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What basses should I bring?!

#42
buldog5151bass said:
Classic rock - I assume you are talking covers. Take a look at their photos on their website or youtube to see what the vibe of the band is and what the guitarist(s) is/are playing. You want to fit in.

- multiple threads here from people who lost out on auditions for Squier hate.
- sounds like no need for a fretless
- bring one bass. Bring the bass you play best.

When in doubt, a (Fender) P or J. Can't go wrong with that.
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What he said. Fretless - unless that's all you have, nope. And Squier will get you an eye-roll from the guitar player. Sad fact.
 
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#43
Bring your Squier.

Also since I am assuming that the bass is strung with rounds, bring a piece of foam you can stick under the strings by the bridge for the songs that sound like they were recorded with well worn flats. That trick will blow minds and get you the gig.

Trust me.
 
#45
rogerbmiller said:
Bring your Squier.

Also since I am assuming that the bass is strung with rounds, bring a piece of foam you can stick under the strings by the bridge for the songs that sound like they were recorded with well worn flats. That trick will blow minds and get you the gig.

Trust me.
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Yeah.. I restrung the squire with rotos. I do have a bass that is strung with flats, but that never gets used. The 2 fretless ones I have are strungoing with both. Flats on one. And rounds on the other (been advised not to take those haha)
 
#46
Morris2103 said:
The only fender i own is fretless. Closest thing I have is the squier. It's pretty much the first audition for bass I've done, and I've read that some people are gear snobs and won't even acknowledge anything other than fender.
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Make sure you know whatever songs you are trying out on backwards and forwards--- know them so if they skip the bridge you can fall right in, or rush the drum fills, or change the ending.

That is your main concern. Also, as others have said right or wrong the Squier is risky. Many perceive it as a noob bass (not saying I do, I have gigged with them before with no problems)
Also- if you play the fretless you will not get the gig unless you only use it on Pearl Jam songs that were played on fretless on the recording.
 
#47
Rib 13 said:
I just said this in a different thread: In a cover band, the audience is the priority. Weather your bass parts are virtuostic or simple, still just play for the song, the band, and to the audience: most of them arent musicians and couldnt tell a Squier from a Sadowsky...If a cover band is onstage playing because they want to impress other musicians and/or show off their gear, then (IMO) they are playing music for all the wrong reasons. YMMV of course
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Well stated and good advice. Amazing to me that more musicians (ESPECIALLY those with some age and experience) don't seem to ever get this fact.
 
#48
EdO. said:
Well stated and good advice. Amazing to me that more musicians (ESPECIALLY those with some age and experience) don't seem to ever get this fact.
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But some do. Fair doesn't matter.

When I was in high school, I always showed up for job interviews in a jacket and tie. Was it overkill? Probably. But I always got the job.
 
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#49
Here's what I would bring:

DSC00748.jpg
 
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#51
AshInAmsterdam said:
In my experience if someone turns up to audition with more than one instrument, I'd be wondering what they have to prove.
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I would assume he is prepared for a catastrophic event and it would score points with me and my band mates. It would prove he gives a damn.

If OP is worried about sensitive people overthinking it, or jumping to the worst conclusion and assuming he's a pretentious show-off, he can even state that it's simply for backup purposes and leave it cased. Jeez, I hope these musicians aren't that judgmental; not the sign of a band I'd be interested in joining.

I never even go to rehearsals with only one bass. It's not that unusual or uncommon, and hardly a strike against a musician, to bring a backup when practical.
 
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#52
buldog5151bass said:
But some do. Fair doesn't matter.

When I was in high school, I always showed up for job interviews in a jacket and tie. Was it overkill? Probably. But I always got the job.
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of course, but you could easily wear a nice looking sport jacket and tie from K-Mart to get the job done....as a matter of fact, there may be some situations that if you walked in with an Armani, you may be saying "I really don't need this job" ;)
 
#53
Manticore said:
My go-to is a six-string Alembic. In addition to my main ax, I always bring a P, a J.a Ric 4001 and a Sting Ray on first dates, just in case the band leader wants something more traditional.
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My main gigging bass is a 5 string alembic and ive carried that to most of my dep gigs whether ive done rehearsals with the band or just turned up at the gig on show night. Ive never had a problem or attitude from any of the musicians. To be honest none have ever heard of the brand so it hasn't drawn any attention in that way. All have been happy with my sound and my playing which is what i try to achieve all the time. I would Just bring what you i feel comfortable playing and not play anything that distracts them.
 
#54
obimark said:
Make sure you know whatever songs you are trying out on backwards and forwards--- know them so if they skip the bridge you can fall right in, or rush the drum fills, or change the ending.

That is your main concern. Also, as others have said right or wrong the Squier is risky. Many perceive it as a noob bass (not saying I do, I have gigged with them before with no problems)
Also- if you play the fretless you will not get the gig unless you only use it on Pearl Jam songs that were played on fretless on the recording.
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I agree 100%.

And it's why I'm astounded when people are surprised that they didn't get a gig because they brought a Squier to an audition. Even if that kind of snobbery only happened 1 out of 50 times, for me - if I really wanted the gig - I wouldn't risk it. And while there's no way to prove this, or find any accurate statistics, IME there is a lot more prejudice to Squiers than people want to believe. I'd say in just about any band, if it came down to 2 equally qualified musicians where one was playing a Squier and the other pretty much any other bass, the non Squier player would get the gig. And that's not something that people are going to tell others flat out - but they will say it amoungst themselves.

PS. Once you get the gig, play whatever you want. Except the fretless :).
 
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#56
jazzyvee said:
My main gigging bass is a 5 string alembic and ive carried that to most of my dep gigs whether ive done rehearsals with the band or just turned up at the gig on show night. Ive never had a problem or attitude from any of the musicians. To be honest none have ever heard of the brand so it hasn't drawn any attention in that way. All have been happy with my sound and my playing which is what i try to achieve all the time. I would Just bring what you i feel comfortable playing and not play anything that distracts them.
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It has been a while since any one has objected. It used to happen frequently. They'd see six strings and start backing away... :) So happy acceptance is spreading.

Come think of it, I haven't played with any one new in a while... I'll take your advice next time I do Jazzy...just bring my favorite. Thank you sir, for a sage observation!
 
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#57
I'd bring the Ibanez and have the Squier as a backup. The general concensus around my hometown is- modern bass or classic bass. The guitarists, keybordists, and vocalists don't know much about bass gear, and the ones that do are very brand-centric but can't describe why.

When I get questioned on my gear I usually tell them, I have a bank account full of cash to spend, and this was the best thing available of everything I tried. That usually shuts them down quick. It's also easy to throw out a subtle jab at the truly persistent snobs; no matter what they have ask why they don't play xxxxx brand instead.
 
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