19th September

[blargfromouterspace]

I’ll probably skip lunch today as we have guests over for dinner. I’ll be frying up some chicken ribs with a coleslaw and corn-on-the-cob, and have plenty of my newly finished home-brewed beer in the fridge. It’s a damn fine drop, even if I do say so myself!

Doing stuff right the first time.
I recently put this bass rig together

All up the whole setup has cost just over $2000. Not cheap, especially for a secondary instrument setup, but I can justify it as I have a spot as a bass player, and our first gig is in 10 days. It's not outlandishly expensive for a top quality rig that'll do me until the day that I need two 300W Ampegs with matching 810 cabs for stadium shows The amount of time it took me to get my stuff right for guitar cost a lot more than $2000, when I factor in all the stuff I have paid for and then got rid of. How much do you estimate that you’ve spent on gear to arrive at what you’re presently using as your main rig?

Australian Music
I’ve posted a clip from these guys, the Drones, before, but here’s anew one. It’s from their new album and is one of the best songs I’ve heard. Put on a pair of headphones, CRANK the volume, close your eyes and pay attention to the music – the imagery is strong enough without a damn film clip!
[youtube]dr69pouGIBA[/youtube]

[louis cyfer]

the gk's are great bass amps. probably my favorites actually. for cabinets, i think the barefaced ones are the best for bass. how much money? 50k plus for sure, but i stopped counting.

[KenC]

Great LR, Jamie! How is the GK working out for you? I wouldn't call it your final rig yet, until you've tried and ruled out a really good compressor and a Moog lowpass filter. Once you've tried those, you will probably bump up the final cost of the rig by a couple of hundred dollars!

Figuring the final cost of a rig is tough from a collector's perspective. The easiest answer for me is my upright: about $750 for the bass (a tremendous bargain), I think $400 for my GK amp and another $300 for an extension cab. I have about $200 in pickups, and have gone through about $200 in strings (that's one set, plus replacements for the D and G).

On the electric, I was 90% settled on my rig by 1986. My mid-70s Jazz Bass was $200, plus $10 for a set of Dimarzio pickups and another $200 for a '69 Precision neck and refinishing. My Bassman Ten amp was $400 new (actually I got an even trade for a mid-70s Strat in mint condition, which was a good deal in '82). There was also $75 for a thoroughly trashed Kay hollow-body along the way, which ultimately ended up going toward the Jazz Bass as a trade. All of my other bass gear has been for variety or to feed the collection.

I don't have a rig on guitar. I rotate through them all as the mood strikes. If I had to run out the door in the next 30 minutes to fill in on guitar at a gig, I would probably grab an SC-1 or SC-2 and either my Blues Junior or the Bassman Ten, depending on the size of the venue.

I must have missed your first post on The Drones. Thanks for introducing me to yet another great Australian band!

Ken

[darwinohm]

Jamie, good question today.

You have a very nice bass rig. The bass is really sweet. I think the best bass players are guitar players so I am glad you are doing both. Let us know how you like it. I do both but really prefer bass. A good bass player and drummer really are the groove.

My basic rig is a Carvin KOA bass $900 used. A Carvin RS1000 (2/10)$350 used. A SWR Goliath II (4/!0) used $150 actually a fantastic cab. SWR 1/15 used $150. If I add in the wireless, that is $400. That is pushing 2 grand and I consider that cheap for what it is. When I add in backup guitars and an extra bass head it adds up but I didn't count that. I don't really keep track of what I spend but I do try to get good buys. Funny you asked this question today as Ginny asked me the same question tonight while we were sitting on the patio having a cold one. She asked me how much I had invested in gear. I tried to change the subject but I did throw a number at her. I hope that she doesn't sell it all for the number I gave her! How can a guy have more fun than guitars, gigging and talking smart afterwards. When you get my age Jamie, you priorities will change.

I did carefully listen to the Drones. A well produced video from a musical sense and there is a lot of synth work in this video. I wonder what it would sound like if they did it live. I always like to hear bands live as it shows their stuff. It was a cool song and had many things going on.

I am back in my man cave working on a finger rest for the Pink Lady. I am making one out of bloodwood and it's been a long time since I bonded like I have with the Pink Lady! Maybe I will have another cold one between coats of Tru oil. -- Darwin

[suave eddie]

I think the best bass players are guitar players

I find just the opposite. Too many guitarists think they can play bass, and end up playing way too busy and missing the point--Bass is an entirely different mindset. Many guitarists can play a bass, but few are real "bass players".

Of course there are musicians who are not only good guitarists, but also grasp the concept of being a good Bassist.

[Dick Seacup]

I've had this low-burning desire for a bass for...forever. One of these days I'm going to have to act on that. Nice looking rig you put together there; I think $2k for all that quality ain't bad at all. Value is more important than cost.

To answer your question: I have no idea how much I've spent on guitar gear over the years. Same for keyboards. And ukes, harmonicas...I could go on but I think I'll stop thinking about it too much. I will say, though, that my "main" amp is a Peavey Bandit 112 Transtube that I bought when they first came out with those ('91? '92?). My entire rig right now consists of {any of a number of guitars} going into a BBE Tube Screamer (which was a lunch reporter reward many moons ago!) and then into the Bandit. Works for me and my 7yo doesn't complain when he's banging on the drums and we're "jamming".

Will check out the video clip when I get more time.

Nice report!

I find just the opposite. Too many guitarists think they can play bass, and end up playing way too busy and missing the point--Bass is an entirely different mindset. Many guitarists can play a bass, but few are real "bass players".

Of course there are musicians who are not only good guitarists, but also grasp the concept of being a good Bassist.

Oh man! When I was downtown with said 7yo son for his drum lesson last night, there was a high school kid playing his bass (unplugged) in the lobby. He was good, but I kept thinking, "Playing that many notes, that far up the neck is just going to get lost in the mix." Maybe he was a guitar player!

Then, on our way home, the Linda Ronstadt version of "Blue Bayou" came on the radio. The bass playing on that tune is awesome. Just what's needed, crisp, tasteful. Love it!

[louis cyfer]

I think the best bass players are guitar players

I find just the opposite. Too many guitarists think they can play bass, and end up playing way too busy and missing the point--Bass is an entirely different mindset. Many guitarists can play a bass, but few are real "bass players".

Of course there are musicians who are not only good guitarists, but also grasp the concept of being a good Bassist.

i have to agree with you. i have seldom seen guitar players who played like bass players. i prefer bass played with fingers, and most guitar players use picks. but it's really more in how you approach the instrument.

[darwinohm]

suave eddie wrote:
I think the best bass players are guitar players

I said that and I knew it would get a rise.

In my opinion it really helps a bass player understand what a lead guitar player does. A good bass player will work on that. As for using a pick, bass playing doesn't involve a pick.
How many stand up bass players have you ever seen use a pick????? I know that many of you have had a bad experience with bass players, guitar players, drummers and singers. My point is that the more you know about the structure of music, the better it will work for you. Mark Knopflers original bass player is one heck of a bassist. He was a terrific guitarist before he became a bass player. Maybe I am lucky but I don't have these bad experiences. Our band works with each other too make the best music we can. The sum of the parts is what makes the product. It's my story and I'm sticking to it! -- Darwin

[blargfromouterspace]

I found that as a guitar player I had to go back and really listen to what the bass player is doing on my favourite albums. I could have hummed the bass-line to many songs at all unless it was blaringly obvious like in Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" or something like that. It's a fun instrument when you lock into the groove. I use fingers and thumb for bass (being a country picker I use my fingers a lot for guitar playing), and would use a pick too but ONLY if I had a foam mute at the bridge.

Great LR, Jamie! How is the GK working out for you? I wouldn't call it your final rig yet, until you've tried and ruled out a really good compressor and a Moog lowpass filter.

The GK is great - I only picked it up a couple of days ago, but it is much clearer than the Twin and has plenty of power. And that thing on top of the rack case is a compressor I looked into the Moog and am very interested, but it'll have to wait a while.

Darwin - I always seem to miss these guys when they play live as I always have something else on. I really want to see them though, and see if that energy comes out in concert.

[KenC]

I always cringe when a guitarist wants to try my bass. It's not so bad when I'm playing the upright - they attempt about three notes and then pass it back because their fingers hurt - but when it's an electric I know I'll be in for atonal and busy, with no hint of a downbeat. Lead guitarists are the worst, as they usually have the mindset (IMHO) of playing over the chord changes instead of through the changes.

I do think Darwin's statement is very true from another perspective: a good bassist should really know his or her stuff on rhythm guitar. The dexterity and technical skills may not be there, but there should be a strong understanding of how the song's chords fit together and how to go smoothly from one to the next. If a bassist isn't completely at home inside of the chords (including an instinctive feel for passing tones), he won't be able to do a good job of tying the changes together and moving the song forward.

I'd also suggest here that "too many notes" or fast playing isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on the song and what the other players are doing at the moment. My personal rule of thumb is to do the opposite of the guitar player (especially the rhythm guitarist in a four- or five-piece combo). If he goes up high, I head for the bottom. Fast licks are going to get sustained bass notes under them, and sustained chords are probably going to get a quarter-note walking line tying them together. I once banned a rhythm guitarist from going below the seventh fret on hard rock songs and blues numbers - he was just muddying the mix up too much for me to do anything besides doubling his root notes.

Oh man! When I was downtown with said 7yo son for his drum lesson last night, there was a high school kid playing his bass (unplugged) in the lobby. He was good, but I kept thinking, "Playing that many notes, that far up the neck is just going to get lost in the mix." Maybe he was a guitar player!

My 7 y/o is totally in love with his bass. This afternoon I caught him playing the intro to "Some Day We'll be Together" after he finished his homework. I'm still a bit baffled that he figured it out from memory, and in the correct key (A flat). I know I'm veering off-topic, but cut a proud dad some slack, OK?

Ken

[KenC]

And that thing on top of the rack case is a compressor

Is it the EHX one you mentioned before, or did you find something else? I continue to be very impressed by the BBE Opto Stomp my son is using with his Musicmaster.

Ken

[LeoFThe Champion]

Hey Blarg, nice Rig. I cannot answer your question for the implications may be more expensive than the money I have spent on gear. Great question though.
Vibroverb hey Tim, are they really the holy grail and do you still have it?
I agree Louis ,Bass players need to play with their fingers, unless you're in a Ramones cover band.
I agree Darwin
Anthony

[bloodied_fingers]

I had packed a great lunch today. Only to leave it on the kitchen counter. Instead I got a Vietnamese sandwich and an iced tea

My 7 y/o is totally in love with his bass. This afternoon I caught him playing the intro to "Some Day We'll be Together" after he finished his homework. I'm still a bit baffled that he figured it out from memory, and in the correct key (A flat). I know I'm veering off-topic, but cut a proud dad some slack, OK?

Ken

That is super cool.

I don't have a main rig. I only have 'a' rig. Its my Epi LP Standard $200, Egnater Rebel 20 $300 and I have a few pedals. One KoT homebrewed clone ($50), an authentic old-school EHX Big muff pi (loaner from a friend) and an Arion chorus $30. I did replace the bridge pickup for a SD custom-5. I also have my Legacy, I figure all told I'm into guitar stuff for in the neighborhood of $1100. My ability doesn't warrant much more at this point.

I don't know anything about bass either. btw, what is that thing on the pickgaurd with two screws running parallel to the strings?

[blargfromouterspace]

Is it the EHX one you mentioned before, or did you find something else? I continue to be very impressed by the BBE Opto Stomp my son is using with his Musicmaster.

Yep, EHX Black Finger. Doesn't work too good with this amp though. It just sounds distorted, whereas when I used it with the Twin or a tiny Peavey it sounded great. Pretty much everything BBE make is good, so I may check that one out.

I don't know anything about bass either. btw, what is that thing on the pickgaurd with two screws running parallel to the strings?

It's something to grab on to when playing with my thumb.

[Ahryn]

I thought you could use whatever you want on bass to get the sound you are looking for, finger yes but picks can add a certain dynamic as well as playing with your thumb.

But hey, I'm super new to anything bass so take what I say with a grain of salt.

It's just that the electric bass has only been around for a short time all things considered and it still seems like a medium ripe for experimentation.

[Elwood]

Here's my gigging rig , tube pre's , SS power amp.

[Dave_P]

Hey Jamie, nice rig! I've been wanting to pick up a bass for years but when I have the cash it usually goes towards the guitar rig. Someday though, just need an sc2, a legacy, one more 10" speaker swap, a pickup swap for my asat and maybe another small tube amp

I've done well with buying and selling gear and have only taken a loss twice and made a profit more often than not. Currently I have around $3500 invested in gear, most of what I have isn't going anywhere so the want list above will eventually be adding to that total.

Good luck on your gig!

Dave

[glvourot]

I have yet to buy a Bass amplifier. When I was playing in a hobby band I would plug into the rigs at the practice facility. I use ampkit bass emulators for the most part. I'll get an amp when I know I will use it a lot . I have spent just over five grand on gear over the last six years and I still own 90% of it.

I am new to the bass over the last couple of years. I play using fingers most of the time but I have used a pick on occasion. I think there is room for both styles of play.

[suave eddie]

I always cringe when a guitarist wants to try my bass. It's not so bad when I'm playing the upright - they attempt about three notes and then pass it back because their fingers hurt - but when it's an electric I know I'll be in for atonal and busy, with no hint of a downbeat. Lead guitarists are the worst, as they usually have the mindset (IMHO) of playing over the chord changes instead of through the changes.

I do think Darwin's statement is very true from another perspective: a good bassist should really know his or her stuff on rhythm guitar. The dexterity and technical skills may not be there, but there should be a strong understanding of how the song's chords fit together and how to go smoothly from one to the next. If a bassist isn't completely at home inside of the chords (including an instinctive feel for passing tones), he won't be able to do a good job of tying the changes together and moving the song forward.

I'd also suggest here that "too many notes" or fast playing isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on the song and what the other players are doing at the moment. My personal rule of thumb is to do the opposite of the guitar player (especially the rhythm guitarist in a four- or five-piece combo). If he goes up high, I head for the bottom. Fast licks are going to get sustained bass notes under them, and sustained chords are probably going to get a quarter-note walking line tying them together. I once banned a rhythm guitarist from going below the seventh fret on hard rock songs and blues numbers - he was just muddying the mix up too much for me to do anything besides doubling his root notes.

Oh man! When I was downtown with said 7yo son for his drum lesson last night, there was a high school kid playing his bass (unplugged) in the lobby. He was good, but I kept thinking, "Playing that many notes, that far up the neck is just going to get lost in the mix." Maybe he was a guitar player!

My 7 y/o is totally in love with his bass. This afternoon I caught him playing the intro to "Some Day We'll be Together" after he finished his homework. I'm still a bit baffled that he figured it out from memory, and in the correct key (A flat). I know I'm veering off-topic, but cut a proud dad some slack, OK?

Ken

This exactly--too many lead guitarists thinking "this is easy, it only has four strings"....
As a guitarist, I know where the notes are on a bass, but I am far from a bass player. In my experience, many times the bass player is perhaps the most musically knowledgeable player in the band--having a better grasp on scales and chord structure--IMO, it's easier to get away with being a hack on the guitar than the bass.

There are a few bassists that can get away with using a pick--Paul McCartney being one.

[bassman]

Bass is a very different mindset than playing lead or even rythmn guitar. I am talking about fundamental supportive bass playing, not the slap happy "bass drummers" that you hear at Guitar Center who can only play in the keys of E and A!
You need to understand music theory and apply it on the fly as you play so that your bass notes correspond with the chords of the song.

I have a bass rig that I paid $170 for and it was used as the back line behind 10 bands last Saturday at the Greenbelt blues festival.
It consists of a Peavey Megabass head ($150) mountedi into a Yorkville single 15" cabinet ($20 with speaker).
I put another 15 cabinet with it and I have used this setup for about 5 years for this festival and it has always performed very well.

I would post pics but I amdoing this form work and I can't take the time right now.

[Philby]

Hi Jamie. Nice setup.

As a guitarist I have a profound respect for bass players, and their often unsung role of being the 'glue' between the drums and the rest of the band.

Having to sync with the drums, while picking out relevant notes of the scale, and contributing groove and feel is not an easy thing to do. I know this, because I have a 80's MIJ Fender P-bass that I've been trying to learn over the last 10 years and I'm still crap at it!

As Bassman says, it's a completely different mindset.

Flashy, look-at-me bass players that want to compete with the lead guitarist annoy me just as much as lead guitarists that think playing bass is easy. The bass players I enjoy most are completely unobtrusive. Same with guitar players.

[Elwood]

Flashy, look-at-me bass players that want to compete with the lead guitarist annoy me just as much as lead guitarists that think playing bass is easy. The bass players I enjoy most are completely unobtrusive. Same with guitar players.

I hear ya, my last band I had to be that guy though...the guitarist was lamer each show and I started playing his melodies just so the song was still a song. I'd start to bring the morley power wah to gigs to add some color and life to the music.
So if you walked in to the bar and saw a guy with an explorer bass soloing and hitting a low note every few beats ( I was still the bassist) and sweating over a homemade pedalboard...that was me...and I apologize .


(it was fun!)