I was pulling up to a gig the other week and was greeted by one of the stagehands at the venue. He watched me lug in a loaded V-Cart full of gear from my truck; two 1×12″ cabinets, a gig bag full of cables, DI’s, nick-nacks and other goodies, two basses, and a pedalboard bigger than most guitar players’. I set it all down and began setting up in my usual manner, the same way that I do for just about every gig that I play. Nothing was out of the ordinary about this gig, as it was quite typical. What made me laugh was the stagehand’s reaction to everything I brought (in particular my pedalboard).
He said, “Woa! You brought all of that stuff just for bass?!?
I laughed and said, “Yep!”
The look on his face was the best. You know that expression you get when you just can’t wrap your head around something? Your eyebrows get wide without moving up; your jaw loosens up without dropping; your mouth opens to say something but you can’t think of any words to say; your eyes stare and you’re not sure what you’re seeing…
That’s what this guy looked like. He was puzzled. Completely perplexed. I knew what he was thinking:
“Why does a bass player need all that stuff?” He may have even been audacious enough to be wondering this too: “All he needs is a DI to go into the PA system.” I’d dare even to think he felt this one for sure: “Two basses? No one’s gonna notice them sounding different…”
And you know what? He’s probably closer to being right than you’d think. In this day and age, our technology is so fantastic that it can allow for us to be very lazy if we want to. Let’s be honest here; for most of the tours and gigs that I do, I could get away with bringing one 5 string active bass and a tuner. I’ll plug in direct (the multiple house subs are way more powerful than my 8×10 anyway) and monitor through my molded in-ear monitors. If I want the sound of a cab and some effects there are fantastic computers and modeling boxes that will do the job. I don’t need the real deal, and it’s certainly more cost/time efficient to do an all-in-one solution. So why go overboard then?
This is controversial in many ways, so I’ll tread lightly. Firstly, I think the real deal sounds better than the emulated stuff. A modeled B-15 sounds great, but only a B-15N has got the real mojo of a B-15N. End of story. Digitized distortions are great, but driving tubes and preamps is driving tubes and preamps; warmth isn’t pretending that you’re warm. It’s feeling the difference (and noting the thermostat to confirm it).
I also don’t trust anyone else to make me sound good. Of course, I work brilliant sound engineers and surely I trust THEM to help my sound translate to the audience, but that’s ONLY after I’ve set it up for them. I don’t trust someone else to make me sound like me except for, well, ME! When you give all of the control to one person, he better know what he’s doing and what you like to hear. Otherwise you’re in for a headache.
My biggest reason for “going overboard” (as I’m sure this stagehand felt I was doing) is because it’s what I need to do in order to give you (the customer) what you’re paying for. If you’re a bandleader and you’re hiring me to play in your band it’s because you not only like the way that I play, but you like my sound also, and how I think, how I control my realm of the sonic spectrum, and you TRUST that everything in BassLand will be taken care of since you’ve hired me. Your sound is just as important as your interpretation, feel, and note choices for the music you’re going to play, and I don’t take this lightly. If you want me to play for you I’m going to give you my best, in every regard, and if I really do my best you’re going to remember me for that.
It’s good to be remembered as someone who gives 110% always. Whether or not you’re actually the BEST at what you do, you’ll always be remembered. People who try to just “get by” will also always be remembered in that way, even if they actually are the BEST.
How do you feel about this? Are you ok with stripping down your setup because you’re “just the bass player,” or do you think of your sound the way that I do?
Col
Hi that’s just how I feel
Every one moans before the gig
But never at the end
Funny that.
Jayme
Haha so true!
Carlos
Whenever I have time and there’s no long walks to get to the stage, I bring a huge markbass combo, an extension cabinet, my bass in its hardsell case, and a pedalboard bigger than my two guitarists’, I also carry a separate case with cables and microphones and power extensions and current regulators and such, oh, and I have to add my microphone stand (i’m also the lead singer), my ipad stand and my bass stand, and my cart looks a little bit like that guy in the picture LOL!
But there’s gigs when I have to walk a long distance, or set up really quickly and I just bring a super light fender 2×8 cab, an Aguilar TH 350 head, my bass in a gig bag and a clip tuner, oh and cables of course, and I have to try to sound as good as with my huge rig, and I don’t think I ever leave anyone dissapointed.
I guess my point is, no matter what gear u have or don’t have, u always have to try to sound like a million dollars rig! 🙂
Jayme
Absolutely true! It becomes even harder to do (and more important too!) when you add plane-travel to the mix. If I gotta play on the other side of the country and I need to get all of my gigging and daily necessities into one backpack for a few days to a week, it’s tough!!! And it may not actually be true, but I always feel more pressure to do a good job when I travel because the person hiring me is usually paying substantially more money for me than the local bar gig, ya know? Ultimately I sound like me whether I’m playing out of my rig or a shoebox, but it gets harder when I have to sacrifice and compensate (even though I do it all the time).
Jim andrews
CQQL that’s the way good Attitude:-()