bass(es) for sessions?

[icarusi]

After a music shop chat to a guy, looking to start bass to play sessions, I mentioned the tale of a new player who used a modern bass with lots of features, but found his track had been recreated by another, using a P-bass or Jazz bass. He then got those basses too, just in case. Probably still a good idea, but which to get first and should it be those 3 or just 2?

[SteveXFR]

My daughter is doing a lot of session playing at the moment and gets by with just a Mexican Fender Jazz. It gets close enough to a precision tone when needed and does a jazz tone so covers most things with one bass.

[Lozz196]

Agree Steve, if pushed to take a bass to a session where I either wasn’t familiar with the material, or it was a try out sounds to see what works best I’d take a Jazz.

[chris_b]

Very few session players at our level are being hired for their sound. We are being hired because they like how we play. A studio will have more EQ and "features" than the rest of us put together, so you start with a Precision bass and let the studio sort the rest out.

 

In interviews I've read, A List session guys usually turn up with 5 or 6 basses, Precisions, with flats and with rounds, a Jazz, a Hofner style semi acoustic and maybe a couple of modern basses. The general feed back is, 99% of the time they are asked to play the Precision with flats.

 

Your own band recordings are different. You get to use everything you bought, but sessions want meat and potatoes players, like Sean Hurley, Nathan East and Lee Sklar etc.

[Owen]

I did a session where I took my passive bass loaded with my finest Fralin J pickups and it went through my Jule Monique pre. It sounded glorious as I put it down. In the final mix it sounded like a bass. Producers do not want the sound in our heads. They want the sound in their heads. That will be a sound they have been listening to for years. Not our fanciest, shiny basses. Also, they will not have time (or sadly, the interest) to audition several different flavours of bass. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Owen
because of the spelling. Always because of the spelling.

[SteveXFR]

Definitely don't show up with a Dingwall, Rickenbacker, Spector or anything else which is the tonal equivalent of a sledgehammer. If they don't want a full time bassist in the band, then they probably don't want an interesting bass sound. They want a Fender and they'll probably eq out all the character from it.

 

[NickA]

25 minutes ago, Owen said:

Producers do not want the sound in our heads. They want the sound in their heads.

bastards!! 

 

be nice if the sound in their heads wasn't always a passive precision with flats 😂🤣

[peteb]

2 minutes ago, NickA said:

bastards!! 

 

be nice if the sound in their heads wasn't always a passive precision with flats 😂🤣

 

To be fair, it's just as likely to be a Precision with rounds, but those are the two main reference sounds that most producers want! 

 

[NickA]

I guess they're a lot younger than me and don't remember the halcyon days of bass rich pop, funk and fusion ☹️.... or more to the point, know that their audience don't.

 

oh I feel old.

[SteveXFR]

Session bassists aren't just working in studios, they're playing live and touring with bands as well and thats where you might use something more interesting. Cradle Of Filth might be looking for their next bassist (there's been a lot) and they might want you to use an active bass with super bright tone and a huge effects board. They'll then fire you mid tour because Danny Filth got out the wrong side of his coffin that morning. 

[Jackroadkill]

39 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 Cradle Of Filth might be looking for their next bassist (there's been a lot) and they might want you to use an active bass with super bright tone and a huge effects board. They'll then fire you mid tour because Danny Filth got out the wrong side of his coffin that morning. 

 

I'm surprised they don't block book musicians, to be honest.

[Burns-bass]

Always easier to ask what the band or producer wants. I’ve done a few and you just ask about the vibe and take the basses that will fit.

 

I’ve got a jazz session Friday afternoon and that’s strictly flats and a jazz bass with a vintage pre-amp. Then doing a double bass gig at night with (surprise surprise) a double bass.

 

One of my acquaintances records with Sade and they got a series of super double bass players in to play on some tracks. Apparently one player had a huge amount of gear. The engineers asked him if one of the hundreds of pedals he had could help him play in tune for the whole song. Apparently this wasn’t funny.

[chris_b]

Just now, Burns-bass said:

One of my acquaintances records with Sade and they got a series of super double bass players in to play on some tracks. Apparently one player had a huge amount of gear. The engineers asked him if one of the hundreds of pedals he had could help him play in tune for the whole song. Apparently this wasn’t funny.

 

Wow! Gut punch!

 

If the fundamental technique isn't right the gear doesn't matter a jot.

[Burns-bass]

8 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

Wow! Gut punch!

 

If the fundamental technique isn't right the gear doesn't matter a jot.

I guess this may never have happened of course, but it was a funny story. 

[HeadlessBassist]

I usually go in with a passive Jazz and something active, usually either my Jazz Elite or a Status. It really depends on who is engineering. Some want to bury the bass in the mix, and others want it prominent, equal with the other instruments. I always ask the producer & artist(s) what kind of sound they're aiming for beforehand and I've never been asked to 'bring a Precision'. I've often found that the best way forwards is to keep your playing relatively on-point and simple, and to add tasteful fills at key points. But saying that, some producers don't even want any fills - just the bare baseline. It really depends on the tastes of who you're working for at the time.