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I'm a sort of utility musician in my school's jazz band. I mostly play guitar (one of two), but I also play bass when our bassist is singing, tuba on New Orleans jazz that calls for it, and hand percussion on some Latin songs that call for more percussionists than we have. Now, we rarely get...

So, I've been putting together a little instrumental jazz combo, to play mostly fusion but also some post-bop and modal stuff. I've got a good drummer, I've got a decent guitarist, I've got a lead on some keys, and I consider myself to be a good enough bassist to do well (although I'm looking...

So I've been looking at getting a fretless bass. My main bass is a 5er, but I'm not so attached to the B string that I can't switch back and forth easily. Now, I've been looking at the fretless for jazz stuff, and most jazz players don't seem to use fretless and extended range, just one or the...

Okay, a more accurate title would be "minimum prep time". Post your gigs that you had next to no time to learn material for, get set up, etc. Yesterday the regular bassist for out school pep band was out, so I asked the band director if he wanted me to fill in. I'm normally a tuba player, but...

My bass was suffering from pretty bad back bow for a couple of weeks. I took it in to a local shop on Saturday, where it was diagnosed, repaired, and I went on my way. It sounded great all across the fretboard. I picked it up today and the G string is already getting close enough to the first...

During a songwriting thing for my school's guitar club (which has myself as the bassist, no regular drummer, three guitarists, and one guitard :spit:) the guitard of the group asked me to ride an A really fast. It's faster than I can go with two fingers, and my three finger technique is not yet...

I was practicing solo with my Ashdown amp when the sound decided to give out on me. Normally I practice with my tiny Crate POS, but for once I have the house to myself so I figured I'd enjoy playing with my "real" amp. I plugged in and was enjoying myself: Great low end, slightly distorted tone...

This is something I often consider when buying new music. Do I want to get something by an artist I'm already familiar with, or try something new? If I buy something I'm already familiar with, I can usually be sure I'll enjoy it, even if the sound shifts from one album to another. It's less...

Can small pocket recorders be used effectively for amped bass and drums? I'm looking at starting to record some rough demos so I can have something to show prospective bands, but I don't really have a budget or space for a mixing board, multi-track recorder, or lots of mics. I'm think about...

Now that both the rhythm guitarist and drummer of my current band have quit, I'm seriously considering getting a drum kit and learning drums or getting a good drum machine, and starting to record stuff by myself instead of being in a band. I'm tired of trying to coordinate practice schedules and...

I'm sure this has been done before, but a cursory search of the forums didn't bring it up. Title says it all, I think. I know several people keep a rotating stable of basses, so if you can't pick a number try to average it. I'm trying to figure this one out to prove a point in a discussion...

I've pretty much decided to get a five-string at some point in my bass-playing career. I don't draw much influence from 5-string players but I do like a lot of bassists who tune down. My question now is when. My parents (ha ha, point and laugh at the young bass player ;)) think I should spend...

When I first started playing bass, I took some lessons from a guitar player who taught in the shop for about a year. I didn't learn a whole lot of theory, but it created one bad habit that I'm still trying to break. I learned from tab, and now I'm having trouble shaking that. I can't stop...

I'm trying to decide on the best method for hitting the low notes I need. I play in a cover band, and we do songs in a few different tunings, but I don't have enough money to bring a bass set for every different tuning in our set. It's mostly standard or Eb, but we do a couple of songs in drop...

I've noticed that Fender and Gibson seem to be the axes of choice in many local bands 'round my neck of the woods. I guess it makes sense: we've got a Gibson factory here and Fender has always been a benchmark in the industry. I figured some of it might have to do with the fact that a MIM Fender...