Things bassist hate, Part 2

[Shamalama33]

Gear Snobbery...just because I don't play a Conklin doesn't mean I don't live/play the shut out of my squire J

 

[Lonnybass]

Being the most technically savvy person in the band so that it becomes your responsibility to diagnose everyone else's equipment issues...which is fine until you don't have any time to do things like set up or tune your OWN rig, and then when it requires more than 15 seconds of the available remaining time to make it perfect, you get get dirty looks and snide underhanded comments.

Glad THAT band situation is in my past.

Lonnybass

 

[HeavyJazz]

1. Crackly pots
2. Ground hum
3. Poor monitoring
4. Even worse mains
5. Late yet gleeful band members
6. Noodly keyboardists with dated patches
7. Drummers that play while others are trying to talk
8. Slap-happy (fellow) bassists
9. Playing anything by Coldplay
10. An empty pint

 

[Patchbass]

The weight and cost of bass amps compared to guitar amps
:/

+1

 

[SludgeMerchant]

+1 to "follow me" directions from guitarists. I only recently started playing in a group setting and I can tell this is going to get old in a hurry. For now it's a learning experience... For now.
In addition: coming up with a great riff just to see it mimicked on guitar. We don't have to play the same thing ALL THE TIME!
I guess you just have to accept some people's shortcomings though. I'm sure I check off plenty of boxes on the "Things Guitarists Hate" list.

 

[LothrtheTerribl]

Gear Snobbery...just because I don't play a Conklin doesn't mean I don't live/play the shut out of my squire J

Yeah, this one really gets me. Your Warwick thumb and $3000 MarkBass rig do not immediately make you a better player; it just means you have more disposable income than I.

I have three Fender basses, the most I spent on one was $750 for a '94 American Standard P-Bass in 1995; the other two combined add up to less than that. It's not what you play, it's how you play it.

 

[BassGuyFL]

When songs get started being called some other than the actual song title especially with people that get confused easily enough as it is.

"Let's play XXXX song"
"What's that one?"
"That one that goes bum dabumm"
"Oh you mean (actual title of song)?"
"Yeah XXXX song"
:scowl:

 

[39-Bassist]

Being told to keep it simple
Being told "just play the riff along with me"
Being told how to sound during rehearsals
Being told to use a pick
Not being plugged into a PA
Having to play to backing track with bassline already on it with no attempts to re-eq the bass out of it
HAVING to turn your 550 watt amp to 10 on both gain and master to hear yourself over the drummer
Having a guitarist turn your amp down because you hit the A on the E string and it booms uncontrollably
Keyboardists left hands...

WOW...REALLY?

LOL

+3 times over.

 

[GeoffB]

Floor programmers - When the dance floor is packed but we can't start the next song until the guitardist has to turn 3 or 4 different pedals on & off, all with a great flourish.

 

[petrus61]

When a guitarist doubles the bass line on a cover. I can't really think of anything worse.

 

[Martin89]

When I wasn't close enough at a show to see the headstock and mistake a Spector for a Warwick...

 

[Matt_T]

Rhythm guitarists who feel compelled to put in walking bass lines between chords.

Guitarists who decide to play the bass line with an octave pedal, then proceed to dumb it down.

Drummers who don't listen.

Keyboardists who are actually pianists.

Having vocal harmony rehearsal in the middle of band practice.

 

[sparkyfender2]

When you have to inform/remind the bartender that you're in the band even though he just comp'd your singer / drummer / guitarist who ordered just before you.

Salute!!!

You, sir, are absolutely spot on.

If I had a nickel.......

Puts a little reality into what other people see/hear/notice when in the presence of a live band.

Most of us overthink it........

 

[BassGuyFL]

Salute!!!

You, sir, are absolutely spot on.

If I had a nickel.......

Puts a little reality into what other people see/hear/notice when in the presence of a live band.

Most of us overthink it........

There's been several times I've gone up and talked to girls that just 10 minutes before were dancing 5 feet in front of me and it went like this:

"Hey how are you? Having fun tonight?"
"Hi. Who are you?"
"I'm the bass player in the band."
"Oh. Can you play (song we don't know)?"
"We'll try I dunno if we all know it."
"Ok thanks!"
:runs away:

 

[thebreakman]

1) Guitar Satan

2) Ditto on arrogant hipsters, such trendy shallowness posing as depth. For those who claim to be so unique and individual, they're some of the biggest conformists I've ever seen.

3) Gear snobs in general and Fender Snobs specifically.

4) Drunk morons who think its their God-given right to jump onstage and sing with the band.

5) Dive bars

6) Drunk a$$hats that yell "Free Bird".

That **** is hilarious. I live in Va. How many times have I heard that from drunk rednecks.

 

[BassGuyFL]

3 times tonight:
"Are you in the band?"

Just to set the scene, we wear matching color dress shirts, black vests and black pants.

Me: no but they sent me the teal shirt memo and I get to hang out with them.

"Wow cool!"

Me: (grumbling about going back to playing drums)

 

[FretNoMore]

Boomy stages and rooms.
Keyboard players that have a too busy left hand.
Bottom-heavy guitar sounds.
Struggling to find a common and stable time with a drummer.

Personally I don't like it when players can't keep quiet between songs, at gigs or rehearsals, but that's not necessarily a thing that only bass players hate.

 

[Nashrakh]

When the venue manager says "What do you need monitors for?!" As if I'd asked him for something totally ridiculous like a space to park our private jets.

I've heard from a friend a story about monitors in which the gigging band demanded monitors on stage and what did they get? Flatscreens. The manager asked them what they're gonna use them for, watch the football game while they play?

I found that utterly hilarious, but unfortunately true enough.

 

[FretNoMore]

...
Singing an under harmony to the main melody. (try picking those notes out with the bass amp in your ear)

I find using hearing protection helps with this, it takes the boominess (at my listening position) out of the bass so I hear the notes I play better, and it makes me hear my own voice better (notice how some singers put a hand over their ear to get this effect). Some can't get used to playing with ear plugs, I highly recommend it for protection and for the reasons above.

/End OT

 

[RustyCage]

1.getting charts in G clef.
2. drummer not playing on the high-hat when he should.
3."play some jaco licks on the B part"