Bass for each style

[Bexuga]

Hi guys, just looking to soak up on your expertise: What would you say is the appropriate bass for each music style?
Like P bass for rock (and pretty much anything), J for jazz, funk and reggae, Ibañez or Dean for metal...

 

[Clark Westfield]

I use a Jazz and Schecter for everything.

It all sounds good.

 

[ruju]

I mainly use a Jackson dual humbucker with coil tap and an Ibanez PJ.
I enjoy playing all types of music and have no problems with using either of these basses to get me there.
Think less about associating brand with style of music and tone. I've heard many players using Ibanez for reggae,jazz,blues etc.

 

[Flamingo21]

What would you say is the appropriate bass for each music style?

Yes.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Your playing style should change for the music.
Not so much the bass.

 

[Bexuga]

I use a Jazz and Schecter for everything.

It all sounds good.

What Schecter model?

 

[Bexuga]

Your playing style should change for the music.
Not so much the bass.

Agreed, I was just wondering in case someone wants to buy a specific bass for a specific style. I would always recomend either a P or a J, or a PJ Mustang for versatility hahaha
I mean, a P sounds great on every genre, but there are specific basses for specific genres, right?

 

[Bexuga]

I mainly use a Jackson dual humbucker with coil tap and an Ibanez PJ.
I enjoy playing all types of music and have no problems with using either of these basses to get me there.
Think less about associating brand with style of music and tone. I've heard many players using Ibanez for reggae,jazz,blues etc.

What is your favourite style to play?

 

[Clark Westfield]

What Schecter model?

JD Signature

Its currently in a shop getting the body painted gloss black to make it cover band neutral.

Great bass, feel and sound are perfect for what my bands do.

 

[Bexuga]

JD Signature

Its currently in a shop getting the body painted gloss black to make it cover band neutral.

Great bass, feel and sound are perfect for what my bands do.
View attachment 4165951

Nice. I heard Schecters are great, but hard to find here in Portugal. I may buy a custom short scale jazz if I ever become rich

 

[yodedude2]

... but there are specific basses for specific genres, right?

i think of that more as a cosmetic thing than a sonic thing. like ricks for prog.

 

[Valvehead]

Any bass can do any style. It will just sound different, but never wrong.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Agreed, I was just wondering in case someone wants to buy a specific bass for a specific style. I would always recomend either a P or a J, or a PJ Mustang for versatility hahaha
I mean, a P sounds great on every genre, but there are specific basses for specific genres, right?

Any bass can be used for any genre.
If they get categorized it's mainly because of stereotypical bias.

Said:"Well nobody is slapping on a Rick,so no one should slap on a Rick".
Or "I never see an Alembic Stanley Clarke used in Punk Rock,so I won't use it"

 

[GrandeLatte]

Said:"Well nobody is slapping on a Rick,so no one should slap on a Rick".
Or "I never see an Alembic Stanley Clarke used in Punk Rock,so I won't use it"

lol I learned to slap in a Rick.

 

[Vodyanoi]

I'm using my Ibanez SR for everything I enjoy playing, from jazz to funk to metal; it does the job nicely. EQ & playing style is the key, not to mention a myriad of string types we have in our disposal to find the sound we like more. The same applies to my fretless, though i'm still learning on that one.

I'm a firm believer of the fact that if a bass can't fit in a specific music genre, that would be more due to the aesthetics of the instrument rather than anything else. That said, I can't imagine someone in a jazz band, dressed in a classic style and playing a BC Rich Warlock...

 

[JRA]

What would you say is the appropriate bass for each music style?

there are specific basses for specific genres, right?

i think of that more as a cosmetic thing than a sonic thing.

OP: 'looking the part' is more important in some genres than others. IME: playing/sounding the part is what musicians do --- in any genre. so any competent electric bass + any competent player = any style. no matter what the bass --- or the player --- looks like!


"OK, 'the girl from ipanema', here we go, 1...2...3...4..."

 

[BarfanyShart]

My main BG was a Warwick for a long time, and I feel like a lot of the Indie bands I was auditioning for back in the early 00's were like "who's this metal guy, and how quick-change we get him out of here?" When in actuality, I was a dyed-in-the-wool orchestra dork. But that's just prejudice, like them not liking how you look or where you're from. The instrument just plays notes, it doesn't have an identity.

 

[BobDeRosa]

I think Jaco used only one bass no matter who he was playing with. Jeff Berlin seems to use only his signature Cort. Sean Hurley uses only one type -- Fender P -- but one with rounds and one with flats. Unless Marcus Miller has gone with Sire now, I believe he still uses the J bass his mother bought him when he was a teenager. I think Michael League still uses only a P bass and Joe Dart uses only his signature MM. Any questions?

 

[bwildt]

Any bass can do any style. It will just sound different, but never wrong.

My collection of basses is varied. Each one is different and I don't have multiples of any model. Viva la difference. I like them all, but I only bring two to any gig (cover band). One is the main instrument for the gig. The other is a backup that normally doesn't even get out of its gig bag. I really dislike swapping instruments at a gig. What influences my choice of the night? The "feel" of the venue? What do I feel like playing? What color shirt am I wearing? I will admit to limiting myself to only one or two choices for big band gigs, as the goal is a more specific sound.

I've never had any band mates or anyone else question my choice of instrument for the night, or even mention a preference. I always sound like me. The differences between instruments is subtle once the whole band cranks up.

 

[Bexuga]

The fact that a professional musician can make a crap bass sound good is proof that the player makes the sound much more than the instrument, but I am really asking for clichés, actually.

Like I said, a P can do anything, much like a J or any bass for that matter, but they are different, and there are millions of different choices and options out there.