leftyhook Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I have been using a Warwick Corvette Standard as my main bass the past few months. We mix on stage. I have noticed that the lad who does the sound never looks across to me when I sound check my bass. So this Saturday, I will plug in my Westfield Graffitti (Frankenstein'd by me) P bass. I bet that he won't notice. The warwick has a great sound. But I bet I can get the Westfield to sound convincing too. It plays brilliantly (great neck) and lets be honest, how many of us have expensive basses that, come live gigs, they might as well be £80 jobs in the crap acoustics of a hall/holiday camp. Thing is, he might notice it looks a bit different to the Warwick if he does happen to look over..Do you think?!! Do you think he will do a double take as soon as I play the first few notes, or will he not notice? Only one way to find out![attachment=104879:IMG_0897.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 I suspect that unless it sounds completely different (like a saxophone, elephant, or train) he won't bat an eyelid. A lot of sound guys don't pay much attention to the specifics of peoples instruments, unless they have a personal interest (we have a local sound engineer who is a bassist too and likes to talk gear!). To be fair they're only doing their job, and interested in whether something sounds good or crap, and if it sounds crap sort it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 This kind of interests me not only in the sound mans perspective , but also in the £/tone/ playability argument I really don't get the £000's spent on stuff that is way above the ability of the player that spends it, or the ear that hears it IYSWIM If you have money to burn , then hell yeah , spend it on a bass . but does it really help the tone/playabilty of the kit, does it make that much difference ? is it a confidence/crutch issue , or am I so naive to think that the kit I have gives me decent bangs for the buck ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyonbass Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 My daughter has a sixty quid Westfield P bass. Its a brilliant piece of kit and I'd be happy to gig it anytime if it wasn't [i]PINK![/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris2112 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1334245359' post='1613194'] So this Saturday, I will plug in my Westfield Graffitti (Frankenstein'd by me) P bass. I bet that he won't notice. The warwick has a great sound. But I bet I can get the Westfield to sound convincing too. It plays brilliantly (great neck) and lets be honest, how many of us have expensive basses that, come live gigs, they might as well be £80 jobs in the crap acoustics of a hall/holiday camp. [/quote] This was always one of my main gripes when we didn't mix our own sound live. House/Venue soundmen could vary greatly in quality. Some were up for the task of getting a great sound. Some just weren't arsed. Some venues just sounded crap because of the acoustics of the room. Things got much better when we started mixing ourselves. Depends on the soundman, I suppose, as to whether or not he will notice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 There's a simple solution. Drown out the PA Seriously thouogh, completely agree in a live situation. On the other hand... Having a good basic tone makes a good sound engineers job easier and a bad sound engineer will have to work harder to make it sound bad. Same goes when recording. On my bands latest recordings the only editing on the bass is the volume! We're using the Compressor from my amp and the EQ from my amp + the ACG and nothing else. Result? Huge sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 He might notice its upside down Where's me anorak Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='lurksalot' timestamp='1334273897' post='1613820'] This kind of interests me not only in the sound mans perspective , but also in the £/tone/ playability argument I really don't get the £000's spent on stuff that is way above the ability of the player that spends it, or the ear that hears it IYSWIM If you have money to burn , then hell yeah , spend it on a bass . but does it really help the tone/playabilty of the kit, does it make that much difference ? is it a confidence/crutch issue , or am I so naive to think that the kit I have gives me decent bangs for the buck ??? [b]I have played some right knock-about basses live,and I just tell myself that it's doing the job fine, and never had anyone say otherwise.[/b] [b]I sometimes think that we all get faaaaaar too anal on this forum. I have had Dimarzio pick-ups fitted, upgraded bridges, and nothing made me say "wow! what a difference!"[/b] [b]It really does have a lot to do with how you play. Too much[i] Placebo effect[/i] going on with high end basses.Don't get me wrong, there can be a big difference in the immediacy when it comes to playability, but any player worth their salt should get to grips with a Westfield pretty fast, for instance.[/b] [b]Quality amps are a different thing, but the bass is our first point of contact with the sound, so it's a lot to do with the player.[/b] [/quote] [quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1334289330' post='1613869'] My daughter has a sixty quid Westfield P bass. Its a brilliant piece of kit and I'd be happy to gig it anytime if it wasn't [i]PINK![/i] [/quote] [b]Pink...so what! .tell that to Marlowe DK. [/b] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alyctes Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='andyonbass' timestamp='1334289330' post='1613869'] My daughter has a sixty quid Westfield P bass. Its a brilliant piece of kit and I'd be happy to gig it anytime if it wasn't [i]PINK![/i] [/quote] I want one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted April 13, 2012 Share Posted April 13, 2012 I love my Westfield. I was all set to get a "proper" 4 string this year but, in the mean time, I took the time to set my Westfield up properly and put some decent strings on it. It made a huge difference and I've decided that unless my ideal Bass were to come along at the right price, then I shan't bother with another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1334335507' post='1614854'] I love my Westfield. I was all set to get a "proper" 4 string this year but, in the mean time, I took the time to set my Westfield up properly and put some decent strings on it. It made a huge difference and I've decided that unless my ideal Bass were to come along at the right price, then I shan't bother with another. [/quote] Brilliant! I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted April 13, 2012 Author Share Posted April 13, 2012 [quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1334335175' post='1614845'] I want one [/quote]http://youtu.be/09xLVuEmCHU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 [quote name='leftyhook' timestamp='1334245359' post='1613194'] I have been using a Warwick Corvette Standard as my main bass the past few months. We mix on stage. [i]I have noticed that the lad who does the sound never looks across to me when I sound check my bass.[/i] So this Saturday, I will plug in my Westfield Graffitti (Frankenstein'd by me) P bass. I bet that he won't notice. The warwick has a great sound. But I bet I can get the Westfield to sound convincing too. It plays brilliantly (great neck) and lets be honest, how many of us have expensive basses that, come live gigs, they might as well be £80 jobs in the crap acoustics of a hall/holiday camp. Thing is, he might notice it looks a bit different to the Warwick if he does happen to look over..Do you think?!! [i]Do you think he will do a double take as soon as I play the first few notes, or will he not notice? Only one way to find out![/i][attachment=104879:IMG_0897.jpg] [/quote] just ask him out for a coffee date or something. it would be simpler than this whole bass switching to get his attention schtick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftyhook Posted April 16, 2012 Author Share Posted April 16, 2012 [quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1334531319' post='1617401'] just ask him out for a coffee date or something. it would be simpler than this whole bass switching to get his attention schtick [/quote] I think, my dear friend, you have got the wrong end of the schtick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.