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Bass players with guitars?

#21
Robroy said:
I have an acoustic guitar that I play around on. I'm also learning Mandolin. But I am not a guitar player that plays bass. I'm a bass player. It's a completely different way of looking at the music.

Edit: Sorry, Zontar. I read your post AFTER I posted mine. It was not aimed at you.
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No problem.

I look at things one way--you look at them another--musically speaking that's cool.

I do tend to look at things more as a guitar player, because t's what I know the best (I played guitar for about 2 1/2 years before starting bass)
But I do looking at things as a bass player when I'm actually playing bass.

I am also interested in checking out mandolin.

A local store has 1/2 price rentals 2 or 3 times a year and depending on when the next one is, and what I have going on, I may just rent a mandolin and see what I can so with it before buying one.
 
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#22
zontar said:
No problem.

I look at things one way--you look at them another--musically speaking that's cool.

I do tend to look at things more as a guitar player, because t's what I know the best (I played guitar for about 2 1/2 years before starting bass)
But I do looking at things as a bass player when I'm actually playing bass.

I am also interested in checking out mandolin.

A local store has 1/2 price rentals 2 or 3 times a year and depending on when the next one is, and what I have going on, I may just rent a mandolin and see what I can so with it before buying one.
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Hey, when you can get this, it's nuts not to pull the trigger:
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I confess that when I got mine (dark red wood) it came with a really nice hard case and the price was $5 less...
 
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#23
Robroy said:
Hey, when you can get this, it's nuts not to pull the trigger:
Link Removed

I confess that when I got mine (dark red wood) it came with a really nice hard case and the price was $5 less...
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Nice price--and I like the ones with pickups like that-- a fuzzed out mandolin sounds cool.
I'd also consider a Mandobird.
 
#24
zontar said:
Nice price--and I like the ones with pickups like that-- a fuzzed out mandolin sounds cool.
I'd also consider a Mandobird.
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I've been learning on mine. It actually plays very well. I play every now and then at a local music store on saturday mornings. In seattle, we had friday night blues jams. Here we have saturday morning bluegrass/gospel jams at the music store. It's actually a lot of fun, even though I normally don't play that kind of music. There are some AMAZING musicians here and I'm the only one that is a "bass player", and not a guitar player picking up on the bass, so they like me to play with them, as long as I lay off the Les Claypool stuff. :D
 
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#26
RustyAxe said:
And there is no reason why someone cannot be competent (even excel!) at both.
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Yep. Though it may take more time than some people have. If it was my career choice, it would be a no-brainer. My goal in whatever I do for a living is to be one of the experts in that field. With everything else, it depends on the time I have and my personal goals.

Speaking of time, I became a bass player because I dumped TV the previous year (1997). It freed up my time to do and learn all sorts of things. Taking up the bass was one of them.
 
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#27
zontar said:
Nice price--and I like the ones with pickups like that-- a fuzzed out mandolin sounds cool.
I'd also consider a Mandobird.
Click to expand...
Your post just made me think of this. When I lived in Seattle there was an event at Gene Coulon park in Renton. There was this band that did Hendrix and they were simply AMAZING. The lead player was dancing around and nailed the Hendrix riffs and, frankly, may have improved on them. His distorted tone was perfect and he was a real showman.

But what made it amazing was he was not playing a strat. He was playing a VIOLIN.
 
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#28
Robroy said:
Yep. Though it may take more time than some people have.
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I've been playing since I was six (54 years ago) ... 6 or 7 years of piano, about the same on accordion, and picked up the guitar and bass after that (I was around 13). I've picked up many instruments over the years. The best thing that ever happened was mom insisting I stick with piano that first few months when I thought I'd never get it. The piano helped me tremendously ... theory, scales, chords, bass, rhythm, syncopation. On piano one thinks melody, harmony, bass and rhythm ... the whole package.

I think the point of this post (if I still remember it) is that I've had LOTS of time. Now that I'm retired, I have all the time I want. I'm picking up lap steel (it ain't easy!) and next will learn banjo. I have no expectations of ever "excelling" at either, but learning keeps my interest up.
 
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#29
RustyAxe said:
I've been playing since I was six (54 years ago) ... 6 or 7 years of piano, about the same on accordion, and picked up the guitar and bass after that (I was around 13). I've picked up many instruments over the years. The best thing that ever happened was mom insisting I stick with piano that first few months when I thought I'd never get it. The piano helped me tremendously ... theory, scales, chords, bass, rhythm, syncopation. On piano one thinks melody, harmony, bass and rhythm ... the whole package.

I think the point of this post (if I still remember it) is that I've had LOTS of time. Now that I'm retired, I have all the time I want. I'm picking up lap steel (it ain't easy!) and next will learn banjo. I have no expectations of ever "excelling" at either, but learning keeps my interest up.
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I'm with you on the time thing (soon, very soon.I'm 61). I really would have liked to learn the piano, but no, I went for the trombone, which I have not picked up but once or twice since I started playing bass. I'm now dabbling in mandolin and guitar, and figure I'll get pretty goog (not excell) at both, eventually. But I still have a few years before I can really hit it.
 
#31
After getting back into the bass I realized that I am actually a bass player that's played guitar for almost 50 years. My guitar chord melodies, rhythm, comping and bass lines always sounded like a bass was in the mix. Kinda late in life but...well, you know.

I'm getting a lot of calls for my bass playing, but still getting lots of guitar work as well. Being retired doesn't suck anymore.
 
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#32
Started on guitar, now playing mostly bass. I've got a pickup band I play bass with--and really enjoy it. I also play music with my kids--acoustic guitar to back up my daughter's fiddle tunes and electric guitar when we pretend we're a family band in the basement. Just picked up a Mustang bass for my 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter to play--until one of them decides to pick up guitar (my other son plays drums). I'm one of those guys that's got a pretty demanding 9 to 5 job and just wants to play music to keep my sanity. Guitar, bass, whatever you need me to do... Just don't ask me to sing lead and know I prefer bass.

Shaun
 
#33
zontar said:
Nice price--and I like the ones with pickups like that-- a fuzzed out mandolin sounds cool.
I'd also consider a Mandobird.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm quoting myself--but I wrote that on Friday and bought a Mandobird on saturday--and I wasn't even planning on being at the store on Friday. My travels on Saturday took me near there.
Also my earlier post about renting a mandolin at a half price rental sale--not happening yet--maybe an acoustic one later...
Or next time they have one--maybe I'll rent something else...
 
#34
Robroy said:
Hey, when you can get this, it's nuts not to pull the trigger:
Link Removed

I confess that when I got mine (dark red wood) it came with a really nice hard case and the price was $5 less...
Click to expand...
:banghead:
I just bought a cheap Fender mando as a burner to keep at work. If I'd known about a nice one like that I would've gone for it.

Edit: BTW, although I really love the bass, I started with guitar., but with an eye directed toward bass. By learning guitar, at least I learn the map of the bass fretboard at the same time.
 
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#37
CS said:
I started off as a guitarist and swapped to bass. I played bass exclusively for years. I got back into guitar in the 90's. Now I consider myself a musician.
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Not quite the same time and still not sure I consider myself a musician. I believe the more you understand other instruments the better you understand you own.
 
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