No one cares...

[MusiQmaN]

I wonder if there is a drum forum somewhere with a thread discussion about how no one knows or cares about their new kit or doohickey.

Well. I just wanted to say.

Im a drummer foremost, and it
doesn’t matter one bit there too.

Only us drummers care for these things on the fora.

The audience doesn’t give a rats ass if I play my 500 bucks Stage Custom, or my previous 6k DW.

And basically only some studio engineers/producers I worked with cared about what kind of drums/cymbals I used (and that was basicaly only about having options, not which brand or which sizes).

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Bands where no one cares about the bass you play:
- You are a senior weekend warrior bassist playing in a wedding/top 40 band. Everyone expects you to play the same goddamn bass line you've played a million times while smiling at the boomer ladies dancing on Brick House.

Bands where your band mates will always notice the bass you play and even point out that are using a different color pick since last week:
- You are an 18 yrs old bassist, you and your band mates are convinced your band will be the-next-big-thing. You just recorded a demo and a video in your parent's garage.You have 842 fans on Youtube.

 

[el murdoque]

Guitar Player: Man, I liked your Precision bass more.
Me: Is it because of the mids?
Him: No, that green is just awesome.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

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

Typical response. Me? I must have the most inoffensive sound on the planet. In over 50 years, I had one

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Typical response. Me? I must have the most inoffensive sound on the planet. Nobody has said anything about it. And I’ve worked with some very particular people…

 

[FlyingPigSound]

The only time the guitar players in my band noticed that I had a different guitar was when I brought a Hofner Cavern / Violin bass to rehearsal (90's rock / punk band).

The only time they commented on tone is when I brought a Jack Casady bass...and they really liked it (vs. the various Thunderbirds and RD's I usually played w/ that band)

 

[getbent]

who cares if no one cares?! we always have each other.
FWIW: i took a red bass to my last rehearsal and the tenor cat said, "wow, that's red!"

I remember an interview in Guitar Player years ago, with a guitarist who'd toured with Diana Ross.
Ms. Ross spent a LOT of money on a completely fire-engine red stage set-up. Guitarist was proudly soundchecking with a recently purchased early 60's surf green strat. Ms. Ross took one look and said "you're not playing THAT tonight are you?", and he had to swallow his pride and say "no no, Ms. Ross, just testing it out".

 

[FlyingPigSound]

AND.... here is an exception...
My wife absolutely cares about my bass...

She always wants me to always play an acoustic upright in a jazz band...
Not my NS CR4M... not any other electric bass I own... and not my fretless acoustic Ovation...

Only an acoustic upright... and only jazz.
(As in jazz standards, piano lounge music, etc...)

You could ask me how I know this... but I will leave it to your collective imaginations.

+1

We married well!

My wife just surprised me me with a new long-scale Danelectro 59 DC bass today as an early birthday present (May birthday!) because she thought it was cool and she felt would look good on me...

 

[MultiScaleMale]

People care about vocals and song selection and that's about it.

 

[sotua]

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

Guitar playes :sigh.

OTOH, my favorite drummer used to have a ranking between all my basses, and could tell whenever I was doing string or pedal experiments.

 

[longfinger]

Let's also be honest here:

If your drummer came in with new expensive cymbals, how many would notice?
" " snare " ?

if the saxophonist / trombonist / trumpets came in with a new horn of the same colour, how many would notice?

if the guitarist came in with a new guitar of the same type (sold body, hollow body, acoustic etc) how many would notice?

if the keyboardist came in with a new keyboard, of the same colour, how many would notice?

If people do notice, how many would actually say anything?


===

I do remember the first time I brought a Warwick Corvette to a rehearsal I was previously bringing a Fender Jazz fretless too:

Guitarist, " Are you playing a new bass?"
Me, "Yeah. Warwick"
Guitarist, "It sounds amazing, has a great modern edge." (paraphrasing, don't remember the actual words)
Me, "Thanks!"

Of course, he had to ask, because he's blind. So some folks do hear it!

Some.

Oh.. to add in: I've had other groups not like my bass tone but could not explain why. Switched the Warwick for the Fender and they liked the bass tone.

Ohh another. play the bass through a guitar amp, and folks will ask questions about what's wrong with the bass tone pretty quickly.

 

[dalkowski]

The ONLY time anyone's cared about my tone is when I've gigged with my Kala UBass. Happily it's always been quite favorable.

 

[TOOL460002]

I've gotten compliments on my "Fender" which is really a Stingray with a Fender strap. I don't expect anyone to care or look for differences. That said I doubt I could identify a new guitar by ear alone.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Has anyone ever met a guitarist who has noticed anything other than himself?

I mean really... You could show up with a different singer, completely different drum kit, and he would never notice. Don't take it personally.

 

[GreyBeard]

Do I listen intently to the guitarist, his tone, his intonation, his (supposedly mad) skills? No.
Do I listen intently to the drummer to suggest that he needs to tune this drum or that? No.
Keyboardist? Listen to his tone and make suggestions? No.

Does it bother me when I learn that one (or more) of them is not listening intently to me? No.

Book a few political gigs or a few weddings. No one in the audience will be listening, either.

This is depressing

 

[ThudThudThud]

This is why Sansamp made so much money.
If I can sound 'a bit' like I have a heavy tube amp, without the load in/out....
Better if I can sound 'a lot' like a have a heavy tube amp....
The difference is heard only by the two to three bass players at the gig.

They'll approach later and say, "you should buy a Darkglass..."

 

[H K]

But consider this... Do normal people really think that much about what guitar the guitarist is playing? Or the drums the drummer is, drumming? Most people just see a guitar and think guitar. Hell, most people see a BASS and think guitar..

 

[dreamadream99]

Actual conversations at some of my gigs:

*on my best bass, with my best sound ever*
AUDIENCE MEMBER: “oh, your band has a bass player?“

*On my worst bass, stage volume at minimum*
BANDMATE: “You’re too loud. Could you turn down?“
*With volume all the way off, pretending to play*
AUDIENCE MEMBER: “The bass sounded awesome!”

 

[LHbassist]

This is the New World, and in my view, it sucks. Most people really have no idea what a good/ very good/ great bass sound is. The comments are correct- only bass players notice, and many of those players still really aren't sure themselves. If you are in a band with a producer/ composer/ recording engineer who also plays- then, they'll notice. In addition, most listeners at shows/ concerts today CAN'T EVEN HEAR THE BASS- because it's BURIED under ridiculously over amped kick drums pumped through subs, producing 20 hz. at 100+ Db.

 

[Cal03]

I used to play bass in my old church's Worship Team, and when I first started I only had one bass. After picking up more basses last year, the only person who cared was, of course, the sound guy, and that was because he was already used to tone of my old one. When I'd switch basses to compare sounds, the most anybody else could say was "it sounds a little bit different." It quickly dawned on me that it really doesn't matter what I bring, so long as I can play it well!

-Cal.