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What changed your life(bass related only please:))
- Thread starter Jack Butler
- Start date
Buying an Ibanez Roadstar in the early 80's. I thought I had to put up with anemic tone and dead spots on my old bass. The Roadstar was a cherryburst almost shaped like a Rickenbacker. The sounds coming out of those pickups even turned heads in the band. It was like hot-rodded right off the rack. I now own about 5 Ibanez basses and looking at another one. About 10 years ago I switched to lefty's. I only own one righty now.
In '69, I was singing and playing rhythm guitar. Our bass player moved and we couldn't find another one. I said, what the hell, it can't be that hard. Bought a cheap bass and amp and have never looked back. Have been thru too many basses and amps to count in the 50 years since. Still play guitar and sing in my solo shows but love playing bass and singing with the band when ever I can. Here's a pic of my first bass. Can't remember what kind it was. Also my tuck and roll, Kustom 200 bass amp with 2 2/15 cabs.
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Kind of boring but being able to read music was life changing. Also, having some really great teachers along the way changed my musicality.
The technical term is PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation):
arms out straight in front you with your palms facing away & fingers toward the ceiling
curl your fingers in like you're gripping something
straighten them to the ceiling again
repeat fast until you can't stand it anymore
1. Getting fired from a band when I was 19. Actually, the band "broke up" and then immediately reformed with a different bass player. When I found out and asked the guitarist about it, he gently told me that my playing (and singing) was not up to par. That motivated me to begin a lifelong pursuit of really learning to play (and sing). I shifted from wanting to be a rock star to wanting to be a musician.
2. Hearing Pino Palladino's fretless solo on the song Murder on David Gilmour's 'About Face' album. Then hearing Pino on Pete Townsend's 'White City' album. Then hearing Pino on Paul Young's albums.
3. The older, more experienced bassist in a band that my band was opening for approaching me and offering to give me some pointers on how to eq my amp and get a better tone. "It's all about the midrange."
4. In my late 20's, joining a jazz fusion band comprised of guys who were ten years or more older than me and way better players. I had never played anything but rock. There weren't many available bassists and so they offered me the slot. They taught me so much about what it means to be a musician and bassist and I am forever grateful for their patience and acceptance.
5. Joining a band in my late 50's, after years of not playing in bands, and finding myself with a group of incredibly supportive guys who appreciate my playing (and singing) and have encouraged me to grow as a songwriter.
2. Hearing Pino Palladino's fretless solo on the song Murder on David Gilmour's 'About Face' album. Then hearing Pino on Pete Townsend's 'White City' album. Then hearing Pino on Paul Young's albums.
3. The older, more experienced bassist in a band that my band was opening for approaching me and offering to give me some pointers on how to eq my amp and get a better tone. "It's all about the midrange."
4. In my late 20's, joining a jazz fusion band comprised of guys who were ten years or more older than me and way better players. I had never played anything but rock. There weren't many available bassists and so they offered me the slot. They taught me so much about what it means to be a musician and bassist and I am forever grateful for their patience and acceptance.
5. Joining a band in my late 50's, after years of not playing in bands, and finding myself with a group of incredibly supportive guys who appreciate my playing (and singing) and have encouraged me to grow as a songwriter.
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I didn't play for about twenty years and had a huge revelation after I returned. When I was younger I would do scales up and down the fretboard, Amaj, A#maj, B maj, C maj etc. builds dexterity but nothing else. When I got back into playing as an older dude I worked out a system where I would work through all the scales of the cords of a key, so say Gmaj I would do Gmaj, Amin, Bmin, Cmaj, Dmaj, Emin, F#min, etc, run up and down through the scales or just a part, triads, etc. build ear training, theory, etc.
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Seeing Geezer Butler live with Black Sabbath here in São Paulo, Brazil, during the Dehumanizer tour was what changed my life, basswise.
Going from a midrange scooper to a midrange booster. It totally changed how I think about bass tone,which in turn affects how I play and write. I do still think that scooping makes sense for some players, but I'm not one of them.
When I got my Sans Amp bass driver over 20 years ago(still have it) and hearing these albums
My 1996 Gibson Thunderbird
My Spector basses
Alice In Chains (Facelift)
Sick of it All (anything with Craig Setari)
Quicksand (Slip)
Orange 9mm (Driver not included)
My 1996 Gibson Thunderbird
My Spector basses
Alice In Chains (Facelift)
Sick of it All (anything with Craig Setari)
Quicksand (Slip)
Orange 9mm (Driver not included)
My brother in law allowing me to noodle around on his original Hofner Beatle bass, after my own guitar playing brother wouldn't help me learn on thing on guitar. Decided bass was it for me. 36 years later it still is.
Learning Steve Harris' basslines on the first 4 Maiden albums by ear.
Hearing Stu Hamm's bass breaks on Steve Vai's "Blue Powder"
Learning Steve Harris' basslines on the first 4 Maiden albums by ear.
Hearing Stu Hamm's bass breaks on Steve Vai's "Blue Powder"
The first few gigs I did as a professional freelance bassist where I showed up to the show or recording session having never seen/heard the music before, or in many cases even met the other musicians or producer/MD, and just Got The Job Done playing my bass...man, that was a sea-change in terms of developing my self-confidence and identity as a musician. No piece of gear compares to the difference that made in my playing.
