So, something that I've been kicking around in my head for awhile, ever since I found out my old drummer was moving away -- and seeing the absolute stone cold bitch it is to try and find a new one -- is the idea of stripping it back to just two guys, a guitarist(me) and a bass player, sharing vocals, and having the bass hold down the rhythm and the low end(with, obviously, some rhythm guitar mixed in). Obviously, anything can work given the right mix of people, talent, and music, but I was wondering if anybody had tried this, had any suggestions; pitfalls I should look out for, things like that?

I just have to say.. drummers fuck off...

I do a one man band thing where I play guitar, do vocals and play drums with my feet. I just use a kick and a high-hat with a tambourine attached to it. You'd be surprised how many different sounds and beats you can get out of it with just a little practice. Even just having a kick going throughout all your songs will sound infinitely better than having no pure rhythm source whatsoever. Good luck!

these guys have found the ultimate solution:

This is my drummer / bongo player.

Nice, I think when I have a bit of time I'm going to have to build one of those.  Thanks for the link!

Check these out, If you're not able to do it, you can also buy them!

 

I think ya outta try & find a new drummer.  Us drummers are too imprtant to go without:)

For some reason, at least in my experiences and among my peers, we all agree that the drummer is like the Achilles tendon of the band: they seem to be the most difficult to acquire, keep, maintain, deal with, have the most gear, too loud, have the "easiest job" in the band, but are the biggest pain, etc. I don't mean to generalize or sound prejudiced, but that's been my road over the many years (almost 20) of playing in bands.
I know a few musician-friends of mine that have gone the one man band route, and they really love it.
I am sure it could maybe get lonely, but weather they are simply banging on a bass drum while strumming a guitar or bass, or they've engineered a whole multi-instrument getup, they are generally well-received, too.
If you really want to change things up, take a few months to learn how to sing, play guitar, and stomp out a beat with your feet. Be your own boss...

I consider myself a drummer before anything else, but out of necessity I've learned how to get on without one.  If you dudes can stay in time you may not *need* one.  I saw an earlier post about some older country stuff not allowing a drummer.  I'd agree.  You don't.  But you better know how to do his/her job too.  Smack your guitar or bass, stomp a foot when the song needs it.  There's an old joke about drummers...

Why do drummers put drumsticks on the dash of their car? 
 So they can park in the handicapped spot.

It's a lonely road...

 

That works, too!

The Kills are a pretty cool example of a good band using programmed drums. Check out their live videos, etc.

See also Big Black.

For the past decade I've used an old video game soundtracker called ModPlug Tracker (now known as OpenMPT; http://www.modplug.com). It's usually used for electronic music, but I've always found it very useful for layering and looping any kinds of sounds. I used to compose entire pieces of music on it, but nowadays I just use it for drums. It's a super old program, but it feels almost vintage now. And it's kind of funny to make rock 'n' roll using software for video game music.

Cool.  You know, the turn that things have taken might actually make programmed drums a pretty good idea; any suggestions for good, pretty easy to use, and/or cheap/free programs(I'm willing to go two out of three, since you know, you can get it good, you can get it cheap, or you can get it fast, but you usually have to pick two)?

That's what I do, too. Getting a drummer requires finding one (obviously), getting to know his/her style, finding time for rehearsal, etc. It's so much easier for a solo artist to just find another way, and sometimes that means sacrificing an organic sound for a slightly more mechanical one. I'm currently planning an album in which all the drums will be sampled from drum solos I've collected. Not quite sure how that's going to turn out just yet.

Audio Kings of the third world said:

We gave up on drummers and i now program the drums. I find practice is much easier and lower volume. We can add layers of sound to every song. I was looking for a long time to find someone to just play hi hat and snare like Willie Nelsons guy. He does things with just 2 pieces that put most drummers to shame.

We gave up on drummers and i now program the drums. I find practice is much easier and lower volume. We can add layers of sound to every song. I was looking for a long time to find someone to just play hi hat and snare like Willie Nelsons guy. He does things with just 2 pieces that put most drummers to shame.

String the bass with flatwound strings. Set the EQ to be full and bassy. I have a GK 400RB which has a "String bass" setting. This works pretty good. Use of the left hand for fretting will need to be clear and deliberate while the right hand (Playing with FINGERS) is used to keep the time and slap. Your bassist will need to have good timing & strong hands to keep the tone from distorting though. It's not as easy as people think, but it's possible. I've played tons of Rockabilly gigs like this & I've pissed off a lot of "purists" lol.  I used to use a RI of a 51 P bass for this, but now I prefer a Jerry Jones Longhorn bass, which is basically a high end hand made version of a Danelectro longhorn.

Drew Smith said:

I was thinking of a lot of old country(specifically, Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two) when I first started thinking about foregoing a drummer, actually. I love a lot of that old thump and scratch, the vocals are right up my alley too. My issue is that my buddy that I want to draft on bass(hell of a writer with a great sense of rhythm) only plays electric and wouldn't really have the money or the space to go out and get an upright(plus a homicidal, giant cat that still has its claws and loves to scratch things). Trying to think how to get that thump and click on a P-bass.