Roo Hobbers Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) Hi Folks, just registered on here in the hope of finding a bassist for a new band called Fake Empires. Ideally a pick as well as a fingers player with the ability to play chords too if possible, Bass VI perhaps? We're based in Herts Beds and Bucks and currently rehearse in Baldock. Age and gender are unimportant, we just need a great player. Do get in touch if this is of interest, ideally with music or video links. Roo- Fake Empires Edited January 25, 2017 by Roo Hobbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) Here's the working version of the link: [url="https://soundcloud.com/fakeempires/sets/working-demos-unfinished"]https://soundcloud.c...emos-unfinished[/url] Welcome Roo, you missed out the colon in the url. It sounds really good. I'm working right now, but I'll be interesting to have a full listen later. Good luck Edited January 6, 2017 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) On a slightly separate note, any info or advice for finding decent musicians would be most welcome. Have been looking on JMB for 6 months and had just dreamers and time wasters respond... Edited January 6, 2017 by Roo Hobbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 [quote name='Roo Hobbers' timestamp='1483713882' post='3209478'] On a slightly separate note, any info or advice for finding decent musicians would be most welcome. [/quote] Don't be too specific or restrictive. Even here, you've suggested (to a Forum of bass players) how your bass player should play - pick / fingerstyle - and the technique they should use - chords please, and this is the instrument you should probably buy in order to play them! You've asked for advice, so mine would be to invite musicians to tell you how they'd like to play. If they're not good enough to know what's right for the song, then they probably won't be in your band in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1483716027' post='3209504'] Don't be too specific or restrictive. Even here, you've suggested (to a Forum of bass players) how your bass player should play - pick / fingerstyle - and the technique they should use - chords please, and this is the instrument you should probably buy in order to play them! You've asked for advice, so mine would be to invite musicians to tell you how they'd like to play. If they're not good enough to know what's right for the song, then they probably won't be in your band in the first place. [/quote] Hi Happy Jack Really appreciate your response. It's a tricky balance between being open to new ideas and at the same time knowing the sounds and approach that fits. I'm very open to hearing from bassists and their ideas for the songs but if pick playing is not part of their skills/ repertoire it will be difficult to play some of the songs. Further comments are most welcome Roo Edited January 6, 2017 by Roo Hobbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 Just a few thoughts: As an alternative to playing with a pick you could find finger picking down over the bridge and using muting to clip the note short could have a similar sound-feel to that you're looking for. Something you could also consider is fretless. It could suit your sound well on some tracks. 6-string bass players are thin on the ground. A 6 string neck is very wide and will only give you 12 more notes than a 4-string. The advantage it gives is it stops the player having to move up and down the neck as much. 5-string players are more common. It sounds like you're quite definite in what you want played. I guess you'd be looking for someone who's a reader as well? If I may be critical. The tracks all sound very similar. Maybe that's because the bass is missing and they're still in development. Maybe it's me. I'm local to you, but I don't play pick or chords and I don't think I'm at your level. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483734755' post='3209768'] Just a few thoughts: As an alternative to playing with a pick you could find finger picking down over the bridge and using muting to clip the note short could have a similar sound-feel to that you're looking for. Something you could also consider is fretless. It could suit your sound well on some tracks. 6-string bass players are thin on the ground. A 6 string neck is very wide and will only give you 12 more notes than a 4-string. The advantage it gives is it stops the player having to move up and down the neck as much. 5-string players are more common. It sounds like you're quite definite in what you want played. I guess you'd be looking for someone who's a reader as well? If I may be critical. The tracks all sound very similar. Maybe that's because the bass is missing and they're still in development. Maybe it's me. I'm local to you, but I don't play pick or chords and I don't think I'm at your level. Good luck. [/quote] Again, thanks for taking the time to listen and make comment/ critique. All useful stuff. Can I ask about a couple of things? "As an alternative to playing with a pick you could find finger picking down over the bridge and using muting to clip the note short could have a similar sound-feel to that you're looking for." Is it possible to play fast triplets using this method? Does it work for chords? "Something you could also consider is fretless. It could suit your sound well on some tracks." Would love to find a true Fretless player... rarer than hen's teeth! "6-string bass players are thin on the ground. A 6 string neck is very wide and will only give you 12 more notes than a 4-string. The advantage it gives is it stops the player having to move up and down the neck as much. 5-string players are more common. It sounds like you're quite definite in what you want played. I guess you'd be looking for someone who's a reader as well?" From playing experience Bass VI's allow easier chord playing, depending on the needs of the song. 5 string is great for adding the range of the B string or lower. No need to be a reader at all, I don't read music. "If I may be critical. The tracks all sound very similar. Maybe that's because the bass is missing and they're still in development. Maybe it's me." Appreciate the feedback, rarely available from honest fellow musicians. " I don't play pick or chords and I don't think I'm at your level." Not sure what this means. Maybe you'd like to chat, I might be able to change your mind about playing regularly with other musicians... For me it's never been about being in a band, it's always been about the moment of creation of something new with like minded others, magic moments where the atmosphere becomes electric and the hairs on the arms and back of the neck stand up... the rest is just irrelevant crap. Cheers Roo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 A bit of confusion here. Given the interest in chords, I reckon that by Bass VI the OP means a baritone-style bass, as in a 6-string guitar tuned an octave down. In other words, [u][b]not [/b][/u]a 6-string bass as in BEADGC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 6, 2017 Share Posted January 6, 2017 I read it as Bass VI, as in the Fender (or squier) Bass VI. Which has a pretty narrow neck, like a guitar. Kind of hard going finger picking on it due to the spacing, still possible but not that comfortable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1483741883' post='3209857'] A bit of confusion here. Given the interest in chords, I reckon that by Bass VI the OP means a baritone-style bass, as in a 6-string guitar tuned an octave down. In other words, [u][b]not [/b][/u]a 6-string bass as in BEADGC. [/quote] True, assumed with the Cure reference to the post that the Bass VI would be obvious. Bass VI are easier for playing chords and tricky to pick with fingers, probably why most Bass VI players use a pick. The original post has suggestions to give an idea where the bass playing I wrote and recorded on the tracks comes from. Edited January 7, 2017 by Roo Hobbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 So really, a Fender Pawn Shop bass is the requirement. Buy one and do it yourself. That way you can get the sound and playing method etc, you want. There's little point in trying to recruit a puppet bass player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 (edited) [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1483782151' post='3210015'] So really, a Fender Pawn Shop bass is the requirement. Buy one and do it yourself. That way you can get the sound and playing method etc, you want. There's little point in trying to recruit a puppet bass player. [/quote] No, not a Fender Pawn shop bass. Squier Bass VI's are very good (mine was) and the bass VI idea is suggestion only to give an idea. Edited January 7, 2017 by Roo Hobbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I would say, although the Bass VI is good for some things (I have my second one as I picked it up over christmas cheap), those songs seem like they would more benefit from a solid definition from a real bass. The bass VI is good for sort of shoegaze stuff, but more as a low guitar than a bass, ie, more as well as rather than instead of as in the cure, otherwise it can seem a bit weak in a mix sometimes. I don't read it as trying to get a puppet bass player, more just having an idea what you want. But like all ideas, they are good until you hear something else. Hopefully the bass player you get will have their own ideas that will work as I think you have the basis of something good there. Good luck with your search! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 [quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1483784630' post='3210042'] I would say, although the Bass VI is good for some things (I have my second one as I picked it up over christmas cheap), those songs seem like they would more benefit from a solid definition from a real bass. The bass VI is good for sort of shoegaze stuff, but more as a low guitar than a bass, ie, more as well as rather than instead of as in the cure, otherwise it can seem a bit weak in a mix sometimes. I don't read it as trying to get a puppet bass player, more just having an idea what you want. But like all ideas, they are good until you hear something else. Hopefully the bass player you get will have their own ideas that will work as I think you have the basis of something good there. Good luck with your search! [/quote] Really appreciate your comments, you've got exactly what we're aiming at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Hey Roo, just had a quick listen to the demos. There's a lot of scope for a good, creative bassist to bring something original, distinctive - maybe even surprising - to the party. A very nice drummer to play with too. If we still lived in Fowlmere, I'd be banging on your door to arrange a preliminary chat in the upstairs resto at Taylor's in Baldock! (This used to be the best chippie in the universe, is it still there?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Hey Mike, thanks for the message. I don't know Baldock so well as we rehearse there as a midpoint between all our homes. I agree about the scope thing, wish you lived nearer for a chat and a plate of chips maybe! As a bassist myself who now plays guitar I know the kind of thing I'm after but would want a fellow musician to be creative with the bass parts. Have had a couple of responses so far so fingers crossed. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 As someone who'd be all over this if you were based in my locality, I'd disagree with almost everything mentioned above. Stick to your guns and get the bass player that fits the band and not someone whose going tho change the great sound you have. Also as someone who actually owns a Bass VI, I'd say that they are massively over-rated, and a more "traditional" bass played in the higher register is going to fit much better with the overall band sound. I took mine to a recent recording session, and the sound just didn't have enough authority to not get lost amongst the guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 Hi BigRedX Thanks for your comments and encouragement, much appreciated. Your Bass VI advise rings true too. The Cure seem to add Bass VI for more baritone/ mid range lead melodies like on 'High' which sounds great imho. However when I used my Squier VI for tracking bass, at home admittedly, it did lack the punch/ authority you mention. The same was apparent through an Ampeg SVT in a rehearsal room. It did sound fantastic through my guitar rig with a decent chorus though. We're still looking for a bassist at the moment despite some great responses... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gapiro Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Hi Roo Is it your band that are advertising under the name Saluki on JMB? Your posts on join my band personally instantly turn me off because it sounds very restrictive. I'm also a little bit further away (huntingdon) but thats moot. Otherwise, the only thing I would say, is put the link to the demos on JMB - they're pretty good. In terms of finding decent musicians, you need to just get out there, get playing and meet people. Get to the jam sessions, learn different styles - itt will enhance your ability in your main style. At the Jams you will work out who the best musicians are etc and you'll also get to have some idea of their personality too. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 [quote name='gapiro' timestamp='1484310915' post='3214561'] Hi Roo Is it your band that are advertising under the name Saluki on JMB? Your posts on join my band personally instantly turn me off because it sounds very restrictive. I'm also a little bit further away (huntingdon) but thats moot. Otherwise, the only thing I would say, is put the link to the demos on JMB - they're pretty good. In terms of finding decent musicians, you need to just get out there, get playing and meet people. Get to the jam sessions, learn different styles - itt will enhance your ability in your main style. At the Jams you will work out who the best musicians are etc and you'll also get to have some idea of their personality too. Regards [/quote] Really appreciate the time you've taken to respond gapiro, and your comments about the music. Yes, the Saluki advert on JMB is ours. I guess if the general requirements for the band are not somebodies 'thing' it will perhaps come across as restrictive. Never did Johnny Marr any harm though- self- imposing restrictions and excelling within them... having explored different 'styles' this is what I'm attempting. I could be wrong but I think it's unlikely that we'll find the right person at a jam night. The few jam nights I've ever attended left me wanting to take up accountancy in a much more real and passionate way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floFC Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 I like the music. Good luck with finding the right bass player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Hobbers Posted January 24, 2017 Author Share Posted January 24, 2017 Hi folks. Really appreciate all the comments and advice. We've found a bassist now so the next mission is to prepare the songs to play live. All the best Roo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gyrus Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 why did i miss this? i'm just within the vicinity. :-/ all the best... 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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