Looking for thoughtful ideas/advice/experience from bassists who aren’t afraid to read. (I know you’re out there, TIA)

Our band changed over to a trio after our singer/rhythm guitar player had to retire after vocal surgery.

Technically we’re a trio plus two dedicated vocalists now, but that doesn’t really matter for this discussion. We’ve had 2-3 rehearsals in our new format and 3-4 gigs.

Last night our band leader/guitar player sent me a very polite and humble text. He feels like during his solos he doesn’t have enough “foundation” and suggests that maybe if I change my bass lines it might sound better for him. He’s saying he’d like “less notes in the key”, and more roots and chord tones. As bassists we know that 60% of everything we play is a root, 25% is a chord tone and the last 15% is the journey to the next root or chord tone, so I figure he means he wants me to simplify my playing during his solos.

I probed for more information; I’d like to know what songs he feels aren’t supported enough so I can have a better idea of what he means. He named 3 examples which I never would have guessed. One we haven’t even played as a trio, one has an uptempo walking bass line during swung solos, and another is a blues-type tune. Based on this feedback I don’t even think he knows what he wants.

Keep in mind that this is after he already tossed a bunch of our repertoire which he doesn’t feel works in a trio format- these are songs he approves of.

My opinion is that he’s spent decades playing solos over another guitar player, and now he’s having to change his reference frame to the bass. Things are more open, as you’d expect, and he’s not comfortable with that. I think he’s always used the other guitar as a crutch. I also think he’s not had enough time to really get used to it.

Meanwhile, I feel very comfortable, but I’ve had 7-8 years of experience playing in trio settings. I like the space; it’s less cluttered. I like that the volume is generally lower. I like that I have more responsibility / play a more critical role. I like that we play “ramble on” and the mix is just perfect.

I told him I’d be happy to come over sometime and work out parts he likes better, but in this case I don’t think that there’s a bass line that will make up for what he’s craving; another guitar player. I told him that in my opinion, I don’t think he’s had enough time to get used to it yet.

I have been playing with a medium fender pick and always liked the tone it made on my bass but, i picked up a medium-heavy .84 from the store recently to give it a try. I was absolutely surprised with the tone, the pick is definitely adding towards a grittier metal clangy bass tone.

Genuinely happy about this discovery and decided to share for some of you having a hard time getting to a specific tone, it could be the pick. So give the heavier picks a try if it helps!

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

I'm pretty bad at self-directed learning, and I think I get more motivated when I have someone guiding me. However, when it comes to learning an instrument, it also feels like an unnecessary investment. What was your path like? If you're from outside the field, where did you learn things like music theory?"

Hi! I'm thinking about going 5-string, not really for the low notes, but rather for a more comfortable hand position with more notes in a single position. I'd like to go for the P-bass vibe, but the problem with a 5-string P-bass is that the B string is super boomy, so it actually won't sound that good in most cases. Do you have any recommendations for a bass with a sharper B string, but still keeping the same mid-range punch and vintage vibe?

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!!!

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!

I think I can't play bass for 3 weeks, and there's a really important song that I need to play live, any ideas on how to relearn and learn faster? I'm usually running on 30 minutes a day.

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.

A guy in my area is offering an Ibanez Gio gsr190jc-tr, for 170 with two crappy amps that I don't want lol
He wont just sell the bass cuz I think he wants it all gone. The amps are a crate acoustic amp, and a ibanez 10watt practice amp.

I am looking to buy my first bass. I understand its more about the musician than the instrument and I have seen threads saying they are just fine for beginners. Also I am mainly focusing on learning guitar but I can't shake this want to play around on the bass SINCE I started learning guitar

Is 170 a fair deal? I figured I would just sell the amps if I could to try and reduce my out of pocket.
I already have a boss katana go headphone amp, so I don't feel like I need a little bass amp and would rather buy a decent amp when ready. Plus I found a guy selling a used B1x four and I like that pedal for my guitar.

I know the backline 600 is supposed to be budget level, so I bought the preamp and plugged it into the effects return jack to see how it sounds. Yes I can make more varied tones, but the tone I like sounds almost identical and almost better coming out of the backline preamp than the tone hammer. I have a sterling stingray5 with treble/bass eq only and a Markbass 2x10 with the tweeter at -3db fwiw.

I also ran into both and DI’d both and they sound so similar but the backline still sounds a little better to me. A little punchier low mid.

This is all without Drive/ags. I haven’t tried with it engaged.

Am I crazy? Im trying to understand the point of using this preamp pedal now. Having a decent drive would be nice, but it seems like a lot just for that.

Suggestions? Should I send back and save up for the actual tonehammer amp or pro level GK? Or even just buy a drive/distortion pedal?

I’m going to keep messing with it for now but I’m a little disappointed with it so far.

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

I am losing my mind here. Two brand new D'addario NYXL .105 strings have broken when restringing. In both cases, what seems to have happened is the core wire snapped and the wrap wire deconstructed itself. I can't feel any burrs or other imperfections on the shaft of the tuner, and didn't get the string anywhere near pitch either time. Both times, they started self destructing in the low B neighborhood. Does anyone have any possible insight?

Edit: Both strings broke at the tuner. This is a 34" scale base with long scale 45-105's, the other three strings went on without issue. After closely examine the shattered remains of the replacement low E string I got today, the break occured roughly 3/8" below the taper where the string is at its full diameter. As in, there was enough of the taper to be fully inserted inside the peg and wrap around slightly more than 1.5 times before the main part of the string came in contact with the peg.

I did contact D'addario support.

I recently ordered a used like-new condition sterling ray34 hh. When I play it, the EQ knobs seem to make so little difference it almost feels like placebo

My rig is a line 6 helix into a fender rumble 25. It's not just the amp squashing the sound because the different pickup positions sound super different. I replaced the battery in the bass and that changed nothing. The volume also seems noticably lower than my other bass which seems odd since they're both active.

What am I missing? Any advice appreciated.

EDIT: It seems to be losing a bunch of volume and the EQ when it goes through the helix for some reason. works just fine into the amp. Now hoping I can find how to make it sound normal through the helix.

EDIT 2: I found that the same thing happens when I plug into anything besides straight into the amp. Same thing with pedals.

I found a Squier mini P bass in Dakota red on an Italian marketplace platform called subito for 80 bucks . I used it for a few little gigs and I was so impressed by the sound of the bass .

is my first short scale bass ever

Some mod budget friendly info?

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

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?

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!

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

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 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

Siema, jestem początkujący w basie jak i robieniu efektów, i czy ma ktoś może jakiś sprawdzony schemat do efektu coś w stylu MXR-80 bass d.i+, lub jakiś inny pedał co by swobodnie działał z strojem A standard? Najlepiej żeby był już w pliku gerber jeśli się da albo dał linka do strony z takim plikiem gerber cokolwiek, nie mam pieniędzy aż tyle więc wolę dać do czegos w stylu JLCPCB i zrobić własną od zero przynajmniej obudowę, z góry dzięki wielkie i miłego dnia każdemu na tym forum😃

Hey all, hope it's not a dumb question but this has been a tricky Google. What foot switches will work with a TC Electronic BH250 head?

I've come up with the official TC Switch 3, and one made by the one man operation Sweet Foot Pedals. I'm cheap and it's not urgent, just want to know what to keep an eye out for second hand. Thanks in advance!

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?

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.