Bass Players Opinions

[78tsubaki]

Thought no one would ever ask huh?
Seriously I would like to know what Bass Players think of guitarists that use sub woofers, dropped tunings, etc. Does it mess with your tone.

More important, what steps can be taken to keep things right?
Serious question here, it is all about the music.

[Mickey Shane]

I play bass in a modern drop tuned (sometimes down to Bb) rock band trio. By the very nature of the power trio, I must play with as many upper mids as I can eq out of my rig. I use 5 string basses tuned down a half step. When the guitar is very low, I just go lower. That keeps the separation. Guitars can't really get down that low. The strings would just lie on the fretboard.

I've been in a couple of quartets where the keyboard player had to stop playing left handed bass lines. They do go that low. Most rock band keyboardists will know not to play bass lines. It's just the ones that have been playing solo for a while that have to learn to quit doing that.

[2 Loud 4 You]

I play 6 string so it's no big deal. When I was bassist in a band I dropped 1/2 step and whenever we played drop D songs I played off the B string. Later when I picked up guitar and tuned to drop C the bassist just tuned down. I ended up laying the bass tracks on our album (we fired the bassist) and for ease in my head I drop tuned the bass. It takes a little getting used to rethinking the lines when your guitarist changes tuning but once you do it's no big deal.

[The Golden Boy]

I used to play in a "nu-metal" band around 7 years ago or so. First time I'd used a drop tuning on bass. At first it was goofy for me, but you get used to it pretty quickly.

I did find that I didn't like the drop tuning on my passive basses- but the active stuff sounded much better.

[lowendgenerator]

I had this problem in the last band I was in. The guitar player had a Triple Rec and oversized cab. His sound was fantastic, but it bled all over my end of the sonic spectrum. You should have seen the look on his face when I asked him to take some of the bass out of his sound!

[Thor]

I have not had too much problem when there is one detuned guitar (I can also play a 5 and that way we don't step so much on each other as other posters have noted above).... BUT....

When playing with 2 guitars that are detuned and are battling with each other for sonic space, I might as well not have been playing.

Cheers,

Edward

[bassic83]

I usually run into the opposite problem- the treble up all the way syndrome. I can tell it's happening when all the mice in the walls come pouring out and leave through the front door, followed by patrons with blood streaming down their ears!

When that finally happens to me with the bass freqs overlapping mine, I'll just stop playing, set my bass down, and go grab a cold drink. If they ask where I'm going, I'll just tell them "It's OK, you've got the bottom end handled!" ;)

[rod horncastle]

I found that I've taken alot of the bass out of my guitar sound in the last few years. I've been playing bass more often than guitar so I'm always aware of how the tones are working together.

Most guitar players that I know have never seriously listened to a professional C.D.. The guitar sounds aren't as big & HUGE as we thought they were.

Now if we could only do something about the slapping/popping bassists who take up everyone's frequency's?!

[Bassomatic]

The only 7 guy I've played with is Matte H, and it definitely took some adjusting on my part. Not a prob with a 5 string, though he pushes a lot of air.

[Gordon_Gecko]

My 8 string guitar will be finished in June. The tuning will be:

F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb

My 4 string is tuned C,F,A#,D#

[Thor]

My 8 string guitar will be finished in June. The tuning will be:

F,Bb,Eb,Ab,Db,Gb,Bb,Eb

My 4 string is tuned C,F,A#,D#


Did you fire your bassist? ;)

Please post pics when that beast is done!

Cheers,

Edward

[John Phillips]

It's only a problem if the musicians don't know how to play together, as opposed to at the same time.

Guitar players hate bassists who use too much midrange and even treble for the same reason, but it's purely a question of finding the space and what works for the particular band or even song. I play both - admittedly only coming back to bass recently after a long gap - but I can honestly say I've never had a problem either way round - and I like a lot of bass in my guitar sound and a lot of midrange in my bass sound... I even have a tweeter in my bass cab now (though not turned up much).

I've never heard a guitar rig that can produce the tight, defined deep lows (or as low) that a decent big bass amp can, or a bass rig (even a tube one) that can produce the biting complex upper mid of an overdriven guitar amp, anyway.

Keyboards and bass - or keyboards and guitar, if it's something like a Hammond - is much more of an issue because the frequency range and sound of the amps is much more similar. A truly full-range keyboard rig can flatten everything else in the mix if it's not used carefully.

[Gordon_Gecko]

My cabs are 2x12 + 1x 15 and a 4x12. 6 celestion 30's and an Eminenence 15 - 800 watt at 8 ohms with a 16 or 4 ohm stereo/mono option... the cabs easily handle low frequency. Matched with a 400 watt head - tube and solid-state circuitry... 280 watts at 16 ohms... yeah c'mon.

[walterw]

is it the metal band meshugga that recently switched to 8-string guitars and actually did fire their bass player?

[scarekrow]

My cabs are 2x12 + 1x 15 and a 4x12. 6 celestion 30's and an Eminenence 15 - 800 watt at 8 ohms with a 16 or 4 ohm stereo/mono option... the cabs easily handle low frequency. Matched with a 400 watt head - tube and solid-state circuitry... 280 watts at 16 ohms... yeah c'mon.

Wow - I'd like to crank that rig! :drool

[2 Loud 4 You]

is it the metal band meshugga that recently switched to 8-string guitars and actually did fire their bass player?

Yeah

[jokerjkny]

its not guitar players that go low that bother me, cause they dont understand that 100 watts isnt gonna give their sound "punch" or "articulation". thus, my bass tone fueled by 1800 watts will power thru their morass like a freight train.

its more keyboard players i'm worried about... ;)