I've got a gig coming up and I flirting with the idea of doubling on the BG. I figure most of the stuff I'll be playing I will do on the DB, but there are a couple of funky tunes that I would like to do on BG. How do you folks usually handle this? The set list is constructed in such a way that I probably won't be doing more than two consecutive tunes on BG. Is it even worth bringing the BG?
If its an upright gig, I try to make the funky tunes work on upright. This is mostly because I'm lazy and I hate hauling around and messing with equipment. But it is a different mindset/technique playing funk on the upright as opposed to electric. I've sometimes found when playing the upright that I can be twice as funky with half as many notes.
What LOOKING FOR MIKE said. If it's only a couple of tunes, I usually don't feel it's worth the trouble. The exception is my original group, where we have a couple of tunes that I physically just can't play on DB because of the tempo and what my part is supposed to be. For that, I take my Smith. KEN Smith, that is.
Its going to be tricky, because after a couple of songs is usually when you get your sound dialed in for a particular room, and by the time you get your BG sounding good, you'll be switching back to DB. If you do, I would at least get a multiple input DI like the Raven Labs MDB1 or better yet, have a two channel amp, or pump your DB through an entirely different amp (or the PA) than the BG. Otherwise, you will end up compromising your DB settings all for a couple of tunes. Sometimes I play shows where the converse happens - I end up only playing a few songs on the DB, but this is totally setlist specific, and usually not decided till game time, and since our overall repetoire is about 50/50, I have both ready to go at all times. Its definitely not a joy from a gear perspective, but I end up with a decent sound from both.
a keyboardist friend uses a stereo volume pedal to switch between organ and fender rhodes. i understand that there's a setting on it that pans between right and left channels (?) and he has one plugged into each and uses it to a/b them. i think it's an ernie ball. i imagine the same pedal would work for taking two bass inputs and a/b'ing them into a single amp input, but if you needed to change amp settings for your different axes (which seems likely) you'd have that extra trouble to go to. sean p
I have a K&K Dual Channel Preamp which allows two bass singles to go in an one or a combined signal to come out. I've used the K&K in a situation when I was playing electric and another bassist was playing upright and it works pretty good when you only have one amp. I've also been experimenting using a microphone and pickup, lately it has been working good at rehearsals.
I've done this and I use my trusty Raven Labs MDB-1. It's a brilliant piece of gear. Three inputs (which lets me switch between fretted, fretless and real basses), with independent volume control for each, plus a DI out and effects loop. You won't regret it. -dh
