Playing P Neck & J Neck In The Same Gig

mrjim123 · #1 10-13-2008, 05:25 PM

My current main bass, a G&L Tribute L-2000, has a 1.75" nut width neck. That's the basic neck I'm used to playing.

I want to try fretless, and am thinking of getting a Squier VM Jazz (1.5" nut width).

My question is - when swapping back and forth between two basses with two different nut widths in the same gig, do you find the transition to be easy, as if you have two slightly different sets of muscle memory, or does your technique sometimes suffer a little?

[Also posted in Basses forum]

NWB · #2 10-13-2008, 05:31 PM

Switching between basses feels pretty easy to me as long as they have the same number of strings. I used to switch between an skinny-necked Ibanez SR and a baseball bat-necked Warwick! Talk about different necks.

I don't think that going between a G&L and Squier Jazz would be a real big deal.

Switching to guitar from bass is always a challenge though and going from guitar to bass is even worse.

JTE · #3 10-14-2008, 07:32 AM

Not a problem for me. I used to gig as "the string section" for a band that was me, two keyboard players, and a drummer. I switched between bass (fretted and fretless 4 string electric, with very different necks), electric guitar (a Fender and a Gibson-scale), and acoustic guitar, and for a few gigs used an Ashbory bass for two songs as well.

I'd say that it's all in your head.

jte

JimmyM · #4 10-14-2008, 09:58 AM

You can make it as difficult or easy as your mind allows you to. Me, I don't even think about it.

dougjwray · #5 10-15-2008, 10:33 AM

Just do it. Only doing it will make it easy!
(Practice, practice, practice!)

fretlessguy · #6 10-19-2008, 09:24 PM

I have many different basses with 4 and 5 strings, thin necks, fat necks, fretted and fretless, roundwounds, flatwounds, compressed wounds and I am to the point I do not thionk about it and just play.
I do prefer that when I show up for rehersals that I bring the bass or basses I am going to do the gig with. Keeps the confusion down.

progrockbass · #7 10-19-2008, 09:38 PM

I switch all the time depending on the song or style. A very thin necked Jaco Jazz and much thicker neck 62 Jazz and a Ric... The key for me is I rehearse the song on the bass I'm going to use... as all the material I play is original and most of the time the bassline was written on the bass I play it on live or in the studio..