I shouldn't be surprised (because I'm a bassist), but...

[Muzz]

OK, so I take the 12-string bass down to rehearsals for the first time this week - I'd been running through a couple of songs in the set which have had a big production job done on them on the album, but which were sounding a little 'thin' (for want of a better word) live, and the 12 seemed a good idea.

There was some nominal interest when I got it out of the case (they hadn't seen the bass before), and it's a bit of a standing gag that I do rotate gear quite often, but then after we'd run through the set a couple of times with me using the 12 on three songs, I said:

"Sooo, the 12 on those songs - any comments? Anybody like it? Hate it?"

To a man they looked bemused, and mumbled along the lines of, "err, yeah, it was OK", "Fine, I guess", and then the singer put the hat on it with the classic line:

"Look, it's just a bass, mate."


I could understand if it was just a different 4-string, different pickups, etc (which I'm used to them not noticing - I just get on with it to please myself), but a 12-string? It sounded huuuge. Is being a bassist like being a dog? Do we hear frequencies no-one else does?


I'm taking a fricking euphonium next week. Maybe they'll spot that.

Edited November 2, 2011 by Muzz

[mrdreadful]

I don't see what the problem is... the bassist is just there to follow the root notes of the guitar as any fule kno.

[BigRedX]

I never been unlucky enough to be in a band like that - perhaps because I'm normally responsible for the majority of the music. However in that situation, so long as none of the other band members say anything negative about the sound I'd use the basses that you think are most appropriate and keep yourself happy.

[hubrad]

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1320237837' post='1424083']

I'm taking a fricking euphonium next week. Maybe they'll spot that.
[/quote]
Class!
I play fretless almost exclusively, and have learned to ignore the 'I'd prefer a fretted bass sound' comments as generally such comments arise before we even make a note and usually out of complete ignorance of how a bass can actually sound!

[lojo]

Id love to hear an example of what you are doing with the said bass

[ezbass]

I'm fortunate to be in a couple of bands with gear nuts so any new arrival at rehearsals is given attention and comment.

[LiamPodmore]

I'm not in a band with gear nuts, but they notice if i bring something different to rehearsals and gigs, especially if it has more than 4 strings.... (Or less than 5 nowadays)

Liam

[cheddatom]

I assume it's a 6 string bass with octave up strings? How the hell could they not notice the octave up on everything you played?

It's fair enough not caring about what bass you're using, but if I played a whole practice with my whammy on +1 I would hope at least my band would notice!

[Muzz]

[quote name='lojo' timestamp='1320244356' post='1424252']
Id love to hear an example of what you are doing with the said bass
[/quote]

Have a listen to 'You And Me Against The World' here: [url="http://www.tunecore.com/widgets/show/73154"]http://www.tunecore....gets/show/73154[/url] - it's the album version: this is what I'm using the 12 for live - fills the sound out really well. If I get a live recording of it, I'll post it up.

They notice new basses OK, but their criteria seem to be like my Gran's used to be - if it's a bright colour or a different shape. The issue I'm burderned with is they seem incapable of actually hearing it... and it's a 4 with TWO octaves per string, and a bit of chorus to bring out the zing - a good way away from my normal tone.

As a couple of people have suggested earlier, I just get on with it and amuse myself most of the time - I was just shocked that even for them, failing to hear the difference between a passive 4-string and an active 12-string was going some...

Edited November 2, 2011 by Muzz

[oldslapper]

Muzz to singer...."look it's just a sock mate".... ;-)

[neepheid]

[quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1320247057' post='1424311']
Muzz to singer...."look it's just a sock mate".... ;-)
[/quote]

... with a couple of snooker balls in the end of it.

[thebrig]

Stop playing in the middle of a song.

They will soon realise what the bass contributes then!!!

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Muzz' timestamp='1320246496' post='1424304']
... and it's a 4 with TWO octaves per string, and a bit of chorus to bring out the zing - a good way away from my normal tone...
[/quote]

WTF?! That's not just a tone change, you're harmonising with 2 extra octaves on every single note and they don't notice. I've played with some people I would have in the past described as "less than musical" but your guys are something else.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='cheddatom' timestamp='1320252250' post='1424408']

... you're harmonising with 2 extra octaves on every single note ...
[/quote]

Not exactly - he's playing the same note at three different levels, in unison. I get a similar effect from playing my Wal through a fuzz pedal at certain settings.

The change in sound is actually not as mind-numbingly obvious as some here seem to think, though I agree that they should have spotted it.

[Tengu]

I once played an entire song a semi tone flat just to prove a point - that everyone else was far too loud for a rehearsal. At the end they all looked really pleased with themselves and decided to move on as we had nailed that one.

I asked if they thought I should play flat for the gig as well and just got a load of blank looks. I really did wonder why I was there sometimes but they did say on a few occasions that I wasn't that they had noticed a difference.

[Lozz196]

I think it`s a vocalist thing, Muzz. No matter what bass/amp/string combination I`ve used, the singer in one of my bands retort is always:

"It just goes boom boom."

Like I`m playing Basil f8cking Brush!

[Vibrating G String]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1320252458' post='1424417']

Not exactly - he's playing the same note at three different levels
[/quote]
Unless this is something new it's one root note and 2 strings each one octave from the root, not a series of 3 octaves.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Vibrating G String

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1320270886' post='1424756']
I think it`s a vocalist thing, Muzz. No matter what bass/amp/string combination I`ve used, the singer in one of my bands retort is always:

"It just goes boom boom."

Like I`m playing Basil f8cking Brush!
[/quote]
try something like "what do you want me to play in the middle 8 when you do the shouty bit?" see how that goes

[Prime_BASS]

Obviously you aren't loud enough.

Seriously though some people are oblivious.
Our guitarist stands behind his amp and complains he can't hear it, so turns it right up. Obviously I shout at him in anger to stand infront of it.

My band never really realised what I was doing on baSs until I couldn't make rehearsal once.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1320303784' post='1424958']
My band never really realised what I was doing on baSs until I couldn't make rehearsal once.[/quote]

Sadly that is probably true for many bands. Not bigging the bass up or anything, but I don`t think many guitarists or singers are too aware, or that bothered, about what the bass actually does for their band, and how valuable an instrument it actually is.

[Muzz]

[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1320300244' post='1424944']
try something like "what do you want me to play in the middle 8 when you do the shouty bit?" see how that goes
[/quote]

I'm having that ^ !

Yep, the Vibrating G is bob-on (although the strings are t'other way up - the 'thicker' string is the bottom one in each set: I had a Washburn 8 years ago with the strings as in the photo, and I found it was harder to play that way), as is Happy Jack - not a completely earth-shattering difference in the way I'm playing the songs (and that's intentional; I don't want to change the songs, just replace some of the studio production overdubs and fill them out), but jeez, you'd have thought they'd have spotted it, at least.

[Doctor J]

What are you complaining about? You've just been given licence to do whatever the hell you want with your basslines and you know none of them are going to bicker about it. That's the dream gig. Score!

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Doctor J' timestamp='1320313543' post='1425081']
What are you complaining about? You've just been given licence to do whatever the hell you want with your basslines and you know none of them are going to bicker about it. That's the dream gig. Score!
[/quote]
i honestly dont think a great many guitarists and vocalists dont actually realise what youre doing unless you happen to play with a lot of top end and middle punching it through

if like me you play with a big fat bottom and no top and mid-mids i concur with all the opinions above that you can pretty much get away with whatewver you please .... a bit like a DJ playing 'dog like sparkey' at an old folks knees up!

[cheddatom]

It sounds like I might have used the wrong term or something. I thought this bass had one string one octave up, and another two octaves up, for each string.

It looks like it actually has 2 strings, both one octave up from the main string. fair enough!

It's still the same as me turning my whammy on plus 1 octave with some chorus after it for the entire practise. That's pretty mind-numbingly obvious to me.

[LiamPodmore]

Shouldn't your username now be VibratingGStrings, as you now appear to have 3 of them?

Liam