chris_b

I bought my first Volvo in 1985. I keep buying them because they never seem to stop working! My problems are usually self inflicted! I missed the only gig I've failed to turn up to, because on the way, I filled it up with petrol rather than diesel!! What a d!ck, and even more stupidly, I cheerfully rocked up to the Blues At The Farm gig in Billericay, when I should have been at a festival at Blues On The Farm, near Chichester!! I finally made it and we played 3 hours late!

Cowbell and an accent on the 1.

In this video, in the first song the guitarist doesn't play in the verses. The bass and drums just carry on. There's no dip, or hole and nothing's missing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apAKU_sXQJQ

In the context of this thread and based on thoughts put forward here, I'd say it's a rule that stands up. As always, rules can be broken, but you have to know what you are doing and how to break the rules while keeping everything right. The Winery Dogs are doing exactly what I said. While the playing is full on, the levels between solo and song sections are at the same level.

OK so none of us are playing behind a Stevie Ray Vaughn, Stevie Vai or Robben Ford, but in the bands we are in, the right bass part should be good enough for the both rhythm and solo sections of the song. This idea of "filling in" and "covering up" holes or "beefing up" the sound when the rhythm guitar stops, is not the right way to approach any trio song. If you think this is what is required, you are hearing problems that don't exist. Listen to anyone from Jimi Hendrix to John Mayer and while the bassist might throw in a few extra licks, the level, pace and rhythm parts of the songs don't change. The guitar changes but the point is that the bass and drums don't. You don't need double stops or pedals, the layers of the song should remain the same even when the top layers, the guitar and vocals, do change. If the rhythm section alters the level of what they play during every solo the songs will sound very lumpy, uneven and patchy, and that really isn't the right way to do it.

I'd call a bunch of bass payers a bunch of bass players.

Buy it. Then sell it. Satisfy that itch.

Mondeo? Sheer luxury. We used to dream of a Mondeo.

Rule #1, any bass I buy has to sound better than the last one. After that my red lines are very simple. . . . must have a low B, have 18/19mm string spacing at the bridge and, in the last 3 years, must weight less than 9lbs. That's it, I really don't care about pickups, preamps, scale or anything else. I haven't found a neck I couldn't play, and I don't have a sound in my head. Simple really. The next bass just has to sound better.

This is the bass. . . . . . . . probably worth 10/- by the time I'd finished with it!

I don't watch the guy much, but he's an exceptionally talented player, who has more chops than Dewhurst. I admire that he's made a revenue stream out of playing bass. I wish I was as good at doing that!! As with many of his video's this is just a bit of fun. Sadly the humour goes straight over the OP's head.

I was also going to pick a Volvo 850 Estate for my Mike Lull P bass, and a Mercedes AMG GT Roadster for my Sadowsky Jazz bass. And Me? Probably closer to a Morris Traveller.

I had a similar experience. I went to the Crawdaddy Club to see the Yardbirds (1967). I got there early, and during the sound check Chris Dreja's P bass didn't work. I went home and fetched my bass. There were some raised eyebrows and nudge, nudge comments from Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck when I turned up with my Framus Star Bass! But it worked and Chris was very thankful at the end of the evening.

I'm not so worried about which guitar is being played, but the thought that the bass needs to change his sound or playing style when the solo starts is just plain wrong. You never hear "your heroes" doing that.

Never mind if you are being paid or not, if there is an audience the right approach is to provide redundancy. Stuff happens and most of it is predictable, so it's not a question of "professionalism" but ensuring that the show goes on. I take spares for myself. I am ensuring that I am never the one responsible for stopping the show. After my Marshall developed a fault in the early 70's I've carried several dozen assorted fuses to every gig I've done since. So far I've never needed them, but I've given them out to guitarists and for the PA several times. I've also provided batteries for guitarists pedals. This is all just part of the job. I don't see the point in buying a cheap "backup" bass. I have 2 "proper" bass and I take both. At the gig I decide which one I'm going to play.

Yes. I customised a bass before it became valuable and took away all its future value. The sensible option is to just buy the bass that does what you want.

He does when I'm listing heroes and influences. His style launched a thousand careers.

I've never broken a string either, but I take my backup gear whenever I'm playing. . . . just in case. Two weeks ago I had to switch basses because the jack plug socket on my Jazz started to crackle. That's the only time I've ever switched basses because of a problem. We were recording a live video, so it was a good job I had a second bass on hand. .

IMO it's always a good time to buy a quality bass.

I'm not sure if you can do anything if this guy has a lack of confidence in his sound or playing. I play occasionally with a guitarist who has the same problem. He adds a second guitarist on the better gigs, to "cover his back". I can't do or say anything that will make him change his mind.

But it's not a hole. It's the dynamics of the song. You get more dynamics in a trio and that's one of the good things about them. Imagine the band as a duo. Bass and drums are the sound of the band. Add the guitar on top. Then it's either chords or solos, or maybe nothing. There is no hole in the music, just places where the guitar parts change. Be brave and embrace the spaces. The spaces are as important as the full bore sections. Always filling out the sound takes away from the light and shade, ie dynamics, and flattens out the arrangement. That's not a good thing.

I know a guitarist who depped a gig on bass. He said he found it very tiring, because he had to be playing all the time and couldn't take any breaks!!

They all make good use of dynamics and light and shade. These are very effective tools. We don't have to be filling the sound out and playing all the time. If they are talking to the audience, for instance, most are quite happy to stop playing and let the bass and drums continue.

Find a local band with musicians you like and who are good enough and ask them to join to help you meet your current commitments. Decide whether it's temporary or permanent later.

95% of the guitarists I play with in 3 piece bands use Fenders, mostly Strats. The other 5% play a Gibson of some sort. A 3 piece needs a focus so I'm happy playing with "look at me" guitarists. Even so, most of them are way, way too loud.