Bass Guitar

[Bob_Ross]

I've made no secret here that I am primarily a bass player, and only play guitar as a secondary, adjunct instrument.

We recently moved into a new house, which provided an opportunity for something that hadn't happened in years: For the first time in over a decade-and-a-half, all of my basses were in the same room! Prior to this I always kept several in a recording/rehearsal studio, and a couple more in cartage (storage), and only a handful at home.

Figured I couldn't pass up this rare opportunity to take a "family portrait"!

[DC Cornelius]

Hiya Bob. Nice collection you have there What's the bass 5th from the left?

[Bob_Ross]

What's the bass 5th from the left?

That is a Rob Allen MB-2. Built for me in 2007. It's a fretless 5-string (BEADG) strung up with LaBella nylon tapewounds, 35" scale length, Macasser ebony fingerboard, chambered Swamp Ash body with a figured maple top, and an acoustic guitar-style bridge that has a Fishman piezo pickup. Sounds very upright-ish ...or rather, what electric bassists think an upright sounds like

[garybaldy]

I've made no secret here that I am primarily a bass player, and only play guitar as a secondary, adjunct instrument.

We recently moved into a new house, which provided an opportunity for something that hadn't happened in years: For the first time in over a decade-and-a-half, all of my basses were in the same room! Prior to this I always kept several in a recording/rehearsal studio, and a couple more in cartage (storage), and only a handful at home.

Figured I couldn't pass up this rare opportunity to take a "family portrait"!

Nice collection.
This is the only bass guitar I have. I've had it for 40 years.

[jazzloverfat]

Nice collection.
This is the only bass guitar I have. I've had it for 40 years.

That is a beautiful instrument! and I'm saying this as someone who dislikes the offset shape of a J-bass

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Great stuff! Many guitarists I know have at least one bass. Some use it to pick up extra gigs, some to make their own backing tracks, and some just because they love it. I’m in all 3 camps, although I’ve only played one gig on bass in the last 20 years (and that was just to help a friend).

I had a Kay upright for years that I sold when planning our downsize for retirement. This has been my only other bass for decades. Like Jaco & James, I’m a string preservationist - I put those flats on about 35 years ago…

[garybaldy]

That is a beautiful instrument! and I'm saying this as someone who dislikes the offset shape of a J-bass

Thank you. It has some honest wear. I have the original tweed case with the leather ends.

[supersoul]

my one and only bass, a G&L L2000 Tribute. I've had it 6 or 7 years at this point

[Gitfiddler]

These are my favorite basses. Both are original issue Peavey Cirrus models. I love these babies!



My other bass is a Mexico-made Fender Jazz fretless.

[HeatGreen152]

Nice collection.

[GuyBoden]

No Standup Bass or Double Bass or Upright Bass?


Local legend, Double Bass player 'Steve Berry' below:

[gvurrdon]

No Standup Bass or Double Bass or Upright Bass?

That's my primary instrument.

[Lionelsax]

I've been playing the double bass for a little more than a year, I can't go back, it became my main instrument.
I play it in a big band and other bands.

[Bob_Ross]

I played upright for exactly one year: My senior year in high school the orchestra director corralled me and said "I heard you play electric bass. Ever play the double bass?" When I said "no" he pointed to the storage closet off of the orchestra rehearsal room and said "There's one in there. Start practicing, full ensemble rehearsal is in one hour."

Talk about a crash course! First piece called during that very first rehearsal after having played upright bass for all of about 60 minutes in my life was one of Bach's Brandenberg Concertos, where by measure three the basses are playing a relentless stream of 16th notes...arco! But I survived, and grew to like the doghouse as something to do at school instead of sit through yet another hour long study hall. Then the summer after I graduated from high school I played upright in the pit orchestra for a production of the musical Of Thee I Sing (still borrowing the instrument owned by my high school).

But then in September of that year I went off to college and sort of forgot about playing upright.

Fast-forward to ~15 years later, and I was a fulltime professional bassist (electric) playing a wide variety of musics, including a lot of jazz and jazz-adjacent stuff, and I began to think an upright would really be an asset to my sonic palette. Two things stopped me:
- my car was a tiny Honda Civic 2-door hatchback
- my apartment was a basement studio with a front door that was only 5'11" tall!

So I never pursued it. I think I've only played an upright once since that first year...which was 1977-78.

[GuyBoden]

I played Double Bass for many years with Folk singer songwriters. Beautiful instruments.

[sgcim]

I played Double Bass for many years with Folk singer songwriters. Beautiful instruments.

The tradition of Double Bass and folk singer/songwriters was a kind of fusion between folk and jazz that was used by some of my fave artists from the 60s and 70s, like Donovan, Nick Drake, Pentangle, Judee Sill, early Dylan, Richie Havens and others.
The British ones would use players like Danny Thompson on bass, and the ones from the US would use bass players like Bill Lee on the East Coast and Bill Plummer on the West Coast.

Dylan used to spend weekends at his grandfather's house and listen to records by George Russell, Don Byas, Johnny Coles, Gil Evans, Red Garland, and Roland Kirk. He even used to hang out at The Five Spot and talk with Monk and Cecil Taylor
Judee Sill used to play the upright bass and electric bass with her bop pianist husband, Bob Harris. Paul Simon's "Feelin' Groovy featured Eugene Wright on Double Bass and Joe Morello on drums with brushes,
Nick Drake used to hang out at Ronnie Scott's and used Danny Thompson on all his records. Pentangle played a song that used the same feel and changes as "All Blues", and started off their tune "Reflections" with a long arco solo by Danny Thompson.

[Lionelsax]

I played upright for exactly one year: My senior year in high school the orchestra director corralled me and said "I heard you play electric bass. Ever play the double bass?" When I said "no" he pointed to the storage closet off of the orchestra rehearsal room and said "There's one in there. Start practicing, full ensemble rehearsal is in one hour."

Talk about a crash course! First piece called during that very first rehearsal after having played upright bass for all of about 60 minutes in my life was one of Bach's Brandenberg Concertos, where by measure three the basses are playing a relentless stream of 16th notes...arco! But I survived, and grew to like the doghouse as something to do at school instead of sit through yet another hour long study hall. Then the summer after I graduated from high school I played upright in the pit orchestra for a production of the musical Of Thee I Sing (still borrowing the instrument owned by my high school).

But then in September of that year I went off to college and sort of forgot about playing upright.

Fast-forward to ~15 years later, and I was a fulltime professional bassist (electric) playing a wide variety of musics, including a lot of jazz and jazz-adjacent stuff, and I began to think an upright would really be an asset to my sonic palette. Two things stopped me:
- my car was a tiny Honda Civic 2-door hatchback
- my apartment was a basement studio with a front door that was only 5'11" tall!

So I never pursued it. I think I've only played an upright once since that first year...which was 1977-78.

You should try it again, it's never too late even if you're older than me (I'm 48), with your experience you can't have forgotten.
You never lose what you learnt at a young age, you were a kid.
And never believe people who say the double bass is hard to play...
It's hard if you want to play with the bow with strings that are not made for that or the opposite.
I play with tape strings, they are a bit special but they sing very well... A lot of sustain ! But they can't be bowed even if I do it sometimes.

[Bob_Ross]

The British ones would use players like Danny Thompson on bass, and the ones from the US would use bass players like Bill Lee on the East Coast and Bill Plummer on the West Coast.

Wow, there's a name I haven't heard in ages! I think the first -- and probably last -- time I heard Bill Plummer on the doghouse was a couple of tunes on The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street.

[sgcim]

Wow, there's a name I haven't heard in ages! I think the first -- and probably last -- time I heard Bill Plummer on the doghouse was a couple of tunes on The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street.

He was with Don Ellis for a long time, and played on The French Connection film score. He was also in the West Coast jazz scene with Paul Horn.
I was at the debut of the documentary about Judee Sill a few years ago that I did some research for, and I was shocked to find that Plummer had just passed. RIP to a consummate musician. He was teaching at a college when it happened

[beate_r]

I've made no secret here that I am primarily a bass player, and only play guitar as a secondary, adjunct instrument.

Me too, maybe except that i try to play guitar like on some of my basses. Not on that one, of course



but on those two





Scale length of the fretless V is 80 cm, the RD has 76 cm, and the multiscale instrument is 76-78cm which makes playing chords noticeably easier in all registers.

[jazzloverfat]

Thank you. It has some honest wear. I have the original tweed case with the leather ends.

That's the best kind of relicing

Here's mine, a Classic Vibe 50s P. Bought it on a whim really, but it turned out to be such a nice instrument. Just wished the the metal parts were a bit better, not a fan of how the knobs and control plate wear out.

[garybaldy]

That's the best kind of relicing

Here's mine, a Classic Vibe 50s P. Bought it on a whim really, but it turned out to be such a nice instrument. Just wished the the metal parts were a bit better, not a fan of how the knobs and control plate wear out.

That's a very nice looking bass. Here's me starting to relic mine in the 80s! Brecon Jazz festival, Wales, UK.

[russellseow]

Hi all,

I’m brand new to the bass world — total beginner with no real background in music, but excited to start learning. Just picked up my first instrument recently (nothing fancy, but it feels great to finally hold one).

I’d love to hear from folks here: what was your very first exercise or practice routine that helped you build a solid foundation? Something simple that helped you connect with the instrument and avoid bad habits early on?

Appreciate any input or stories from when you were starting out!

[fep]

Hi all,

I’m brand new to the bass world — total beginner with no real background in music, but excited to start learning. Just picked up my first instrument recently (nothing fancy, but it feels great to finally hold one).

I’d love to hear from folks here: what was your very first exercise or practice routine that helped you build a solid foundation? Something simple that helped you connect with the instrument and avoid bad habits early on?

Appreciate any input or stories from when you were starting out!

For me it's the TrueFire bass courses/path. I think it's important to play along with backing tracks as soon as possible. Bass Guitar Learning Path - TrueFire

But, you can't beat in person lessons when you first start. It's useful to have someone get you started and guide you / correct you on proper hand and finger positioning.