Members POGphile Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 So we are on out 4th bassist already, and they all suck. There is always something missing either no equipment, no commitment, no stage presence, etc.. Instead of wasting more time looking for a bassist, we decided to try going without one. SO... some of the bass, I can actually prerecord on a cheap digital 8 track and play along LIVE (BTW what do you guys use for playback??)... but I also want to try few songs without tape backing. I was thinking of splitting my guitar signal, one running thru my usual effects to the guitar amp BUT the second run thru a compressor, delay (slight delay offset to make the "bass" sound more prominent) and 1 octave down on the EH POG (or maybe EH HOG ??) in to a BASS AMP. What ya'll think? I know that an actual bass player can add more depth to song and that's when I would use the PLAYBACK with bass. BUT COME ON... you know there are some riffs where the bass line is just following the guitar and not truly necessary. Comments and advise would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ray18 Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 bassists lack motivation, I think they get depressed because they're bass players Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave M Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 I'd rather have a bass player with no stage presence than no bass player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister kyo Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Originally posted by Dave M I'd rather have a bass player with no stage presence than no bass player. yup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joncyberboy Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Originally posted by mister kyo yup Me too. But if you're going ot go down the backing track route just use a minidisc. Bass is mono so record on one stereo side (left) and then a click on the right.Then run the left to the PA and the right to a headphone amp for the drummer. I think Keane have bass pre-recorded. Or use synth bass backing and get a keyboard player. Might be nicer people than the bassists you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members spentron Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Having been a bassist for for 15 years myself, I never play without a bassist, it's in me. ... although I'd probably make a better bassist now, after getting a lot of the "guitar urge" out of me. I've seen plenty of shows where the bass, guitar, and drums turn the low end to sludge. Sometimes even with trios. So I definitely don't think there should be considered any "rule" you need bass. On the other hand I love good bass and it can make the guitar sound so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jeremy Skrenes Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 I thought the new boss OC3 had a pitch-based feature that lets you control what strings get octaved down. Something like that might help. Also, using a "drop D" capo can help create the illusion of depth to your songs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members CurtisM Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 What kind of music do you play? Some genres can deal without it, some just cant. And do you have a keys player? Cause he could compensate and play bass notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members preservation Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 though i think the statement about 'lacking stage presence' automatically gives me an idea of the type of musician (or shall i say performer) you are, i share your frustration with bassists... thus my drummer and i called a nix on future bass players once ours left in February after already quitting once before then coming back. its forced us to become better musicians... keeping the sound full can at times be a challenge - but for us its definitely worth it.my drummer has no problem keeping up with my berjillion guitar loops, something bassists generally freak out about. plus with just 2 people we don't have to process every decision through the roundtable routine...its just "good idea? yeah." "bad idea ?... yeah."if 1 doesn't like it we generally get rid of the idea or revisit it later. its funny but losing a bass player is the best thing thats ever happened to me musically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members psalt_phallow Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 I'd say don't bother recording the bass parts and just deal with not having a bass player for awhile. The guitar can fill in the parts along with the kick of the drums very well. Most live and recorded sessions have the bass so far back in the mix you can't hear it anyway. Also if you pre-record you are limiting yourself to playing the songs in one set way everytime, big let down when you want to add something on the fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members confused Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Sounds like its time for you to switch to bass and to start auditioning guitarists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wacopacco Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 i think bass'less only works is your doing stuff like White Stripes or Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Even then, i think "wow this would sound so much better with a bass added". Real old style rootsy Robert Johnson style blues can be had with just a guitar and drums. in fact, me and my drummer are doing a gig just ourselves. Gonna be pumping out some White Stripes and early Zep. If my band had that much of a problem finding a bassist tho, i'd switch to bass because theres more than enough guitarists in the world:wave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members molsen Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 you COULD make it work if you play lots of non-chordal riffs and just run an octave down pedal through it all. this will simulate a bass sound pretty well. the boss octave pedal is great for this as it has a switch to add extra drive to the lower octave. i'm mostly in agreement with everyone else....you probably need a bass player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members (((echo))) Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 yeah it's tough to find bass players to do timed jumps and swing their seven stringed monstrosities around their body at just the right time.. some people just have no presents! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Stackabones Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Hound Dog and the Houserockers didn't use a bass player! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChitownTerror Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 Originally posted by Stackabones Hound Dog and the Houserockers didn't use a bass player! I was just going to mention them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members shawnc Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- How many basists does it take to screw in a light bulb? Screw you the guitarist can do it better, faster and with more "feeling". lol -------------------------------------------------------------------------- So a kid asks his Dad for Bass Guitar lessons. After the first night he comes home and the dad asks him how it went. Well Dad today I learned every note on the E string. After the 2nd night of lessons he comes home and the dad asks him how it went. Well Dad today I learned everything on the A string. After the 3rd night the son comes home at 3:00am smelling like beer, cigarettes and dirty women. The dad asks how the lesson went, to which the son replied, {censored} the lessons, I got a gig! Lol:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members YourHerodDGC Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 My band's in the same boat. We've gone through so many bass players. We can't find anyone that clicks with us. The bass player we're in the process of kicking out can't remember our songs for the life of him, and they're all really simple. The last bass player was too busy with his job and not motivated. The one before that was of the fairer sex, and started all this drama. And the one before that was a complete tool. I bet the next one is going to spontaneously combust. We're also looking into the pitch shifter on the guitar for the low end. We tried a Boss OC-2 but the octave jumped all over the place and sounded really weird. I need to shop around for a pedal that works better with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members preservation Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 ah see thats why i want the OC-2... everyone says it skips around sounding jarbled and weird... who wouldn't want that type of effect !??!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members greaseenvelope Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 There is a great 3-piece in town called Lord of Light that is just drums, vox, and baritone guitar. Sounds great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BLacktocomm Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 No bass player: Jon Spencer Blues Explosion No bass player: Jucifer The Black Keys say "we dont need no stinking bass player!" And as for the worst band to play without a bass player we all know who they are.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pwn3d Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 ok you need validation for no bass player? explosions in the sky (Ok, to not get flamed; they have played sets where the bassist played guitar instead.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TeamoDave Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 What do you call a bass player without a girlfriend? Homeless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlurryBoy 13 Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 What did the bass player get on his S.A.T.s? Drool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wacopacco Posted May 11, 2006 Members Share Posted May 11, 2006 what do you call a musician with no girlfriend... a bassist:wave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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