Acoustic open-mic sessions and gear

[Mornats]

Hey folks,

We should be doing some open-mic nights soon (well, we've done one already but hope to do more!) and have a question about gear. A fair few of the open-mic nights are acoustic only. We have our singer Amy, Pinball on guitar and myself on bass. I plan to use my passive Overwater Classic J and either my Ashdown 220 Touring, my Laney 15 watt RB1 (if it'll be loud enough) or just go through the PA.

So, the question! Are open-mic nights generally ok with an electric bass at acoustic sessions? Or will I have to look at getting an acoustic or semi-acoustic bass? I'd prefer to stick with the electric but I don't want to rule us out of the acoustic only gigs.

[icastle]

I do quite a few of these, they're good places to make contacts and I've had a reasonable bit of work come my way from them over the years.

There aren't any hard and fast rules as to whether electric instruments are accepted or not so ringing the organiser before turning up to see how they feel about it is the best bet.

I keep my kit as low key/in keeping as possible.
The other thing I do is to get there early so I can get my amp on stage before everything kicks off.

As far as amplification is concerned, I use an amp and a 2x10 cab (both tucked out of the way).
That's far bigger than I actually need, but it's the smallest combination I have at the moment.

I don't think you'll get away with a 15W amp if you're competing against a guitarist, singer and a PA system though.

[mike257]

When I've done them I've plugged straight into the PA (literally, not a DI box to be found) and got on with it. Whilst the PA likely won't be huge, you won't need tons of level on the bass in your typical open mic setup.

Saying that, I always take my Sandberg for anything like that as I know the preamp will give me a decent level to the desk and some tonal control - a passive bass would probably be fine but I felt more comfortable using something active.

[oggiesnr]

There's no point getting most semi-acoustic or acoustic basses, they won't hack it against guitar and vocals. I'm lucky as I have a Tacoma Thunderchief which can handle a guitar and several other instruments OK in a purely acoustic setting ( I use it for Irish sessions). If there's a PA then I plug it in to whatever amp or channel is handy. Other than that then the small Line6 works well but you need to be aware of the balance with everything else.

Steve

[BassTractor]

Only thing I've heard that can manage is one of those massive Russian triangular things (name on tip of my tongue, but happily that's not close to the keyboard right now).
So unless you're buying Steve's Thunderchief, I gather you're in for amplification.

best,
bert

[JapanAxe]

For some reason, an electric fretless bass seems to be more acceptable at an 'acoustic' jam, maybe because it is perceived as a closer relation to the ol' bull fiddle.

[OldG]

I used to play acoustic nights with a Jazz and a Line 6 amp - I took a line out to the PA and used a low volume on stage to monitor. Everyone seemed very happy with the results..

I looked at the spec on the Laney, but couldn't see a line out.. you could mic it up or even use the 'phones socket at a push.

[Phil Starr]

There should be no problem plugging even a passive bass into the PA. The only problem with going through the PA is that there is usually only a tiny performance space and you often get tucked behind the speakers where it is difficult to hear. I bought a Hartke Kickback 10 (no longer made) for just this job. The notch filter lets you dial in an acoustic like sound and I found little practice amps just don't sound good in most venues. The trick is to be physically unobtrusive so if you do this regularly it is worth looking out for a cheapish small combo.

I've never had any negative comments about taking a bass along, generally you find most of the guitarists end up asking you to play along with them.

[Mornats]

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll scout out the venues in advance and see what they recommend for amplification. I should be ok to cart my Ashdown Touring combo to them if needed