What bass in a cover band

Zonular

Alright guys what's your go to. 4 or 5? Flats or rounds?

Musicwolf

I play in two covers bands and couldn't tell you what either of them play.  They're basses, who the fuck cares   (speaking as a reformed bass player)

fretmeister

Zonular said:

Alright guys what's your go to. 4 or 5? Flats or rounds?

4 and 5
Flats and rounds.

Music style is an important factor in the choice.

monquixote

The rock band I used to play in did the odd song that was in D or C so I used to play a 5 to avoid having to arse about.

Bass amps have pretty powerful EQ so you can shape the sound how you want. it's more important to have something comfy so you can do two or three hours without knackering your back or getting tendonitis.

pintspiller

Four strings. I think 40-95 Swing Bass strings. So far only gigged with my Squier Jazz, but all recording during Lockdown has been done on my Frankenstein P

Funkfingers

Musicwolf said:

They're basses, who the fuck cares   (speaking as a reformed bass player)

Quoted for truth.

I have turned up for short notice deputising gigs with whichever bass guitar took my fancy or whichever was nearest the boot of my car.

The extent of the interest shown was invariably, “good, you’ve arrived with some gear.” No further dialogue beyond snide comments about the attention seeking Sea Foam Green finish of one of my Yamaha Attitudes.

ICBM

4, rounds.

I suspect I'm in a bit of a specialist cover band though...

Musicwolf

Unless it's a tribute band then it doesn't really matter what guitar or bass you play as long as it sounds good and you hit, most of, the right notes.  Play whichever you like.

Zonular

ICBM said:

4, rounds.

I suspect I'm in a bit of a specialist cover band though...

Expand on that one

Funkfingers

Could it be a tribute to Tonto’s Expanding Headband?

Blueingreen

Depends on musical style. When I played in a funk/disco cover band I found a 5 useful because there were notes below low E on some songs, some of them played on synth on the record. Even with a keys player in the band I was usually the only one playing synth bass lines, he had other stuff to do.

mbe

A bass guitar would be preferable to the double-bass.

Funkfingers

mbe said:

A bass guitar would be preferable to the double-bass.

Not always.

The contrabass is certainly a drag to transport but I wouldn’t want to hear Danny Thompson, Ray Brown or Lee Rocker play anything else.

PhilKing

I've played in a few cover bands.  I usually use my 5 string, as we have a lot of songs in D or C, and having played it for years, like it for songs in other keys,  Though I was playing in a blues/R&B band where I used my Jazz and Precision a lot more, as the music suited them.  As many have said, it really depends on the music you are doing.  I'm lucky enough to have been doing this a while and have a choice, but would try playing a few to see what suits you.

pintspiller

Blueingreen said:

Depends on musical style. When I played in a funk/disco cover band I found a 5 useful because there were notes below low E on some songs, some of them played on synth on the record. Even with a keys player in the band I was usually the only one playing synth bass lines, he had other stuff to do.

In a previous line-up of our cover band the keyboardist played boogie woogie piano as much as he could and covered all my parts. Bastard. Mind you, if he didn't know the part, he usually turned down.

ICBM

Zonular said:

ICBM said:

4, rounds.

I suspect I'm in a bit of a specialist cover band though...

Expand on that one

We play all the songs in our own style - which is garage-punk-rock, basically.

"Does this song have a Rickenbacker bass through a fuzz pedal on it? No? Well it does now."



In other words it depends on what you want your cover band to be. If you want to play the songs like the original recordings, in the same key and with similar sounds, and some of those songs are keyboard-based or outside the mainstream rock-band style then you will find a five-string bass can play some necessary notes that a four can't. If you want to just play the songs, then any bass will do - if you can't play the exact original part then you play something that fits...

Zonular

See this thread is down to my daughter nicking my short scale talman (it's hers now) and the collector in me needing to fill the void. I've a ibanez atk 400 and debate between a 5r (I've smallish hands) or a p bass cause they are pretty perfect and nomeans no and the the stranglers are all the tone you'd ever need

ICBM

Zonular said:

I've a ibanez atk 400

That's an interesting-looking bass... I assume the big pickup can do quite a Stingray-like sound.

My experience with cheaper Jazz pickups is that they're all a bit crap though. It might be worth upgrading that to something more powerful, punchy and possibly hum-cancelling - maybe voiced like a P-Bass pickup or a Rickenbacker 'treble' pickup (the position isn't too far off really, despite it being a 'neck' pickup).

Zonular said:

the stranglers are all the tone you'd ever need

On the other hand there is a lot of wisdom in that .

Zonular

Looking at a bbg5 over in Ireland for 150 quid not sure if it's a good enough price? 

Zonular

Yep stingray alright and pickups further on up with the j and between sorta p tone

ICBM

Zonular said:

Looking at a bbg5 over in Ireland for 150 quid not sure if it's a good enough price? 

That's a huge bargain. I'd expect it to be about double that, I think - although I know that some of this sort of thing don't seem to hold their value... I'm currently trying to sell an Ibanez 5-string and no-one seems interested unless I basically give it away.