bass mythbusters

[tZer]

Busted.

 

[Faderoktopus]

How about a test to find which tonewood is best for metal

Seriously, do it!
"no emoticon"

 

[Faderoktopus]

Myth: bassplayers are cats.

I, for one, am most certainly not a cat.

Experiment: I happen to be quite allergic to cats, so when I hang out with bassists I should get a reaction.

Conclusion: Busted. The only reaction I get is slight symptoms of alchohol intoxication after prolonged exposure.

Stop calling me cat. And no. Dog isn't any better.

 

[Headless Llama]

Myth: The bassist is the worst guitarist in the band.

Myth: As a bassist you also must sing backup vocals to get the gig.

Myth: People actually believe what you are writing.

 

[jordy_on_bass]

Myth: You need speed to be a good bassist

Myth: You need speed to play thrash metal (the drug, not the dexterity lol)

Myth: Self-taught bassists are not as good as schooled bassists

Conclusion: All totally busted

 

[superdick2112]

Myth: Metal-Dude bassist just bought a 1000-watt bass rig, and he thinks there is no way his guitarist's puny 100-watt Marshall is going to drown him out now.

Meanwhile, drummer-dude complains of dimpled drum heads, while the rest of the band asks him "Why weren't you playing with us on that last song?

 

[superdick2112]

Myth: Random forumite asks "What bass should I buy next?"

Reality: Dozens of fellow forumites chime in with their suggestions, thinking they are offering nuggets of wisdom when in reality, random forumite has already made his choice, and is just looking for validation.

 

[BluesBear]

My most hated myth:

Bass players love to be thrown a solo and then have everyone else stop playing.

Apparently, most of the non-bassists I know believe this to be true!

AMEN!!!

And that when playing at a jam we wish to amaze everone with a solo on each and every song especially when they are ALL shuffles.

 

[BluesBear]

i think the biggest myth is that bass players are lazy and musically inferior with the old "bass players just play 4 strings because its easy" ...

I learned over 40 years ago that the notes you do not play are every bit as important as the notes you do play.


Those who spew that only having to play one note at a time is easier should attempt the tuba.

 

[BluesBear]

Myth: A bassist is somebody who can't play guitar

I hate this one!! If I wanted to play guitar, I would have played it!!
Can I play guitar? Yes
Do I like playing guitar? Sometimes
Do I want to play guitar all of the time? No

However I have noticed a very large number of bands with someone performing with a bass who is clearly a frustrated guitarist.

And from my observations, 90% of the people who buy 6 and 7 string basses are not really bassists, they too are just frustrated guitarists.

To be a bassist requires a very different mindset than a guitarist.

 

[Kaa]

i think the biggest myth is that bass players are lazy and musically inferior - Blacksack

Sadly, I reinforce this myth. However my musical inferiority is a direct result of my laziness.

 

[BassLand]

In regards to power needs ("You need 1000 watts onstage"). It depends on several factors not the least of which is the efficiency of the speaker system you use. Most speaker systems are 5 to 15 percent efficiency and that means if you have a 200 watt amp you can expect 10 to 30 watts of acoustic power.

A symphony orchestra develops somewhere in the region of 70 watts of acoustical power that would require from roughly 421 watts (15% speaker efficiency) to almost 1400 watts (5%) of electrical power to equal that power through electrical amplification and a normal speaker system.

The other issue is what you try to accomplish with the power you have. As frequency goes up so does efficiency highs are easier to produce than lows. When I had cheap amps I had to boost the lows just to be heard but when I got a better amp I could not boost the lows in the same way and expect a good result. I had to adjust to having better equipment.

I have had people come up to use my amp in a jam situation and set it like they did their own amp without taking into consideration the quality of my equipment. The results were not good including possible damage to my rig. I had to stop people from altering my controls in any situation. Just FYI, I set my tone controls flat and use some profiling of the tone (bright switch, deep etc).

These remarks represent my 40+ years as a bassist and YMMV.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Bass Myth: Having a bass with a low-B string is a good thing.

Only if you don't know how to use it...

 

[Ric5]

Ok, how can the tension of a B string be different from bass to bass, with equal scale lengths and the same brand and gauge of string? Not being ugly, but when people ask "how is the B?," shouldn't we know?

The tension gets lower when you detune.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Jaco only needed four strings?

But think of what he would have done with a Pedulla Hexabuzz....

 

[honeyiscool]

Here are some bass myths:

Non-bass players are impressed by slap bass.
Short scale basses are for beginners.
Bass guitar is not a type of guitar.

 

[bongomania]

Ok, how can the tension of a B string be different from bass to bass, with equal scale lengths and the same brand and gauge of string? Not being ugly, but when people ask "how is the B?," shouldn't we know?

Here's my mystical-voodoo opinion that a lot of people have already told me is nonsense--but I'm sticking to it anyway: The strings aren't at different tensions, but the bodies and necks are. IOW, when a string is tuned up to pitch it is at the exact same tension as every other "close to identical" string tuned to the same pitch; but when you pluck the string, you are also vibrating the witness points that the string was tuned against--resulting in variations in tension of the string, during usage. So a "tighter" or "floppier" low B, given the same model/gauge of string, same tuning, and same scale length, will be caused by the body and neck "system" being more rigid or less rigid.

 

[speedkills]

My personal favorite bass myth:

You have to be 30 feet from your bass amp to here the low notes because the frequency has to fully develop before you can hear it.

That one ranks up there with the earth is flat and we never went to the moon myths.

Whoa Whoa Wait a minute...





We went to the moon?

 

[MVE]

I learned over 40 years ago that the notes you do not play are every bit as important as the notes you do play.


Those who spew that only having to play one note at a time is easier should attempt the tuba.

I have always said that, it is a great deal easier for a Guitarist to play one a chord for four beats than it is for a Bass player, or Tuba player, to invent a nice bass line for that same measure.

 

[Headless Llama]

Whoa Whoa Wait a minute...





We went to the moon?

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