OK, time to get down to business.
If you read the first post of this shiny new web-site, you may be asking yourself a few questions.
Such as:
“Who the hell is the Gigging Bass Player?”
“What’s the point of this site, anyway?”
“Why should I bother coming back?”
“All the bass players I know are inarticulate, mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging Neanderthals who are incapable of stringing together a coherent sentence, let alone carrying on a semi-intelligent conversation. What the hell makes this jackass so special??”
Umm, who let the guitar player in here?
Hey, guitar player! Be nice or go home!
Is he gone?? Ok, good.
Now, let me do my best to answer the first three questions:
Who the hell is the Gigging Bass Player?
Hi, I’m Paul. I’ve been playing bass for almost 25 years.
That’s a long time.
I’ve played basements, garages, backyards, nightclubs, chicken-wing joints, biker bars, big stages, little stages, outdoor festivals, indoor festivals and too many other places to mention.
I’ve played in original bands and cover bands.
Done some studio work.
I’ve played with some awesome musicians — and some embarrassingly shitty musicians.
When it comes to the bass, I kinda know what I’m talking about.
But I don’t want to bore you with all my personal details. For now, lets just say I’ve been around the block, played in a bunch of bands and played a shit-load of gigs. I’ve developed some ideas, opinions and thoughts along the way, which I plan to share here.
So, I am the Gigging Bass Player.
But this site isn’t just about me. It’s also about you. You are also the Gigging Bass Player.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a full-time pro or a weekend warrior.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been playing for 3 weeks or 30 years. It doesn’t matter whether you play punk, country, metal or jazz.
You have thoughts, ideas and opinions. And I want to hear them. This site will only be a success if you get involved in the conversation.
If I’m the only one that’s talking, well, that’ll just be sad and pathetic.
You have just as much to give as I do. So don’t be shy — leave a comment and tell me what you think.
What’s the point of this site?
As a performing or aspiring bassist, I want you to come here to be informed, entertained and inspired.
Opinions will be shared. Advice will be dispensed. Stories will be told. Rants will be delivered.
Hell, I may even throw in the odd video post and play a little bass for ‘ya.
Beyond that, who knows? We’ll see where things go . . .
Why should you bother coming back?
If you show up once and never come back, you’ll hurt my feelings.
Seriously. You’ll give me a complex.
I’m fragile that way.
Also, I plan to post here at least 2-3 times per week, so you’ll want to check back often. Better yet, grab a feed and have all those nuggets of bass wisdom delivered right to your grubby little hands as soon as they become available.
But enough about me and my plans.
What do you want to see on The Gigging Bass Player? Drop in, say hello, and let me know what you want to talk about.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember seeing you for the first time back with Sittin Pretty….you had hair back then….well Ya so did I….I love the page and always enjoy what you have to say
Cheers
HAHA! Yes, there was lots of hair flying around back then. I could probably still grow it like that, but it would have to go through that awkward mullet stage, and no one wants that!
Thanks for the comment!
Greetings Paul.
Is that you in the photo at the top of the post? If so, cool. The guy (whoever he is) looks intense; like he’s having fun. The crowd most likely is enjoying watching him, unless of course the band is just downright crappy…which I would say is unlikely, judging by the quality of the photo, the lighting, etc.
Thanks for setting up the site, it could potentially be a lot of fun, as well as be rather informative if you have at least a few relatively regular insightful (not overly sarcastic or synical and at least somewhat positive) participants.
Anyway, I’ll take a minute to brag on my newest axe. It wasn’t expensive, but it is cool. It is a 2006 Warwick Corvette Standard (passive electronics, I’ve lost interest in active electronics at this point). I bought it in nearly mint condition for $500. (My recent joke is that I tell my buddies that I just bought a 2006 Corvette in nearly mint condition that has never been driven for five hundred bucks…guess ya gotta be there.
) I’ll have to say, she’s a big’en. Probably weighs about 12 lbs. It’s ok though, just get a wide strap. In the studio the bubinga body provides a natural compression and warmth that minimizes need for excessive processing and gives a nice meaty tone. She sounds great recorded with the SansAmp alone (I will of course tweak more for recordings I intend to polish more). I did my first regular 4 set gig with her on Friday. I never picked up my backup. She just delivers a thick (traditional style…a plus in my book) easliy distinguishable room filling tone that doesn’t need to be burried yet does not burry the guitar player or the vocals (impossible to burry my current drummer unless someone shoots him).
Looks like you are playing an old school Fender (great axes) in the pic (again, if that is you). Am I correct or is it something else? Again, cudos for setting up the site. God bless.
Hey Jerry,
Yeah, that’s me and my trusty P. Congratulations on the Warwick purchase . . . sounds like you got a great deal!
Thanx Paul. I think I did pretty good on that purchace. I am sold on the Warwick (this is my second Warwick, I have a Streamer Standard as well; again a great bass that is relatively inexpensive) on a Trace Elliot (715x) is a great pairing.
What year is your P bass? What are you currently running as your primary rig?
i love the warwicks too jerry …. picked up an offshore bout a year ago … wish a hadve spent the extra and got a german 1 tho …. sound is great and i love the way it feels ect but the electronics on it are substandard as far as i am concerned ….by the time i am done fixing that shit up i could have got a real 1 …. oh well live and learn …. 500 is an awesome deal for a vette dude …. ill give ya 600…lol… have played a few warwicks over the years at jams ect …. last summer i got the take a corvette double buck for a ride …. loved it of course …. felt a lot like mine but the sound was just awesome …. lots of power/prescence which is my biggest complaint with the 1 i have now …. but since my gigging amp is a vintage ampeg svt i can compensate a bit … but still not the same
i hear ya on the drummer comment …. we have 1 of those too ….. im pretty sure when we arent looking he pulls out a couple baseball bats to play with …… we played a rather large tent at fri 13 in port dover and they set the sound around the snare …. had it turned right off on the board …. some of that has to do with the snare itself but when he gets into it sometimes i think he jumps off the seat to hit it
“some of that has to do with the snare itself but when he gets into it sometimes i think he jumps off the seat to hit it”
Haha, I hear ya bro. I suppose that this is a universal state of being for those precussion minded folks. I suppose that I have learned to live with it and have simply learned to adapt. Ya gotta figure though, they are focused on an instrument where they are constantly striking one object with another object to produce sound waves (lots of them) , this has to say something about the situation. Also, I would probably be angry and want to hit things if setting up my rig took as much energy and time as setting up a farily elaborate drum kit (that I would very often have to tear down 3 to 4 hours later).
When you refer to “off shore” are you refering to the Rock Bass by Warwick?
A vintage rig guy, cool. I used a vintage Sunn concert head with a 2×15 bottom primarily for many years until recently. I got a GREAT deal on the Trace (NAMM special in ebay) and never looked back. Portable (an absolutely huge factor), powerful and sounds friggin’ awsome (in my opinion). Again, something to be said however for those vintage rigs.
yes jerry it is the rockbass …. has a vette body … different wood tho …. i hear ya on the portability factor …. i have a peavey that i use to practice but just not enough presence for me …. time to go shopping around i think … played thru an ampeg combo a while back and really liked it …think i would like to get something similar for a jammin amp …guitar in one hand …amp in other … bag slung over shoulder…one trip … but for me it is hard to beat the sound of ol vintage tube … couple extra trips to the stage is worth it …. untill i need 1 hand for a cane …lol