bassses that are easy to play?

[micgtr71]

Originally Posted by dogenzenjisamsa

thank you all so much- i really appreciate all of your replies.

my last question would be, are rickenbackers hard to play? its always been my dream to play a rick, but are they tough on the hands

I had a Rick back in the 80s. It was extremely easy to play. It is a one trick pony though, IMO. It is one hell of a trick, though.

[StrangerDanger]

Originally Posted by micgtr71

I had a Rick back in the 80s. It was extremely easy to play. It is a one trick pony though, IMO. It is one hell of a trick, though.

Wow I'd have to really disagree wholeheartedly on both points.

[petermca17]

100 percent from me on this too.

About 25 years ago I experienced some serious problems from trying to play too fast for too long. At that time I thought I should play through the pain ... man, was I wrong. A a result of that I went through a month of physical therapy and had my arm in a sling for a month (no bass playing during that time) ... all because I was not listening to my body.

If you feel pain when you play then you must stop! Rest for a bit, then continue. If you're still feeling pain then rest for longer and really consider consulting with some other musicians to see if there is something that you can do to modify your technique to avoid causing permanent damage.

[boristhespider9]

Music Man Sterling (USA) has the easiest neck to play out of all my basses including Jazz basses and prior SR basses. Never any strain when I play it.

[Ric5]

My frankensteined SG basses are great players ...

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/5string-sg-bass.htm

http://www.3dentourage.com/425/5string-sg-bass2.htm

[FrenchBassQC]

I think it is just a matter of putting hours of painful and repetitive exercise with using all four fingers to the appropriate positions on the neck that will result in fixing the issue here. It's like saying to a triathlon athlete to stop one of the stage he has to be good at because it hurts when he does this part in is training, he will not succeed I guess.

Bass playing is not simple from any way you look at it. You need to be consistent with your picking/fingering hand and as efficient with the one on the neck. Now the neck hand has to be able to reproduce the notes as the song/piece requires and this in the most required fashion but with the most efficient way that will not hurt both the music and the performer.

This is where proper exercises to accomplish the requested result is important. That will means, to play scales on your current instrument with the proper technique will produce the most benefit in my mind.

Also, keep in mind that a hand is like any part of the body, it requires proper warm up before the actual performance, so start slowly and increase when you feel it is time to move on and the pain is not there anymore.

A virtuoso of the violin has gone through a lot of pain before he got to the point he reached fame. Same for Alain Caron, Victor Wooten, Jaco and Marcus Miller, that is the price to pay to be able to do some of the music or groove you want to do....

Sorry for the long post....

[TolerancEJ]

Here's a stretch/exercise which may help, from Stu Hamm's Hot Licks Slap, Pop & Tap for the Bass video. I've owned & watched my VHS (remember those?) more times than I could recall.

This exercise works well with both your fretting and plucking hands. Stretch out a hand, extending your fingers. Bring back fingers 2 & 4, leaving fingers 1 & 3 extended. Then switch, bringing back fingers 1 & 3, and extending fingers 2 & 4. Switch them back & forth slowly at first, then you can work up your speed. This exercise helps to build up individual finger strength. Again, this exercise is good for both hands. I would often do a bunch of these a before playing at a gig.

[sensei_steve]

First of all, if you have insurance and/or you can afford it, see an orthopod, a hand specialist.
I suggest learning the "gentle ladies wrist curve" from classic asian martial arts. Pm me if you like, and i will show you. Then learn the wrist pivot from Rabbath's classical bass technique. The combination may solve your problems. Best wishes.

[mellowinman]

Originally Posted by Rockin Mike

The median nerve runs right up the center of your palm. You could be having some kind of Carpal Tunnel thing. You should see a doctor before it gets worse.

I'm not a doctor but I believe you will hear things like, overuse injuries are solved by rest. Stop playing for a few days/weeks/months, whatever it takes.

Change to whatever bass you need to stop the pain. Ibanez necks are great. The Ibanez Mikro series is short-scale also.

See a doctor or quit playing for a while. You gotta respect the pain.

This is a really great answer. Definitely get that hand looked at.

[odysseios]

Originally Posted by stratovani

The Hofner Icon is a excellent low-budget Hofner that sounds like the more expensive 500/1, but without the outrageous price tag.

That's because german Hofners are handmade with 1st quality woods, indonesian Icons/Ignitions sure not.

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by sensei_steve

First of all, if you have insurance and/or you can afford it, see an orthopod,

Not sure looking at a crab or a lobster is going to help bro.

Seriously though go see a specialist and say 'My hand hurts when I do this'. It will more than likely be fixable unless you've done yourself permanent nerve damage already.

[lccben]

Why not consider a very different direction. . . The Kala Ubass. They are very easy to play. Very short scale. The polyurethane strings a very easy to play. It is a very different tone. I use one for jazz, folk, but I prefer my Rick or MM Stringray for rock.


http://www.kalabrand.com/instrumentsU-bass.html

[Rockin Mike]

Originally Posted by Tvrtko

I found that years later - genetically speaking, there are 2 types of human muscles - one with faster speed, but less endurance and the other type with a lot less speed and much more endurance. I found I am 2nd type. But, I was pushing myself too far. Finally, I learned - I would never be able to play fast as some guys do....Sad but truth.

We all have fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers in our body. Your body responds to work by growing the type needed to do the work it is being trained for. Martial artists train differently than weightlifters.

You can expect to increase speed as much as you want if you practice for it. Learn to set up your own bass and get the action as low as possible. Practice playing with the lightest touch possible. Speed will pick up and risk of injury will go down.

When there are guys like Billy Sheehan out there playing 10 times faster than I ever would need to, then I'm sure I can get to my speed goals with practice, practice, practice.

[Rockin Mike]

Originally Posted by Cosmeticplagues

If you can find a decently priced Hagstrom F 400, go for it. It's a short scale and has the thinnest neck I've ever felt. It's really comfortable.

That is a cool looking bass!

[spade2you]

Much agreed with taking technique lessons. Most people skimp on it, making the playing inefficient and possibly damaging in the long run.

See if a tech will teach you how to set your basses up. I mostly learned on my own through trial and error. I suppose I could have been more efficient if I could have skipped the error parts.

Truth be told, most normal basses have adequate ergonomics and can play fairly well. A major downside to most production short scale basses is that the top horn is short, which makes the first position reach feel about the same and often adds to neck dive.

Pain free playing is half bass, half technique.

[son_of_mogh]

I had a Ric 4001 as my first professional-level bass. I have small hands. It's much easier to play than a Precision for most folks, but on par with a Jazz. The scale of a Ric is about two-thirds of an inch shorter than Fender/standard scale, so it should be comfortable.

[Roadkill]

Originally Posted by dogenzenjisamsa

It's at the lowest action it can be without buzzing, and i have d'addario super light strings

Are you sure the nut slots are as deep as they should be? That makes a HUGE difference when playing up near the nut!

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by FrenchBassQC

I think it is just a matter of putting hours of painful and repetitive exercise with using all four fingers to the appropriate positions on the neck that will result in fixing the issue here. It's like saying to a triathlon athlete to stop one of the stage he has to be good at because it hurts when he does this part in is training, he will not succeed I guess.

Bass playing is not simple from any way you look at it. You need to be consistent with your picking/fingering hand and as efficient with the one on the neck. Now the neck hand has to be able to reproduce the notes as the song/piece requires and this in the most required fashion but with the most efficient way that will not hurt both the music and the performer.

This is where proper exercises to accomplish the requested result is important. That will means, to play scales on your current instrument with the proper technique will produce the most benefit in my mind.

Also, keep in mind that a hand is like any part of the body, it requires proper warm up before the actual performance, so start slowly and increase when you feel it is time to move on and the pain is not there anymore.

A virtuoso of the violin has gone through a lot of pain before he got to the point he reached fame. Same for Alain Caron, Victor Wooten, Jaco and Marcus Miller, that is the price to pay to be able to do some of the music or groove you want to do....

Sorry for the long post....

This is just absolutely horrible advice. It'll end your career before it ever gets started and in a very painful, expensive way. I know this from personal experience. Please do not obey this.

Never play through any pain, even soreness. Muscle burn of the normal type you have when training muscles is ok, but any kind of pain means stop, rest and reevaluate.

Also, never fit the player to the instrument - this is an absolute, biblical-level sin that should always be fought against. It only ever works the other way around. Yes, there is some adjustment you can do to a particular bass, but that should be treated as extremely limited. If there's some even minor ergonomic violation, put it in the case or sell and go try something else.

Back to the topic, for me I've actually found that, at the end of the day, the best ergos have ended up being the very first bass I bought after I quit gigging, my FL L2000 with the unlined #8 neck. It fits me perfectly in absolutely every way somehow. My Carvin bunny 4 string is a very close 2nd. It has a wider neck than my L2K so I have to be a little more careful when I play it.
The very worst ergos for me are the Rick 4000 series and, unfortunately, 5 and 6 string basses of practically all makes. I love them, but my arms and hands just can't take them except for very short-term playing.

So ergos is one of those individual things you have to pay attention to and not be afraid to go to the ends of the earth to satisfy. I ended up in a kind of strange neighborhood, but I'm also able to play again, almost for reasonable lengths of time.

LS

[dougjwray]

Originally Posted by unclejane

This is just absolutely horrible advice. It'll end your career before it ever gets started and in a very painful, expensive way. I know this from personal experience. Please do not obey this.

Never play through any pain, even soreness. Muscle burn of the normal type you have when training muscles is ok, but any kind of pain means stop, rest and reevaluate.

Also, never fit the player to the instrument - this is an absolute, biblical-level sin that should always be fought against. It only ever works the other way around. Yes, there is some adjustment you can do to a particular bass, but that should be treated as extremely limited. If there's some even minor ergonomic violation, put it in the case or sell and go try something else.

Back to the topic, for me I've actually found that, at the end of the day, the best ergos have ended up being the very first bass I bought after I quit gigging, my FL L2000 with the unlined #8 neck. It fits me perfectly in absolutely every way somehow. My Carvin bunny 4 string is a very close 2nd. It has a wider neck than my L2K so I have to be a little more careful when I play it.
The very worst ergos for me are the Rick 4000 series and, unfortunately, 5 and 6 string basses of practically all makes. I love them, but my arms and hands just can't take them except for very short-term playing.

So ergos is one of those individual things you have to pay attention to and not be afraid to go to the ends of the earth to satisfy. I ended up in a kind of strange neighborhood, but I'm also able to play again, almost for reasonable lengths of time.

LS

I agree, partially. Every accomplished player has had to put in lots of EFFORT, but not pain. I think the person you were correcting meant "effort", not actual "pain." If something hurts, it's time to stop-- I agree.
However, I believe that with proper technique, people with small hands can play wide necks, for example. When I was a kid, my parents started me out on a full-sized guitar, then bass, and I had no problem navigating them because I learned about good hand positioning, posture, etc. I don't believe it's helpful to spread the idea that everyone has that one perfect instrument out there, waiting for them. This, along with manufacturers' clever marketing, leads to the hilarious "help me select a bass which will play itself" TB noob mentality.

[grunz7]

no pain needed ... and I agree with all post going the "no pain" route. You may want to see a doctor or some professional bassplayer to get some advice.

Or simple adjust your technique - Jaco's one finger per fret worked great for him because he had huge hands. I for my part have really small hands, tried a long time (uups, I'm playing already for 30 or so years ...) the one finger per fret but can only sustain it for a couple of takes in the lower register - so there's the 1-2-4 upright bass approach that work just fine ...

and not to mention Rocco Prestia from TOP - he primarily just uses one finger at all (the rest of the left hand is used for muting) and he is everything but a slow player. So technique is what works for your musical goals.

Just my 2 cents