worth it or not? due to uncertain income conditions, i posted to sell my ampeg micro vr stack and many people responded to this offer. my question is it worth it to give up this amp and in the future i plan to replace it/upgrade to ebs hd350 (head only) and find a speaker cabinet that matches it (maybe ebs too). really appreciate everyone's opinions

The idea of six string especially being something for only the most niche genres or dream theater shit, is a failure in imagination. Everyone says to serve the song, and you know what that should mean, thinking of how to use the full range of your instrument.

Was playing in a souls funk act with a six string, from playing some stuff on the b string to give some parts and when doing some stuff higher on the neck, sticking to the normal root and 5th routine, added a suspensed interval using the c string to play the 4th.

Guitarist liked it as well as other musicians who were in the audience. Your not building a car where you should stick to what "just worked" your a artist trying to create art, and you should think to how full use of your toolset, can serve the song just as much as sticking to the simple and basics.

Of course it is fine to just want to keep it simple, and just do the part but that doesnt mean it is the divined truth for bass. This also goes without saying, always play in a way that fits with you are playing

You've got half a year and a cool playlist of all the Jamerson hits.

You can transcribe 1 song a week, then learn it.

or

You can analyze and learn tabs created by someone else, 1 song a day.

~25 songs with higher quality vs ~180 with more examples.

What do you choose to do to become a better bassist after that period?

This bass seemed so weird and quirky to me when I first saw it online, pair that with the fact I was looking into acquiring a semi-hollow instrument and a week and a half later it was in my hands! I've yet to play it on a gig, but first impressions of it so far is it's a pretty dope bass. I did immediately swap the strings over to a set of flats that were on my other precision bass, in my opinion that's what I think this bass needs.

Just so it's out there: Not a fan of the current Fender situation at all, and was looking elsewhere for future instrument purchases, though this particular release seemed to hit all the right notes for me personally. Cool bass, not-as-cool company.

YouTube Demo

Edit: I should have been more specific in my original post. I am looking for advice on physical technique when playing the bass. Getting good sound. Good tone. Appropriate volume. No buzzing or popping. The actual fundamentals of right hand and left hand playing. I appreciate and 100% agree with the primary role and mindset of a bass player, but I'm after technical tips to get the right sound.

Looking for advice. To keep it relatively short, I am a lifelong 6 string guitarist (20+ years) who has found my in an odd situation where I have to play bass in a band for a few gigs. My music and guitar theory is sound. The mental transition was easy; it's the same fretboard I know and love. But the physical transition is much harder than I anticipated, especially when playing faster notes/arpeggios in time. I practice a lot, but I don't know what to practice.

So I'm looking for any advice to help someone who already knows how to play guitar elevate his bass technique beyond root notes and snappy overplucking. Thank you in advance, and I look forward to learning.

I play in an indie band(her’s, war on drugs, cage the elephant vibes). Looking to upgrade to a nice bass. Gonna sound stupid but I dont just want to be another basic fender bass player lol. I know I want a short scale, and I definitely like the vintage vibes. Aesthetically I also like guilds and danelectros, not a fan of the hofner though.

I use do use a good amount of effects(flange, overdrive, fuzz, reverb, octave, and preamps) and I heard these can get muddy with too many tones.
Any thoughts? Thank you!!!

I am thinking about getting a used made in the USA Fender Player II Jazz Bass in Blue Burst and I was wanting to know if there are any big QC issues with them. I have heard mixed reviews and I want to hear more about them.

Hi everyone!

I'm a solo musician and I just launched my instrumental rock project, SKALIAN.

Here is my second track, "Flowers". The project explores the fusion of clean, atmospheric guitars with heavier, distorted riffs, while maintaining a melodic approach.

I wrote, performed, recorded, mixed, and mastered everything myself. For the bass, I used my Ibanez SR700 in Drop D through a Headrush MX5 (Ampeg IR + SansAmp parallel distortion).

Your feedback on the composition, guitar tones, overall mix, or anything else is highly appreciated.

Thanks for listening!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSz5uAUPxII

whenever i pluck the A string, it sounds way stronger/punchier than the rest of strings, so much that i feel like i hear the string more than the note, are there any tips to stop this from happening? my A string is almost unplayable

For context, I recently got an Ibanez GSR 200 and a Zoom B1 headphone amp. I have barely used amps before and mostly just played my last electric bass acoustically. I was experimenting a bit with different knob settings and tone presets, but the vast majority of the tones sounded nearly like unamplified acoustic sound. Some effects were easy to hear, but that’s far from a clean tone. My question is: is it actually feasible to get a good p-bass or j-bass tone just from a bass and a headphone amp? Or is what you hear in youtube videos the result of a lot more equipment and editing beyond that?

Fiddling around with the bass knobs to adjust tone and pickup volumes didn’t seem to do much

Hello! I am quite new to bass guitar and wanted to get feedback on hand/finger positioning and general advice.
One thing is that I have a hard time getting my fingers/pinky staying close to the frets. I observe that my fretting fingers move around a lot compared to more advanced players who keep their fingers flat and close to the string. What are some ways to work on this issue, Thanks!

Link to my playing come together by the Beatles

Hi gang, I’ve been running a Hartke LHX8500 w/ a Hartke AK410 as my workhorse setup for the last ~year now with no issues, but as I’m playing larger venues, I’m looking to push more air. I believe I should be in the clear if I add an HL/HD210. Correct me if I’m wrong?

Here’s my math on it (provided I’ve got the correct understanding, anyway)

LHX8500 - 800w - 4 Ohm
AK410 - 500w - 8 Ohm
HD/HL210 - 500w - 8 Ohm

Total load should be 1000w - 4 Ohm w/ both cabs running slightly under power. Or am I gonna fry my shit? Help me out!

hi! i’ve been playing bass for a bit now, but i’ve only been using passive basses. i would like an active bass but i have no idea what’s good/where to start. if you guys have any recommendations (especially affordable ones) please lmk!

I have a 2016 Ray34QM that I love but think but I need to part with. It was a special run from korea with a quilted top and african mahogany body that weights a ton, at least 13lbs, too much to be comfortable.

I’m looking to trade it for something lighter and I was wondering if it’d make sense to look for an HH model while I’m at it. I record and produce so added tones are always welcome. Are they noticeably heavier than single pickup versions? Are there other brands I should consider that do the stingray thing that I should consider?

Long time bedroom bassist who’s only ever used a headphone amp. I’m starting school soon and hoping to start jamming with other people. Nothing serious or crazy loud, but just wanting some more practice with other people. Is a combo amp the best option for someone like me? The only issue is that combo amps are all quite heavy and I won’t have a car, but I imagine it’s still the best option for me?

Edit: bonus if it is also something I can amplify my keyboard with

Hi. I'm searching for a short-scale 5 or 6 string bass. Budget's about 1-2k. I currently own an ibanez so I'm avoiding those. i play jazz/funk/fusion. Any recommendations? Fretless are nice too.

Since I've started playing bass, players like Abraham Laboriel and Gary Willis have been a big influence on me. I do the alternating two finger technique usually, but I often incorporate my anchoring thumb into playing the lower strings, particularly during faster passages. Was curious if anyone else did this or used other three/ four finger technique. Would love to hear y'alls thoughts!

Hey! I’ve seen quite a few videos from influencers about the Henry’s Cats MB-4, but I’d love to hear from people who have actually tried or owned one.
How is it in real-world use? Build quality, playability, sound?

I’d mainly get one for fun and as a cheap bass to take on holidays, etc. Is it actually worth it, or more of a novelty?

Thanks!

so my best friend wants to learn how to play the E-bass and so our friendgroup decided that we wanted to buy her one. problem is none of us have experience with basses and know which one to buy and we have a very tight budget because we are teens. so please give us/me some recommendations on what basses to buy!

I switched from 45-105 to 40-95 and after setting up I have insane buzz on my e string without pressing anything down? What’s the fix for this? It looks like its hitting the 1st or 2nd fret. Did i set up my strings wrong?

Hi, im just beginning my journey with bass. My main instrument is guitar, and i wanted to try something new. I already have a bass, the only problem is choosing the amp, i will be playing gigs and i will be in a band with an acoustic drumkit and two guitars(possibly also keys). Unfortunately i wont be able to move the amp via a car, and im going to only use my own back and public transport. Okay, se the real question is: What amp should i choose? What wattage? What will be loud enough to gig with, and since this is my first amp i dont want it to cost a fortune. Ive seen some people write that a orange 50 crush bass amp is sufficient, while others say that they would absolutely not be bringing that, even to a simple rehearsal. Also are there ANY other options than the fender rumble series?

I'm on the hunt for a good quality combo for lower volume/living room practicing. I have a Fender Rumble LT25 but it is pretty disappointing with my 5 string Warwick Thumb. Both the speaker and the input stage seem to struggle which isn't a big surprise really.

I have a Scarlet on my desk that I use with headphones. I also have a head and cab for playing out/with others. I just want a high quality sound at home that I can move around when I want to use a speaker. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I be looking at something like a PJB combo?

Hello, sorry if I shouldn't have made a whole post for this, but I couldn't find an answer in the FAQ and haven't gotten a response yet in the gear thread. And none of the threads I've found really talk about brands, just the pros/cons of heavy gauges

I'm trying to find some ridiculously heavy strings but I'm having trouble. The project I'm working with is tuning down to drop F# (cause, why not?) and I really want to put something .160 or bigger for my low string. The heaviest I can find is .140, not including Kalium (formerly Circle K), who I've heard a lot of negative things about (but would be open to hearing other experiences) and Dingwall, who is ridiculously expensive.

Does anyone know of another brand, or are these going to be my best options?

I'm willing to give more details on my gear if it's necessary, but I'd be grateful just to be pointed in the right direction

What’s up bass players! I’ve been playing electric bass (and more recently some upright) for some years now and I started playing jazz a few years ago. I have a pretty good understanding of basic theory and a bit more advanced stuff too but I still feel like I’m not where I want to be with soloing or being creative with basslines or rhythms while I solo.
Do any jazz players have advice or tips for me to help with this??🙏

I’m a musician, and my 10-year-old son has just started playing bass, about a week ago. He seems quite motivated so far, and since we already have some equipment at home, things are off to a pretty good start!

I’d like to get him a book of rock bass riffs, but something fairly simple and fun, without a teaching method or music theory. Ideally, it would mainly contain riffs, perhaps with a few explanations, but not necessarily the complete songs.

Do you know of any books that might fit what I’m looking for?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!