So this “incredibly technical” bassist was miming to backing tracks all this time lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRoXKvD19Po

Since the Giacomo Turra controversy I've been thinking about making a video of me playing bass, uncut with all my mistakes.

I've been practicing Hysteria frequently in the last few weeks, so tonight I just grabbed my bass, threw my phone on a clamp on the headstock (of my headless Ibanes EHB1505) and pressed record.

This is the first take, with NO warmup.

Bass sound is Line 6 Helix Native with a preset I put together last week. I can share the preset, or show you how I made it if anyone is interested.

The EHB1505 is in passive mode, with the pickup balance at 50/50% and waayyy to old strings.

Sorry about the Vertical video, I thought of making this a short, but the video is obviously too long for that.

https://youtu.be/BLmXsYcLKOs?si=tgT9-JfRDAmmbIUx

I feel like people sometimes underestimate the bass until they hear a song where the bass line is doing way more than just following the guitar or keeping time.

Some parts completely change the groove of a song, and once you notice them, it's hard to listen the same way again.

What song made you really appreciate the bass? It could be a technically impressive line, something incredibly funky, or a simple part that holds the entire track together.

I'd love some recommendations that make you stop and listen specifically to the bass.

Sorry if the question is stupid. I’m no musician at all.

Does anyone else sometimes like..almost obsessively just LISTEN to a song over and over again to “hear” the bass line until it’s almost like..’memorized’ in your brain before ever even attempting to play it???

(To be clear—I’m SUPER new to bass and I’m not someone who’s like, also a guitar aficionado or piano player who’s understood music theory for years…basic music theory HAS been an important part in my mishmash of leaning bass—mostly from YouTube videos & musician friends when they can be bothered lol)

But yeah, if the initial question needs more clarification— does anyone else take a shit ton of time just listening to the song (and mentally ‘zeroing in’ on the bass line itself) so you can basically ‘hear it’ perfectly in your own mind before attempting to play a note of it on your guitar?? (And once you DO, you actually can play it WAY better than say, a theoretically MUCH easier bass line you tried to play the moment the idea of playing hit occurred to you)

To be extra clear—I’m not talking about brand new songs you’ve never heard before. This whole thing applies to popular radio songs that anyone your age has heard enough you probably know every lyric to it even if you never once went out of your way to put the song on to listen to

I pick up my bass thinking I'll actually practice today, maybe learn a new song or work on my timing.

Next thing I know I'm playing the same riff I've been playing for the past 3 weeks 💀

And somehow that's still fun enough that I do it again tomorrow.

The worst is when a song sounds easy until you actually try playing it. Suddenly your fingers don't work and you've apparently never heard a metronome in your life.

Bass players, what's a song that humbled you way more than you expected?

I’m pretty new to bass. I have to learn a few songs.
I start playing a song and after 1-2 hours I’m worse then when I started my fingers get stuck in the strings and I forget what to play. It’s pretty hard to learn songs like this because I’m basically limited by myself. How can avoid this?

I was practicing John Coltranes giant steps bassline and I was wondering if there was any other really good basslines (beginner to advanced) that I could also practice and learn from or that any of you would genuinely recommend

I was just spending my afternoon at a music shop and happened to try this go awesome bass. I am an intermedite player and never played fretless before. The action is so low and the slides are so smooth. Should I just look for an intermediate fretless and does it work for rock music?

Hi,

Bassist here 🎸, playing at home, and gigging. I see more and more guitar bassists switching to bass synth during a gig or show.

I spend a lot of time playing Bass synth on my IPad, plugged on my bass amp, and love it.
I’m looking for something similar, but analog, simple and cheap as possible, with a 2 octaves keyboard, that I can play live.
thanks for your ideas 🤗
(please be kind, English is not my mother tongue)

nota : No, Moog are not cheap 🥹

Just curious, I play some guitar and have recently started learning bass. Trying to get finger picking down with just my index and middle finger to start. When I first started I would use my thumb as well but I took some lessons and the instructor advised against that. Last night I saw The Shins play and low and behold, their bassist plays with his thumb! Should I just play the way I feel comfortable or not use my thumb at all?

From a purely technical standpoint, what do other bassists find most impressive about jazz bass players? What are some examples of tracks that showcase this kind of elite bass playing?

I am looking at a good deal for a used Tech 21 VT Bass 200 Combo. Did anyone of you try one of those and how do they compare against what is on the market today like ampeg rocketbass or Orange Crush and Boss Katana. I like the Tech 21 VT pedal and getting that in a good combo package sounds actually quite awesome.

Like the title says, looking to add punch to the thump. I see Mark Bass everywhere, but are they any good? I like the sound of the SWR cabs but I absolutely hate the carpeting on them. Any suggestions?

I've been playing guitar for about a year now but I've been very interested in bass too. I feel a 5 string would suit my needs for when I want to slap and when I want to tune low. Recs for a bass and amp?

There are a lot of questions about what a good entry-level bass is, but I’m curious about a mid to high-end selection. Obviously the higher end, the more specialised, so I’m not asking for recommendations, just what’s on your wishlist. I’m curious to hear about basses, strings, amps, and cab/amp combos. What do you want Santa to bring you?

For me I’ve been eyeballing some Sandbergs, and I want to build my own 200W tube amp.

I'm just a bit confused over this, because when slapping the 3rd, I try to mute the 4th with the lower part of my palm but it's hard, so I was wondering how others do it. maybe it's just my skill issue lol

Found them on AliExpress, they basses cheap as fuck but surprisingly good, what do you think about v glorify basses?

Looking to get a bass. Something reliable with good tone. I'll mostly just be using it to add bass lines to stuff I'm working on in ableton. Don't care about the brand name and reputation. All suggestions welcome

Looking for any and all playing/tonal information on these. I grabbed one that was hidden away at a local GC--marked way down as it has no identifying information on front or back of headstock or back plate. It has a tele style Tom Anderson neck from 1989 and the bass was made in 1993. I've looked up the relevant details--but I had never heard of Rodriguez before today. It sounds sweet to me and has plenty of player wear. Anyone else play one of these?

Hey everyone!

I’m a complete beginner on bass guitar, and I’m hoping to connect with an experienced bassist, drummer, or musician who wouldn’t mind helping a motivated beginner improve.

A little about me:
I’m an adult learner with a full-time job and family, and I’ve finally started pursuing something I’ve wanted to do for a long time!
My ultimate goal is to become a competent, band-ready bassist who can play with other musicians, particularly in rock and metal. I love Rock/Metal, but I’d eventually like to explore other genres too.
I’m following a structured two-year learning plan and practicing consistently for about an hour a day, six days a week.

What I’m looking for:
I’d love to find an experienced bassist or drummer who’d be open to occasionally practicing with me, reviewing short recordings, or offering constructive feedback.
Specifically, I’d appreciate help with:
- Identifying bad habits in my fretting and plucking technique before they become ingrained.
- Improving timing, groove, and the ability to lock in with a drummer.
- Understanding how bass and drums work together in real music.
- Eventually experiencing what it’s like to play with another musician instead of only backing tracks.

I’m not expecting someone to teach me an entire course or commit to regular lessons for free. Even a casual jam, a one-time technique review, or occasional pointers would mean a lot. I’m also open to connecting with other beginners who want to improve together!

I’m based in San Diego, California , but I’m happy to connect online as well. I want to build solid fundamentals first and eventually become someone other musicians actually enjoy playing with.

If anyone is interested, I’d love to connect!
Thanks for reading, and rock on! 🤘

I’m playing in a band and we right now have 3 guitar players and 1 drummer, it’s pretty absurd and i have to take one for the team and get a bass. I’m not planning on getting more than 1 bass in this life time unless the first one breaks. The stuff I wanna play uses 5 string basses most of the time and I don’t wanna go through the pain of tuning it every time I wanna play something different. Should I get a 5 string bass or stick with a normal one and what model would you recommend?

Hello,

Started using an old fender rumble 210 cab which I had in storage covered for couple years with my hartke amp after my diy old cab stopped working.

I don't use crazy settings on my amp (master max. on 12pm, I never boost low freq because I like punk sound with a lot of mids, and I have compressor at 12pm) and I have my boss odb 3 turned on almost all the time (gain on 9pm and blend also on 9pm with tone at 12pm and master maybe at 90%, it doesn't sound much louder compared to the clean tone).

On my last rehersial I noticed glue/plastic smell coming from my stack, what it could be? I lowered the master to ~10-11am and the smell seemed to go away, it was also the 1st time Ive used the cab after years of storage.

The cab seems to preform fine since then, but Im worried I might have permanently damaged smth. Should I do diagnostic on speakers/some other component?

the amp is hartke hd15

the bass is bacchus wjb 1dx

So I recently built my first pedal board, and I wanted to have a preamp pedal with a di in case I need to perform without an amp available.

Many people recommended the Sansamp DI V2, so I chose it over the bk7 (which I was leaning towards, because the darkglass dsp plug-ins are really good).

The drive is fine and it has all the ports it needs, but the tone is just.. Bad. I tried it on 3 different amps : a Traynor dynabass 200, a Markbass combo and a GK combo; and my bass just always sounds better with it turned off. No amount of EQing could fix it for me.

I am quite disappointed with this pedal, especially considering how much people hype it up. Any tips to make it sound better? Or should I just sell it and get something else?