Shielding does sound like a good idea and it is on my to do list. I don't really gig yet. I play with some friends who have done a lot of it and are encouraging me to do some with them. I have been to public jams (not on bass yet), but that isn't too pressure packed. I will probably starting doing the public jam early next year and I would like to feel like my Scorpion is "worthy".
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what makes a bass "gig worthy"?
- Thread starter arbarnhart
- Start date
That's a great way to get your feet wet. Get up on stage and do a great job, and it won't matter what kind of bass you're playing. TRUST ME, no one in the audience cares about the name on the headstock. You'll get more respect by doing a good job on your SX, than you would playing poorly on a Fodera.
This is very much a hack comment 
but ...I hate noise in the signal, too. Especially when I am practicing at home. The wiring of this house is all messed up, and I Always practice with hum/noise.
But, at gigs, we've gotten to the point of just laughing it off, and really, for many types of gigs, it just doesn't matter.
Many places we play at will have dirty power and create noise for us. Our guitarist uses Line6 amp modellers, and he'll just joke that he's using the *vintage noise modeller*.
Really, once we start playing, it becomes Moot.
I know that's a hacker comment, but ...
It's fun for us to just laugh it off and keep playing.
More shielding on our instruments might help, but ...
Just recently saw Social Distortion (fairly popular band for those who aren't familiar with them) and Mike Ness' guitar was humming like crazy between songs. Gibson Les Paul w/P90 single coils. He did exactly the same thing we all do with single coils. Roll the volume off between songs. Once you start playing you can't hear it anyway. There's only so much you can do. Sixty cycle hum happens.
I was a little self conscious when I first went to jams with my cheap mandolin, but pretty quickly figured out that few people really care as long as I chopped the right chords at the right time. But despite a short stint with electrics many years ago, I don't really know them well. I assume that if it sounds good plugged into my amp, it will sound good plugged into their PA and won't blow it up, but I don't know that for a fact...
I will settle for doing a good job to start with. The guitarist who is sort of our default leader asked me to learn a short solo for one of the blues songs we play; he suggested something simple that I know I can pull off because it is more about being acknowledged than showing off chops.
+1
Simple and clean beat complex and sloppy any day.
If it's simple, clean, and in time, it's Always good.
[I'm making a lifetime of that golden rule, because I
can't play anything complex.
]There is probably a pre-amp or something. See, this is the kind of thing I was talking about. I am pretty clueless about that sort of thing. I have been an acoustic guy for quite a while.
Reliable electronics, sturdy hardware, stays in tune, little or no noise/hum/hiss.
Optional but recommended: comfortable to the hands, shoulders, and back while playing seated or standing. E.g. not heavy, no neck dive, nicely contoured and balanced.
Optional but recommended: comfortable to the hands, shoulders, and back while playing seated or standing. E.g. not heavy, no neck dive, nicely contoured and balanced.
What makes an instrument "gig-worthy?"
One school of thought is that you can buy a cheap instrument, trick it out with some better pups and there ya go! Gig-worthy, right? ****buuuuuzzzzz!!!***** Not necessarily.
My previous guitar player lived by this concept - bragged constantly about how he buys cheapo Teles and slaps some good pups in, save a fortune and has a guitar as good as anyone else's on the road. He will be telling you this and completely oblivious of the fact that his "perfectly fine" instrument cannot stay in tune for the entire length of a single song and he literally spends 30-45 sec's between songs tuning. We finish a set filled with about 25 to 30 percent dead air for tuning and he will go right on about how great his cheap, modded Teles are...
So, for me... gig-worthy means it sounds good, stays in tune and is comfortable to play. If that means spending a buck or two to get a reasonable instrument, it is worth it.
As far as taking a beating - well, I suppose that could be a plus, but I pay close attention to my instrument and don't beat it around. Accidents do happen, so if I owned a boutique bass, I certainly would not be using it for the typical bar-gig circuit.
One school of thought is that you can buy a cheap instrument, trick it out with some better pups and there ya go! Gig-worthy, right? ****buuuuuzzzzz!!!***** Not necessarily.
My previous guitar player lived by this concept - bragged constantly about how he buys cheapo Teles and slaps some good pups in, save a fortune and has a guitar as good as anyone else's on the road. He will be telling you this and completely oblivious of the fact that his "perfectly fine" instrument cannot stay in tune for the entire length of a single song and he literally spends 30-45 sec's between songs tuning. We finish a set filled with about 25 to 30 percent dead air for tuning and he will go right on about how great his cheap, modded Teles are...
So, for me... gig-worthy means it sounds good, stays in tune and is comfortable to play. If that means spending a buck or two to get a reasonable instrument, it is worth it.
As far as taking a beating - well, I suppose that could be a plus, but I pay close attention to my instrument and don't beat it around. Accidents do happen, so if I owned a boutique bass, I certainly would not be using it for the typical bar-gig circuit.
Reliability. (Does it work every time all the time?) Ability to stay in tune. (Does it stay in tune for an entire set without having to retune in between songs?) Comfort. (Weight, balance, neck shape) Tone. (What are the acoustics of the room? I will take a bass with a bright tone for a boomy room.) Playability. (Can I play this bass for a while, or is it one that causes cramping of my hands...) Type of gig. (Does this gig require fretted or fretless? Is the gig inside or outside? If outside will I be really pissed if it rains and the bass may get wet?)
+1 totally. I travel to the west coast on business every month. The past 2 trips, I've bought my SX P/J along and have played it at local blues jams at least 4 nights a week. The only mods it has are a set of Rio Grande pickups and Chrome flatwounds. I haven't had the bass go out of tune once, and it plays and sounds great through whatever house rig I'm using. Plus, if it gets damaged or lost, I'm out < $200 total.
Don't get me wrong, I'd much rather have one of my better basses to play, but there's nothing at all deficient about playing the SX.
My two main working basses are a Pre CBS '64 Precision,(my numero uno gigging bass for many years) and a lightly modded SX. The SX is the one you're most likely to see me out playing live. Nothing wrong with them at all. It actaully put the Fender into Semi-retirement a little over a year ago. Couldn't even begin to tell you how many shows I've played with the SX. I still bring out the Fender once in a while. I think I only used it on 3 or 4 shows this year. Eveything else was the SX or my Epi Jack Casady. Mostly SX though.
What makes an instrument "gig-worthy?"
One school of thought is that you can buy a cheap instrument, trick it out with some better pups and there ya go! Gig-worthy, right? ****buuuuuzzzzz!!!***** Not necessarily.
My previous guitar player lived by this concept - bragged constantly about how he buys cheapo Teles and slaps some good pups in, save a fortune and has a guitar as good as anyone else's on the road. He will be telling you this and completely oblivious of the fact that his "perfectly fine" instrument cannot stay in tune for the entire length of a single song and he literally spends 30-45 sec's between songs tuning. We finish a set filled with about 25 to 30 percent dead air for tuning and he will go right on about how great his cheap, modded Teles are...
So, for me... gig-worthy means it sounds good, stays in tune and is comfortable to play. If that means spending a buck or two to get a reasonable instrument, it is worth it.
As far as taking a beating - well, I suppose that could be a plus, but I pay close attention to my instrument and don't beat it around. Accidents do happen, so if I owned a boutique bass, I certainly would not be using it for the typical bar-gig circuit.
I agree. Gig worthy should definitely also mean - staying in tune for a set, not a song.
It would be interesting to hear exactly what guitars he is using.
I've seen some extreemly expensive guitars that wouldn't stay in tune for more than one song, and some cheapies that were virtually bullet proof. Also seen guitars that shouldn't stay in tune, hardly ever come out. Example, my guitar player plays a Gretcsh 6120 with a Bigsby very agressivly. It's a rock. Price isn't always the determining factor. Some guys just don't know how to put strings on properly too. Not neccisarily the guitars fault.
Staying in tune is a MUST for gig worthyness.
I would never take an instrument worth more than about $750 on a gig, because you just never know what's going to happen. In addition to all the other considerations--reliability, playability, etc.--I like to know that if the damn thing takes a ding from hitting something that I'm not going to go crazy over it. I looked at a Lakland Hollowbody, and it is no doubt "gig-worthy" to the nth degree, but I'd never take on on stage. That's just who I am. Anyway, my J-bass is kinda like the little black dress of gigging--it's always appropriate.
I regularly gig with two basses that are both worth 3-4 times that much and never worry about them a bit. I don't treat 'em any differently than I do a $300 bass or a $1000 bass ..... they are all handled carefully and all appreciated equally ....
