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Double Bass Singing bass player

neddyrow

neddyrow

www.simmerinstew.com
Apr 21, 2011
2,309
3,136
Cortland, NY
#1
I've got a question on setup for an upcoming show:

I play in 2 bands - one is a bluegrass/rock fused band with a drummer where I play guitar and sing with my wife. The other band I play in (old tyme fiddle/bluegrass) I play upright and don't sing. We have been asked to play at a bluegrass festival in town and they said "no drums!" which I agree with for true bluegrass. So what we decided to do is meld both bands and now I'll be playing bass and doing some singing.

We are planning on using 2 condenser mics (shure ksms) no monitors and doing standard bluegrass style where we stand and move according to dynamics. But I've been told that a singing bass player ruins this type of setup. I'm curious as to what to do. Should I bring my amp and have my own vocal mic? Should we all use our direct boxes and each have vocal mics? I've got all the gear and can do this but since we'll be at a real bluegrass festival, I'd like to follow traditional fashion and would like some help on how to set this up for success. Meaning, we'd like to be asked back next year :)
 
#2
Whoever told you that doesn't know what they're talking about. There's no logical reason for the bass player not to sing-it seems to work out pretty well for Del McCoury's band, whose bassist is both a background and featured singer.
 
#4
Sorry, I see you also were asking about amp / DI box , etc. If it were me, I'd still bring a smaller amp, and also run DI out of the amp to the board if you can. Use your amp as a stage monitor that way at a low volume and DI into a channel and just let the sound guy put just a little into the mix OR mic the bass in addition to your amp on stage as the monitor.

I've personally found that a DI box out of a preamp (without an amp) is hit or miss in terms of tone. Sometimes great, sometimes not. Also I find that with smaller PA's or PA's without some beefy woofers, that the bass just takes too much out of the PA.

Doing a recent large festival where we opened the evening show for both Junior Sisk and Dailey & Vincent, every band on the stage brought their own amp for bass. (In fact, I was told not to bring one and didn't and when I got there they asked where my amp was! We quickly tried DI out of my preamp and it was going to give the sound crew fits, so another bass player lent me his amp. Hec of a nice guy - insisted I use his amp, which was gorgeous sound, too).

Take your amp, if nothing else as a stage monitor, let the sound guy either mic that or DI from the amp. Then sing into individual mic or a group mic. Either way it will fly traditionally.

But unless you guys are practiced at the single or dual condenser mic dynamics, I'd go single mics for each.
 
#5
Thanks for the input! I think we're going to go with me bringing my gk 112 for the stage. The wife, me and the fiddle will be at one condenser mic higher up for us an the other condenser will be shared by the banjo, mando and guitar a little lower for their breaks.

I think a few porch practices that way will let us know if it'll work. Lucky for us the neighbors like it!
 
#6
neddyrow said:
Thanks for the input! I think we're going to go with me bringing my gk 112 for the stage. The wife, me and the fiddle will be at one condenser mic higher up for us an the other condenser will be shared by the banjo, mando and guitar a little lower for their breaks.

I think a few porch practices that way will let us know if it'll work. Lucky for us the neighbors like it!
Click to expand...

Good move. Last night, indoor old timey theatre for a traditional bluegrass event, we all shared a single condenser, four of us singing both solos and harmony, banjo, mando, guitar. Fiddle mic off to the side. My combo amp was the only amp. Excellent balance - sounded great.

Using your combo is the right thing to do.
 

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