Electric Bass, Anyone?

ch willie · #1 03-01-2020, 03:04 AM

I began learning to play guitar and bass at the same time, when I was 14, in 1976, and because of McCartney, got really into bass. Over the years, I've played both in bands. I go through periods when I'm obsessed with the guitar, sometimes with bass. I'm in the middle of bass passion again.

My basses
1978 Rickenbacker 4001
2013 Fender AmStd Jazz Bass
2018 Fender AmPro Precision Bass
2013 Hofner CT 500/1
2018 Epiphone EB-3, long scale.

I'm a lefty and all of my guitars except the Epi bass are left handed. I recently had a lefty nut put on it.

Here's photo of my basses and guitars, all except the Rickenbacker 330 that I just bought.

Do any of you play bass?

hopdemon · #2 03-01-2020, 10:08 AM

Ive played bass for many years and only in the last 2 years started guitar.Ive also studied clarinet,sax and played percussion for a long time,My wife says our house looks like a music store. the basses I have are...
83 Fender Jazz
83 fender fullerton 57 reissue
82 squire japanese vintage 62 reissue p bass
97 fender jazz
hohner fretless jp
Strunal upright
National Resophonic Estralita resonator bass
Lots of vintage tube amps to go along with them
Music is just so much fun

FrankHudson · #3 03-01-2020, 10:32 AM

I love playing electric bass and find it mixes well with acoustic guitar. I like a variety of sounds and feels in any instrument I get into playing, bass is no exception.

Basses I have that are worth noting:

Epiphone Jack Casady with flats. Large thin hollowbody with a unique pickup. A really a nice instrument with a distinctive sound. Also one of my bass playing influences.

DeArmond JetStar bass with flats. Bought when Fender was discontinuing this Guild/Gretsch-ey line at the turn of the century. Larger Dynasonic-like single coils. Great sound.

Squier fretless Jazz bass with round-wound strings. For when I want to pretend I'm Jaco. Fretboard is one of those composite things that isn't bothered by round-wound strings rubbing on it.

Squier Jaguar bass. P/J type pickup array and a sort of active tone circuit. I'm not sure if I'll keep flats on it, but after the investment in a set of TI Flats, one doesn't want to rush into things.

Squier Jaguar SS bass with round wound strings. Easy to play with it's short scale and it' the one I usually pick if I want something aggressive and punky. Similar P/J pickup combo, but no active circuit to the other Jaguar bass. A good inexpensive bass for a guitar player who wants to dabble in bass.

Squier Bass VI. Always wanted one (Early Jack Bruce circa Fresh Cream among others) and this one serves well. Tough to get the low E to intonate correctly and I've never used the whammy bar, but I actually like the upper strings which let me get into baritone range, though mine is tuned E to E (some string these as a "regular" baritone B to B or the like).

Kala UBass. Nylon strings, piezo pickup. Sounds more like an upright bass than anything this small and inexpensive should.

RustyAxe · #4 03-01-2020, 10:44 AM

I’m a bassist. I play bass guitar in a classic country band for the past ten years. I’ve been switching back and forth since 1967. Also upright, but had to let that go due to hand issues. I’ve also been gigging on guitar In other projects during that time.

I have Fender MIM J-bass, Fender MIM P-bass, Fender Coronado, Squier Jag (like OP), Tacoma Thunderchief ABG, Guild B50 ABG. I use a GB STL-6.0 and two STL-12 cabs. My mini “rig of doom” is a GK MB200 to a GB STL-8 cab.

Bob Womack · #5 03-01-2020, 12:34 PM

Bass is a fun sideline for me in the studio. After a long search I picked up a Fender Jazz Bass. I've always wanted a Mapleglow Rick, though, preferably a 4001, because I hear the dual trussrods of the 4003 are a pain in the butt. Two of the bassists I played with had Ricks, both influenced by Chris Squire and Randy Meisner. Both had stereo rigs as well. Check out this one from 1978:

That's me on the guitar. The rig behind me to your right in the shot was an Ampeg SVT and a 4x10 cab for highs and a Fender PS400 with three cabs featuring 18" Voice of the Theater speakers for lows. My little 4x10" Gibson GA55RVT (50 watts) with a 2x12" extension cab paled by comparison.

Bob

gwlee7 · #6 03-01-2020, 01:07 PM

I am not a bass player. When I play bass it sounds like a guitar player playing the bass.

Steve DeRosa · #7 03-01-2020, 05:39 PM

Started out playing standup bass in high school, rented/borrowed various electrics during the early-70's, bought my first electric in '77 - since then I've owned, at one time or another:

'67 Epiphone Rivoli (near-mint, $150 at Manny's in '77, flipped it for $1250 in the mid-90's)
'82 Guild B-50SB acoustic (one of only three B-50 sunbursts made TMK, the others were all B-30's)
Mid-80's Ibanez Roadstar II P/J
'90 Pedulla P/J
'93 Guild B4E-AMB all-hog acoustic/electric
'02 Ibanez SR405 5-string
'06 Hofner 5000/1 Deluxe (actually, my wife's)
'07 Gibson SG Reissue
'09 Ibanez Mikro
'10 Gretsch 5123B Electromatic (6120-style, 32" scale)

Since bass players in general are harder to find than guitarists I netted myself many a gig that way, mostly as a CCM/P&W hired gun; takes a while to cop the authentic feel, but a very valuable talent to have...

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankHudson

I love playing electric bass and find it mixes well with acoustic guitar. I like a variety of sounds and feels in any instrument I get into playing, bass is no exception.

Basses I have that are worth nothing:

Squier fretless Jazz bass with round-wound strings. For when I want to pretend I'm Jaco. Fretboard is one of those composite things that isn't bothered by round-wound strings rubbing on it.

Squier Bass VI. Always wanted one (Early Jack Bruce circa Fresh Cream among others) and this one serves well. Tough to get the low E to intonate correctly and I've never used the whammy bar, but I actually like the upper strings which let me get into baritone range, though mine is tuned E to E (some string these as a "regular" baritone B to B or the like).

Kala UBass. Nylon strings, piezo pickup. Sounds more like an upright bass than anything this small and inexpensive should.

With the right player/instrument the blend with acoustic guitar can be far better than an upright - listen to some of John Stockfish's work (one of my major bass influences) with Gordon Lightfoot on the early United Artists albums, or the late Tom Rowe with Schooner Fare; BTW, I'd take a serious look at your spellcheck - I suspect you meant "worth noting"...

That Kala U-Bass is a cool little instrument - one of the local guys had one that he used as his all-around player; our band's bass player owns the other two, and based on his experience a set of LaBella flats (43-104 on the Jaco, dedicated set for the Bass Vi) will make those puppies howl...

David Eastwood · #8 03-01-2020, 06:21 PM

Early 80s, before I came to the US, I found myself as the third guitar player in a band without a bass player.

Inevitability occurred. I loved it, and that Washburn was a killer bass.

Steel and wood · #9 03-01-2020, 07:33 PM

I've often wondered as a season guitar player how easy or difficult it would be to learn/play electric bass. (Not that I had or have any real desire to pick it up).

If I did play bass and given my taste in guitars, I'd probably be playing a Fender Precision or Jazz bass.

On a side note, I love the upright bass also but again, no real desire to play myself.

alnico5 · #10 03-01-2020, 07:36 PM

I bought my Carvin bass in 1984 as my present to myself for graduating from pharmacy school.

Rudy4 · #11 03-01-2020, 07:47 PM

I'm primarily an acoustic guitar player, secondarily open back banjo, but put in a lot of years slinging Telecaster and electric bass. I did a ton of bar gigs as a bass player and still occasionally do a side job when called on.
A few years ago I pulverized a collarbone and capoed my 34" fretless while recuperating and still playing gigs. I realized how much I loved the short 30" scale basses so built the walnut fretless and have been playing it for 4 or 5 years. I came across the almost new Ibanez Mikro for $50, so it had to come home with me.
I also had an upright and played it, but my M.O. is to sell off anything I'm not actively playing. I can always get more later if I change my mind, but too many instruments just proves to be vexation of spirit for me. (I do have plenty of guitars, banjos, mandolin family instruments to fill in the empty spots...)

I keep them hung up in my lil' practice space to be instantly available for working out new ideas and slipping away for "me" time.

ch willie · #12 03-01-2020, 07:50 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I'm glad we have other players here.

M Sarad · #13 03-01-2020, 09:21 PM

My bass playing buddy Brad and I switched instruments in a new band. He wanted to play guitar and I figured why not?

Total fun.

BoneDigger · #14 03-02-2020, 01:29 AM

Not sure I could really call myself a bass player. I mostly play it just for my recordings. Very basic at best. My bass is nothing special but I like it a lot. It's the smoothest playing bass I've owned. It's a Peavey Cirrus 4 string walnut.20200302_005204.jpg

pieterh · #15 03-02-2020, 01:47 AM

I’m a bass player as well as a guitarist, I’ve been playing both more or less since I started in my early teens.

I started learning on a precision copy then got to borrow a Fender from a friend. In my late teens I got an Aria Black n Gold II followed an Ibanez Musician fretless.

I sold the Aria when I went to college (which I regret of course). A couple of years ago I bought a MiJ Geddy Lee Jazz in perfect condition, one of the nicest Jazz basses I’ve ever played.