How Easily Could You Be Replaced ?

[BigRedX]

16 minutes ago, steve-bbb said:

 

 

I don't know what sorts of bands he's going to see, but simply from a practical PoV getting rid of the drummer is far more useful than getting rid of the bass player, or any other musician come to that. 

 

If you use backing tracks with live drums you have to then consider click tracks for the drummer and how they are going to hear that as well as the rest of the band. IME it makes everything so much more complicated, most of the time it would be simpler to have a bass player. Also once you don't have a drummer it cuts the amount of gear that a band needs to take in half. Without a drummer my (3-piece) band plus all our gear and someone to roadie and work the merch table fits into a single estate car. 

 

I suppose it also depends on the genre. In post-punk/goth there are plenty of bands without drummers but very few without bass players and there are some where the only instrument being played on stage is the bass.

[tauzero]

14 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Anyone is welcome to wrap my leads but almost nobody does because as soon as they start rolling them I have to teach them how to wrap them and that almost never sinks in.

 

My mains leads all have velcro ties and anyone can coil them. I'm the only one who gets to coil my XLR and j-j leads (also all with velcro ties). And on the odd occasion that I use a wall wart, I coil the cable round my hand and fasten it with a cable tie, NEVER EVER wrap the cable round the wall wart body.

[chris_b]

No one touches my gear or puts anything away.

 

If I pack it up then nothing gets lost or left behind.

[msb]

56 minutes ago, chris_b said:

No one touches my gear or puts anything away.

 

If I pack it up then nothing gets lost or left behind.

 

exactly 

 

and I know exactly where everything is when I next set it up.

Edited December 31, 2024 by msb

[Chaos Daveo]

Easily, but I never focus on the negatives...

 

There is enough of that in life in general.

[SimonK]

I was in a function band many years ago that lost our drummer and guitarist with lots of gigs in the book. I switched from bass to guitar, and we made a bunch of backing tracks with just drums, bass and keys. Worked fine with guitar, sax + two vocals live playing to the backing tracks albeit we only needed to do this for six or eight gigs before finding replacements.

 

Re clearing up - instruments in cases and mics in the mic box first, and then xlr's coiled (and ideally wiped) properly has always been my main thing, again stemming from the function band where we had a lot of gigs and needed to clear up in such a way that we could set up quickly often within 24 hours. I also developed a way of taping leads down with one piece of duct tape reveresed (so sticky side out) and then a second piece over the top to avoid sticky residue on cables - something I've never been able to train others to do but it feels really simple and obvious to me!

[Skybone]

Not very by the sound of it.

 

Left my last band earlier in the year, been informed by the guitarist that they've auditioned about three or four bass players, and they've still not found a replacement. Apparently, a couple of them didn't even learn the tunes. 

[msb]

As one that’s most often been in several bands at the same time since the mid 70’s , I know everyone brings something unique to the table , but nobody is irreplaceable. 
Sometimes it might take two people … if lead vocals are in the equation. Or maybe three if it was Geddy , but we can all be replaced.

[Bluewine]

25 minutes ago, msb said:

As one that’s most often been in several bands at the same time since the mid 70’s , I know everyone brings something unique to the table , but nobody is irreplaceable. 
Sometimes it might take two people … if lead vocals are in the equation. Or maybe three if it was Geddy , but we can all be replaced.

 

Agreed, I could be replaced.  It would be different but I could be replaced and probably easily. I replaced the original Maple Road bass player in 2009.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

On 31/12/2024 at 16:08, Skybone said:

Not very by the sound of it.

 

Left my last band earlier in the year, been informed by the guitarist that they've auditioned about three or four bass players, and they've still not found a replacement. Apparently, a couple of them didn't even learn the tunes. 

 

That's so weird but not uncommon,  guys showing up for auditions unprepared. It's one of the reasons the auditioning process can be a pain.

 

Daryl

[Bluewine]

On 31/12/2024 at 15:59, SimonK said:

I was in a function band many years ago that lost our drummer and guitarist with lots of gigs in the book. I switched from bass to guitar, and we made a bunch of backing tracks with just drums, bass and keys. Worked fine with guitar, sax + two vocals live playing to the backing tracks albeit we only needed to do this for six or eight gigs before finding replacements.

 

Re clearing up - instruments in cases and mics in the mic box first, and then xlr's coiled (and ideally wiped) properly has always been my main thing, again stemming from the function band where we had a lot of gigs and needed to clear up in such a way that we could set up quickly often within 24 hours. I also developed a way of taping leads down with one piece of duct tape reveresed (so sticky side out) and then a second piece over the top to avoid sticky residue on cables - something I've never been able to train others to do but it feels really simple and obvious to me!

 I took some lead photos last night. Lol

 

Daryl

[SimonK]

10 hours ago, Bluewine said:

 I took some lead photos last night. Lol

 

Daryl

 

beautiful... the lead coiling that is 🙂... although is this the place to start the debate of coiling vs a cable drum for shielded cables?

[dave_bass5]

If my lot can find another keyboard player who also owns the PA and has the contacts for gigs, knows how all the songs go and can put up with imbeciles then yeah, I can be replaced. 😇

[msb]

The only audition I’ve ever done was for the first working band I joined. They were touring around the local circuit , power trio with some blues background but leaning into Jeff Beck territory. Lesbian couple. Mostly original material. I was the only one that showed up for the audition , we jammed for about an hour and a half , I got the spot. 
I had been doing photographic work , traded a Nikon F2 for a 72 Pbass. Still have that old Pbass. Got a Marshall head on time. It was the mid 70’s. I’ve been playing and gigging ever since.

[Jonge McLengo]

I don’t think I am in terms of bass playing, there must be thousands of Mike Mills impersonators out there.

 

The band dynamic though is a bit more interesting - once that changes in an originals outfit there’s no guarantee it will return to something as good as it is now. Hopefully that means my spot is secure for a little while longer, at least.

[TorturedSaints]

I’ve been trying to find my replacement for 11 months for one of the 3 concert (wind) bands I play with.  Adverts on here, gumtree FB etc.  Only one or two people got in touch, but never made it to rehearsal with a bass - one did turn up to listen, but didn’t want to play as he said his reading wasn’t up to it. Nobody who can read, play DB or EUB as well as electric, who can make weekly rehearsals, follow a conductor and pay £10/month subs has subsequently got in touch.   However, luckily the circumstances that meant I wouldn’t be able to make rehearsals and concerts haven’t yet happened, so I’m still playing with that band! 
So yes, it looks like I’m irreplaceable 🤣🤣 Not actively looking for my replacement now, but never say never.