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SPECTOR® Club - Part 74

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#1,081
Clearwave said:
I'll chime in since I've made a living engineering/producing full time for 20 years.

Great bass players, you don't have to tell them what to play. They automatically know what tone to dial in.

It is a constant struggle to only work with the great players, but it doesn't always work out that way.:hiding::

I try to keep nice instruments around the studio. My bass collection stays on a wall there. I have 2 p basses, a 5 string modulus, and usually some Spectors, that's it. (Quite often, a Spector comes home with me at the end of the day):hyper:. If a bass isn't cutting it, we'll try one off the wall. Same thing with snare drums, guitars amps, vocal mics. We work until it sounds like a record. With me, there is no "fixing it in the mix". I fix it in the mix by not recording things that don't fit in the mix. Once in a while, I'll have a guy insist on playing a instrument with a bad tone. I just deal with it and move forward, try to make it work. Usually his part gets replaced.

I'll say this about the p bass and recording. The p bass it the default sound of the electric bass. If your going for traditional tones, the p bass is where it's at. Thats why all working studio players have one. Is it boring? can be.....but then again sometimes its best for the song for the bass not to stand out and glue together the rhythm section.

P.S. I've never made a successful 5 million seller, but I have worked on 5 million failures.
Honestly, these sound good are indestructible and are easy to use. I've never worked in a studio that didn't have a couple of these.
Click to expand...


Well said good sir.
 
#1,082
I'm chiming in here on the p bass thing versus Spector versus whatever. It's in your hands too.......I've seen some incredible players take a pbass and get as nasty as ANY spector or warwick or whatever........sometimes the right tool for the job is the great super experienced player and his hands. Also, for people who make a living doing studio session work.....they own and/or use multiple brands and use the tool that is called for........I am open minded.....I like variety.......and I'm a middle of the road bass player getting ready to retire from music.....
 
#1,083
Clearwave said:
I'll chime in since I've made a living engineering/producing full time for 20 years.

Great bass players, you don't have to tell them what to play. They automatically know what tone to dial in.

It is a constant struggle to only work with the great players, but it doesn't always work out that way.:hiding::

I try to keep nice instruments around the studio. My bass collection stays on a wall there. I have 2 p basses, a 5 string modulus, and usually some Spectors, that's it. (Quite often, a Spector comes home with me at the end of the day):hyper:. If a bass isn't cutting it, we'll try one off the wall. Same thing with snare drums, guitars amps, vocal mics. We work until it sounds like a record. With me, there is no "fixing it in the mix". I fix it in the mix by not recording things that don't fit in the mix. Once in a while, I'll have a guy insist on playing a instrument with a bad tone. I just deal with it and move forward, try to make it work. Usually his part gets replaced.

I'll say this about the p bass and recording. The p bass it the default sound of the electric bass. If your going for traditional tones, the p bass is where it's at. Thats why all working studio players have one. Is it boring? can be.....but then again sometimes its best for the song for the bass not to stand out and glue together the rhythm section.

P.S. I've never made a successful 5 million seller, but I have worked on 5 million failures.
Honestly, these sound good are indestructible and are easy to use. I've never worked in a studio that didn't have a couple of these.
Click to expand...

Agreed 100%
 
#1,084
brotherbassj said:
I'm chiming in here on the p bass thing versus Spector versus whatever. It's in your hands too.......I've seen some incredible players take a pbass and get as nasty as ANY spector or warwick or whatever........sometimes the right tool for the job is the great super experienced player and his hands. Also, for people who make a living doing studio session work.....they own and/or use multiple brands and use the tool that is called for........I am open minded.....I like variety.......and I'm a middle of the road bass player getting ready to retire from music.....
Click to expand...

Absolutly! If I were a session player and made a living at it I would own a Jazz and a Precision (& Rick, etc.). It would be my job to play the parts the way I'm asked to play them and to play the bass I'm asked to play. (after all, all those basses would be tax deductible :D)

I'd be curious to know how often Dave Fowler gets asked to put down the Spector and pick up a Fender.
 
#1,086
johnsonabq said:
Absolutly! If I were a session player and made a living at it I would own a Jazz and a Precision (& Rick, etc.). It would be my job to play the parts the way I'm asked to play them and to play the bass I'm asked to play. (after all, all those basses would be tax deductible :D)

I'd be curious to know how often Dave Fowler gets asked to put down the Spector and pick up a Fender.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY :bassist:

I own more Spector's than any other brand, but there are definitely a few P's and J's as well as some other things (Peavey T-40, etc.) in the stable as well.

I'll be adding the deposit for the Forte SS to my write-offs for this year :P
 
#1,088
johnsonabq said:
Absolutly! If I were a session player and made a living at it I would own a Jazz and a Precision (& Rick, etc.). It would be my job to play the parts the way I'm asked to play them and to play the bass I'm asked to play. (after all, all those basses would be tax deductible :D)

I'd be curious to know how often Dave Fowler gets asked to put down the Spector and pick up a Fender.
Click to expand...

A related note, I watched Albert Lee play live, and he was playing his signature Musicman guitar, that for all intents and purposes looks like a strat, but I swear the way he plays, it sounds just like that classic country tele tone. The right tool in the right hands....I'm a convert.
 
#1,091
MDBass said:
Extra annoying...a very accomplished musician who has allowed his impressive resume to go to his head and cloud his judgment...

It's one thing for a producer to use that kind of rational on arrangement/instrumentation/melody suggestions, but tone? Especially considering you obviously know what you're looking for and are referencing a very successful modern band in the hard rock genre.

That's just pure ego.

It's always interesting to see which way the cookie crumbles, I've worked with guys like this as well as the other side of the coin...folks like Ken Scott who are just the most humble down to earth fellows, you'd never know that they produced and engineered records for The Beatles, Elton John, David Bowie, etc.
Click to expand...

MDBass said:
Definitely not intending to bag on Donny at all, quite the opposite.

I totally empathize with how frustrating it can be to have an ego in the producers chair, especially when they are fighting your vision on something as personal as your bass tone.

Obviously Donny has great taste...he plays hard rock using Spector's with a pick for heaven's sake, surely he knows what he's talking about ;) :bassist:
Click to expand...


Thanks man. I mean he was great to work with and being our freshman album I'm happy. I may not be as accomplished as him or others but I have had a nice career in music thus far and WE knew what we wanted to sound like. I had other battles that were more important than bass mix and I won those :)

and of course session work is different than ones original music. :)
bassboy01 said:
Was this Ken Mary? Killer drummer!!!
Click to expand...
yup Ken Mary, he really is a great guy and does great work. Man is drumming is amazing the dude can play with feeling, like a metronome or how every you want.
 
#1,092
Clearwave said:
I'll chime in since I've made a living engineering/producing full time for 20 years.

Great bass players, you don't have to tell them what to play. They automatically know what tone to dial in.

It is a constant struggle to only work with the great players, but it doesn't always work out that way.:hiding::

I try to keep nice instruments around the studio. My bass collection stays on a wall there. I have 2 p basses, a 5 string modulus, and usually some Spectors, that's it. (Quite often, a Spector comes home with me at the end of the day):hyper:. If a bass isn't cutting it, we'll try one off the wall. Same thing with snare drums, guitars amps, vocal mics. We work until it sounds like a record. With me, there is no "fixing it in the mix". I fix it in the mix by not recording things that don't fit in the mix. Once in a while, I'll have a guy insist on playing a instrument with a bad tone. I just deal with it and move forward, try to make it work. Usually his part gets replaced.

I'll say this about the p bass and recording. The p bass it the default sound of the electric bass. If your going for traditional tones, the p bass is where it's at. Thats why all working studio players have one. Is it boring? can be.....but then again sometimes its best for the song for the bass not to stand out and glue together the rhythm section.

P.S. I've never made a successful 5 million seller, but I have worked on 5 million failures.
Click to expand...

Very nice, thank you for your comments!
 
#1,094
brotherbassj said:
I'm chiming in here on the p bass thing versus Spector versus whatever. It's in your hands too.......I've seen some incredible players take a pbass and get as nasty as ANY spector or warwick or whatever........sometimes the right tool for the job is the great super experienced player and his hands. Also, for people who make a living doing studio session work.....they own and/or use multiple brands and use the tool that is called for........I am open minded.....I like variety.......and I'm a middle of the road bass player getting ready to retire from music.....
Click to expand...

I feel the same as you....
 
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