Anyone willing to admit they play more guitar than bass?

MCBTunes · #1 05-23-2007, 05:28 PM

If you're sitting in your bedroom or living room by yourself, and you have both instruments at your disposal, whether they are acoustic or amplified. Do you play your guitar more often than your bass?

Unfortunately I think I am coming up on that. When I am playing by my self I enjoy playing the acoustic guitar most.

lemur821 · #2 05-23-2007, 05:50 PM

Lately I've been grabbing the classical guitar more often.

tplyons · #3 05-23-2007, 07:26 PM

My custom baritone guitar has been getting most of my playing time.

**SoComSurfing** · #4 05-23-2007, 09:03 PM

I worked for three years in a shop that specializes in high-end acoustics. It was pretty rare that a bass came through, so during that time I spent much more time playing guitar, even though I was gigging on bass. Lately its been more bass (when I've had the time to do anything!), but I'm starting to record more acoustic guitar, so bass may be taking a back seat again.

T-Bird · #5 05-24-2007, 01:06 AM

Hi.

Allthough my Hohner acoustic bass is decent, often I find myself playing my Taylor acoustic guitar, just because of the tonal qualities. It's also easier for me to practise vocals with a guitar than with bass, as my right ear is stone deaf.

So guitar it is usually.

Sam

afinalfantasy · #6 05-24-2007, 05:10 AM

I try to even everything out, so I play both equally

**Blackbird** · #7 05-24-2007, 07:48 AM

At home, my Godin Multiac is on a music stand while all my basses are in gig bags.

When I'm going to play with others, the instrument is, more often than not, a bass.

Don W · #8 05-24-2007, 02:18 PM

I tend to go back and forth but lately I've been playing a lot more guitar than bass. I think it's mainly because I've bought two new guitars within the last few months but I'm sure it will wear off and I'll go back to playing a lot more bass soon enough.

*smb · #9 05-24-2007, 02:23 PM

I go through phases of playing more guitar than bass. I always come back to bass and I definately consider myself a bassist rather than a guitarist. What I learn and develop from fiddling on guitar definately helps my bass playing.

69nites · #10 05-24-2007, 02:34 PM

I'm a musician.

each instrument is a piece of the puzzle.

I play each as they are needed/appropriate

CamMcIntyre · #11 05-25-2007, 11:33 PM

Messing around it is still predominantly bass for me. I own 1 acoustic guitar and then 6+ electric basses plus an upright. If i'm just sitting down playing while watching TV or something most often it's either my Ray5 or my Douglas 6. Acoustic guitar gets picked up rarely.

I feel like when i am playing guitar i fumble around a lot more than when i am playing bass. Probably because i've never actually studied how to play guitar, and i've got going on 10 years on electric bass.

Ibanezzer · #12 05-26-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 69nites

I'm a musician.

each instrument is a piece of the puzzle.

I play each as they are needed/appropriate

I would also fit under this response, though I haven't gotten much into guitar mainly becuase I'm more into the other instruments, at various times thoughout each week or sometimes every few weeks, I move around in my musicianship from bass to piano, drums, and even vocals. There's just something that is hard to explain that ties the whole creative musicianship aspect when you are able to be comfortable creating music regardless of the tool at hand.

AxtoOx · #13 05-26-2007, 08:33 PM

Well, I've been playing guitar a lot longer than Bass, I'm better at guitar than bass, but I play bass in bands now, so actually, I play bass more but keep a guitar handy. I have some catching up to do on Bass. Good enough to play in public, but I'll bet big money there are people here half my age that could put me to shame.

Trevorus · #14 05-26-2007, 08:40 PM

I started on guitar. For many years, bass has occupied most of my time. Now, things have reversed. 2 gigs that I was playing bass at, I now play guitar. I have a 3rd, on Sundays at church which will be my main bass gig.

Thing is, I enjoy music, and I enjoy both. So I play what I can!

Brad Maestas · #15 05-26-2007, 09:04 PM

I'm willing to admit it! I started out on guitar before bass but bass quickly became my instrument of choice. I studied classical guitar for a few years but stopped before I graduated high school.

I'm with lemur. Last year I bought a classical again (a decent one) and I've been playing the heck out of it. It's been way fun hearing the guitar open up as much as it has and it's a cedar top! I've been frequenting delcamp and cgsg.com a lot lately, too. CGSG is cool (maybe, maybe not) because you can upload samples of your playing and have everyone critique it! It sure beats paying someone $70/hour to tell you how to sit!

I rehearse and gig on bass so regularly that anymore, I end up playing guitar and mandolin at home mostly and then only play bass when I'm on a job. I still practice arco every couple of days but besides that, I'm reading lots of treble clef and spending lots of time analyzing, transcribing and memorizing Brazilian music like Hermeto Pascoal tunes and the chôro music of Jacob do Bandolim. I also have a Carvin HF-2 Holdsworth Fatboy EG that I pull out every once in a while. I think I like the classical more because it's so earthy and warm and everything that comes out is from my hands. Not to mention that if the power goes out, I can still fully enjoy the classical! The nails are a love/hate relationship. I love the sound I can get on the guitar with them but I have to shape them more often because of my gigs on electric bass. For me at least, nails and EBG don't mix and I'm in an endless loop of filing and growing back my nails.

My sense of melody and my comping and chord skills have progressed greatly since taking up classical again and that has really helped my bass playing. Tone production is another thing. I've found that it's much harder to make that thin first string sound fat than to make a fat string sound fat! That's made my touch on EBG better. Also, I think it has made me an even less busy player. Knowing the sonic space that the other instruments can take up reminds one of how little really needs to be said, or in our case, played.

superbassman2000 · #16 05-26-2007, 09:27 PM

I play my classical much more than bass, although if I had an acoustic bass, I'd tune it ADGC and play it quite a bit

Poop-Loops · #17 05-26-2007, 10:08 PM

I enjoy the sound of a bass much more than a guitar, but guitar parts tend to be more interesting to play than bass parts. So for the past few months I've only been playing guitar. However, I made the switch again and I'll stick to bass for a while. When I get bored again, I'll go back to guitar.

funkalicious101 · #18 05-27-2007, 12:27 AM

Aside from rather bad blues solos, I cant play guitar worth a damn (I blame the tiny frets and how close those darn strings are together).

I would like to get into pedal steel though. Unfortunately information about them is somewhat sparse and I have actually only seen one in person. So if anyone knows anything about them any help would be appreciated.

Ray Holt · #19 05-27-2007, 12:56 AM

I uh.... uhm.... well I don't know how to put this but...

I don't play bass. Just guitar.

BenderR · #20 05-27-2007, 02:30 PM

Electric Bass Guitar is my secondary instrument, I've played guitar for many years longer than bass. Still, I find the bass refreshing and interesting to play, a great change of pace. I find that the two instruments (and their respective rolls) compliment each other as well. Playing bass really informs my rhythm guitar playing and vice versa, playing rhythm guitar gives me a feel for the bass line, they are after all, different facets of the same thing.

Melody line playing on the guitar also helps me to improvise bass parts that stand up melodically and at times even form counter melodies.