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P Bass and the Grammys

#122
I'm a P-bass guy, but if I got a grammy gig, I'd immediately go out and buy a $9000 6 string boutique bass with flamed zephyr wood smuggled out of the black forest and shaped into scrolling Corinthian arches with 4 active pick-ups and enough switches and internal electronics to power a golf cart.
 
#126
So are we really saying that even at that level (Grammy's/other big productions), some live sound engineers don't want to take the time to properly EQ/mix a bass other than a Precision? I've shown up to venues months apart with the same band and the same house sound engineer... in some cases they have their presets (including house/monitor mix levels) from the last time we played there, stored in the computer. Even with a different bass, it's a 2-second level check and slight EQ fix. I find it hard to believe sound engineers couldn't/wouldn't take the time to EQ anything 'other' than a P-Bass at this level. But ya know, it's only we bassists griping about it for sure. The fact that it's live TV changes the game a bit too, but there sure seemed to be a lot of gremlins throughout the night with mics fritzing out, static in the mix, etc. It's a crapshoot.

azzyrazzy said:
P-bass seems like a safe choice in events like this. Soundman will already have p-bass sound dialed in. You sound good, the artist sounds good. Money earned :)
Click to expand...
 
#128
JazznFunk said:
So are we really saying that even at that level (Grammy's/other big productions), some live sound engineers don't want to take the time to properly EQ/mix a bass other than a Precision? I've shown up to venues months apart with the same band and the same house sound engineer... in some cases they have their presets (including house/monitor mix levels) from the last time we played there, stored in the computer. Even with a different bass, it's a 2-second level check and slight EQ fix. I find it hard to believe sound engineers couldn't/wouldn't take the time to EQ anything 'other' than a P-Bass at this level. But ya know, it's only we bassists griping about it for sure. The fact that it's live TV changes the game a bit too, but there sure seemed to be a lot of gremlins throughout the night with mics fritzing out, static in the mix, etc. It's a crapshoot.
Click to expand...

azzyrazzy said:
P-bass seems like a safe choice in events like this. Soundman will already have p-bass sound dialed in. You sound good, the artist sounds good. Money earned :)
Click to expand...

Yes, it might come down to a show producer's decision. This way the mastering of the show produces results that are syncronous further enhancing the listener's experience at home because the bass stayed the same from band to band. That way the home viewer doesnt need to adjust the volume because the perception of volume remained relatively consistent from group to group.

They could have triggered every kick drum too, just to take that variable out.

when it comes to TV production vs what you experience with your live band, things are not the same.
 
#129
joelb79 said:
This way the mastering of the show produces results that are syncronous further enhancing the listener's experience at home because the bass stayed the same from band to band. That way the home viewer doesnt need to adjust the volume because the perception of volume remained relatively consistent from group to group.
Click to expand...

Jamareo Artis who was playing bass with Bruno Mars, P bass mix sounded like no other P bass that was used that night.
 
#130
Excuse me a second (places tin foil hat on the floor).

Crazy thought, I know, but do you think that the musicians could have used P-basses because they sound good and for no other reason?

(put's hat back on)

Ah, that's better. Whoah. What did I just type? Ha ha. No possible way professionals would use Fender precisions unless someone made them do it. Ha ha. Carry on.
 
#132
Well player styles still shine through, and drive and effects can make a difference. I can make my P bass sound any way I want it to by changing my plucking hand and fretting hand. The more I learn in both of those regards the less it matters what bass I'm playing.

I bet you each band had either a preset on a digital console, or multiple consoles with multiple stereo feeds getting mixed into a larger console for post production. To be fair, TV productions like this are quite a deal audio side wise.
 
#135
JAUQO III-X said:
Jamareo Artis who was playing bass with Bruno Mars, P bass mix sounded like no other P bass that was used that night.
Click to expand...

I heard it was because he slipped the sound guy a few bills to make him sound better than everyone else. ;)

I'm just kidding, of course. Seriously though, is the pup on the Pino that much different? The Fender catalog used to say it was wound to Pino's specs. I don't know if that's still so.
 
#137
slick_tu said:
I heard it was because he slipped the sound guy a few bills to make him sound better than everyone else. ;)

I'm just kidding, of course. Seriously though, is the pup on the Pino that much different? The Fender catalog used to say it was wound to Pino's specs. I don't know if that's still so.
Click to expand...

Don't know but every P-bass I have sounds slightly different anyway.
 
#138
GreenWithEnvy said:
Excuse me a second (places tin foil hat on the floor).

Crazy thought, I know, but do you think that the musicians could have used P-basses because they sound good and for no other reason?

(put's hat back on)

Ah, that's better. Whoah. What did I just type? Ha ha. No possible way professionals would use Fender precisions unless someone made them do it. Ha ha. Carry on.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming they played them because they sounded good for the song they were doing, not for the sound guy. Hard to beat a good P-bass tone.
 
#139
^^^^ thanks GreenWithEnvy for finally pointing out the "other" possible explanation. I kind of wondered how many days and how many other excuses everyone could come up with. Couldn't be that maybe the players simply like them, it has to be something else. OMG, NOT another professional musician using a P BASS..as much I like TB the Fender junk gets kind of boring. Maybe the artists nominated next year will use something else besides a P.
 
#140
No one's arguing the fact that Precisions sound good. I love a great P-Bass. The point of debate is whether or not there is pressure on some level to 'go with what works' in someone else's view, despite the fact one's Jazz/P-J/Lakland/Sadowsky/Fodera sounds great and could easily be slotted in the mix with little extra effort.

GreenWithEnvy said:
Excuse me a second (places tin foil hat on the floor).

Crazy thought, I know, but do you think that the musicians could have used P-basses because they sound good and for no other reason?

(put's hat back on)

Ah, that's better. Whoah. What did I just type? Ha ha. No possible way professionals would use Fender precisions unless someone made them do it. Ha ha. Carry on.
Click to expand...
 

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