a five- or six string bass.

I was playing a five-string. It was in my hands. I had been playing it for months.

 

[mb94952]

Funny, I'm in the opposite camp. I have a bad habit of bringing new gear to almost every practice because that is the only way to hear it. Everything sounds good on the showroom floor or your bedroom until you take it to band practice in a live setting. The BL in my band is hyper aware of what I bring and asks me to pick one and stick with it to establish our sound, etc. I was defensive initially until I read so many threads on Talkbass with the same issue, so I'm more aware and have picked a bass and rig.

As the saying goes, you're not a fan of a band if you don't know the bass player's name. Nobody cares, BUT more often than not you will get women telling you after the show that the bass stood out the most to them and it was most enjoyable... WE are what makes a butt move.

It's funny reading the common denominator of guitar players being unaware of how many strings or what bass we are/have been playing. Don't forget - We're talking about guitar players here.

 

[Auspuff]

Last rehearsal I showed up at everyone was quick to point out Mr. Potato and say, 'Thats not the same bass as last time.' I guess ive had the opposite experience in most cases. Even audience wise.

Conversation from earlier today between me and a guitarist whom I've played with since 1991.

"How does my bass sound?"

"Fine. Isn't that the bass you've always played?"

"No, I've always played a Fender Jazz Bass. The is a Music Man Stingray."

"Oh."

"I thought you'd like it. It's what the bass player in your other band always uses."

"It is?"

- Steve

Real Musicians will notice, and care.

The rest of Humanity will be as you have discussed.

 

[Hans Gruber]

This is such a fascinating topic to me.

I wholly agree with the general sentiment and I recognize that my excitement for things like bass or whatnot aren't shared by most people, even other musicians. In a lot of ways, it's freeing and you don't have to overthink your gear and things like that.

That being said, it is true that those with pretty evolved ears do care about it. Whenever I do play with really good players, they will notice how things fit in the mix because they have really attuned ears. They care about their gear and use the best and will care about my sound, too. Band leader at church will often request I bring my active Zon fretless on certain tunes.

I notice other band member's gear, pedal setup. I love geeking out with drummers about their sound and what year their Ludwig was made. I care about my sound and everyone else's.

And I realize whatever modicum of success I've had in anything is because I indeed care. I care about details many others don't, but what the majority of what people think and perceive isn't the standard we should all live by.

Just because most people don't care doesn't devalue what you care about. JohnK once said something like "no one cares about my sound, but I care about my sound and what I hear, and that justifies my commitment to my sound."

I once got hired after a gig for a studio album because the artist saw me from the audience and afterwards said "I can tell you really care about the music and that you'd care about mine and would love to have you record my album."

I know this wasn't exactly OPs original topic but I thought it might be worth expanding on. For those who care.

Going back full circle, it's still true that no one cares and so just do what you want!

 

[WilbursaurusRex]

One place I walked into with the aforementioned headless bass in its gig bag, a good ol' boy piped up and asked, "What kinda gun ya' got thar?"

I got the same question at my last job when I brought my short scale to work in a hard case bc I had a gig right after work.

 

[Danny O Danny]

Not just tone... Most folks in the audience don't care if it is tube, solid state, class D, 10's, 12's, 15's, ampeg, fender, mesa, boutique, mic'd, DI'd, blended, flats, rounds, tort or no tort, fretted, fretless, new stings, old strings (as long as they intonate reasonably well), pedals, no pedals, long/short scale, nickel/SS/special alloy, analog or digital.

So true. This reminds me... Several years ago I played a track for my father-in-law of a recording I had played fretless on. He responded, in all sincerity, "Wow, I didn't know you played trombone!"

 

[Stewie]

Drummer and guitarists have told me which bass they like best. But they all want me to play my upright because audiences dig it. Mostly visual, but it does sound sweeter than my P Basses

 

[pfern]

I've tended to have the same experience over the years. Bandmates may notice that a new bass looks different (or may not) but often won't notice that it sounds different, unless the difference is extreme. Though, a band I was in a few years ago had a drummer who--if I asked--would really listen to the bass as we rehearsed and offer his opinion. I was trying out a few different basses at the time, and at one point was considering replacing my Stingray with a vintage Gibson G3 I had found at GC, so I brought the G3 to rehearsal. After a few songs I asked the guys to let me know what they thought of the sound of the G3. The two guitarists said "Sounds fine." The drummer gave me a detailed critique ("It seems a bit thinner in tone, with not as much low-mid punch or definition as your other bass."). His assessment pretty much matched my own (I stuck with the Stingray, and later switched to a P). To be fair, the lead guitarist in that band would often ask, while tweaking effects and tone settings "How does this sound?" and I would tend to respond, "Sounds fine" because--to me--all the variations still sounded pretty good.

In all these years, it's been almost zero opinions from bandmates or audiences about how one bass sounds over another. The only exceptions are from other bassists in the audience at shows or my current drummer from time to time. I just play the bass that I feel like playing for that rehearsal or show. I rehearse with the basses that I plan on bringing to that weekend's show and really just pick them on a whim. It's really for my own thrill, since no one else can tell the difference. This being said, I play rock covers on fretted 4 stringers. No upright or fretless.

 

[MrLenny1]

I played a traveler P bass at a gig and no band members noticed.

 

[Grinderman]

Turn the treble way up and the bass frequencies way down. Then, they'll suddenly care about your bass tone.

Passive (aggressive) tone.

 

[Neil Folkard]

I'm in the camp that is pretty much opposite to the 'don't care' take. People like (or occasionally question, ha) my fretless basses and generally care about my part in the music and my sound. The bands I'm in are also keenly aware of my sound and parts in the music.

And speaking of people who don't know about stuff, I played a song to a girl I dated, and she said that 'it's a good song, but I don't like the scratchy sound of that guitar'. What she was referring to was a violin. And so it goes.

 

[fhm555]

The first regular paying music job I got was like that. I had a white and black Peavey Dyna fiver I got almost brand new when the guy who ordered it didn't like it. This was before fivers became a thing so when I opened the case at my try out, 2 of the 3 band members looked at my bass and said I was hired before we played a note. It was classic country for benevolent protective orders and Legion posts so I was able to keep up, but it was strange to see that kind of reaction to an instrument before they heard what it could do, or more accurately, what I could do with it.

 

[sonojono]

I’d like to see statistics covering this as the responses I’m reading here are all anecdotal