Bass height- How high and why?

[soulman969]

It's hard to explain. You gradually adjust the height to match the way you play. You start to pinpoint where the Bass is most "Playable" and with the least amount of fatigue (and even slight pain).

I'd go with this.....less the pain part of course. LOL

For me it's a combination of comfort and arm, hand, and wrist positions that are both comfortable and technically sound for me. The mid-line of my bass is about at my waist with the neck tipped slightly upward a few degrees.

I wear my solid body guitars at about the same position and the hollow or semi-hollow bodies and acoustics slightly higher. What I can't do comfortably is play with any of them at chest level playing with "alligator arms".

I have a good buddy who does that and I think it may come from his habit of always playing sitting down at home whereas I always stand. Whenever I play one of his guitar I always replace his strap with my own so I can play it.

 

[MD Stingray]

If I need to slap (Level-42), my bass could almost pass on for a hat.

if I play metal(lica), it's like I am mopping the floor.

 

[the slug]

yeah, god knows you wouldn't want those sweaty belly hairs getting caught in the neck plate

 

[lbbc]

I adjust my strap to my sitting position while playing. That way, when I stand, I feel most comfortable/familiar while playing.

To each their own. I don't really slap so I don't need it real high and don't play heavy or punk so I don't play at crotch level. I just know what works for me.

 

[jamersonburton]

I use two basses, a pbass and a thunderbird.
I used to only have a pbass and had it set so that the pbass pickup was centered between my belt buckle and my belly button.

I then developed bad tendinitis in both wrists and both elbows so I realized I had to change something in how I held the instrument (mind you, this was after about 4 years of playing).
I tried raising it and even though it offered a quick fix at a couple heights, the pain would come back full force in about a minute or two. Playing sitting down was the same.

So I lowered it.
No I have my pbass so that the pickup is just below my belt buckle and the horn sticks above my belt and I don't get any pain at all.
Pain free for about two and a half years now.
My thunderbird is even lower because the neck sticks out a little further and I can get a better angle with it hanging lower.

It's really personal preference, you and only you can find what works best for you.

I should add that I am very tall, mainly leg height, with pretty long arms.
Also I play with a pick about 60% of the time (depending on the band I'm in), Fingers about 35%, and 5% slap (flea style).
I switched from leather straps to cotton straps and find this much more comfortable.
My solution works with my techniques given the music that I play and how I want to play it.

 

[baxter_x]

Pretty low for me:

 

[InternetAlias]

I wear my bass in almost a doublebass position, doesn't matter if I play in my metal or fusion band.

The reason is this: When you set the bass vertically, your elbow and shoulder muscles have to do more work to position your hand, HOWEVER, this means the wrist is stressed a lot less. So when you put the bass vertically, you distribute stress and fatigue among the shoulder, elbow and wrist much better, meaning you can play longer and more comfortably.

The right hand is also supported by elbow and shoulder in my case, so there's no break angle at the wrist as well. This means all the power I use for plucking actually ends up hitting the string, with no resistance due to bent wrists, and this means I will suffer as little RSI as possible.

Getting RSIs at young age forced me to use this "double bass" approach to playing the bass guitar, but since I've started doing it, I haven't gone back. I started going to the gym to make my shoulders and elbows stronger so that they can support my wrists better, and it works extremely well, I can play any position on any bass I own very comfortably, body size doesn't matter. The bass just has to balance properly (so well that I can put it vertically) and I am set.

 

[CayGee]

There seems to be a lot of variance in how high different players strap on their basses. I'm trying to figure out the optimal height but haven't quite dialed it in yet. Some guys sling their basses down by their crotch. I'm curious as to why, even though I would never do that, as that seems to make serious playing more difficult. But some guys seem to like their basses super high, and I'm most interested in why they do that.

What makes or breaks a given height for you?

Many of us occasionally play our instruments, in this case bass or guitar, while sitting. I've always felt that, for me anyway - a guitar or electric bass should be roughly at the same height for playing standing up as it is while sitting. This makes for more of a consistent angle of one's arms and right-hand placement and therefore things are a bit more predictable.

If the instrument rests on your right leg while sitting (for right-handers) then having the strap with just a tiny bit of tension while sitting should result in about the same hand and arm positions while standing. For me it keeps the attitude of the instrument pretty consistent.

If the instrument is played very low on your body while performing, then when you sit down to play or practice with the instrument on your leg you will notice a dramatic change in the angle of arms and wrists - now you will need to cultivate four arm & wrist positions.

 

[4001]

Having the bass around your shinbones makes it tougher to play music... but it sure looks cool... not.

 

[rtslinger]

I have found in my experience it depends on the bass itself, I have found some basses the way they hang makes the neck less more or less accessible. So I have 15 basses currently............ "you see what I did there" and there are many that have the strap set higher or lower than others.

 

[howlin]

This has been an on-going conundrum for me pretty much since day one. I'm definitely not a knuckle-dragger but I also can't stand wearing the bass around my neck either. The problem is finding a happy medium and, to be honest, I never have. That's why I have two strap buttons at the base of my bass. One for when I'm using a pick and one for when I play using my fingers. Of course, I always seem to forget to change the position in between songs if need be, so that doesn't always work as planned either. I'm starting to think it's time to try sitting on a bar stool. After all, I'm "just the bass player" so nobody should care, right?

 

[St_G]

I play better when I'm high.

Wait, what was the question?

 

[2saddleslab]

Cool bass! What is that?

Thanks! It's one of the evil twins Warmoth parts basses I constructed many years ago. A friend made the custom semi hollow body.

Here are all the gory details if you’re interested.
Makeover Complete, Frankenstein's Facelift...

 

[Mister Boh]

Right about here for me.

Same here. My old teacher wore his like it was a bib but said that lower, like this, is fine.

These days I think it just depends on what you play. If you are playing an AC/DC bassline and need to look cool, hanging on a B for 3 minutes, you can probably get away with it down to your knees.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I try to match strap height with where the bass is when I am sitting.

 

[caledoneus83]

I usually have mine strapped to where the top of the bass is basically right below the bottom of my sternum (breastbone)... I've found that to be the most comfortable and playable position for me. It is really subjective, and can depend on what style you are playing. When I first started playing, I had the strap as low as it could go b/c I just thought that looked "hardcore" and if you look at most rock bands, that is the case. That being said, as I've gotten older, I've figured out that it is not as easy to play more complicated parts that way, especially if you use the whole neck and fretboard, not just that low D (b/c to play with the guitar at your knees, that is a requirement, right). Really, you just have to try a few different positions til you find the one you like.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Personal preference. It's like wearing pants. Some wear 'em high, some wear 'em medium, some wear 'em so low they be fallin' off but that's how they like it.

 

[TheReceder]

That looks about the same as mine, except for my big belly pushes it out a little. (a lot)

That's not a bad thing... I've convinced my wife the reason I gained weight was her cooking and to eliminate belt buckle rash on the back of my basses.

 

[David A. Davis]

Mine is set so that it’s at the same height while standing as it is while sitting. I also wear a strap while sitting so there’s no energy from either arm/hand to try and hold the bass in a certain position.

 

[David A. Davis]

Billy Sheehan plays lower than some, but he has long arms, long fingers and has a 45 degree angle that keeps his left wrist pretty straight.
View attachment 3055899

I’m pretty sure he wears his higher than that. Probably had it lowered to the “cool rockstar” position for the photo shoot.