Why did I do that...

[JRA]

tough stuff, but you managed to get through it.

(i'm fearful of 'differences' (in feel) between instruments so: i make sure all of my basses feel the same, or nearly the same: same scale, same neck shape, same strings, yad yada. fretlesses can be brutal --- i need consistency to reduce the worries and surprises!)

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

Two things that I try to remember;
1. always try everything at full gig volume,
same gear, amp, etc, that you will use onstage
and
2. always bring a backup, preferably one you are familiar with.

 

[BlueAliceOasis]

So a couple days ago I score a sweet late 60's Ventura violin bass. In almost 20 years I have never played a violin bass. The tone is something new and exciting to me, and i'm loving it. I havent been able to put the bass down since. Beatle tunes now sound like Beatle tunes.

Well, at last nights gig I thought I'd use it instead of my P bass that I normally use; big mistake. In hindsight another failure I can see was not taking my P as a backup. At home I'd been playing the new bass sitting down at lower volume, so playing it standing up and cranked was a whole other story. The feel of the bass completely screwed me (well in all fairness, I probably screwed myself worse than the bass did). I kept playing wrong frets because of the slimmer and shorter neck profile. I was reduced to playing staring down at the fretboard the entire night. On top of that the EQ for both my amp and pedals is set to my P bass.

After stumbling though the entire set; and frustrated af, the BL asks if I was under the influence. I tried to explain the whole bass thing to him, but he didnt believe me. He thinks I'm in denial and should check myself into a rehab clinic. Wowzers! Have any of you guys had similar experiences?

Unless you have a habit of actually playing under the influence, why is the BL suggesting you go to rehab?

 

[Sparkl]

Well now. For starters, lets just say that you weren't yet used to it. I never played a violin bass but the problems you described in the first post are 100% typical for someone that is trying out a new bass and is not used to it. New insrument, different feel, different sound character etc.

Comparing to a Pbass, which is by its nature a very deep sounding instrument, it would at least make sense to me to check the sound of the new bass on a tone check before the gig. Or at least make a rehearsal before the gig and figure something out there.

You can't simply take an EQ setting from one bass, switch the bass and apply the same EQ. Sure if you run the EQ flat you can, but that will of course heavily change the nature of your tone and effect the whole bands sound picture. Depends on your technique "adaptivity" then. Not even a Jazz Bass will sound good after plugging it straight into a Pbass EQ setup.

All in all, I never take a recently bought bass guitar to a gig without playing it extensively before to get the grip and all. Even though I am a trained academic musician and can switch from an instrument to another instrument easily I still avoid it.

My first 5 string bass has been under constant practice routine for at least 6 months before I decided I am comfortable enough with it to actually play a gig in a stable way. With my first 6 string it was a similar experience.

Practice man.

 

[RiZzBot]

Unless you have a habit of actually playing under the influence, why is the BL suggesting you go to rehab?

I think he was half joking when he said it. It's hard to tell with this guy sometimes.

 

[Pilgrim]

I had a Rogue VB violin bass for a couple of years. Never had any problem playing it, never felt that it played or handled very differently from other basses. But I've generally been able to change between long, medium and short scale basses easily.

 

[RiZzBot]

I had a Rogue VB violin bass for a couple of years. Never had any problem playing it, never felt that it played or handled very differently from other basses. But I've generally been able to change between long, medium and short scale basses easily.

Well la ti ta. Look who just showed up late to the party; Mr. bada$$. Jkjk

 

[dreamadream99]

Wowzers! Have any of you guys had similar experiences?

Yes. I've lied to my band too.

 

[RiZzBot]

Yes. I've lied to my band too.

.

 

[Pilgrim]

Well la ti ta. Look who just showed up late to the party; Mr. bada$$. Jkjk

It's just that some people are more bothered by changing basses than others. I have more short scales than others, but I have a couple of medium scales and long scales. Over time I have come to prefer short scales. If that makes me a bada$$, I can live with it. I didn't know we were running this thread on Jr. High customs...

 

[nixdad]

After stumbling though the entire set; and frustrated af, the BL asks if I was under the influence. I tried to explain the whole bass thing to him, but he didnt believe me. He thinks I'm in denial and should check myself into a rehab clinic. Wowzers! Have any of you guys had similar experiences?

Although the experience was a drag, it made for a good gig story, didn't it?!?!

I used to play at church on occasion in the early 80's when I was much younger and inexperienced. Instead of bringing my dot-neck Jazz bass one day, I used the other bassists mid-60's Fender Coronado Bass which had (block) inlays starting at the 1st fret, and not the 3rd fret like all of the other basses I owned at the time. Because I was used to looking at the fretboard, you guessed it...I started the tune a whole step down. I recovered, but still felt like an idiot.

Decades later I still make mistakes on occasion - just do your best, roll with it and have fun!

 

[RiZzBot]

I didn't know we were running this thread on Jr. High customs...

C'mon i posted this on the bass humor section. Get outta here with your nonsense.