Go Back   TalkBass Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Bass Guitar Forums > Miscellaneous [BG]
Register Rules/FAQ/CUP Members List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Miscellaneous [BG] Music-related discussion, not specific to the bass or any other forum


Supporting Membership
Thank You

Latest Supporting Member
Donate to Upgrade Today

View Poll Results: How many bass players do you think are in the US
0-50,000 2 6.25%
50,000-100,000 2 6.25%
100,000-150,000 0 0%
150,000-200,000 2 6.25%
200,000-250,000 3 9.38%
250,000-300,000 3 9.38%
300,000-350,000 2 6.25%
350,000-400,000 0 0%
400,000-500,000 1 3.13%
500,000+ 17 53.13%
Voters: 32. You may not vote on this poll

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
  #1  
Old 11-30-2012, 01:54 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Question Number of bass players in the US

I have been trying to find the number of bass players in the US but have been unsuccessful. I want to know how many current players there are, both professional and amateur, electric and upright. Please answer the poll with what you think and theoretically it should be close to the actual answer if I get a big enough polling base.

Or even quicker if you have a link to an article, study, or poll please post it!

Thanks everyone
  #2  
Old 11-30-2012, 02:08 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: North Bend, WA
1 million bass players (In my best Dr. Evil voice and pinky at my lip)


Sorry but I have no clue.
__________________
Old Guys Rule!
  #3  
Old 11-30-2012, 02:37 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Cincinnati Ohio
Talkbass has 211,000+ members, so we know it's at least that many.
__________________
Musician: Someone who loads $5,000 worth of gear into a $500 car and drives 50 miles to a gig that pays $50
  #4  
Old 11-30-2012, 02:40 AM
svt1233's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Supporting Member
My guess is 0.
  #5  
Old 11-30-2012, 02:43 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Colorado
People who people who just own a bass or just those who can actually play one?

There might be a pretty big difference in the numbers just based on that alone.
__________________
CV Jazz Bass, Matt Freeman PBass, GK MB112 Combo, TC BG250 Combo, Peavey 115 BW Combo
  #6  
Old 11-30-2012, 02:49 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Send a message via MSN to meRTKendrew
Quote:
Originally Posted by iridiumrocks View Post
Talkbass has 211,000+ members, so we know it's at least that many.
Talkbass is worldwide...


RTK
__________________
Mediocre Bassist Club #197.
  #7  
Old 11-30-2012, 03:24 AM
ahc ahc is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: No. Virginia
In the words of the Highlander, "There can be only one!"
__________________
Quote:
I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.
  #8  
Old 11-30-2012, 03:28 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Bristol, England
Send a message via MSN to Mark Perry Send a message via Yahoo to Mark Perry
If you really need to know you could get in touch with Bass Player Magazine, and ask them how many copies they sell in the US per month? Maybe you could also track down some kind of study that approximates what percentage of people with a particular interest buy a related magazine regularly? Use a statistic to guess how many more bass players there could be beyond BP readers?

Why do you need to know?
__________________
Longhair club member #12
At BIMM Bristol studying the Pro. diploma in Bass.
  #9  
Old 11-30-2012, 04:34 AM
hrodbert696's Avatar
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Like old Hampshire, but New
Supporting Member
Are sales figures from bass companies available to the public? That might help get into the ball park. You'd still have to do some statistical estimates, since some people buy used and many people buy multiple.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by pacojas View Post
because of your post, i have just quit my band! the truth is liberating! infact,... i think i'm about to leave my wife!!! and move to Canada!!!! and buy a boat!!!!!
  #10  
Old 11-30-2012, 04:41 AM
Registered User

Endorsing Artist: Fender Basses, Ampeg, Curt Mangan Strings
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: South Shore, Massachusetts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Perry View Post
If you really need to know you could get in touch with Bass Player Magazine, and ask them how many copies they sell in the US per month? Maybe you could also track down some kind of study that approximates what percentage of people with a particular interest buy a related magazine regularly? Use a statistic to guess how many more bass players there could be beyond BP readers?

Why do you need to know?
I know at least 30 bass players. None of us subscribe to Bass Player Magazine. I used to get it but in recent years it has become more about advertising than anything else.
__________________
"If you don't want the truth don't ask. Make up your own like everyone else does". (Michael Pare as Eddie Wilson/Joe West in Eddie and The Cruisers II).
  #11  
Old 11-30-2012, 04:48 AM
One Bad Monkey's Avatar
Registered User

Public Relations: PJB | Staff Writer: BMM, Seymour Duncan | See Bio
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Kalamazoo, MI
Supporting Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kmonk

I know at least 30 bass players. None of us subscribe to Bass Player Magazine. I used to get it but in recent years it has become more about advertising than anything else.
I agree; I thought it was all advertising-driven years ago. I like reading Bass Musician mag and No Treble, as there is a lot of really good content presented in a very unassuming manner.
__________________

http://www.justmoody.com
http://www.facebook.com/jonmoodybass
http://www.twitter.com/monjoody
Phil Jones Bass Club #2
Wick Club Member #285
  #12  
Old 11-30-2012, 05:30 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Arcadia, CA
Quote:
Originally Posted by iridiumrocks
Talkbass has 211,000+ members, so we know it's at least that many.
In my band I am the only one regularly on a musician's message board and I am on the telecaster board eventhough I have never owned a solid body electric guitar with single coil pickups of any type.
__________________
"What good is faith if you don't use it?" Terminator Catherine Weaver, The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Praise & Worship #865
  #13  
Old 11-30-2012, 05:44 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Missouri
Quote:
Originally Posted by monk3manth31st View Post
I have been trying to find the number of bass players in the US but have been unsuccessful. I want to know how many current players there are, both professional and amateur, electric and upright. Please answer the poll with what you think and theoretically it should be close to the actual answer if I get a big enough polling base.

Or even quicker if you have a link to an article, study, or poll please post it!

Thanks everyone
... Because polling a bunch of bass players with no accurate relevant statistical data will magically create the missing data to provide the answer?

Where did you get this theory again?

Last edited by Nev375 : 11-30-2012 at 05:46 AM.
  #14  
Old 11-30-2012, 05:50 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Levis, Quebec, Canada
In my opinion, there is no way to know, but we can guess : maybe 1 active amateur or professionnel bass player for every 500 people?
__________________
Keyboard player turned bassist #48
  #15  
Old 11-30-2012, 07:23 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Quote:
Originally Posted by meRTKendrew View Post
Talkbass is worldwide...


RTK
Obviously I'm going to +1 this, but I'd be surprised if more than 20% are non-Americans.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by colcifer View Post
He who has diarrhea knows the direction of the door without being told.
Technology/Engineer Club #0x0001, Zoom Owners' Club Founder, Lone Wolf Club #50
  #16  
Old 11-30-2012, 07:36 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
I have no idea. But I'm amazed when I think of how many great bass players there are in the county I live in. That alone is enough!!
  #17  
Old 11-30-2012, 07:49 AM
packhowitzer's Avatar
155mm of pure destruction
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Atlanta
Supporting Member
Every time i meet a bass player, i ask them if they are on talkbass. I have yet to have anybody tell me yes. So if there are 200K+ on here, then there must be several times that many out there overall. so i say it's higher than 500K.
__________________
Georgia Bassists Club #40
http://soundcloud.com/pack_howitzer/the-fire
  #18  
Old 11-30-2012, 09:31 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: St. Germain Wisconsin
I took a quick poke on the net and found that there are about 176,200 musician jobs in the US... Since they are not all in bands, this is going to be pretty rough, but closer than a guess... That number divided by four, to get the approximat number of bands... and one bass player per band... 44,050 that is how I will vote.
__________________
<W>
It was a bold person who first ate an oyster.
  #19  
Old 11-30-2012, 09:46 AM
Phalex's Avatar
Yeah, I've got the moves like Jagger.
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: G.R. MI
Supporting Member
There are 313 million people in the US give or take. Figure maybe...... 3 out of 100 people will play?

That's a lot of bassists
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by BassChalice View Post
Everybody pay attention to Phalex now!
Quote:
Originally Posted by hover View Post
He's got the Moo OO OO OO OO OO OO OObs like Jagger....
Quote:
Originally Posted by jive1 View Post
All you chubby white dudes look alike to me.
  #20  
Old 11-30-2012, 09:52 AM
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Orlando, Florida
I teach statistics. You could figure this out by taking a sample of people from the general population. If they are a bass player, or not. This would give you the proportion of the general population who are bass players within a certain margin of error. Then, find the census records and determine what the total population of America is. You might want to stick with a certain age range since we know really, really young kids don't play bass that much -- it's too big for them (except maybe those new Kala basses that look like ukeleles).

Multiply the number of people in that age range category (found in the census records) by the proportion of bass players you got in your sample and you should be pretty close.

If you can find a discussion forum with a good cross-section of people, and post a poll, you could get your proportion that way.

The census records should be easy to find online.
__________________
"I think, therefore I jam"
Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Visit TalkBass on Facebook   Download our iOS app   Download our Android app

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:45 PM.




© 2012 Talk Music Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Play guitar too? Visit TalkGuitar.com
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.12
Copyright ©2000 - 2013, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.