Guitar to bass, what brought you to the low side

[oldcatfish]

It seems like there are a lot of members who started off on guitar. What brought you to the low side? Here's my story (sorry if it's long). A slight variation of the "failed guitar player" theory:

I started as a teen wanting to learn electric guitar... after a few years, I got fairly proficient; I am a good rhythm player, and a fair lead player---I could play songs like Crazy Train, The Trooper, Rock You Like A Hurricane, etc. pretty close to the originals, including the solos. But I never could shred like some of my friends, I didn't like the "spotlight" of lead guitar, and it seemed to take me twice as long to get songs up to speed. I just wasn't comfortable. So I quit playing in the garage band, and just started fooling around with different genres--blues, funk,etc. It didn't take me long to realize that I just wasn't having the fun I should have been having. So I quit playing altogether in my early twenties. The electric guitar and amp went into storage.

I got engaged when I was 29, and started going to a small church with my fiance. A few years later, the church decided to start a youth program, and needed an acoustic guitar player. I ended up "volunteering" with my wife's encouragement ---she bought me an acoustic guitar for my birthday. I played for the church for a few years, and also fooled around with fingerpicking style, but still just wasn't comfortable.

I then had an opportunity to audition for a larger church, for electric lead guitar...I decided to give it another try. I got the position, but like before, just wasn't comfortable. In the meantime, I started playing bass on the side, even gigging at other churches on occasion....I knew immediately, that this was for me. When my main church's bass player left, I jumped at the opportunity, and I am so glad that I did. I even took a second "regular" church gig. I still fill in on guitar at other churches on occasion, but I do it just for something different...I'm definitely a bass player at heart.

Sorry for the long story, now, it's your turn....

[Pacman]

this isn't instruction related, so moved to Miscellaneous.

[MalcolmAmos]

One of my band mates - he's on bass I'm on rhythm guitar - also plays the organ and sings at one of our local nursing homes every Thursday. The Organ died.

So he ask me to back him up on bass and he would accompany his vocals on rhythm guitar. He loaned me an acoustic bass - hugh monster - and showed me how to do a R-5.

After a couple of weeks I bought an electric 4 string and we've been playing every Thursday for over a year now.

[Jhengsman]

During the Christmas season many of our best musicians at church were away visiting family so our drummer recruited me to help out. After playing nylon for the Christmas fare they asked me to take up bass. Since we had been without a bass player for years I decided to give it a shot.

[HaMMerHeD]

I started playing Cello in the school orchestra when I was 10. When I was 16 and still playing, my mom asked me if I wanted to play bass guitar. I said yes, and she bought me a metallic red Hondo Flying V bass. That was almost 18 years ago and I've been fiddling about in the basement ever since.

[Kalyptic]

I think the most relevant answer for many players is "Puberty"

[the byronic man]

had the itch to play in a band again, and found some like minded guys who needed a bass player. obsession began from there.

[MiJaKo]

Wanted to start out on bass, but figured guitar made more sense for a kid who wasn't in a band (and better for attracting chicks )
Fast-forward about 10 years, and a couple of friends and really talented/established musicians needed a new bass player, so I took the call. From around 1995 I considered myself a bass player/guitar player, and since 2005, "a bass player who remembers how to play guitar."
Took a meandering route, but I finally ended up where I should be.

[puddin tame]

i didnt like learning chords and my best friend at the time was way better than me at guitar

[Evil Undead]

Guitar player for 20 years, didn't enjoy it one bit... Bass player for 18 months, loving every second

[KsToaDangr]

had a guitar for years, and my brother played drums. a friend of ours moved in with us and was just learning to play guitar. we started jamming together, but i kept playing the bass lines on my guitar because those were what i liked. after about a month, i decided to buy a bass, and i haven't looked back since.

[Plays_For_Dog]

Sucked at guitar. Met a friend who was in a band with no bass player. They already sucked, so being a new bass player wasn't going to hurt them any. After all, I couldn't suck on the bass any worse then I did on the guitar. That was my sophmore year of highschool 14 years ago. Been playing bass nonstop ever since and have never considered trying guitar again. It absolutely does not interest me. I learned bass being in a band. We all sucked but grew together over the years. We lasted 5 years before we all went our seperate ways. The music we were making toward the end of the run was pretty damn good considering our experience. All of us are still involved in music one way or another, just not together. Singer went on to become a producer at a recording studio. Guitar player is now a tour manager for a few different metal bands. Drummer (when not in jail) plays for youtube. He post lots of videos or him ripping it on the drums but that's it. I've been in a few different bands, but playing alone at the moment

[dancedad5678]

went to a new church with my daughters and noticed the band was swapping instruments during service - my daughters both said that was the type of music I should be playing and should ask if they needed anyone. Being a guitar player I asked if they needed another guitar player - the answer was no, but they needed a bass player did I play bass. Nope, but I'd learn. The drummer/guitarist/bassist lent me a bass, told me to play it like I play lead guitar .

My wife had surgery and I was home alone for two weeks to make as much noise as I wanted. The group gave me music to practice with and at the end of two weeks I played at the service for the first time on bass. Was hooked and was introduced as the bass player from then on

[Phalex]

Back in the late 70's every kid in my neighborhood wanted to be a guitar player. We'd all get together in someones basement and jam. When you have five people playing guitars at the same time, strumming the chords along with everyone else it kinda sucks. I always found myself noodling around with runs and patterns and such rather than strumming the same thing everyone else did. Turned out I wasn't trying to play lead but was a bassplayer instead.

[kxt]

started on piano at 8 with a teacher who was excellent on theory. learned guitar between 8th and 9th grade, starting with chords and working based off that theory knowledge to become somewhat familiar with the fretboard.

playing saxophone in jazz band in 9th grade when the bassist quit in the middle of the year. i started off by filling in using a small moog synth (that was actually pretty sweet, in retrospect). a couple months later the school bought a fender p-bass and the rest is history.

[Hopkins]

Struggled with guitar for to long, didn't enjoy it, bass just fit me better

[C47]

My college roomate was a bass player (he was named Chuck Berry but thats another story)
and I was a guitar player. He was much better than me so he took my tele and I got his crappy Danelectro bass. I liked bass far better and never looked back.
That was over 40 years ago.

[Donny Bassman]

When i was a young buck i played guitar for about five years. Well i tryed at least, i realy sucked, and i didnt practice much.
It wasnt untill about three years ago that i starded noticing things like the bass line was what i danced to. And i got along really well with the bass players in my favorite local bands. And one of the main reason i went to showes was to stand frount and center and feel all my moliculs rub together.
So when i got laid off from work i went out and bought a bass to take up some spare time. Im really not much of a musicion(??). I havent much of an ear for tone, but i do have great sence of rythem. And sence i play my bass like a well tuned drum, i think it works out well.
Please excuse my illiterisiey

[DavidE]

I've been playing guitar in bands and acoustic duos/solos etc... for too many years to mention. I put a new band together in 2010 with two guys who also played in a 7 piece country band. Their bass player quit and I suggested a few people for them to call. They ended up calling me and asking, "didn't you say you had a bass?" I said, yes I have one but I don't really know how to play it! They convinced me to give it a shot. I was able to see the band with the old bassist play with the band a couple of times, learn how to listen to a recording for a bass line, learned the songs as best I could, got my bass cooking and added a backup, added an Xtender because lots of the tunes were in drop D, traded some guitar gear for a nice amp and speakers and I was ready to go. Had to play the first gig without a rehearsal and it went well enough for them to keep me. Whew! It's been a while now and I'm really enjoying it! Should I be worried that they still haven't updated the website by putting my info in place of the old bassist? ;-) www.jackedupband.com

[ggunn]

By way of a strange series of events I found myself the owner of an MTI era SVT. It seemed a shame not to be able to use it, so I bought a bass. I still play guitar, too.