thinking of going without the thunder

[usedtobeachacha]

Played out the other day without and amp.... And honestly i kinda liked it. I'm in a really new band, and we're looking at playing clubs with some pretty stout PA's....so i'm thinking about DI'ing it. Any opinions? I can't believe that more giging bassist arent doing this. I mean my bongo 5 is such a stout bass that i don't know if i really need the amp. The only guy i've heard of doing this regularly is geddy lee. Not to mention i'm thinking about going with an akg guitar bug wireless, it'll be like i'm all alone up there with no safety blanket.

 

[LowDownDave]

it'll be like i'm all alone up there with no safety blanket.

If you start to feel lonely up there, just copy Geddy and get yourself some driers.

 

[MingusBASS]

How about some Refrigerators? You'd always have plenty of Beer up there and it would always be Ice cold.

 

[jaylegroove]

If your PA and stage monitors are handled by someone skilled, then an amp on stage is almost useless. Unless your amp gives your tone a very specific colour that you want to use.

I often dreamed of working like this too, but unfortunately the sound guys I worked with did not seem to understand what was expected from them, especially about the stage monitors...

 

[SteveB]

As jaylegroove just alluded.. you'll be find with a good soundperson and ample monitoring.

 

[artisan]

good sound engineers can be a very rare find.most i've had to work with tried to turn my tone into a farty muddy rumbling nothing so make shure the buggers can get your sound.
oh & don't take any crap from 'em,you're the musician so make 'em do the job correctly.
(sorry i'm rambling from personal expierience here)

 

[todd4ta]

How about some Refrigerators? You'd always have plenty of Beer up there and it would always be Ice cold.

Here is a pretty nice fridge you can actually get from ampeg

I've tried only using monitors at church with no amp (both floor monitors and in-ear), but I just really prefer to feel the bass coming off my amp. I could probably work it out with a ButtKicker (bass shaker) built into the floor, but I just like my amp. For me, it's more about feeling it than even hearing it (or a mix of the two).

 

[Oldtoe]

Whoever was running sound for the Paul Simon/Edie Brickell/New Bohemians gig I got to open in Dallas last weekend must've been a bass player. I could actually hear my bass bouncing around the stage through the monitors and off the back wall of the venue. My Bongo sounded amazing. I was especially thankful since my HT322 had a blown 12" speaker. Unfortunately, this is the ONLY time I can recall being happy with my bass tone through the PA. If I had had money, I would've slipped the guy $100!

 

[jaylegroove]

good sound engineers can be a very rare find.most i've had to work with tried to turn my tone into a farty muddy rumbling nothing so make shure the buggers can get your sound.
oh & don't take any crap from 'em,you're the musician so make 'em do the job correctly.
(sorry i'm rambling from personal expierience here)

That's also what I could experience. Always the same clichés, bass has to be boomy, lead guitar has to be trebly, sax has to be horny D ) and so on...
Actually most of those I worked with had not figured out that making the sound of a PA is giving room to each instrument in its own range, and make this homogenous (sp?).

 

[artisan]

Jaylegroove - you're damn right there.

 

[Ole Man Blues]

We played a Church of God Camp Meeting up in Fenton Michigan 2 years ago. With approx 4,000 attending it was quite a big deal. The largest group of people I ever played too. I had my SWR Workingman 15 with me and a F***** Jazz Bass. I knew this setup was going to be weak. The sound man came over to me with mic cord and told me to plug my amp into #6 and that I would be using my amp as my monitor. He told me they had an adaquate sound board and sound system costing $15,000.

When they kicked the sound sytem on I realized how out of control I was going to be. It scared me pretty good. I did not like the idea at all. Our drummer told me not to make the sound man mad because he was going to be controling what I was going to be sounding like. So I just smiled and gave the soundman the thumbs up after the 1st practice song, and I got a return thumbs up.

All went well that day. I was glad to get back to our home Church of 200. All in all it was a great experience.

With a good PA leave the amp at home and save your back. You'll be sounding just fine............. Have a great Holiday.......

OMB

 

[usedtobeachacha]

this is all decent advice. I'm kinda new to regularly sing PA cause i've mostly played jazz my whole life. So mixing had to do with attack and amp volume. However i do have something going for me. The drummer is a close childhood friend of mine and he's a sound engineer also. i think i'm gonna take my amp awhile, then see if i can pull it off.