EZ Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 A group of musicians are sitting at a bar talking about looking for a bassist. Two other guys near by hear them and approach them at separate times., both offer their business cards, and both are ask about their equipment. Bass player A has a Warwick Corvette $$ bass, and an Ashdown amp. Bass Player B has a Schecter Bass and an amp that none of the other musicians have ever heard of. My question is Who will get the call, and why now mind you no one knows these guys and have never heard them play If you smell something stinking, it's juz me, I'm funky like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh a Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 The guy the people like the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 The bass player that picks up the bar tab? Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenny B Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 The one with the big tits. Sorry, wrong joke. The bass player's job is to make the drummer sound good - Jack Bruce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxofunk Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 So far I agree with 100% of the participants. B. He has the right attitude. A - he might have the right attitude too, but this is your story, aint it? Did the bass players reciprocate by asking the other musicians what they used? - Matt W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonathanD Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 The fat ugly one, cause they guitarist and singer are already insecure enough. But honestly, guys I know would pick the warwick player with an ashdown amp because they see that person as having mopre invested. However most people would call both for an audition, the warwick guy first though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 i'd like to believe i'd get some sort of feeling from both players, and that would dictate the choice over which gear or skillz the two have. i know from multiple experiences it's more about who you are than how you play. of course, i'd probably talk to both more seriously later, and use that information to make a decision about who i'd be auditioning first. i might call the guy with the known gear first. maybe. at the same time, i know that most people don't know about bergantino, which is my cabinet of choice. so i might use the situation to learn about gear about which i was previously ignorant. i also would worry that the guy sounded like ass and assumed it was awesome because he had "the right gear". i've played with tons of people that thought they sounded awesome, just because they had the same instrument and amp as their idol. the reality is that no matter what changed, they were equally adept at dialing in a crappy tone. whatever. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZ Thorn Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Do the other guys know anything about bass gear? I know a professional jazz guitarist who doesn't know anything about bass gear. How much about guitar gear does the average bass player know? I'd bet not much. Hopefully, you're putting too much stock into these guys' opinion on gear. If they hire guys based on gear.... http://www.myspace.com/themoustachioed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 If getting a gig were as easy as buying the right gear, well, it'd be a lot easier! More seasoned musicians might choose the guy with the better attitude/personality, even if that means passing on a virtuoso player. The only consideration about gear is that it functions: sounds good, loud enough, etc. Younger players may be more impressed by the gear. True, they might call player A first and be happy enough with how he sounds that player B never gets a call. Most are usually willing to at least audition both before making a decision. It could be the musicians in question had to recently let a bass player go because his equipment wasn't quite enough for a stage, like a 30 W practice amp or something. Or maybe they just wanted to make sure it wouldn't clash, you know, like when two girls wear the same dress to a dance. The only litmus test I can think of based on gear is that some guitarists just like the bassist to melt into the background, and that's more likely to happen (in their minds) if the bass only has 4 strings and is off-the-wall-stock (P bass) versus boutique (Alembic = Stanley Clarke = jazz = "bad"). So, did you get the call, or was this totally hypothetical? [i actually wanted to vote for "both", but since that wasn't a choice I hit "none". ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudcat Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 No Fender. No Rickenbacker. No Musicman. No GIG FOR YOU! I'm not too rigid about these things, am I? Mudcat's music on Soundclick "Work hard. Rock hard. Eat hard. Sleep hard. Grow big. Wear glasses if you need 'em."-The Webb Wilder Credo- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul K Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 After thinking about this a little longer, it is very, very clear to me. The bass player who gets the gig is the one who owns the van. Things are just the way they are, and they're only going to get worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingertalkin Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 I chose player A because I read Craigslist around the DC area and people 'round here are real picky about everything. The band I am in chose me because I was honest about my abilities and they just thought that I would fit in with them, but they did audition a bunch of people. How do you sign a computer screen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brocko777 Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Originally posted by Paul K: After thinking about this a little longer, it is very, very clear to me. The bass player who gets the gig is the one who owns the van. Yup.. the one with the transportation! Don't have a job you don't enjoy. If you're happy in what you're doing, you'll like yourself, you'll have inner peace. ~ Johnny Carson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcr Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Which one gets the call? Who knows? As people have indicated, there are a whole lot of factors here. It'd be strange if gear alone were THE deciding factor. But I suppose what you're getting at is whether gear is a factor. Well, how couldn't it be? You don't have to be a brand-ho to appreciate the value of an investment in pro gear. This is one of those questions that leaves me thinking there's an axe to grind somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seamy ALB Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 I don't think that a player can be judged on the gear they own. http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Little-Bitter/185235472447 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 That's a pretty strange poll. That's the only question asked? What gear do you own? They don't ask, "who have you played with? what music do you like?" I doubt that a lot of guitarists are familiar with Ashdown gear or for that matter Warwick. Those companies don't make guitar gear. The Schecter bass might look like a Fender which would actually give it more points than a Warwick which looks like a boutique rock instrument. Most people that I play with are not familiar with some of the brands I play: Mike Lull bass, Wendler bass, AccuGroove speakers. It hasn't hurt me too much. There are bands which play very loud where the bassist is required to have a large amp. The Ashdown might not cut that gig...unless it has eight tens. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZ Posted September 27, 2006 Author Share Posted September 27, 2006 I asked the question, because I just seen it happen with two guitar players, yes they did ask other questions, but all in all they showed more interest in the guy with the nicer gear. Ppl down here can be strange, yes it has happen to me about one year ago, but no I don't have an ax to grind. I just wanted to see what ppl thought around the world. The best part to this is the guy that didn't get the call, well he and I are putting a band together, and the man can get down on his ax, so I don't know how the other guy sound, but I got a good deal out of this. If you smell something stinking, it's juz me, I'm funky like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I know that around here, some adds for bass player specify "if you have a 5-string bass, don't bother". That's why I'm in the market for a 6 "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMan99 Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I would think "good equipment" is like "nice clothes" in an interview. Even if the guitarists don't know the equipment, they can probably pick-up on sub-conscious "non-verbal communication" related to how proud the bass-player is about their equipment. Ultimately, *most* decisions are made "by the heart", not "the head". Ask any sales-person. Note: Long-term, though, my money is on the audition and who's the better musician... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 If I were approached by these two guitar players and my interview consisted mainly of what kind of gear I use, I would look for a different band to play with. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenthemimic Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 I'd hire the guy that bought the drinks. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 As a guitarist, I have chosen bassists in spite of the quality of their gear... because I liked their style, personality or vibe. Crap gear is easy to remedy--I have top-notch bass gear of my own... if a bassist I auditioned had stuff that didn't sound or look as cool as mine, they could borrow mine until they got something of their own that was equivalent. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Is this by any chance the lobby bar at the Commodore Hotel? I'd hire the guy that I decided was worth my time after talking to him. I can talk to a musician and within a few minutes I know if they are worth my time or not (to play with them that is). I'm correct with my assessment 99% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Originally posted by Mudcat: No Fender. No Rickenbacker. No Musicman. No GIG FOR YOU! Do Fender copies count? If so I have two of the three covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 Definitely a very arbitrary question. I'm not terribly impressed by the report of a Warwick Corvette. It's really one of their low end instruments. I've toyed around with a couple of them and was never overwhelmed with the quality. As for the guy with the Schecter and the amp that the guitar players don't know? That guy could very well have some boutique amp that people haven't heard of before. If I were either of the guitar players I would consider auditioning both bass players. The proof is always going to be in the playing. Gear is always nice, but anyone with money can buy good gear. I've seen plenty of guys at blues jams with great instruments who aren't great musicians, and I've seen some guys with crap instruments who can play their asses off. My deal in this situation would be more to the point of asking about musical experience and tastes. That and the ability to hang are what I look for when I consider bringing someone into a project or if I'm looking for a new project. You gotta be ready to delve beneath the surface for these things. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 D@mn...they would probably laugh at my Hohners.... Of course I do have a 5 String Yamaha! Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 If the guitarists are looking for the best fit musically and personally, they'll call both. Asking about the equipment isn't so bad as one of many questions. The astute interviewer (OK - clearly not these guys) will use that discussion to determine if the person is knowledgeable about gear or will need help figuring out where to plug in. Lots of the questions (who you've played with, what styles, etc.) can help start a conversation to see if the candidate can form sentences beyond "rock on dude" so they know if communication is possible. If they are that superficial that's fine - as long as they don't call me. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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