Lozz196 Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) Went to a gig last night. Two of the three bands didn`t have bass, just relying on the low end of the guitar. One band had just drums & one guitar who used multi-effects, plenty of low-end. The other band had drums & two guitars using Kempers, again plenty of depth to the sound. They both had a better overall sound than the band with the bassist. OK it was a small gig with only vocals (I think, may have been some Kemperage from the main band) through a very small vocal PA, but the sound was much sharper/clearer. I hope this isn`t a worrying sign of things to come. Edit - I forgot to mention, they were chuggy-metal-type bands, so maybe the genre makes this easier to do without bass, can`t really imagine Motown or ska without a good bass. Edited September 16, 2022 by Lozz196 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownote Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) I started to feature fretless and 6 string bass to broaden my sound palette offering, and now I'm learning myself sax so I'm less reliant on bass for identity. Edited September 16, 2022 by lownote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 33 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: Two of the three bands didn`t have bass, just relying on the low end of the guitar. Went to a metal gig a couple of weeks ago. All 3 of the bands had bassists. I'm playing a gig tonight, all 4 of the bands have bassists also. In fact I don't think i've seen a band live without one in 20 years (since I started going). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 The glass-half-full view. Maybe bassists looking for a gig will be more in demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len_derby Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 No, I don’t think it’s worrying. Fashions come and go. The low frequency notes in music don’t have to come from a bass guitar. The average music listener doesn’t know or care (or need to know or care) which sounds come from which instruments. To me, it’s all about making music that people want to listen or dance to. If one of the bands I play with tell me they don’t want a bass guitar I don’t thing I’d struggle to find other options. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Who to blame though - The Doors, White Stripes, Yeah Yeahs? 😆 It’s been a thing for a while now, yet nothing to worry about I feel. I’ve been to a couple of gigs where the bass player is absent. Saw Jimmie Vaughan supporting Clapton at the Albert Hall, and after my initial surprise I didn’t really miss the bass guitar that much. Keyboard (Hammond) player had it well covered. Also saw Steve Winwood at The Leadmill in Sheffield with a (mostly) South American band, and Steve had it covered with bass pedals most of the time. Again, didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the gig, but probably would have preferred a bass guitar for more attack and better tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 It's hard enough putting the boogie in the low end being a quasi extra drum and a chord element at the same time, just playing one note at a time on the bass. Keyboard bass and guitar bass can fill a void, but it's not the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Panzer Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Maybe there's just more money and clout in posting bass vids on instagram and tiktok...they seem to be doing well there and you don't even have to leave the house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Many ways to skin that particular cat. A competent, well-equipped keyboard player will always be able to substitute for the bassist (in sime ways, at least), and it's been that way since the 50s. Ever heard of Jerry Lee Lewis? On the other hand, having a keys player in the band adds a whole new level of complexity and gear cartage. I've recently gone back to keys (after a 40-year gap) with a couple of bands, including one where I'd been the bass player for two years. Load-in for me as a bassist: gigbag in one hand, combo in the other, setlist + lead + power cable in the pocket of the gigbag. Set-up for me as a bassist: plug in combo, plug in lead, pick up bass. Load-in for me as a keyboardist: (1) keyboards stand, stool and cables bag (2) two keyboards (3) combo/monitor + stand etc. Set-up for me as a keyboardist: erect keys stand, place keyboards, erect monitor stand, plug in 6-way gang, plug in power supplies, plug keyboards into stereo DI box, take thru feed into monitor, take main feed to PA, power up & test everything, erect stool and place settings book/tablet, punch in settings for first song. And, of course, on stage I take up as much space as the drumkit and I'm as exciting to watch as paint drying. Plus, as @Downunderwonder hints at, whatever sound I'm making will be met with, "Well can't you do brass on that bit?". Guys, I'm already flitting between Hammond and piano with my right hand while playing bass with my left. "Yes, but that bit really needs brass." I think I'll stick to playing in bands where there's a full-time bassist, thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) I think the problem with a poor live mix can be the presence of too many instruments on stage, often all fighting for the same frequency range. Hurtsfall are now a 3-piece comprising vocals, synth and bass VI with sequenced drums and some additional synths (mostly textures and effects). Since we lost the guitar and live drums our live sound has become much more focused and precise. Because we have computer-driven backing there can be a tendency to fill the mix with extra stuff, but I always try and work from the perspective of playing the songs with just "drums" live synth and live bass VI and only put additional instruments on the backing if there is an obvious gap in the sound that shouldn't be there. Also the "bass" part shifts between Bass VI, live synths and sequenced backing depending on the needs of the song. Originals bands should also remember that there is quite a big difference between what works best on a recording and what works best live in terms of sound and arrangements. Edit: also with Hurtsfall's current line-up I don't see the instrumentation in terms of typical bass and synth sounds, but sounds that are best produced by pressing keys and sounds that are best produced by plucking or strumming strings. These are two very different playing techniques that each lend themselves to different textures and arrangements. Edited September 16, 2022 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Round here there's a shortage of bass players; always used to be drummists but now there seem to be plenty of those. Pretty much every conversation in which I mention I play bass ther response is "We're looking for a bass player/a mate of mine's band is looking for a bass player". I put it down to Brexit like everything else 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Went to see a couple of bands a short while ago (small gig; Rebellion in Manchester, probably 150 there, if that), and they were both two-piece bands; a singist/geetard (with some octave tracking on a few songs) and a drummist. It worked for their type of stuff, but again it's fairly niche, and not really a worrying trend per se. Royal Blood have shown it can be done, and yeah, punters don't (and shouldn't, if it's done right) care if there's a bassist there, as long as the band can make it work. On the other hand, I've been to see some very big bands at very big arenas where the bassist may as well not have bothered, you could hear so little of it, other than a cannon-kick-dominated, subsonic rumble... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 3 hours ago, Muzz said: Royal Blood Our band are doing the Royal Blood bit, but with the addition of an extra bass player and a guitar. I think all bass players have a duty to only play in 2 bass bands. Unless they can get more in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 3 hours ago, Muzz said: On the other hand, I've been to see some very big bands at very big arenas where the bassist may as well not have bothered, you could hear so little of it, other than a cannon-kick-dominated, subsonic rumble... Indeed. Many of these bass-less bands have a better bass sound than a band with a poorly mixed bass-player (sound engineers fault, not the players) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I'm not too worried. There's always been a few bands with no bass player. Carter USM back in the 90s, White Stripes in the noughties and more recently Slaves. More concerning is that it seems to be increasingly normal for big pop acts to record bass guitar sounding lines that are either played on keys using a realistic patch or just programmed in on a laptop. Bruno Mars and Dua Lipa spring to mind. Although reassuringly Mars still takes a flesh and blood bass player out as part of his live band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I saw Seasick Steve in the summer , just him and a @Dad3353 lookalike on the drums , good enough sound , especially when they were both ripping it up . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alien Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 We need to reverse this worrying trend of bassless bands! As bassists, the responsibility must lie with us to stop these skinny-stringed interlopers. We need to educate people about the great qualities of the bass, and bring the works of guitarless bands like Ben Folds Five or Morphine (RIP) into the limelight! A 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Cato said: ........Bruno Mars and Dua Lipa spring to mind. Although reassuringly Mars still takes a flesh and blood bass player out as part of his live band. On the Dua Lipa NPR Tiny Desk (Home) concert, IIRC the MD is the bass player and the drums are on track. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 IMO "chuggy-metal-type bands" will die out before bass guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 “Worrying sign of things to come?” Nope, anicdotal at best, cyclical at worst. /thread lol Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I saw Royal Blood a few years back in Nottingham. They were ok but the live experience was a bit lacking if I’m honest. Both in terms of sound and the experience at the gig. Amazing what they do and I love the first album but I think what they do is a limitation rather than a gift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 The Doors didn't use a bass on gigs, but weren't brave enough to record without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nail Soup Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 I saw The Lovely Eggs a couple of weeks ago. Just two people (husband and wife), drums and guitar/Vox. She had a really good guitar sound which included plenty of bass. But she was playing block chords, which worked for what they do. But not might not work without bass if they wanted to change their sound (e.g start including solos, or play more of a groove etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 00Soul Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 (edited) 8 minutes ago, chris_b said: The Doors didn't use a bass on gigs, but weren't brave enough to record without one. The Rascals/Young Rascals - who were more of a soul band from the same period as The Doors - also left it to the organ to handle the bass stuff live. But they used bass guitars on all their albums except for the first one. I think the Dandy Warhols do the same thing. In the 1990s, some of the riot grrrl bands like Sleater-Kinney and Bratmobile didn't use bassists either. Neither did Germany's Stereo Total. Edited September 16, 2022 by Agent 00Soul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumOne Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 Alternatively, could've seen 2 piece drums/Bass bands like Royal Blood, Death From Above 1979, Om and concluded it's a worrying time to be a Guitarist. Perhaps some music can do without Bass, not stuff I want to hear though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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