Well, someone directed me to this. I'm the bassist that wrote the article.

Just wanna clarify.

First, it is only my humble opinion, as wrong or as right as it may be. I have done nothing worthwhile for anything I write to be considered Biblical.

I didn't mean to express that as a bassist that I do not lock with the kick drum. If I didn't I wouldn't have any gigs. What I meant is that I use the hi-hat to anticipate where the kick drum will come. If I were to wait until I actually heard the kick drum to play my note, I could be milliseconds late and that will affect the tightness of the band. So when I meant lock in with the hi-hat, I meant it on a mental level, not necessarily a musical level.
If I played with a drummer for years, I can anticipate where his foot and snare will come. It's alot more subconscious then. But, I play plenty of sub gigs and sometimes with a drummer that I never played with before and songs that I am performing for the first time. I listen to the hihat to get an idea of their style. Do they rush the beat? How much do they swing? What's the general tempo of the tune? Stuff like that. Other bassists may do something else, and that's cool. But many working bassists know to listen to the hihat.

As far as your crash, place it where you want if you see me on the gig. I wear earplugs nowadays.

As far as brightness of hihats or rides, it's just my opinion. Songwriters, soundmen, recording engineers, guitarists, other bassists, etc. will have theirs. Just stating what works for me.

I also like to stand on the hihat side, because it's easier for me to lay a nasty fart on you guys. Hope you brought a fan to the gig.

Anyway, as a bassist, it's good to hear feedback from drummers. It's all about collaboration anyway.

Peace,
Jong

That I definitely agree with, but too often it's the bandleader or venue that screws it up. Or the bass player.


Quit yer cryin' and count!

I think it's difficult to make such generalized statements like that with any real accuracy. Perhaps of the drummers you've personally worked with you could say "don't have a clue". FYI ... just because I don't go telling a bassist I'm working with what I think of his/her sound or give unsolicited suggestions ... that doesn't automatically constitute my having no knowledge of the bass or bass gear. I typically trust the musicians I'm working with and figure they are using their ears, choosing the sound(s) that best fits the music and how they want to express themselves in that moment. If something isn't working, we talk, but as a fellow band member, I don't try to get the other musicians to play the song they way I think it should be played or I hear it.

If you are the producer or it's your band, meaning you are writing the checks, that's obviously a different story. But that's not what is being discussed here.

Heh, I use that line when things get hairy.  "I'm just the drummer," works pretty well in a tight spot, especially if the band never listens to you anyway and then looks to you for a tough decision. 

I say, "Point me in a direction, I'll do what I can to get us where you want to go, but don't complain to me if you don't like what we arrive at."

 

Did somebody say  BBQ?

When and where do I show up?

That's the way I feel after 25+ years in the business.
If something onstage isn't working for me, be that a bass tone, guitar or keyboard part, I tend to assume it's working for the better of the overall sound (the band), and I have to accept a compromise - perhaps I'm sitting far away from the instrument in question, or there is some weird acoustical reflection.
Doing a gig is generally a heap of compromise, and it's up to the musician to learn to deal with it (with experience).
I was mildly critical of some of Jive's comments in the article. For example, I would never consider playing brighter or more cutting cymbals so a bass player could hear them. In my experience those type of cymbals don't sit well with the music, especially the music I play and the way I play my cymbals.
In the end, pretty much my whole equipment decision making process is based on the music, somewhat less so what's comfortable for me, less than that what's comfortable for the musicians around me.
If the music requires soft, quiet cymbals and the bass player (or anyone) can't hear them, they'd better turn down. On the other end of the scale, if the song requires a slamming, hard backbeat, I wont be mellowing it out so as not to offend a single band members ears.
It is about collaboration, feedback and compromise, but it's mostly about the music.

Ouch, thanks for the good chuckle.