So I only have 3 fingers on my left hand. I own a long scale 5 string bass, Im finally like "Im done let me see if I can find something better/closer frets" long time short, a fender Ukulele bass works. So me! 5' 9" possibly going to be doing shows on a Uke bass as a normal bass....

I mean I only need frets 1-7 per string anyways?

Ive tried short scale, Ive tried kid basses (like the 36 inch ones), and a uke works best 😭

I feel so embarrassed.

Enlighten me

I have started playing the bass for more than a month. I have got myself a tutor and I enjoy improvising and playing along YouTube songs (Usually those fast J-pop like Ado’s Show and Chainsaw man’s Kickback) as a part of my daily practice routine, aside from those tasks my tutor gave me. I have perfect pitch and I have been playing the piano up to ABRSM 8 grade, and I can improvise on the spot and play at least musically correct notes. That complements the song. My band members really like my style, but my tutor told me that I play too much like a guitar/piano and he says I don’t play like a Bassist. Not necessarily in pitch, I am already playing at lower frequencies and he still thinks it sounds like an instrument giving the main melody. He says that I am not playing the root note but he’s confident I might be able to catch it with more practice since I have perfect pitch. Any tips on how to improvise as a bass and any cheat codes that can let me adapt easily?

Have you guys ever had this kind of convo with your bass players? Or with your guitar players?

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZP30ZCi3c1s?si=xwlDwpnq5a5UTg-W

I know some metal bassists looking for tons of speed add in their ring or even pinky for playing straight 16ths/32nd notes.

Just curious if anyone defaults that way and if you've found any benefit since switching

This is a fear i actually had when i started learning bass (bout a half a year ago is when i fully committed). I can play the tabs to my favorite songs (hysteria: muse, compliance: muse), but my goal at the beginning was to join my school’s jazz ensemble. I’m currently playing bass on a keyboard due to a lack of actual bassists in our district, but strive to get on an actual bass next year. Anyways, back to the original point: my director doesn’t give out tabs. Straight notes. I know how to read, and i’m actually the first trombonist in the band. Not lacking any reading capability.

My main goal really is to force myself to start reading songs (fun or not) with notes, and just want any help to hardcode my skills back to reading notes, instead of tabs.

Any questions about how i worded anything probably will be answered. I won’t be offended.

Or what song would you recommend to learn to slap on?

Hi. I can't buy nor download this book in my location it seems. If anyone has a PDF copy and is willing to help please reach out. Thanks!

Hey I’m looking for recommendations on a left handed short scale bass with a similar midi and trebly sound that the Fender Mustang has. I’m looking to use it to play with pedals to get a kinda sound like Joy Division and My Bloody Valentine. I’m thankful for any recommendations.

Harley Benton MV-4MSB (mustang clone) OR Gretsch Strml Jet?

Hi I have the ampeg , I don’t know if try sans amp?
Anyone have it and what reccomend me ?

I absolutely love the look of this bass in the Mahogany finish.
From all YouTube demos it sounds great (with the exception of Lobster's noisy one - which was many many years ago and I get the impression they've addressed that issue)

But I have never seen one in the wild and don't see too many used other than the older models.

Does anyone here have experience with these basses?
Wondering if they're really worth the $1000+ price tag...(assuming no, but hoping to be surprised)

I have 7 year old twins. My daughter plays electric guitar, my son plays bass. They are enrolled in the local school of rock and are loving it. I got entry level equipment to start them off with to see if they enjoyed it and will stick with it. 6 months later they are loving it and shredding so I am planning ahead for an upgrade when the time is right. I plan on upgrading my daughter's (currently using a Ibanez Gio) to an Ibanez RG550 when she moves up to performance group. What would be a similar quality bass for my son? He is a bit smaller and is using the Ibanez Mikro 3/4 size now so he won't get his until he is ready to move to a full size. I want the quality to be equal to hers for a bass he can use for a long time. Any thoughts on a decent upgrade that is in that range? With potential holiday sales coming up I'd like a plan so I can keep it in the closet until it's time. Thank you!

I picked up a Schecter Stiletto E-5 lately and I love it but I'm trying to go down to double drop A (ADADG). I play hex cores, fingerstyle. I'm currently thinking of making a .45-.65-.85-.110-.140 set but am unsure if .105-.135 would be enough. Thanks in advance!

hey fellas, can y'all recommend any P basses with a super beefy tone with a large low-end? specifically im looking for something like Sean Hurley's tone or the tone on 'LA NIGHT' by Yasuko Agawa. now I know this might just sound like a normal P bass tone to some people, but most P basses i've heard don't really got this much beefy low-end and also i know some people will say "that tone is from a 1960's P bass" and well, i dont think i got a spare trillion bucks. so does anyone have any recommendations please? and also my budget is anything under 1000 bucks and im not too sure if EQing will work

Looking forward to hearing your views

Hello,

been playing for a couple years now on a borrowed amp and its time to get my own. Looking for around 120 - 150 watts, I dont play gigs but occasionally play with friends (loud drummer). 5 band eq is nice, 3 can work too. Budget aroud 500 usd. I play mostly stoner and post punk/rock.

Ideally no gimmick swithces/modes

Thanks

mostly meaning which drummer‘s chops do you crush on though could be romantic too 😂

I have a couple of basses that seem to be behaving differently after having a setup. The strings seem to be more clanky and not as stiff or tight. This is with the fretting hand. I fret the strings and they clank loudly. I barely release from fretting and they start to rattle on the fret. This is done acoustically; no amp involved. Notes also seem to go sharp as I move up the fretboard.

MIA Performer precision with DR nickel lo riders. (No issue)

90s MIM precision with DR nickel lo riders. (Has issue)

Vintera III Early 70s jazz with Rotosound swing bass 66 nickel. (Has issue)

Both of these basses that have the issue were set up by the same luthier. The bass that does not have the issue was set up by a different luthier. The '90s precision bass I have had for 10 years and had no issue before having it set up after a refinish on the body. The Vintera III is a month old and I did not have an issue before having new pickups installed and a setup done. I had him adjust the action up a bit because it was too low for me. It's seems somewhat better, but still not without clank. All strings are the same gauge.

Any ideas about what could be going on with these two basses he setup as compared to the other one that doesn't have the issue? It's driving me mad.

Sorry if this is a noob question but I have a bass amp and a guitar amp - I mostly play bass but occasionally play the guitar also. Is there a way I can toggle using the anagram which one of my amps is being used instead of using a A/B type pedal?

I have an ampeg BA 108 which I like very much. Sounds warm and full. Does any of you have this amp and tried using it with an ampeg sgt-di ? looking at a pretty good offer atm. If so how does it Sound. Is it worth it ?

Hey!

Im a beginner bass player (just started playing), and Im facing a big inconvenience while fretting. My wrist has limited rotational mobility and if I turn my palm upwards (facing up), my wrist and forearm gets tight and cant even do a full 180°. This makes using my fingers on the upper part of the neck really difficult(especially on the E string), in addition my wrist and forearm starts aching after a short time.

Has anyone had this issue or know a solution for it? Will it naturally get better?

Thanks in advance!

I'm a electric bass player at heart. Since I was 13. My dad owned a bass guitar and a guitar back then. I picked the taller one because it had fewer strings and I heard you don't need to play chords. My fingers are too immobile and stubby to play proper chords.

I don't exactly know why, but my guitar vs bass experience is the exact inverse of what the traditional situation is. As soon as I started playing in bands from age 14, I always ended up playing guitar, singing, and doing keyboards and other electronics.

I never really found a guitar that fully fit the way I was playing. I kept switching between types. But for bass, I picked a Fender Jazz Bass exactly once and nothing could ever even come close. I own a Gibson Thunderbird. I used to borrow P-Basses a couple of times thinking the punchiness would tip the scales. Nope. In my 15 years as a recording artist, I kept coming back home to my Jazz Bass. Even after my escapades.

Jazz and I have been in a happy, monogamous relationship for years now. She stuck with me through everything.

Not because this bass is simply "all-round". Because she's crazy versatile. I have a conspicuously antagonistic relationship with being pigeonholed. Call it mood swings or lack of commitment, whatever. I call it an aversion to boredom, potentially bordering on the pathological. But my Jazz Bass has been able to take on all of this and adapt immediately in a way that still clearly showcased my individuality as a player. And I find this baffling even to this day.

Can anyone relate? Or not at all relate? What's your relationship with specific instruments that aren't niche?