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PLEASE HELP ME WITH ADVICE! Don't Know if I Am Wrong Here

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#41
Want to learn how to be a live gigging musician in a band??????? Don't do what you just did.

You may be a talented player with lots of potential, but don't have experience in a gigging band. A band is totally different than the world of academia or even church music group. You will learn that over time.

Best to be quiet and learn, and show some respect. That will get you places, and also recognized as a real member.

I too was a early player, and started gigging with grown ups 2 and 3 times my age. I learned a lot, and was blessed to do that. But I was humble, and felt lucky to be there. That got me respect over our entire area, and that respect continues to this day. BTW I'm 68. Been on stage with with many professional acts and blessed that they were some of my musical heroes. A few were Grammy winners, and some are past.

The members of your band may all probably came up this way also. So it's hard to see a newbie kid (don't take offense, just stating the obvious) wanting to give instructions to folks twice his age.

As far as amp... you don't have one that can handle the type of music y'all are playing. I hate being in the PA, unless the venue is a large several hundred seat house or outdoor gig. Small PAs can totally wreck your sound. And trying to put every instrument into a small club PA is a recipe for disaster. So get a respectable bass amp.

Remember the band has a sound and a stage presence of its own. It is your job to fit into that. You are just now getting out to the world in a Gigging Band, do your best to fit in and learn. And you'll go somewhere. Don't do that, and your reputation may make musicians veer the other way.

I know a lot of talented players, that are so hard to work with, they can only show up at Jam Night, and no working band will give them the time of day. So good luck on your journey.
 
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#43
Take a breath. Most of us have been there -- and may still be there.

I'm way old (47) and have a similar situation. I play in a grunge band with a guitarist who has a Mesa 1/2 stack and likes to scoop his EQ. It's not my place to say that's wrong. It's my place to find my zone. I've found nothing makes me disappear like playing the typical P bass warm mid-range sound. Whether using a PJ or a Jazz type bass, I always run the bridge pickup at full blend with the mid pickup to get a bunch of extra snappy bite to cut through. Add on some Darkglass B7K (or Joyo Orange Juice for the budget minded) type overdrive/clank and you'll be smiling ear to ear.

And, yes, you'll need a bigger amp to cover stage volume while still sending a signal to the board for monitors and maybe mains - get one with a DI out so you can send the slightly dirty signal to the board that you want.
 
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#44
Twofingeraction said:
This is all helpful you guys. Thank you
Click to expand...

First off, welcome to Talkbass. As you can see from these pages of posts, this forum is filled with tons of experience and knowledge. You seem like an intelligent young man. At 18, there are a lot of younger guys that would not look for any kind of advice at all, let alone be thankful for constructive criticism. I think you get it, and now know how to proceed. So...carry on and have fun. And, as some others have advised, more amp. I feel it's best to assume there will be no PA support and bring enough horsepower to be heard without it. You can always turn down.
 
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#45
Twofingeraction said:
2nd time typing this out so unfortunately since I couldn't retrieve my other thread text I must explain again...I am 18 and still in High school. I have been playing bass since 9 and have really excelled. I have been told I high a lot of skill. I do play a lot I guess, from Jazz ensemble, regular band, pep band, and the show choir band I play bass in all. I have also been in several small groups which didn't last very long. A few small shows here and there and the talent show at my school each year.

I recently joined an alternative Rock/Metal group with a deftones/rage/nirvana stoner rock clutch type sound. The guitarist is 32 and has wrote all the originals we play. We also do a few 90's covers.

This weekend I told him to turn his gain down and another time I said to turn his mids down. Both times he got upset and said this is my "Sound" and this is the way I have my amp set up. (HE has a Mesa boogie combo) He almost seemed mad and he said I was rude to tell him how to set up his amp. Is he Right? Am I wrong?

I am used to being the most experienced in my groups but this is my first like Rock group planning to gig at small venues and bars on the local scene. I play a 1x12 bugera combo, and he also said I will need a lil bit bigger and louder amp to play shows with.

I have always run my bass mainly through the PA. But my school does have very high end equipment. He said most venues will need you to run a decent amp on stage and the PA will just fill it out.

I don't know if I should quit, or if I really am that green at being in a band with more experienced musicians than me.

Is it true most bassists use a mid or decent size amp on stage and not mainly ran through the PA?

And am I wrong to tell him how to adjust his amp? He has played in a lot of bands and helped run sound for even more. But I have been told I can really play, but maybe thats not all thats needed?

Please Help I feel this is a good fit and feels good when were clicking.
Click to expand...
 
#46
First of all, I knew more at 18 than I do at 51, if you get what I mean. I may have been right, you may have been right. You didn't handle the situation well, and you are way further along in life than I was at that age, lol.

I think I could reiterate what most people have said here, but instead, go read this:
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I wished someone would have made me read that when I was younger. It would have saved me a lot of BS.
 
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#47
waveman said:
First of all, I knew more at 18 than I do at 51, if you get what I mean. I may have been right, you may have been right. You didn't handle the situation well, and you are way further along in life than I was at that age, lol.

I think I could reiterate what most people have said here, but instead, go read this:
Invalid Link Removed

I wished someone would have made me read that when I was younger. It would have saved me a lot of BS.
Click to expand...

I love the wisdom of this book. It changed my grandfather, mine and my son's whole perspective on how to operate in this people-first world.
 
#49
In a band as is in a professional career: The FIRST advice (and best) when I got my first real professional job:

DON'T be the person no one wants to work with.

You already know how to figure out what kind of person that is (the kind that tells you how to play or adjust your sound for instance ;))
 
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#52
Twofingeraction said:
...This weekend I told him to turn his gain down and another time I said to turn his mids down. Both times he got upset and said this is my "Sound" and this is the way I have my amp set up. (HE has a Mesa boogie combo) He almost seemed mad and he said I was rude to tell him how to set up his amp... And am I wrong to tell him how to adjust his amp?
Click to expand...

Yes. Unasked for advice is criticism. Apologize and worry about your own rig.
 
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#54
dude you gotta chill a bit once you join a band to figure out the dynamics. but your guitarist shouldn't get so mad that a kid was telling him about his amp. I'm sure he has told a multitude of bassists how they should sound so....
 
#55
Guitarists are "seconda donnas"; second only to "prima donna" singers.

I like to tell guitarists to kick their amp back, and point the speaker at their head.
If they don't like the way that sounds, neither does anyone else. If it sounds too loud; then, it's too loud.

Yeah, most won't do it; but it's fun to tell them that.

Guitarists!!! :rolleyes:
 
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#56
baileyboy said:
Yes. Unasked for advice is criticism. Apologize and worry about your own rig.
Click to expand...
well that's not really the best way to sound the best. even experienced people are clueless. i joined a 3 nights a week gigging band that couldn't dial in their sound to save their souls. i mentioned multiple times how to fix it and was always brushed off because i was the newest member. then a few months in i just asked if i could fiddle with everyone's settings and if they didn't think it was an improvement we could easily go back to mud. we never went back.
 
#58
I was (key word) in a band that changed all my amp settings between rehearsals. I walked in and they said "We fixed your sound. We played a Stingray using a pick over the bridge with the new amp settings, and it's the sound we like."

I don't own a Stingray. And, I rarely play with a pick or over the bridge location.

Might as well said, "This thing...yeah, you playing with us...it's not working..."
 
#59
Don't tell other members how to get their tone. Specially so, guitarists. Unless they are asking for advice, having clear difficulty in dialing it in themselves (clearly trying and admitting that they are not getting it right yet), or are good friends who you can talk about this stuff with.

Specially not guitarists with good gear, same age as you or not. Significantly older than you? I guarantee you can learn a lot from this guy, no matter how well you currently play bass, and guitar is a VERY different instrument than bass, believe it or not - attitude, almost religious attitude between the two instruments requires you come to your own conclusions about your bass tone just as he must about his guitar tone.

And yea, don't tell your boss how to do things. :-) True of any job.
 
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