Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out

[PokeyPrasch]

Hey Hive Mind, what's a fair rate to offer an graphic artist for artwork & layout for a CD / 7" vinyl jacket??
Hex Volt no have graphic art talent in house. last CD art was total hackjob by yours truly. Would like to step up game this time, wondering what I should budget.

Depending on the area, $20/hour is usually the floor for a professional designer and some work by project, not hourly.
Before you approach a designer I would suggest figuring out what it is you are wanting, it may save you some cash.

Examples of the style are very helpful along with the actual elements you need on there (like liner notes, etc), unless you are going to a designer who really only does 1 style, then it doesn't matter.

 

[Turkeypills]

Now we all have different tastes, and I respect all of your opinions regarding your own equipment.

But shag... @Pelham Bleu you have the best taste in basses. I don't think there is an axe in your herd that I wouldn't want to play/own. Every time you get a new lute it gives me insta GAS.

I'm currently dealing with heavy restraint avoiding an impulse buy of an Epi EB-3.

 

[Corey Y]

I'm really struggling with whether or not to sell my custom 4 string bass. I love it so much, it's definitely the nicest instrument I've ever owned, most comfortable to play, sounds good (and unique within what I've owned), but money is just so freakin tight this year. I bought it for a specific band I used to be in, which it was perfect for (looks and tone) and that band has been functionally broken up for more than 3 years. I pull it out of the closet every 6 months or so just to play and remember why I love it...and to get around my "if I haven't played it in a year, I should sell it" rule by a technicality.

Also, maybe this sounds stupid, but I feel like it would almost be an insult to the luthier to sell it. He did such a great job making it exactly how I wanted and he's such a nice, cool guy. I've kept in contact with him over the years, had some other personal and business interactions with him that weren't directly buying an instrument. He's also made me offers to do work on my bass (new pickups/electronics, refinishing) for cost or free sometimes and I've never been able to take him up on any of the offers, because I can't even afford to pay for shipping the bass most of the time (or it's just really low priority financially).

 

[Jolagh]

I've told a few people that I'm going to use the 2PRO until I die - and I'll probably die crushed underneath it. I'm ok with that.

I can relate, I've got the meatsmoke that at this point I'm not sure will ever be dethroned, but I bitch everytime I have to move it cus it weighs like a hundred pounds. In the flight case it tips the scale at like 130 lbs.

 

[Jolagh]

He's also made me offers to do work on my ass

Lold, I would keep it until it becomes an absolute necessity to get rid of it. You won't be able to get another one exactly like that after its gone so it is worth hanging on to imo.

 

[Corey Y]

Lold, I would keep it until it becomes an absolute necessity to get rid of it. You won't be able to get another one exactly like that after its gone so it is worth hanging on to imo.

That's what I've been struggling with. It's pretty much the last big ticket item that I could get rid of and not be hobbled musically. I still have other basses that I actually use more often. So far I have narrowly avoided getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everything else that wasn't my most prized gear is pretty much gone now, so if there's an unexpected medical bill or big maintenance on our house or something it'll be on the chopping block. The last few months I've just been trying to put it out of my mind. I still want to find an excuse to play it regularly, but I've got nothing going on.

 

[Jolagh]

That's what I've been struggling with. It's pretty much the last big ticket item that I could get rid of and not be hobbled musically. I still have other basses that I actually use more often. So far I have narrowly avoided getting stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everything else that wasn't my most prized gear is pretty much gone now, so if there's an unexpected medical bill or big maintenance on our house or something it'll be on the chopping block. The last few months I've just been trying to put it out of my mind. I still want to find an excuse to play it regularly, but I've got nothing going on.

That's a bummer dude. If i lived out there I'd hit you up.

I've thought it might be fun as a group to do a doom room collaboration to write and record songs with people here doing the different instruments. Just not sure how you would work out the logistics of it.

 

[Corey Y]

That's a bummer dude. If i lived out there I'd hit you up.

I've thought it might be fun as a group to do a doom room collaboration to write and record songs with people here doing the different instruments. Just not sure how you would work out the logistics of it.

It's simple enough, if you know the ins and outs of importing and exporting raw audio files in a DAW. Someone or a group of someones just has to rough out the basic song structure or types of parts. Drums would be the hardest or at least the most involved, if you wanted live drums. I have done some collaborations, but nothing that ever got finished because I just didn't dig the vocal style (black metal vocals someone else recorded over stoner metal songs I wrote) and no one else came through on recording anything. I've done some of it back and forth with a friend who lives local too, where he wrote some songs and I sent him bass tracks for them.

I need someone who does decent vocals to do a collaboration. I've never been able to get anything going for the music I write and my friend I used to do a powerviolence style project with kind of pooped out on it a couple years ago, then another vocalist for a similar project lost his voice or something. At least he tracked some killer vocals for a demo and never seemed to be able to replicate it again. It would be nice to collaborate with another guitarist or bassist though, as my stuff tends to not be very layered when I write by myself. I tend to stick to that Weedeater style of songwriting where everything sounds like one big instrument, unless I'm going out of my way to do something different, but I've never been good at metal style lead guitar at all.

 

[Jolagh]

It's simple enough, if you know the ins and outs of importing and exporting raw audio files in a DAW. Someone or a group of someones just has to rough out the basic song structure or types of parts. Drums would be the hardest or at least the most involved, if you wanted live drums. I have done some collaborations, but nothing that ever got finished because I just didn't dig the vocal style (black metal vocals someone else recorded over stoner metal songs I wrote) and no one else came through on recording anything. I've done some of it back and forth with a friend who lives local too, where he wrote some songs and I sent him bass tracks for them.

I need someone who does decent vocals to do a collaboration. I've never been able to get anything going for the music I write and my friend I used to do a powerviolence style project with kind of pooped out on it a couple years ago, then another vocalist for a similar project lost his voice or something. At least he tracked some killer vocals for a demo and never seemed to be able to replicate it again. It would be nice to collaborate with another guitarist or bassist though, as my stuff tends to not be very layered when I write by myself. I tend to stick to that Weedeater style of songwriting where everything sounds like one big instrument, unless I'm going out of my way to do something different, but I've never been good at metal style lead guitar at all.

Well I could do vocals and bass/guitar, though i'm not a lead guitar player, I've got a killer lead guitar player buddy i could probably get to pop in and play some leads for fun, maybe one of the other dudes in here could do some lead parts. My vocals tend to range anywhere between guttural, shouted or being stabbed with a soldering iron, just depends on how I'm feeling that day. I'm not the best clean singer but i can pull SOME clean. I do vocals in Centaurus, though you can hardly hear it in our demo, i did all the super highs and super lows and joe did all the shouting. Hopefully when we get around to recording our EP over the next couple months we can have it mixed by someone that doesn't only listen to death metal.

 

[bassboysam]

I'm really struggling with whether or not to sell my custom 4 string bass. I love it so much, it's definitely the nicest instrument I've ever owned, most comfortable to play, sounds good (and unique within what I've owned), but money is just so freakin tight this year. I bought it for a specific band I used to be in, which it was perfect for (looks and tone) and that band has been functionally broken up for more than 3 years. I pull it out of the closet every 6 months or so just to play and remember why I love it...and to get around my "if I haven't played it in a year, I should sell it" rule by a technicality.

Also, maybe this sounds stupid, but I feel like it would almost be an insult to the luthier to sell it. He did such a great job making it exactly how I wanted and he's such a nice, cool guy. I've kept in contact with him over the years, had some other personal and business interactions with him that weren't directly buying an instrument. He's also made me offers to do work on my ass (new pickups/electronics, refinishing) for cost or free sometimes and I've never been able to take him up on any of the offers, because I can't even afford to pay for shipping the bass most of the time (or it's just really low priority financially).

how much is it going to fetch you? and how quickly will you blow through it? is it really going to save you much financial stress if you're just back in the same boat 2 months after you sell it?

 

[Korladis]

RIP Max, crushed when PVYHenge finally collapsed under its own weight and the heaviness of the riff, forever memorialized in the longest running most posted in thread on talkbass.

As I recall, it was because we were mourning him as he got temporarily banned from the forum due to spamming the Praise/Worship Bass Players' Club with Peavey, Doom, and Riff praise and worship. They didn't take kindly to that. It was hilarious, though.

I'm really struggling with whether or not to sell my custom 4 string bass. I love it so much, it's definitely the nicest instrument I've ever owned, most comfortable to play, sounds good (and unique within what I've owned), but money is just so freakin tight this year. I bought it for a specific band I used to be in, which it was perfect for (looks and tone) and that band has been functionally broken up for more than 3 years. I pull it out of the closet every 6 months or so just to play and remember why I love it...and to get around my "if I haven't played it in a year, I should sell it" rule by a technicality.

Also, maybe this sounds stupid, but I feel like it would almost be an insult to the luthier to sell it. He did such a great job making it exactly how I wanted and he's such a nice, cool guy. I've kept in contact with him over the years, had some other personal and business interactions with him that weren't directly buying an instrument. He's also made me offers to do work on my ass (new pickups/electronics, refinishing) for cost or free sometimes and I've never been able to take him up on any of the offers, because I can't even afford to pay for shipping the bass most of the time (or it's just really low priority financially).

It's a custom, so you won't get anywhere near what you paid for it. Start recording a one-person project with it.

how much is it going to fetch you? and how quickly will you blow through it? is it really going to save you much financial stress if you're just back in the same boat 2 months after you sell it?

Exactly. Two months from now, back in exactly the same position... except without the awesome bass.

 

[kleinenenten]

He's also made me offers to do work on my ass

And ruin that thing of beauty? No thanks.

(Can't say I wouldn't be jealous, though. )

 

[Corey Y]

how much is it going to fetch you? and how quickly will you blow through it? is it really going to save you much financial stress if you're just back in the same boat 2 months after you sell it?

I have no idea what it would sell for, honestly. I know the builders charges maybe $1k more for a build now, but that doesn't really have an impact on selling price. I don't currently have any big outstanding bills, I'm just in a place now where we live very frugally, have the bare minimum of savings (basically one mortgage payment, if we're lucky) and I haven't been able to buy new clothes or shoes for 2 years, only had them as christmas and birthday presents from family. We used to save very aggressively, but once my wife got pregnant and left her job, our income halved and we had a lot of unexpected bills and some really exhausting troubles with her ex employer and insurance companies. We paid about $10K out of pocket instead of her getting paid leave and having our son's birth covered. On top of that there were some other big medical and material expenses and some more insurance B.S. and that's why I sold so much gear. Honestly, as of probably about 2 weeks from now we should be starting to put away some extra money regularly, as my wife is collecting a few part time odd jobs she can do while watching our son and I'm at work. So it's going to ease up a bit in the near future. I'm just very anxious about never defaulting on payment or being in debt, I've always been frugal and a saver.

So yeah, I wouldn't be selling it to make rent or anything. I'd be selling it because I never play it, probably to buy some clothes, maybe go to the doctor for a checkup and buy some gear I would use regularly that I don't have anymore. Unless another big calamity happened, then it would just keep me from going in debt.

It's a custom, so you won't get anywhere near what you paid for it. Start recording a one-person project with it.

True and I probably should do that. I'm kind of musically dead lately. Just too much depression and social deprivation, can't get anyone to jam or hang out ever. I need to find some way to push myself harder and do a solo project of some sort that I will actually complete. Instead of just something that serves as entrance into searching for bandmates and people to help me complete it.

And ruin that thing of beauty? No thanks.

(Can't say I wouldn't be jealous, though. )

Wow, how did that typo make it past TB without a silly filter? It could probably use a good scrub and wax though.

 

[kleinenenten]

Wow, how did that typo make it past TB without a silly filter? It could probably use a good scrub and wax though.

Typo? Dang.

 

[Corey Y]

Typo? Dang.

 

[Korladis]

I have no idea what it would sell for, honestly. I know the builders charges maybe $1k more for a build now, but that doesn't really have an impact on selling price. I don't currently have any big outstanding bills, I'm just in a place now where we live very frugally, have the bare minimum of savings (basically one mortgage payment, if we're lucky) and I haven't been able to buy new clothes or shoes for 2 years, only had them as christmas and birthday presents from family. We used to save very aggressively, but once my wife got pregnant and left her job, our income halved and we had a lot of unexpected bills and some really exhausting troubles with her ex employer and insurance companies. We paid about $10K out of pocket instead of her getting paid leave and having our son's birth covered. On top of that there were some other big medical and material expenses and some more insurance B.S. and that's why I sold so much gear. Honestly, as of probably about 2 weeks from now we should be starting to put away some extra money regularly, as my wife is collecting a few part time odd jobs she can do while watching our son and I'm at work. So it's going to ease up a bit in the near future. I'm just very anxious about never defaulting on payment or being in debt, I've always been frugal and a saver.

So yeah, I wouldn't be selling it to make rent or anything. I'd be selling it because I never play it, probably to buy some clothes, maybe go to the doctor for a checkup and buy some gear I would use regularly that I don't have anymore. Unless another big calamity happened, then it would just keep me from going in debt.




True and I probably should do that. I'm kind of musically dead lately. Just too much depression and social deprivation, can't get anyone to jam or hang out ever. I need to find some way to push myself harder and do a solo project of some sort that I will actually complete. Instead of just something that serves as entrance into searching for bandmates and people to help me complete it.




Wow, how did that typo make it past TB without a silly filter? It could probably use a good scrub and wax though.

Hopefully things will start looking up, soon. That sucks about your wife getting cheated out of family leave.

You've got the recording know-how, and the gear necessary for doing a one-person, studio only band. And the thing about just focusing on writing and recording is that you don't have to worry about having the people necessary to pull it off, live. You can have two or three bass parts or whatever if the song calls for it. Can you play drums? If so, just do like McCartney did for his first solo album and play everything yourself. Put stuff out and worry about finding people to play it live later. Maybe you don't think you can play guitar that well, but I'm willing to bet that if you can play bass, you can hold down guitar competently enough. One of my band's guitarists literally started playing guitar for Catapult (he was a drummer before).

If you're not sure about if riffs or arrangements are sounding right or not, just do rough demos and post ideas here. We'd all be down to give feedback and stuff, and I'm sure I'm not the only one eager to hear what you come up with.

 

[Corey Y]

Hopefully things will start looking up, soon. That sucks about your wife getting cheated out of family leave.

You've got the recording know-how, and the gear necessary for doing a one-person, studio only band. And the thing about just focusing on writing and recording is that you don't have to worry about having the people necessary to pull it off, live. You can have two or three bass parts or whatever if the song calls for it. Can you play drums? If so, just do like McCartney did for his first solo album and play everything yourself. Put stuff out and worry about finding people to play it live later. Maybe you don't think you can play guitar that well, but I'm willing to bet that if you can play bass, you can hold down guitar competently enough. One of my band's guitarists literally started playing guitar for Catapult (he was a drummer before).

If you're not sure about if riffs or arrangements are sounding right or not, just do rough demos and post ideas here. We'd all be down to give feedback and stuff, and I'm sure I'm not the only one eager to hear what you come up with.

Yeah, I can play drums. I'm a little rusty and I don't own a kit anymore. I had a sweet Ludwig kit and some really nice cymbals, but those were the first to go of the gear purges. I kept them at the Warp Rig practice space and that band dissolved around the time our kid was born and I had no place to keep them set up. That's why I do the computer drum stuff all the time, since I know how to program beats. I've thought about getting an electric kit, but space is kinda tight in my home office/recording room. A friend of mine in town has been thinking of getting some. If he does I know he'd let me come over and record some parts with them if I wanted. He has a similar setup for home recording as me, just much more small scale, since I helped him learn.

I really should follow through on the solo project stuff. Thanks for the encouragement. I really need to get myself in gear, just been in a terrible mindset the past year. That's why I started picking up guitar and playing surf rock instrumentals, just wanted something musical to do that didn't frustrate me. Never been able to find anyone who wants to jam on that stuff either, I have obscure tastes.

 

[Korladis]

Yeah, I can play drums. I'm a little rusty and I don't own a kit anymore. I had a sweet Ludwig kit and some really nice cymbals, but those were the first to go of the gear purges. I kept them at the Warp Rig practice space and that band dissolved around the time our kid was born and I had no place to keep them set up. That's why I do the computer drum stuff all the time, since I know how to program beats. I've thought about getting an electric kit, but space is kinda tight in my home office/recording room. A friend of mine in town has been thinking of getting some. If he does I know he'd let me come over and record some parts with them if I wanted. He has a similar setup for home recording as me, just much more small scale, since I helped him learn.

I really should follow through on the solo project stuff. Thanks for the encouragement. I really need to get myself in gear, just been in a terrible mindset the past year. That's why I started picking up guitar and playing surf rock instrumentals, just wanted something musical to do that didn't frustrate me. Never been able to find anyone who wants to jam on that stuff either, I have obscure tastes.

That's another thing about doing it all yourself. It doesn't have to be one thing or another.

 

[Jolagh]

Yeah, I can play drums. I'm a little rusty and I don't own a kit anymore. I had a sweet Ludwig kit and some really nice cymbals, but those were the first to go of the gear purges. I kept them at the Warp Rig practice space and that band dissolved around the time our kid was born and I had no place to keep them set up. That's why I do the computer drum stuff all the time, since I know how to program beats. I've thought about getting an electric kit, but space is kinda tight in my home office/recording room. A friend of mine in town has been thinking of getting some. If he does I know he'd let me come over and record some parts with them if I wanted. He has a similar setup for home recording as me, just much more small scale, since I helped him learn.

I really should follow through on the solo project stuff. Thanks for the encouragement. I really need to get myself in gear, just been in a terrible mindset the past year. That's why I started picking up guitar and playing surf rock instrumentals, just wanted something musical to do that didn't frustrate me. Never been able to find anyone who wants to jam on that stuff either, I have obscure tastes.

And I'm totally down for doing some collaborative stuff as well. If you are interested I'll record down some guitar riffs I've been working on and we can get started homie. I can probably get my drummer to come do some live drums if it came down to it.

 

[PaulWeapon]

Gah! This was the last post I looked at hours ago, then I locked my phone. I forgot all about it and just unlocked my phone and saw it again. So unsettling.