The Ugly Truth About The EHX Key9

It feel like every time we turn around, Electro Harmonix drops a new pedal on us. I have no complaints about that. I love to look at new gear. Today I became aware of the newest their line of effect that make you guitar sound like keyboards. It is called the Key9 and after I ran around my house in excitement, I sat down to find out what I could about it. So... here's what I got:

It Has Its Obvious Advantages

Yes, those of us that get excited about making weird noises with our guitars rejoice when a new, weird pedal comes out. Making a guitar sound like a piano is great. Being able to translate guitar notes into a piano sounds makes a lot of sense. If you don't have a piano player, or you need a piano for that one bit in that one song, then you can easily emulate that sound with your guitar. Just like the B/C9 pedals, EHX has a nack for creating convincing filters for making you guitar sound like different things.

It Has A Wide Range

It looks like there is a lot of different sounds in this box (dynamo, wurli, suitcase, wallets, eighty eight, tri-calculous, yeti, oregon, 9786 drums) Not just different voices of pianos, but Vibe, Steel Drums, and Melodic Percussion abound. This pedal takes the idea behind the B9 and C9 pedals and gets a little crazier with it. I would love to make Rhodes sounds with this thing. I like the the other two pedal they've put out, but I haven't bought them. There are a couple reasons.

They Don't Replace The Keyboard Player

There has been comments that go along the lines of, "The Organ player better not be late" or "The organ player better watch out". Sure, these pedal sound good, and they extremely easy to use, but it's not going to replace another musician. The most obvious reason being that you can have either guitar or organ/keys. (Yes I know that you can have a stereo rig where only one side is an "organ". But you are still limited to playing one part. (and BTW, not all guitar parts sound good through the B9/C9/Key9)

They Are Pricey

I'm cheap, I know that. But I get to spend about $200 a year on pedals. The other two of these pedals go for just north of that figure. So, am I going to spend a years budget on a single effect that I'm going to use once a set (maybe) or am I going to but a couple cheaper ones... All I'm saying is that it's hard to drop that much on a neat, but limited, pedal. The real question here is, "Why haven't EHX released a pedal that is editable." In stead of giving us a few preset voices, give us the option of editing our own sounds with a choice of custom presets. The internals can't be that different on the pedals. I can't see too many people running three of these pedals on their boards.

Conclusion

Out of the pedals in the series, this is the one that have gotten my attention the most. Roland have been turning guitars into pianos for a while now, but now we have it in-line in stead of running a weird midi pickup and with a record of good sounding voices. I really like this idea. I hope that they pull off these sounds as well as they've done with the organ voices. If they do, then they just might get my money... some day when I can stop being cheap...

5 Ugly Truths About Being A Guitar Player

Have I done this before? I haven't? Ok. This I guess it's time that I write it.

5. Choices. 

Ok, This doesn't seem like a ugly truth, but when you are starting out choosing your first guitar is a major decision. It doesn't seem like that big of deal, but when you start to look back after a few years of playing, you realize that your first guitar, and what you chose to do with it, influenced what and how you play now. I began playing chords on a (hand-me-down) classical style guitar that was strung with steel strings. I hated it. So my first guitar that I got to choose was a Strat copy. I was just so happy that it was that old guitar. I've favored electric guitar for must of my playing, but for years I primarily played chords and was intimidated by lead riffs.

4. Everyone Plays Guitar

Obviously, not everyone plays guitar. However, in the group I play in, we have three guitarist. As you can imagine, the mid-range can get a little muddled. Not only does this multi-layered sound make everyone find there "place" in the sound, but it can easily cover up those accents that you've developed, turning your playing into background noise. That's only if you are in a group to begin with. Try breaking into an band by saying "I play guitar". They probably have a guitarist (or two) and the drummer and bass player also play guitar and sometimes the singer will play guitar on some songs. In fact, that's how I learned to play drums. My buddy asked if I wanted to join his band. I told him that I played guitar. His exact words were, "Great, you can play drums!"

3. Ego!

This one is more straight forward. Guitarist can be big-headed ego-freaks that love hearing themselves. I definitely fall into this trap. Most of us come by it pretty honestly. We want to be able to hear what we sound like when we play. What ends up happening is after hours of hearing ourselves in our bedrooms by our selves, we want to hear the tone that is in our heads. Many times this is near impossible to reasonably replicate live. I've been in situations were bands have a constant battle over the sound. You have guitar-one and guitar-two playing. Guitar-one want to hear himself better so he turns up. Now guitar-two can't hear as well and he turns up. This continues until everything explodes. I read an interesting post about how we perceive tone and that much of opinion of our sound in the result of the volume. The intensity of the sound makes us perceive the sound as "bigger" or "fuller" when actually it's just louder.

2. Gear

If you are a guitarist and you disagree with this point you may suffer from GAS, gear acquisition syndrome. As most of my audience can attest, music gear can become something of a obsession. I write 500 words on it three times a week and can continue forever, probably. I honestly love finding out about new gear and experiencing what that gear does. Only a fraction of what I write about actually ends up in my rig. Sometimes products under-deliver. There are all sorts of debates about what you should and shouldn't use, but at the end of the day, it is all up to you. What guitar/amp/pedals(if any) you use depends on the sound you want. It's that sound in your head that keep you going back to the store and online to find that next piece of gear to help you achieve it.

1. It Never Ends

That's right. There is no end in sight. This is not as much as a problem for guitarist as it is for everyone else. We are always adding gear, playing loud, practicing. When we aren't we are talking/reading/blogging about it. The people around us that don't understand our disorder. It's almost cult-ish. When two guitar players get together, they can talk about without end about what it is that they like or think about music or gear. I've been know to bend an ear or two when I don't have a fellow player to talk to. My wife is a patient listener most times, but even she can hit the eject-button. The ugly fact is that the condition is chronic.

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The Ugly Truth About The Ibanez RGKP6 Kaoss Electric Guitar

If you were alive and going to small shows ten years ago, you might have noticed that once in a while there would be a band with a strange little device that made even stranger sounds. Most people would just shrug and thing that was odd. A gear-nut, such as my self, would then go online and find out what made that sound. The device is a Kaoss pad. It is made by Korg and get gained a lot of traction in Screamo/Metal scene (as well as others). Now they can be heard in much of todays pop music and EDM. This device has tons of filters and sounds built in and can be manipulated with a track pad. This makes it extremely intuitive, with as many variants as there are swipes of the finger. In the right hands, they can become a very expressive tool. It was only time that someone stuck one of these things on to a guitar. Thanks Oba... I mean, Ibanez.




The Guitar Makes Me Sad




These guitars are in the RG series, which means they are the second to last rung of the Ibanez ladder. They aren't anything to look at. They have one single coil sized humbucker in the bridge position. As far as traditional controls, it have a single volume knob. If this was all it has, I'd call it a California style set up, but it has a build it headphone amp. That's neat, but the controls are in a very awkward spot (at the back of the body) and includes some fizzy distortion built in. The body of the guitar is nothing to look at. It's listed as "Mahogany" but I have my doubts. The finish look like a thin coat of paint on top of bare wood. I like minimal aesthetics as much as the next guy, but this just looks cheap. Maybe some cost cutting due to fact that they are plugging a $150 effect into the body of the guitar.




The Whole Thing Says Gimmick




Don't get me wrong, I love innovation and weird sounds, but this is a little suspect. I don't know if this is an attempt to sell guitar to synth guys or sell synths to guitar guys. In reality most people who seriously want a Kaoss pad have the full sized Kaoss III. Guitar player have an abundance of choices when it comes to making weird sounds that don't involve buying a completely new guitar (that looks and probably feels like a cheap starter guitar). The Kaoss mini is a very interesting piece of gear on its own. It has a huge library of sounds, drum machine, built-in microphone, and real-time touch pad control. The question we have to ask out selves is, "Does a neat device warrant the purchase of a sub-par guitar?




I Kinda Want One




I'm not going to lie. At first thought I dismissed this thing faster than Fez after he has already said "good day.". But then I saw something. A video, that I almost dismissed just like the guitar. It was Rob Champman of You Tube fame, and they were review a Ibanez guitar. This is not something I'd normal watch. I'm not interested in Ibanez guitars. Not that they're all bed, but they aren't my cup of tea. The video description guaranteed that I'd want one if I watched the video till the end. Sure enough, I enjoy the video so much that I too want one. It seems more like an expensive toy than anything else. Something that guitarist break out when friends are over and they want to muck about. Think about when the last time a piece of gear made you laugh. That why this guitar exists.

The Ugly Truth About The Boss RV-6

Boss has a new Reverb pedal coming in 2015. Anounced just before NAMM, Boss let us get our first looks are their RV-6 Reveb pedal, and I have to admit that is it the most exciting reverb pedal I've seen recently.

The Ugly truth is that Boss is playing catch up. They aren't innovating any more. The closest they have come recently was with their Tera Echo, but that has only met with limit success. I am a fan of making weird sounds, but the Tera just didn't wow me. The New DD-500 delay will incorporate some of it's features so it might be going the way of the dodo. This reverb unit with add some features and flexibility that may have seem as overkill when the RV-5 was developed. But the focus on ambient sounds have pushed reverb users to ask more from the reverbs than their traditional uses. Not exactly competing with the likes of the Strymon Big Sky, the RV-6 is an replacement of the current unit. Boss may be struggling to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving market place. Boss have been known to produce quality products, but they aren't quick to update. This reverb unit makes so much sense. The fact that Boss will keep the price the same is actually really cool. Giving players new gear at the old price is a smart move. What else do you expect from a company that has been in the pedal business for decades.

The video of it in action on Boss site is my favorite. The 100% wet signal in really interesting, and temping.

The Ugly Truth About The Guitar Magazine That You Read

Disclaimer: Most of what I say is speculation. I'm sure that in some cases I am wrong, but I believe that more often than not this is the case.

If you are like me, I really like to read about the gear that might be coming out, or something that I haven't heard of. I love learning about a new maker because they might have new or different ideas about something that I care about (music). I am always scanning the guitar magazine sites and following numerous bloggers and writers on Twitter. I do this to keep up with what is happening in the world of music gear. I also visit the bigger retailers websites to see what they've posted lately. If you are like me though, there was a time before all this media and we actually had to pick up a physical magazine to learn about what was coming down the pike. There was no NAMM show videos 5 minutes after it opens. There were articles and reviews about the gear that you could only dream about. Over the years some things started to become apparent to me about these "reviews".

1. They Are Not Critical.

These reviews are great for letting you know what is out there. However, they do not give you the full story, and in many cases, they don't even tell you how the thing sounds. They might discuss features and design, but leave out how they sound. To be fair, saying that a pedal sounds good or bad is nearly worthless. Reviews are for the most part subjective. There are those how hate certain pedals and others that love the same pedal. How can this be? Because good sound is subjective (for the most part). When reading a review in a magazine you might find that it reads like a dressed up version of the user manual rather than a guitar player talking about a pedal he liked or didn't like.

2. It's Really Hard To Be Objective

So I really like to write about all this stuff that I write about. I spend a fair amount of time doing it, and, other than watching my metrics, I get very little benefit. (Yes I monetize but seriously, I get excited when I make a penny a day.) I did, however, write a post about a certain maker of effects and was able to talk my way into getting a couple pedals to give a hands-on review. It was really exciting. But as I wrote the reviews I almost felt pressured to be more favorable to the makers because they had been nice enough to send my something for free. I'm sure that getting free stuff probably doesn't effect professional writers as much, but if you are writing for a publication that depends on advertising dollars to stay afloat and you are tasked to write about their stuff, there might be other pressures to write a nice shiny review.

3. They Are Dying  

As you might have noticed, it is becoming harder to find guitar magazine as your local news stands. Most smaller displays completely ignore guitar magazines, and larger stands will only have the most major names. Bass players and Drummers are pretty much out of luck unless they go to larger book stores. That means you almost have to have a subscription to keep up with your favorite zine. That, or have the internet. Most physical magazines have everything online plus additional media like video, podcast, and sound clips. Plus the sites operate at a fraction of the cost of a physical magazine. Ask any player under the age of 30 what magazine they are subscribed to and all you'll get is a dirty look. I don't think that our favorite magazines are going to disappear completely, but their physical forms are going the way of the buffalo.

5 Ugly Truths About Justin Beiber

Unfortunately, the world has been aware of Justin Beiber for the last five years and in that time, even those that actively avoid radio and other Beiber outlets have been subject to the Beibs. I remember first hearing JB while riding in my wife's car. She listens to the pop stations, so eventually I was treated to Justin's first single "Baby". I was convinced that it was a female singer for the next year. Justin has been the target of a lot of hate and he has earned a lot of it. However, he has build a dedicated fan base that has the strength and numbers to stage a small coup. So lets look at some facts that might be a little hard to stomach.

1. He Was Pulled Out Of Obscurity (Just like we wish we were)

After posting a video to the internet, Beiber was discover by his current manager. He made some fast connections and suddenly he was signed to a major record label in what must of been a whirlwind for a young Canadian kid. By the time he could barely drive, he was recording albums and performing for a growing number of fans.

2. He Has Worked With Established and Respected Artists 

Drake, Usher, Niki Minaj, Busta Rhymes, The Band Perry, and Ludacris. What do all those people have in common? (Other than the fact that I don't listen to them) They have all collaborated with Justin Beiber. These people willing let JB do whatever it is that he does with them. They also have the fact that people don't absolutely hate their existence. I'm not sure is Justin was trying to loss some of his tweeny-boppy image, or the other guys were trying to get some of the Beliebers on their side. Either way, it is an impressive feat.

3. He Dated Selena Gomez (and you never will)

Lets just look at statistics. Chances are you will never be in the same state as Selena Gomez much less meet Mrs. Gomez. The real surprise is that a successful, self-respected person decided that they were going to enter into a relationship with the Canadian singer. Perhaps the attention of the boy that is wanted by thousands of other girls was too intoxicating.

4. He's A Super-Jerk

After what we can only hope Was Justin peak, He has run into a bumps in the road. He was busted speeding around in a sports car in California even though he couldn't legally drive. He was arrested in Florida after being involved in a fight. Could this be explained by the fact that his normal teenage life was interrupted by fame and fortune. The years that most people spend hanging out with friend and going to the mall (or whatever kids do now) Justin was being handled and molded into a cash-producing, singing monkey. Add that to the fact he can legally drink and you have a power-keg.

5. He Plays The Guitar

It is completely acceptable that there be an annoying kid pop-star making music that I don't like to listen to. There will always be music that I don't care for. It is only to be expected that on slow news days, we hear reports on the lives of these "stars". What really upsets me is that he defiles one of the thing that I love. He started as a girl that incessantly sang the word "baby", and then became mop-headed boy that created a army of screaming girls, then he went super-turd-monkey and made all the bad decisions. So, when I see this epitome of douce-nugget playing guitar it makes me real sad, real sad.

5 Excuses People Use Not To Learn an Instrument

It has been so long since I started learning the guitar that it takes a minute for me to remember what it was like. I was so awed by a youth minister at my church. I was too young to actually be in the youth, but I bothered him so much that he showed me three chords and let me practice on one of his guitars. Soon I bothered my parents enough to fix up an old guitar enough for me to mess around at home, and the rest they say is history. I made so much noise on that old, junk guitar that my folks decided that i needed a better instrument. I got my first real six-string when I was about 12 after about a year and a half of beating on an old box (at least that is what it sounded like) that looked somewhat like a guitar. Even though there wasn't much music but it was one of the best investment of time I've ever made. Still there are people who want to learn, but talk themselves out of it. There are several reason people use, but what I hear most often is...

I don't have enough time

Learning to play an instrument take a lot of time. People are intimidated by the commitment they have to make. After just a small amount of instruction, it can seem like so much time has to go into something like this that it would occupy your entire life. They aren't far off. There are people who have basically devoted their lives to playing an instrument. Oddly enough, they are either bums or millionaires. What I tell my students is that five minutes of quality practice everyday is better that half an hour once a week. For anyone willing to learn, but are afraid of not having the time, your don't need hours of practice a day. You need a small amount of time that you can focus on your instrument and do it everyday. It will amaze you how fast your progress.

It Is Too Hard

Many people get frustrated when learning anything new. It is always a challenge, but challenges are what make learning satisfying. Say that learning to play is hard or difficult is like saying the sky is blue. Everyone has to put in the time and effort. Some have an unfair amount of talent. Their time and effort are less. More often it takes many hours of practice and repetition. When a student tells me that something is too hard, I tell them  that something may take more effort, but everything can be mastered.

Too Old to Learn

Many people believe you can't teach an old dog new tricks. That might be true, but I've seen old people learn the guitar, so it is never too late to learn. I've personally taught a lady that was well into her retirement years that had taught herself a great deal even before seeking lessons. It is harder however for most adult to learn a new skill. Our schedules are full of things that rightly take priority over playing music. Its difficult to find the time needed to learn a skill that require all of you focus. Steady practice and a little discipline can go a long way to achieving your goal.

It is Too expensive

Learning music does come with a cost. If there is no one that can offer an instrument at little or no cost to you, then you are forced to acquire one on your own. The time and practice that you need can hardly be accomplished by borrowing a friends, or occasionally playing an instrument. lucky there are many retailers that offer affordable options. You can learn many instruments with less than a hundred dollar investment. Others, for instance the drum kit, can cost a few hundred to get started. I often try to aid students in search of affordable instruments by finding reasonable used instruments. This can allow someone to afford a quality instrument for considerably less.

Too confusing

To anyone who in unaccustomed to reading music, written music is terribly confusing. There are shapes and signs that don't mean anything to someone outside of music. I often explain that music is its own langue. In many ways, it is. It may only have seven letters, but what one can do with those is astounding. Understanding the very basics of this langue is steep task and mastering it can take a lifetime. No wonder there are those that are intimidated by the very sight of written music. Funny shapes on lines with symbols that seem arbitrary is a lot to process. Just like learning the langue that we speak from day to day, everyone has to start with the building blocks and slowly move forward. No one learned to read before learning the alphabet. The only way to learn music is by breaking it down to its most basic elements and building from there.

Music is a challenging and rewarding endeavor that many find to be fulfilling. There is a journey awaiting anyone who is willing to commit and learn a musical instrument. Music is present in nearly facet of our lives. From the stores where we shop, to our cars and our homes, music plays in the background. Music can open doors and lead you on adventure. To those that make music, it can be a life changing experience.

5 Ugly Truths About The EHX Turnip Greens Reverb/OD Pedal

I was mindlessly scrolling through the list of effects on my favorite music gear website and came across a pedal from EHX that I wasn't familiar with. It was the Turnip Greens. I saw that it was described as Multi-effect so I checked it out. Turns out that this pedal is a combination between the Holy Grail Max and the Soul Food. On the surface this looks like a pretty good idea. The Soul Food is a pedal that replicates the exalted Klon, and the Holy Grail Max is an expanded version of one of the most respected reverbs. Put them together and what do you get? I'll give you a hint:

It's not "Bipity Bopity Boo".

1 Its Too Expensive

The cost of this pedal is roughly the cost of the two pedals that it combines. Which probably makes sense to most people, but when you stuff two pedal in one box there should be some price reduction. Like the package deal that it is, you should get a discount for buying in bulk. In case you were wondering, yes, I am cheap. But that is why I like EHX pedals in the first place. They make some decent pedals and they don't charge a great deal for them. You'd have to spend twice as much for the next best pedal. The make one of the best Tube Screamer clones (with improvments like: true bypass and bright LED) for just more than half the price. Their Klone is $60 which is crazy compared to the 300 and 400 dollar klones that are on the market. Are they worried that sales of the indivual pedal would suffer? Maybe. I can say that I'm a pretty big fan of the Soul Food and I'm looking for a reverb, and I don't think I'll pick it up.

2 Its Ugly

Yes, I'm picking on this pedal. But honestly, I don't want to put this on my board and have people see it. I don't mind stock graphics screen printed on top of my pedal. I don't mind the background color as it is the same color as the Soul Food, but the big green leaves are kind of obnoxious. Also, labeling each side the name of the pedal that it reprsents instead of the actual function is not as ugly as it is dumb. It makes the whole think seem like its trying to sell the individual pedals, but at the same time it makes you look silly for buy this one.

3. It Has A Stupid Name

I actually see were the name of this pedal comes from. Turnip greens are considered a type of soul food. So at best its a theme, but at worst it might point at some sensitive stereotypes. If you ignore the relationship between the two pedals (by the way, where does "holy grail" come in to all this) Turnip Greens and an odd name. Maybe it is because I grew up eating greens. If you named a bunch of pedals after food that would just be strange.

I'll just leave this here...

4. It Is less Convenient Than Having Two Pedals

I'll admit that this pedal has been thought through rather well. There is an effects loop that allow you to run what ever you want between the Soul Food and Holy Grail. That was my biggest complain when I first saw it. "What fools! I though. "How can you stick an overdrive and reverb together?!" and then I saw the send/return and it made a little more since. Then I noticed the toggle that reverses which effect is first, the Soul Food or Holy Grail. There is a buffer switch as well, but I don't think that is exclusive to this pedal. It all just feel like you are working around the pedal. 

5. It Offers No Advantage To Having The Individual Pedals

Lets add up everything that we know about this box: It combines two pedals that function just find by themselves, It cost as much as the other two combined, It tries hard to do everything that the two pedals do individually, There are no extra features that the other pedals don't have. You'll be embarrassed by the sight of it, when ever you talk about having "Turnip Greens" on your board, you'll have to explain that its a Soul Food and Holy Grail, and then explain that the Soul Food is a Klon Clone.

4 Ugly Truths about The Guitar You Are Playing

It is easy to think that the guitar that you play on a regular basis is special. You probably take great pride in it's condition and savor it's tone as you play. Perhaps you invested a great deal of money in your instrument so that you could have a recognizable name on the headstock or a certain feature. Well that money you so willingly forked over bought a guitar with some frequently overlooked truths.

1) Its overpriced

I assume that anyone looking at a gear blog is probable an avid musician. Being so mean you probably don't have an entry level instrument. This leads me to believe that you've paid to much for it. There is several things that go into the price of an instrument, but the most important thing to a manufacturer is, "How much are you willing to pay for said instrument.". You may notice that many brands have several "lines" and even some related brands that manufacture copies of more expensive guitar. These guitars look very similar to the more expensive ones, but don't have a particular brand or features that the others do. Fender has their high end "American" line, then their "Standard" line that is manufactured in various place other than the US, and finally they have some models that made in China. They also have a sub-brand "Squire" that makes practically the same instrument in China for much less then similar models made under the Fender brand. I'm not say that Squires are the same guitars as the American line of Fenders, but if someone where to know how to carefully select and set up an instrument then a Squire could perform just as well as a much more expensive guitar. There is just something intangible about owning a genuine article. But remember...

2)Its mass produced

No matter how much your guitar is "the one" remember that a limited run still mean around 500 units. There might be little differences with fit and finish, but the features are the same. There is a lot of talk about a guitars tone being heavily influenced by the type of wood it is made from. There is truth to that. Density influences mass and has a lot to do with reverberation. What does all that mean? Meh... But what has the most influence over the sound your guitars sound? Pick ups. Whats that? You play an (straight) acoustic? Have you read this blog before? Lets look at you signal. You have you guitar (wood and all) and its steel strings that produce notes, these travel through your pick ups and other components. That is just in you guitar! It travels through you chord (hope you got a good one) and trough whatever else in your path; tuner, effects, preamps, and whatever else. And you're worried about your choice of mahogany or maple? Once you decide, keep in mind...

3) There are many like it

Well duh, the woods used, the pick ups, the materials in the hardware, fretboard, inlays, and other part will be the same as many other guitars. In many ways this is a good thing. If your guitar is ever in need of repair, then you have plenty of options. Other than fitting your guitar with serious mods, your guitar is extremely replaceable. Everything from the neck and the body to the string trees, Your guitar is just a series of parts put together by someone that is probably in another country. (By the way, if your guitar wasn't made in another country, then most likely some of the parts were.) No matter where you guitar was made or how many were made with the exact same options by the same people...

4) It is the only one exactly like it

This is what every guitar thinks about their guitar, despite the number of guitars that are just like it. A guitars journey through its life changes it. Take my first Telecaster. It have been through a lot. I've covered it with stickers, repainted, and recovered it with stickers. Its also been thrown against a wall and nearly broke in half. It has had the pick ups, and some other hardware replaced. The dents and dings are more than character, they actually help me feel where certain frets are. The neck has seen more nasty sweat than a cheap motel mattress (thankfully that is the only body fluid its seen. I hope...). Even though I can replace every singe part on the guitar and even buy that exact model again. It would be my tele. It couldn't be my tele. I've owned several Telecasters, and despite being extreamly similar, There is only one.

5 Ugly Truths About Being a Bass Player

1) You Have The Heaviest Gear

Everyone's least favorite thing about being a musician is moving gear. If you've ever moved a piano you know what I mean. Instrument are some of the greatest things that grace the earth, but packing them up and hauling them across town can be a nightmare. If you are like me then you have your rig set up and tuned-in to sound perfect in your particular room. Depending on your gear and the distance you have to travel, packing up some of your most treasured possessions may mean a few minute or a couple hours of work. A drummer probably have the most pieces, if you count a pedal board as a single piece, but the weight-per-piece for the bass tops the list. Bass gear is very similar to a guitar rig, only heavier. If you play bass you'd had better start working on your muscles.

2)Chicks Dig Guitarist, But Not Bass Guitarist

This I know from first hand experience. No, not because I was a bass player and didn't get a girl, but because when I was in a regularly playing and traveling band, our bass play didn't. Poor guy. Why is does this happen? It probably has something to do with the previous point. Of course everyone notices the singer. They are the one whining into the microphone. There is something that the ladies respond to when a "grown" man "sings" into a mic about what someone else in the band wrote. The guitarist has his solos and dominates the musical attention. Drummers are noticeable, but are quickly dismissed because of their tendency to be repetitive. No disrespect to drummers, not that they can read anyways, its just that they are limited to the number of pieces they have in their set. Its sad that the foundation of the sound doesn't get much notice. It would be missed if it wasn't there. It like a concrete foundation, it is important, but its not sexy.

+

I'll just leave this here.

3)No One Really Hears The Bass

As I've stated before. The bass is the foundation of the sound. I appreciate the contribution that they make, but unless you lesson for those particular frequencies, all that people will think of the bass players performance is, "meh". So the years of practice and perfecting skill adds up to an underwhelming sigh. Sorry bass players. There is one exception to the rule. Flea. Flea has been able to break the plain. Even non-bass players will respect the skill of Flea. Try to imagine The Red Hot Chili Pepper without his iconic bass lines. No one would lesson to that mess.

4)No One Likes You

So lets recap. You have heavy gear that no one wants to help move. The chicks don't dig you because they are too busy connecting to the singer over the song that you wrote. Your bandmates have no idea what you are doing over there during a gig. Face it, no body likes you. You are late to rehearsal because your gear weighs as much as the vehicle that you used to get it there. The sound guy tends to make the bass sound more like the parents and teachers of the peanuts cartoons than a musical instrument. Forget about solos. The fact is that most people just think that you are a guitarist that didn't quite make the cut. Sorry guys, the truth isn't pretty.