Advice for aspiring Studio Players or anyone that wants to "Go Pro"

#281
I’ve just joined TB after reading for the past year or so. This thread has been really fantastic to read and I’ve come back to it many times. I am in the restaurant biz but have played music for a while now, just picking up the bass 4 years ago. It’s become the thing that I truly care most about and while I am successful and doing great things in my day job, pursuing bass and ideally session work in the future has become as big a part of my life. Thank you all for the incredible thread, insightful first hand accounts, and overall inspiration!
 
#282
As mentioned by OP but phrased a little differently, I was told that 15 minutes early is on time (for any kind of gig).
In my case I often needed more time than a flute or horn player for setup so I always always aimed for at least 30 to 60 minutes so I could help others and get a little relaxin' time (gigs not recording studio).
 
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#284
Slaptapandpop said:
Hi, I'm a new member here, and this is my first post. There's a possibility this has already been asked but I'm not going through the whole 14 pages to find out:
Assuming my chops, equipment, professionalism, and everything else are up to speed, how hard is it to make get started, and make a living as a session player, studio bassist, etc? I men, how hard is it to actually "break in" to the industry. I'm sure that even at a very high level of playing there is a lot of competition and some players will not make for no reason other than, just because they didn't. After everything is up to snuff, what are my chances of making a living as a bassist?
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When in business, this counts : " name brand " Treat yourself as a " name brand ".
 
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#286
jessestern said:
Great thread guys! Just wanted to say hi and throw in my $.02.

As far as gear, if I bring one bass, it's a P bass with flats. (I believe this is changing from just a few years ago, where the one bass was the J.) If you bring two basses, bring a P and a J. If you bring 3, add a good 5 string to the mix. If you bring 4, throw in a fretless.

Of course, this depends a lot on where you live, what styles of music you're doing, etc. Unless I know the person and the project I'm working on, I always bring too many basses. I'd rather bring too many and leave them all in the cases, than to say "I have the perfect bass for this song ... at home."

These days I'm doing a lot more bass sessions online, in my own studio. Since my studio is designed for a bassist (me), I always have the right gear!

If you're doing a lot of work, a good preamp or direct box is a worthwhile investment. I'm personally not a big fan of Avalons - they're ok. The Manley Vox Box sounds amazing for bass. Also Summit makes a good DI box pre. Demeters are pretty nice too. Aphex has some new gear that is worth checking out too. The industry standard is still the Neve. API too, but they are cleaner, sometimes too clean for bass. If you're just starting out doing session work, let the studio spend their money on preamps, and use whatever they have.

You should do it as long as it's fun. If you're doing it because you think it's going to "go somewhere", you're very likely doing it for the wrong reasons.

To see and hear a few of the things I've done, please visit my web site Session Bassist Online dot com.
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The Manley is just insane! Fed by my Dingwall? Forget about it!
 
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