The Bass thread

Son of JayJamJah · 06-30-2009, 08:38 PM

Just decided to pull the trigger on a stand-up five.

Can not wait to sit down and starting learning this one.

Any other stand-up players with advice on making the adjustment from bass guitar?

Ricochet~kun · 06-30-2009, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

yawn... check out some live squarepusher if you want pants pooping bass action. this guy is alright, his right hand technique is top notch, but overall meh.

do NOT run a bass through a guitar amp. you can run a guitar through a bass amp but you're asking for problems if you go the other way around.

as for the basic info you wonder about....

distortion? depends on the band, when it comes to bass less is usually more. i run mine through a russian big muff.

right hand action? entirely dependent on you. i used to slap and pop back in the late 90s, it's not something i do anymore. that's the technique buddy is using in that video, you slap your thumb on the strings in a percussive way and the noodley bits are done by pulling the higher strings with opposing fingertips so the string slaps against the fretboard. you'll notice that he's really only playing 3 octave patterns over and over for this clip until the very end.

the only time i use my right hand thumb on my bass strings now is a weird double slap thing i sometimes do in tandem with my little finger. my main technique during the last jam room was 3 fingers or a pick. there's no real limit to what you can use to attack the strings with.

fret size? never was an issue for me. the biggest issue i found when going back and forth between instruments was my reflex shape for certain chord shapes became warped after playing the bass for extended periods. you'll find you've got more finger strength and a greater reach when you go back to those puny little guitar necks hahaha

well truely, the bass makes the guitar look like a toy, imo.
so, do you think the person in the vid is using distortion? its really hard for me to tell, being so used to the tiny crushy guitar sound

mr dave · 07-01-2009, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkloring

well truely, the bass makes the guitar look like a toy, imo.
so, do you think the person in the vid is using distortion? its really hard for me to tell, being so used to the tiny crushy guitar sound

nope. no fuzz on that bass.

you want a good example of distortion on a bass?

there's a clear distinction when he turns it off after a little over a minute.

mr dave · 07-01-2009, 12:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayJamJah

Just decided to pull the trigger on a stand-up five.

Can not wait to sit down and starting learning this one.

Any other stand-up players with advice on making the adjustment from bass guitar?

i've only ever tried a stand-up 4. i've had a few people tell me they can see me with an electric stand-up someday, who knows haha.

the one thing i noticed most in my limited experience was how different the strings felt. it's like building up a whole new set of callouses especially on your plucking hand. the action is also a lot higher than a typical electric too.

i'm looking forward to reading about your progress with the new beast

boo boo · 07-01-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

do NOT run a bass through a guitar amp.

Yeah man, I wish someone would have told me that before.

It was like a f*cking bombshell went off.

Ricochet~kun · 07-01-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by boo boo

Yeah man, I wish someone would have told me that before.

It was like a f*cking bombshell went off.

what if my speakers are ****ing massive and have huge woofers?

boo boo · 07-01-2009, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkloring

what if my speakers are ****ing massive and have huge woofers?

I still wouldn't try it.

Surely a cheap bass amp can't be that hard to find.

Son of JayJamJah · 07-01-2009, 02:08 PM

Boo Boo

Something like this would work great.

Epiphone Studio Bass 10S - eBay (item 260437827522 end time Jul-05-09 18:40:03 PDT)

mr dave · 07-01-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkloring

what if my speakers are ****ing massive and have huge woofers?

bigger repair bill once the cone in the speakers shred themselves.

Ricochet~kun · 07-02-2009, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr dave

bigger repair bill once the cone in the speakers shred themselves.

i actually had a friend over today, and i plugged the bass in (a squire P-Bass) into my guitar amp and nothing really happened. i dont play very loud, and if i need to, ill probably buy a bass amp. i dont know. maybe i was lucky my speakers are still intact =P

note: i dont mean like a gutiar cabnent, these are the kind of speakers you put in your trunk and blast like insanity

but more importantly, what kind of bass would you suggest for slap/funk?