I'm bass-in' again

[Doomtrain]

After an ill-advised sojourn into an attempt at playing acoustic guitar, I've purchased an electric bass again. I think my true calling reveals itself.

Now, "Playing?" you may ask, and I say "Well, poorly, but I like buying gear"...

[Neil]

Excellent. I had wanted to take up bass guitar for years, but never did until less than a year and a half ago, and even though I'm not in a band, it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Oh, and if you haven't been there, www.talkbass.com is an awesome resource for bassists, whether they play slab or doghouse.

[Doomtrain]

Hells yea!

[BEGIN Pointless Musician Tale]

I actually got started when I was 16 when my friends needed a bass player for their band. That didn't work out--they got offended when I showed up for practice all the time, on time--and hadn't done the band thing since. Then I moved twice and didn't have the bass with me for about a year. And then (and currently) I lived in an apartment and I didn't want to torment my neighbors with my loud, obnoxious playing. I played electric guitar previously and just ran my bass through my old guitar amp, turned on the distortion, and played really loud.

Anyway, so I got the acoustic for that, but I'd never play it. My fingers are too damn big for a lil fretboard. And I'd been jonesing for a bass again for a while and the urge struck tonight. So a sexy blue Yamaha is on its way to my house. With a "headphone amp" that sounded like what I needed.

[/PMT]

So yea, it's cool. I need a band of equally non-talented, like-minded idiots to join...

[Already in Use]

While we're on the bass stories, I feel like sharing that the other day, I ran my guitar through an effects pedal with the setting on a one-octave-down "whammy," and then turned the bass all the way up on the pedal and my amp, and thus made my guitar into a crude fake bass. Some of the notes sounded bad because of the harmonics, but I still got that nice warm vibratey feeling all through my gutty-wuts, and annoyed my neighbors at the same time.

[Doomtrain]

I used to borrow my friend's effects box, wire the bass through that, and turn on the distortion. And I used to play it tuned a full step down. You've never heard anything like a phaser-ed, compressed bass.

[lightingtool]

Oh, bass. I thought this was a fishin' thread. Being a keyboardist myself, I must share my favorite bass joke:

How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?

None. The piano player can do it with his left hand.


runs away, covering head :D

[MrO]

Not sure if this is MPSIMS or Cafe Society stuff, probably equal parts of both. But if it's about bass, I'm interested. Bass is cool, and the headphone amp should please the neighbors. Have fun!

And my advice, which I know is not for everyone, but it does it for me: lose the frets! Bass is cool, fretless is cooler. If I had the time to master it, the money to buy it, and the space to store it, I'd move on to the coolest instrument of all, the double bass.

[Doomtrain]

I put it in MPSIMS cause we're not talking too much technical stuff. But the Mods'll move it. I haven't actually considered going fretless or adding more strings--though Musician's Friend had some nice 5 n 6 string basses on sale and I was tempted, but I barely know how to play four.

[I can't believe that's butter!]

[fuddy-duddy mode] Ah, if you can't play it on four, you can't play it on five (or six or seven or eight....or nine.....or twelve.....or eighteen....) [fuddy-duddy mode]

[Mr. Blue Sky]

After many years of of indecisiveness, I bought a bass (Rickenbacker 4001 Jetglow). I'm waiting on an amp and then I'll be ready to start learning.

[stofsky]

"Are you bass-in?"

"I'm bass-in like a Mason"

"I'm bass-in so much my heart is racin'"

"Hey guys, I'm bassing."

:)

[Splanky]

None. The piano player can do it with his left hand.


Yeah, well Stanley Jordan can do it with his right hand, so nyah!

[Mr. Blue Sky]

Originally posted by stofsky
"Are you bass-in?"

"I'm bass-in like a Mason"

"I'm bass-in so much my heart is racin'"

"Hey guys, I'm bassing."

:)

:smack:

[Neil]

Originally posted by Joe K
[fuddy-duddy mode] Ah, if you can't play it on four, you can't play it on five (or six or seven or eight....or nine.....or twelve.....or eighteen....) [fuddy-duddy mode]

I thought the fuddy-duddy saying was "If you can't play it on a four, it shouldn't be played on a five or six." I've only got a four right now, but there are things you can play on a five, six, seven, or eight that you can't play on a four. :) Whatever works for the musician.

[Quack]

Bass is so sweet. I got mine almost a year ago and I still can't play much of anything, but that doesn't bother me, because it just sounds so cool no matter what you play. What settings do you guys play with on standard amps (no effects, just high, mid, low)?

[Lucki Chaarms]

I've been playing more guitar lately, but I still can't resist picking up the bass frequently, just to have that feeling of real power behind you. Before I started playing, I never realized just how thin and pathetic a guitar sounds, because I'm so used to hearing it with a bass playing along. You can work with it, tune it down, make it fuller, but you're never gonna get the kind of BOOM that a bass makes.

Plus they compliment each other. You play guitar for a while, then when you play bass the frets feel huge and you can totally get in to your groove. You play bass for a while, then when you play guitar it feels like a little toy, and you feel like you're totally shredding. Heh.

I love em both.

LC

[Lucki Chaarms]

I forgot to mention my favorite bass website: www.bunnybass.com . I especially recommend the amusing bass section (http://www.bunnybass.com/amusing/amusingbass.shtml).

LC

[I can't believe that's butter!]

Originally posted by Neil
I thought the fuddy-duddy saying was "If you can't play it on a four, it shouldn't be played on a five or six." I've only got a four right now, but there are things you can play on a five, six, seven, or eight that you can't play on a four. :) Whatever works for the musician.

I know. :) I, being a drummer firstly and a student of the bass guitar second1, merely took this oft-quoted saying that I heard applied to the drumkit:

If it can't be played on four (drums), it can't be played on five....

and threw it into my post with a 'bass' context, since I have somewhat the same opinion.

To me, three octaves is enough for any kind of backing work, with the odd exception of a 5'er here and there.



1. Though I am a student of the drum, as well, for as long as I play.

[Zenster]

Someone who stayed at my home for a while decided to leave behind a cheezy old Mateo bass and a rather nice Park bass amp with a 15" cone. I tried for years to get it back to him. Finally gave up and now use it to lay down tracks for my other work.

Bass is fun to play, lots of elbow room on the fretboard.

[musicguy]

How do you get a bass player off of your doorstep?

Pay for the Pizza. :)

Good luck with your new instrument. Most importantly, have fun!

[Doomtrain]

Oh, I will, I loved playing bass my first go-round and was sad I ever gave it up.

[NurseCarmen]

I took 7 years off, and picked it up again.

My fingers were wimpy at first, but the callous' grow back pretty quick. It's like riding a bike, you'll be back to where you left off in no time.

[I can't believe that's butter!]

Oh, and use your pinky rather than your ring finger on chords and such. You'll avoid problems this way, as the ring finger and pinky share a tendon.

Here's my favorite bass site besides Bunny Bass that's already listed..... http://carolkaye.com

[Doomtrain]

I am absolutely DREADING getting those callouses back, let me tell ya. I had some nice ones when I started (cause I'd been playing guitar), but it was a pain anyway. This time it's all nice, soft skin...oooh, the pain.

[Doomtrain]

Anyone got a site with good lessons? I had a site with some decent guitar lessons, but lost it in the Great Computer Upgrade of '03.

[siberia]

:::mini hijack::::

Maybe one of you all can help me out here. My son has played electric guitar for about 6 years and is now interested in the bass guitar. So, I purchased him an ESP Ltd for his birthday (coming up this week). Do bass guitars use the same type of amp as an electric guitar? He already has several amps and I don't want to have to buy a new one if it is not needed.

[Doomtrain]

*I* used a regular electric guitar amp for my bass when I played the first time and it worked just fine, but bass amps may do something different. YMMV.

[siberia]

Thanks for the reply GMRyujin , that is indeed good news. I was starting to worry that with the amount of equipment my son has aquired I would have to hire him a roadie to cart his gear around. :)

[Doomtrain]

I think music, like fishing and sports, was invented by guys so they'd have an excuse to buy gear.

[I can't believe that's butter!]

Originally posted by siberia
:::mini hijack::::

Maybe one of you all can help me out here. My son has played electric guitar for about 6 years and is now interested in the bass guitar. So, I purchased him an ESP Ltd for his birthday (coming up this week). Do bass guitars use the same type of amp as an electric guitar? He already has several amps and I don't want to have to buy a new one if it is not needed.

-- *I* used a regular electric guitar amp for my bass when I played the first time and it worked just fine, but bass amps may do something different. YMMV.




Unfortunately, this isn't a good habit to get into. A bass can absolutely wreck a guitar amplifier. It will work in a pinch, but you should turn down the bass settings on the amp and maybe the guitar itself, too, to minimize the chance of damage. Playing softly also helps to decrease the chances of damage.

Such 'guitar' amps as the Fender Bassman were originally designed for the bass, so rejoice if your son has one of those. I also had a friend play his bass through a keyboard amp; this might be better than a bass through a guitar amp, but not by much, probably.

[kyliex]

umm this i random but i play guitar hehe. for a longass time now.

but anyways..have fun on bass man!

[siberia]

Originally posted by Joe K

Such 'guitar' amps as the Fender Bassman were originally designed for the bass, so rejoice if your son has one of those. I also had a friend play his bass through a keyboard amp; this might be better than a bass through a guitar amp, but not by much, probably.

*sigh* I had a feeling this might be the case. He has two Fender amps, but neither one is a Bassman. I certainly don't want him to trash his amps. Thanks for the information.
::::off to the guitar shop I go::::

[siberia]

That's weird, I didn't put in that embarrased smiley.

[Doomtrain]

See? I am a poor example.

[Doomtrain]

My shiny blue Yamaha got here today. The headphone thing (Rockman Bass Ace) actually works very well (for the ten minutes I played it). And I picked up right where I left off. It's a sign from God!

[I can't believe that's butter!]

Originally posted by siberia
That's weird, I didn't put in that embarrased smiley.

Click "Disable Smileys In This Post" if you are ever in doubt about the colons interacting with text to create an inappropriate emoticon.

[siberia]

Thanks for the info Joe K . Being new, I'm still getting the hang of things.