Playing without a BASSIST!

[SpectralJulian]

I think what 90% of us our trying to say is- don't let things get in the way of you doing your art.

I'm in a 1 man band. Would I prefer to be in a 3 piece or a 4 piece? Yes, I would. However, at this time it just really isn't possible. So I play with an Alesis sr-16 drum machine and with no bassist. I record bass for recordings, but don't play with a bassist live. I care about getting a bassist more than the audience.

[POGphile]

Originally posted by thriftyshirt We play without a bass player. Our setup is me on guitar, drums, and a girl singer. I solve the "low end" problem buy running the guitar through 3 amps at one time: An Orange AD30TC & Orange 2x12 cab, a small 1x10 tube combo, and a 700 watt Peavey Firebass bass amp into a few different cabinets. I've got a couple of eq's in front of the bass amp, to separate the sound from the guitar amps and accentuate the low end. I've been doing this for about 3 years now. Granted, its very simplified (i like to call it Caveman rock) but it does sound Heavy as {censored}, and the only people who have to be on point/on time are me and the drummer. This makes learning new songs and spontaneous jams live much easier. Not to brag, but we were just named "Best Local Rock Band" by a south Florida newspaper for the 2nd time in 3 years, so somebody must like what we're doing . Also, I've tried almost every octave/pitchshifter/Pog/whatever on the market and can't find a single one that I like. The way I do it, with a triple signal splitter, I can get my rig to track chords, double stops, and even extended chord voicings without getting that terrible "skipping" tone that mose pitchshifter's produce. Of course I am lugging 3 amps to every gig, but that's our sound. For the record, I'm a big Jucifer fan, and that's where I got the idea to start putting this rig/band together.

do you guys a have site
I would love to listen to see what is sounds like...

ya'll giving me hope

[POGphile]

Originally posted by dminus0 My current band has been playing shows for a little over a year without a bassplayer. When we started out couldn't find a person who was good enough and wasn't already in a full time band so we went ahead and starting playing shows without the bass...We're a three peice, 2 guitars and a drummer. It's worked out well for us so far, however our drummer would like a bassplayer and I wouldn't mind getting a bassist as well but we're not too concerned. We're doing just fine without one...you can go here: http://myspace.com/tametameandquiet to get an idea of what you can do without a bassplayer.

 

 

yeah, it sounds really good, although it's hard to tell if the low end sound is missing listening on my {censored}ty laptop speakers..

[HuskerDude]

If you're going to do anything rock-based, you need a bass player. It's just not an option. Bassists are the ones who make or break a band, and without a tight rhythm section, your band aint worth {censored}. I promise.
However, if you're one of the many guitarists who thinks that bass is there to "fill in the low end" your grasp of music is so meager that it probably wouldn't make a bit of difference anyway.

Sincerely,
A drummer.

[I Hate Snow]

moog taurus

problem solved

[Klisk]

Bass adds groove.

If you play music that isn't groove oriented, then you may just not need a bassist. Straight ahead rock needs groove. A lot of subgenres of rock don't. It all depends.

I'm both a guitarist and a bassist. I love both instruments.

You know what pisses me off, though? Guitarists that play gigantic {censored}ing stacks in rehearsals. I have a small bass halfstack. It has great tone, and it works out awesome for me. It's loud enough for gigs and rehearsals. It's not for playing arenas, but it's not meant to be.

But I can't keep up with a guitarist playing a marshall through 6+ speakers cranked in a tiny little room until your ears ring and your chest feels like it's going to cave in. My bass rig just isn't meant to be THAT loud.

Over compensation much? If you want that gigantic rig for gigging, fine, I'm going to have my bass DI'd/mic'd anyways. In rehearsal though, it's just not necassary. Turn the {censored} down. It's not a volume competition. If you want cranked tones, get a smaller cabinet.

I have no desire to loose my hearing because of compensation issues, and volume competitions.

[SpectralJulian]

Originally posted by HuskerDude If you're going to do anything rock-based, you need a bass player. It's just not an option. Bassists are the ones who make or break a band, and without a tight rhythm section, your band aint worth {censored}. I promise. However, if you're one of the many guitarists who thinks that bass is there to "fill in the low end" your grasp of music is so meager that it probably wouldn't make a bit of difference anyway. Sincerely, A drummer.

So the white stripes are {censored} then are they?

[molsen]

kind of.... but you know alot of their songs have bass in them. just because there's two members doesn't mean jack can't add some bass in the studio. and he does.

[Klisk]

Originally posted by SpectralJulian So the white stripes are {censored} then are they?

 

 

The White Stripes, from what I can tell, have a lot of bass tracked to tape, but they don't use it live.

 

Either that, or it's a second guitar track with an octave pedal on tape.

 

It still fills the role of a bassist, though, even if the band doesn't literally have a bassist. Yeah, there's some songs on their albums that don't have any bass/octaved guitar at all. But I find that a lot of their songs do have some sort of bottom-end groove going on as a bass replacement. So no, they don't have a bassist. But yeah, they do use bass.

 

I don't think anyone is arguing that you NEED an actual bassist. Just that in a lot of cases you will need some sort of bass alternative if you don't have an actual bass player.

[CicadaSilence]

Originally posted by Klisk You know what pisses me off, though? Guitarists that play gigantic {censored}ing stacks in rehearsals. I have a small bass halfstack. It has great tone, and it works out awesome for me. It's loud enough for gigs and rehearsals. It's not for playing arenas, but it's not meant to be. But I can't keep up with a guitarist playing a marshall through 6+ speakers cranked in a tiny little room until your ears ring and your chest feels like it's going to cave in. My bass rig just isn't meant to be THAT loud. I have no desire to loose my hearing because of compensation issues, and volume competitions.

I played bass in a band with TWO of those idiots. And a keyboardist who played through a 600 watt PA system. All of us in a 12"x6" room.

[SpectralJulian]

Originally posted by Klisk The White Stripes, from what I can tell, have a lot of bass tracked to tape, but they don't use it live. Either that, or it's a second guitar track with an octave pedal on tape. It still fills the role of a bassist, though, even if the band doesn't literally have a bassist. Yeah, there's some songs on their albums that don't have any bass/octaved guitar at all. But I find that a lot of their songs do have some sort of bottom-end groove going on as a bass replacement. So no, they don't have a bassist. But yeah, they do use bass. I don't think anyone is arguing that you NEED an actual bassist. Just that in a lot of cases you will need some sort of bass alternative if you don't have an actual bass player.

 

 

on their first 3 albums, there is no bass whatsoever, he got a POG before Elephant. Jack just has a very full guitar tone and since he plays rhythm more than lead, he makes it work.

 

As to your 3rd thing, Huskerdude seems to be arguing that you do need a bassist, not just low end because of rhythmic stuff.

 

Really, if a guitarist and drummer are really great rhythmicly and the guitarist has a really nice tone, I don't think it is needed. Bass does enhance a band, and I prefer bands with bass. But you shouldn't sit there not practicing, writing, recording, and playing because you don't have bass.

[HuskerDude]

Originally posted by SpectralJulian So the white stripes are {censored} then are they?

 

 

J. White is a hell of a lot better when he plays with a real band, yes.

I am bored to tears by the WS because of the lack of a rhythm section.

[Roy Brooks]

If you want to do it without a bass player you have to think outside the box. Just play your guitar and don't worry about it. If the drummer can hold it down and can follow you and vice versa it shouldn't be too hard at all to come up with lots of music that you don't necessarily have to have a bass player on.

[molsen]

its all about the mix too. if the bass drum is mixed to sound really deep and sort of "boomy"...you're a step closer to being able to get away with having no bassist

[SpectralJulian]

Originally posted by Roy Brooks If you want to do it without a bass player you have to think outside the box. Just play your guitar and don't worry about it. If the drummer can hold it down and can follow you and vice versa it shouldn't be too hard at all to come up with lots of music that you don't necessarily have to have a bass player on.

 

 

EXACTLY! If a band doesn't sound good without bass, it is because either the drummer is {censored}ty or the guitarist is. Guitarists shouldn't depend on bass for timing, they should depend on drums.

[MattCrane]

www.leforce.com

[Mr. Shankly]

It's not that difficult to play without a bassist. In fact my project is only two guitar players; that's it. Granted we also use lots of loops and pitchshifting + a laptop to fill things out.

If your really concerned with the bass frequencies not being filled out consider picking up a bass amp to run in conjunction with your guitar rig.

[POGphile]

I don't think anyone is arguing that you NEED an actual bassist. Just that in a lot of cases you will need some sort of bass alternative if you don't have an actual bass player.

 

thank you...

[Janx]

Originally posted by Dave M I'd rather have a bass player with no stage presence than no bass player.

Just tuck the bassist in back, by the drums. That's where he's supposed to be hidden anyway. Besides, once you amp and mic him, he can be heard. Nobody needs to actually see him.

The show is all about the singer and the lead guitarist Everyone else is just second fiddle.

[dougsthang]

My band in High School had no bass player. It was two guitars and drums and that was during the mid 70's. We were ahead of our time. It really was because we were too lazy to go out and find a bass player. We also wore flannel shirts (again pionerring the grunge look)

As far as bassist with no stage presence, who do you want John Entwistle or Billy Sheehan?

[HuskerDude]

Originally posted by Mr. Shankly If your really concerned with the bass frequencies not being filled out consider picking up a bass amp to run in conjunction with your guitar rig.

 

 

Bass amps don't actually make the notes lower...

[POGphile]

Originally posted by HuskerDude Bass amps don't actually make the notes lower...

 

 

enter pitchshifter

[chu2]

Originally posted by CicadaSilence Nay, Michigan.

Where at in MI?

I'm looking for a bassist.

No hardcore metal here (well, except some pixies covers, but...)

[bdegrande]

Originally posted by HuskerDude If you're going to do anything rock-based, you need a bass player. It's just not an option. Bassists are the ones who make or break a band, and without a tight rhythm section, your band aint worth {censored}. I promise. However, if you're one of the many guitarists who thinks that bass is there to "fill in the low end" your grasp of music is so meager that it probably wouldn't make a bit of difference anyway. Sincerely, A drummer.

Skeater-Kinney doesn't use a bassist live, and they are the best live rock band I have seen in years. They would certainly qualify as rock-based.

Several classic rock bands also didn't use a bass - Doors, Rascals, etc.

[murtaghstyle]

As a bassists in here I feel like I have to chime in.

Depending on the genre, you could do without a bassist. You could also do without a guitar player.

Stage presence? Let the music be "the show".

I don't care if your feet are stuck on the same spot on stage for the whole gig. If you can play, I'll be watching you and not the moron spining sticks or jumping off stage monitors.