Ruminations on bass

[gonzilla]

I'm a recent guitar to bass convert (within the past three months) and just have some thoughts-

1- The bass community is a trillion times more tightly knit than the electric guitar community. It's like a fraternity.
2- What's with the lack of variety with basses? I can only figure that either a) Leo Fender got it right the first three times with the P, J, and Stingray or b) the major companies don't make as much money from bass as they do with electric.
3- Why doesn't Gibson just reverse the Thunderbird again? If they're worried about getting sued, they can make some subtle alterations that won't affect playability.
4- ...and, jesus, how hard would it be to just move the strap button in the factory?
5- After hating Strats, Teles, Jaguars, etc, having a couple good experiences with Jazzes and Precisions pushed me a little further from the Gibson camp and little closer toward the Fender camp.
6- I still don't understand the following, but I expect that I will with time: boutique basses, spalted tops, natural oil wood, six stringers, and tort pickguards.
7- Six strings? Only if you're playing an electric guitar. Doing more with less is a sign of talent. Note: I expect that I'll be changing my mind on this sooner rather than later.
8- White pearloid is amazing.
9- After seeing that Drinky Crow T-Bird, it's my mission in life to put some art on every pickguard I own.
10- There's no reason for a bassist to resign himself to the corner of the stage. All this "ugly bassist" crap is just the result of 30 years of low self esteem. Bring bass right back to the front!


Thoughts?

[embellisher]

Originally Posted by gonzilla

I'm a recent guitar to bass convert (within the past three months) and just have some thoughts-

1- The bass community is a trillion times more tightly knit than the electric guitar community. It's like a fraternity.

Partly because most bass players have smaller egos than most guitarists, but mostly because we are great guys.

2- What's with the lack of variety with basses? I can only figure that either a) Leo Fender got it right the first three times with the P, J, and Stingray or b) the major companies don't make as much money from bass as they do with electric.

Leo got quite a bit right, but there is a lot of other stuff out there that isn't as mainstream as Fender and Stingray knockoffs. See #6.

3- Why doesn't Gibson just reverse the Thunderbird again? If they're worried about getting sued, they can make some subtle alterations that won't affect playability.

Can't really comment on this one.

4- ...and, jesus, how hard would it be to just move the strap button in the factory?

Makes too much sense?

5- After hating Strats, Teles, Jaguars, etc, having a couple good experiences with Jazzes and Precisions pushed me a little further from the Gibson camp and little closer toward the Fender camp.

Gibson got a lot right on their guitars. Not so much on their basses, with the exception of the Thunderbird, RD Artist, and Ripper.

6- I still don't understand the following, but I expect that I will with time: boutique basses, spalted tops, natural oil wood, six stringers, and tort pickguards.

Yep, understanding may come with time. Some guys never do get these things though. And there's nothing wrong with that. Boutiques is where the non Leo Fender stuff starts to happen, for the most part.

7- Six strings? Only if you're playing an electric guitar. Doing more with less is a sign of talent. Note: I expect that I'll be changing my mind on this sooner rather than later.

For supportive bass, 4 or 5 strings are fine. You can also do supportive bass fine with 6+ strings. For more intricate things like chords, extensions, melodic tapping, etc, you can get by with 4 or 5, but more strings open up more possibilities. I feel confined on 4, comfortable on 5, more freedom on 6, and soon hoping to see how 7 strings make me feel. But lots of guys are great with 4 strings. Whatever you need to get the music in your head out there for the world to hear! See #10

8- White pearloid is amazing.

I like it too.

9- After seeing that Drinky Crow T-Bird, it's my mission in life to put some art on every pickguard I own.

I don't like artwork on my basses, but some of my basses could be called works of art. But hey, whatever floats your boat! That's why we have so many choices out there.

10- There's no reason for a bassist to resign himself to the corner of the stage. All this "ugly bassist" crap is just the result of 30 years of low self esteem. Bring bass right back to the front!

Been working on that for almost 30 years! That's where my nickname came from.