r/Bass

Genres include Jazz, Fusion, Prog, Funk, Rock, etc. Enjoy!

Looking to put some flats on my Stingray...

Love the Labella Deep Talkin Flats sound but I just find them so stiff to play. Anything to recommend with lower tension that has that classic sound but actually feels buttery and easy to play?

Although I'm sure they're great please don't suggest Thomastik as they're just so expensive and a bit overkill for me right now.

Thank you!

I know everyone has different tastes and plays different genres/styles, but I’m curious: what would you consider essential listening for someone learning bass?

I don’t necessarily mean songs that are essential to learn on bass, but music that you think a developing bassist should spend time listening to because there’s something important to learn from the bass playing.

For example, I’ve heard people mention players like Jaco Pastorius and Larry Graham because of how influential they were. Who else would you put on that list?

Specific bassists, bands, albums, or even individual songs are all welcome. I’d especially be interested in why you think they’re worth listening to and what I should be paying attention to when I listen.

I see people say this all the time and I've never understood it. In the majority of music, the bass is very clearly present and extremely easy to pick out and hear. I don't think it's just bias on my end due to being a bass player, and I don't understand how people can't hear the bass. The statement just sounds kind of dumb to me.

Maybe they hear it but don't know it's a bass? But I also find that hard to believe. Maybe I've been playing for so long that I'm out of touch. It has never made sense to me.

Maybe everything is Raining Blood by Slayer to them

I've played guitar before but now I wanna try picking up the bass

I don't play professionally or anything just for fun in my free time

I mostly play pop, soul, jazz, and funk, so I'm specifically looking for a J bass

I've been looking around and I'm pretty interested in Sire and Sadowsky right now

My budget is around 800USD

Any specific models from these brands you would recommend?

Also totally open to other brands if there are good J bass options in this price range

Thanks!

I’m having this problem during rehearsals where I just don’t hear myself enough, even when it’s only the piano and rhythm guitarist playing softly. I end up going hard on my strings, which makes a distorted tone that doesn’t fit the song..

When I turn up my amp, I get more bass in general but I still can’t hear the melody I’m playing well, it’s driving me crazy!!

Fyi, I’m playing on a sire z7 5 string, through some kind of GK100 combo amp (very heavy, not sure the exact model because I don’t own it). I have a tiny pedal board with a tuner and a compressor, that is all.

This is very annoying because I can’t correct myself or go for licks easily, since I don’t even really know how I sound.. Any tips to shape my tone?? Thanks!

Anybody had some real doozy gig or song disasters?

The group I play with once a month were doing an open-air market gig, and I like to play a slightly reggae cover of the song "Drinkin' Problem". We've played it before, so I didn't think to go over details before we started...

So I slide my bass up into the first note, and start singing... To an absolute train-wreck disaster blooming around me on all sides.

Turns out the 3 of us had sheets in 3 different keys in front of us. The other two kinda stopped and came over to look what I had, and tried their best to find it, and play along, with very limited success. I really should have stopped the song, but for some reason I didn't?!?

So there I am, who doesn't drink, singing a song about burying your problems in alcohol, mostly by myself. My excuse at the end of the song was that we clearly weren't drunk enough for that. *facepalm*

Check the key, folks! Every time. xD

Hello,

Upright player here looking to buy an electric. Definitely buying a jazz bass but now am considering fretless to keep some of the same feel and tone of the upright. I would love to hear peoples opinions on why or why not go fretless. I play mainly bluegrass and might use it some in that setting so tone is a big part of that for me. Thanks.

Hello, I ve been playing the bass for about 4 years pretty consistenly and my guitar amp just gave up on me. Im considering buying a new amp or processor for around 200 dollars( managed to save it) but im too scared of making a wrong choice. Would appreciate anyone help!

I’m thinking about getting a Jazz Bass and I’m currently considering the Sire Marcus Miller V5 and the Fender Player II Jazz Bass.

I’d love to hear your opinions on these two basses. Is this a fair comparison, or are they actually in different leagues despite the price difference?

Do you think the V5 is genuinely comparable to the Player II in terms of build quality, playability, hardware and overall sound, or is the Fender still noticeably better?

If you’ve played or owned both, which one would you choose and why?
Thanks!

I am a mid but basically complete beginner. In middle school I played for 2 years with a teacher who couldn't focus on each kid, just 15 students most with different instruments and all she could do was teach the basic tabs and how each song pattern went, no real teaching of the basics because she wasn't able to. This way we managed to give a concert to the school, and I never played after I graduated. Now I got my first ever bass and I am following tutorials in YouTube for the basics such as using more than 2 fingers to press tabs and not play with my thumb, as well as practicing hand dexterity, etc. Aka I am fully a beginner.

However, my high school does a yearly concert, and I decided to apply to learn more and get some extra points, but it was a lot more important and high level than I expected. I am the only "bass player" in the band and the whole bass stuff depends on me, but I genuinely can't even read bass tabs off a music looking paper anymore. Just because I did that 1h concert in middle school, my teacher thinks I am a prodigy or something, this expectations are really high and I am wondering if I should drop it to not dissapoint anybody who is really excited about this project. I don't want to half ass it while everybody else is passionate about it.

Is it realistic to learn the whole Thriller album for this concert in just 3 months? Especially since I heard it is very hard. Also I am a busy person, I study almost 12h a day including school, I can't put more than 2h a day on this, I do want to learn or I wouldn't have joined the project and got a bass, just at my own pace not as rushed as this is.

For last, I am scared because the music teacher presented me like twice in front of the whole band as the only person who can "play" the bass and now they all think I genuinely can or something, he extremely overestimated my ability.

Can I do this? Any tips from experienced players?

UPDATE: I have decided to go through with it because I joined with a friend (though she is around 7 years more experienced than me at her own instrument) and I can't abandon her. I would still need a ton of advice from experienced people, specially a way to find tutorials on songs. How can I play a song with just tabs and the song itself if I can't even hear the bass on the background????🥲💔 Also thank you to all those who motivated me, I will not do more than I am capable of and I will simplify things to my level, thank you again.

My epiphone jack casady bass. I just brought my p-bass back to life, piggy-backed a cap to a value of 113-ish to cover the lower end of the spectrum. My jazz will cover the mids and highs. The epiphone is neat but it no longer serves a practical purpose. I was going to ask on opinions to keep it or not, but I think I’ll sell it or trade it in. Opinions are still welcomed

What’s up I’ve been playing guitar for almost 20 years. I notice my timing isn’t on par with my left hand and I already enjoy playing heavy lower register riffs on my 7 string (things like strip the soul, arriving somewhere but not here, blackest eyes etc). I’ve been wanting to try something new and I figured trying to learn bass is enough of a different instrument but some of my techniques and knowledge will transfer. I am debating between going fretless for my first bass, I’ve defretted a old acoustic and I love the sound / feel, I don’t think I’m doing too bad for having no practice but I am constantly worried I’m out of tune and my finger placement is off. Before I spend a bunch of money on a new instrument and then find out I don’t enjoy second guessing every note, especially in quick tight riffs like Sw/Pt, I was wondering if there’s anybody whose made this specific switch or people who switched to fretless and experience the same paranoia or if if it gets better at a steady rate? I can tell when I’m OFF but I’m not sure about like slight microtones…

TLDR:
I’ve played guitar for 20 years and want to learn a new instrument. Is fretless bass a huge jump and does the paranoia around playing in “perfect” tune get better?

(The fully empty fretboards are soooo clean guys idk anymore)

Hello everyone- 57 year old Noob here!

I have a used Ibanez GSR 200 I bought from Guitar Center- ordered online and shipped to my local store. I ended up pairing it with a Rumble 25 (Floor Demo-to good to pass up over the 40 at $90 tags still on it).

I am almost wrapping up Module 1 in Beginner to Badass. I am doing very well and having a blast.

Thanks to all of you for your guidance- you nailed it!

String Question:

Question Setup-The strings that came on my bass are, of course, of unknown (at least to me) age, quality, brand, model, etc.

They tune with ease and stay in tune for about 3, 30 min sessions before needed a little tune. They have no spots, rust, etc. and no spurs or bumps. To a noob like me they seem absolutely fine but I would not know if they were not.

Questions-

How does a novice know when it is time to replace the strings? Should I just restring so I know where my baseline is?

AND

Once I do replace the strings, approximately how long will a set last for me: Novice-Practicing-30 min-7x per week?

So happy to be here.

-cave

Recently I made a post about tips for doing it, implementing them and just putting in practice I can very roughly sing my favourite songs. After the first one it was slightly easier to start with another. Helps that I listen to punk and the original vocalist can't sing either.

Holy shit that feels amazing, I feel like a goddamn rockstar on the kitchen sized stage, even if I can barely sing and my playing suffers when I do, but feels damn good. Just wanted to share a bit of my enthusiasm is all, if anyone here is thinking about trying it, go for it, what a dopamine rush.

Hello everyone, I’ve been thinking between one of these basses
-Ibanez sr600e
-Ibanez ehb600
-Ibanez sr500a
-Schecter stiletto stealth 4

They’re all within my price range and I want to set it up in drop c#

I’m brand new to bass (have some theory and piano experience) and really loving it so far. My question to all you fine people is what do y’all suggest for backing tracks to practice over and suggestion for patterns. I’m just playing roots and fifths in eighth note patterns but wondering what some other simple patterns to practice are? I’ve been just setting a chord progression to play on my keyboard and then playing over it, does this seem like a good excersize? I’m also transcribing some piano melodies onto the bass as a way to get aquatinted with the fretboard and also practicing scales. I mostly just want some resources for beginner groove patterns (or however you’d call them) too play over simple chord progressions.

Thanks! Hope y’all are well!

i’ve been playing for around 2 years on a 4 string bass, i wanna expand and purchase a 5 string bass would a ibanez SR505N be a good pick?