I think you will find these both terriffic basses for blues, and it's only a matter of price, availability, colors, etc... and your preferences based on those factors. A Fender Jazz is also completely fine for blues.
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Best Bass for Blues?
- Thread starter lowdownwalt
- Start date
I think you will find these both terriffic basses for blues, and it's only a matter of price, availability, colors, etc... and your preferences based on those factors. A Fender Jazz is also completely fine for blues.
I'm always a little bemused by questions like this. In my admittedly not mainstream, but nonetheless strongly held, opinion, it's the Indian, not the arrow. 
I think it's more important to have a bass that you LIKE, that fits you, and makes noise you like, and lends itself to whatever playing style (as opposed to musical genre) you prefer, than to try to find THE BASS for funk or blues or pop or....
If you're a musician, you'll find a way to exploit your instrument wherever you land. In fact, if you think about the history of each instrument that we now think of as defining a particular sound, it must be self-evident that the first person who used it for that was the only real musician: everybody who copied were doing just that: copying.
I have arrived at the age where, when I hear something played with the instruments it's "supposed" to be played on, my attention wanders. C'mon, guys, is this the best you can do? Every hear of creativity?
But mine is the minority view: everybody wants to sound like everybody else, and mimicry trumps musicianship.
Feel free to disagree. I'll pray for your soul.
I think it's more important to have a bass that you LIKE, that fits you, and makes noise you like, and lends itself to whatever playing style (as opposed to musical genre) you prefer, than to try to find THE BASS for funk or blues or pop or....
If you're a musician, you'll find a way to exploit your instrument wherever you land. In fact, if you think about the history of each instrument that we now think of as defining a particular sound, it must be self-evident that the first person who used it for that was the only real musician: everybody who copied were doing just that: copying.
I have arrived at the age where, when I hear something played with the instruments it's "supposed" to be played on, my attention wanders. C'mon, guys, is this the best you can do? Every hear of creativity?
But mine is the minority view: everybody wants to sound like everybody else, and mimicry trumps musicianship.
Feel free to disagree. I'll pray for your soul.
I gotta jump in here ! When I think Heavy Blues Bass for some reason I think of Albert King's album "The Blues Don't Change" with Duck Dunn on P-Bass with flats...For me that is "the Blues Bass" tone....Blues Bass Heaven ! Come to think of it , when I think Blues Bass period I think P-Bass with flats. I guess thats why I play Blues on a P-Bass with flats. I think it is up to the player and what works best for him or her. I have also used my Jazz bass with Rounds for Blues but for me there is nothing like the thick ,fat bottom I get with the Precision .
That's kind of my point. We identify the "proper" sound for a genre more from what we were first exposed to, more than anything else.
Lots of music out there, folks. Revel in it.
I have seen the Funk Brothers a number of times and for the first few shows Bob Babbitt was using a Fender P-Bass with flats and man did it ever sound like Motown. Later he started using a roundwound strung P/J Bass. It still sounded great but not the same,I could hear it and I said to him it sounds like you are using roundwounds. He chuckled and said "sometimes you just have too" I think you can use whatever you like but sometimes somethings just sound so right. Peace
Some bass players that play the blues follow another path both in terms of instrument choice and approach to playing 'da bluz'. Check this out.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=em84xR2vhuk
and
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=rkm9OiYvmPc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=em84xR2vhuk
and
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and
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rkm9OiYvmPc
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
pretty much any bass will play blues ... about the only ones that aren't good for bules are the basses with octave strings.
And your heart.
I couldn't agree more. For most of my live playing I use a Stambaugh 5-string with nickel rounds. Blues tones for days. If you think a Jazz or Precision style 4-stringer strung up with flats is necessary to play the Blues, then by all means go that route. I don't buy into that notion at all. Blues bass is a feel, an attitude, a certain sense of time and groove. Of course, YGMV (your groove may vary).
Edit: Check out Johnny B. Gayden.
M. M.
Right on. And, really, that's the case with any kind of music.
Of course, round wounds will sound different than flat wounds. Humbuckers sound different than single coils. But no matter what you play, you are going to sound like you.
Yes! A good, thumpy P-bass sounds great with the blues. I'd even consider a 5 string P. For something like playing in G, it's nice to have that deep 5th (D) below the root. Plus, a walk up from that low D back to the G sounds really cool.
Any bass will work ... I have used RICs and Spectors and several basses with the Dark Star pickups.
But I guess these are the main two either a 68 P bass with flats or my 73 Jazz with Fender 7150 Nickel rounds
Amps I have several one being a Genz 6.0 and I like it with my Max 212 cabinet (2x12) or I'll use a MB LM II with two MINIs 1x10 each.
... Oh and blues purist cringe but I use a pedal board too,
Gotta Love this pair!
Well used and I can feel the soul comin out of the picture!
I think if you already have the Fender Jazz bass, upgrade the pups and call it good. If you were going to buy a new bass, I'd echo 3toes. A nice hollowbody can also get that blues grind that you want, but jazz basses still hold that title pretty tightly.
Agreed: but I think most of the blues or jazz is in your hands & head.
Not quite related but:
Tried Jaco's '62 stock bass and thru my equip while he was sitting at the bar.
and his bass did not help me too much. ( 20 years ago.)
He got great sound thru my junky rig...which I could never
quite get...
So to me- it's in your hands & head.
Nowdays I play in 2 different blues bands & a jazz band.
I use either Marcus Miller 5 with DR's
or F bass 6 fretted with F strings
or F bass 6 fretless with F strings
or King upright bass with gut G & D , D' Addario lights.
And most people like the sound.
Another one of my bass blues friends uses a Modulus 6.
I attribute lot of it from watching someone great play and then
inspire you to work on your musicality first, then the instrument second.
This one seems to have worked well since I bought it from Rockin' Robin Guitars in Houston sometime in 1984.
It's a '78 J with Michael Dolan rewound pups. The TI flats give it just what I need for blues.
(pardon the momentary lapse in left hand techinque)
Diggin' in here
It's a '78 J with Michael Dolan rewound pups. The TI flats give it just what I need for blues.
(pardon the momentary lapse in left hand techinque)
Diggin' in here
About 6 months ago I would have had an opinion on this but...
I found out that 95% of it is in your fingers. So... my answer now is: What ever feels comfortable to you and you enjoy playing.
I play in a blues band and my main gigging ax I don't believe has ever been considered a "blues bass".
Ox.
I found out that 95% of it is in your fingers. So... my answer now is: What ever feels comfortable to you and you enjoy playing.
I play in a blues band and my main gigging ax I don't believe has ever been considered a "blues bass".
Ox.
This one seems to have worked well since I bought it from Rockin' Robin Guitars in Houston sometime in 1984.
It's a '78 J with Michael Dolan rewound pups. The TI flats give it just what I need for blues.
(pardon the momentary lapse in left hand techinque)
Diggin' in here
That 78's a beauty and it looks like your groovin in the BLUES man!
This one seems to have worked well since I bought it from Rockin' Robin Guitars in Houston sometime in 1984.
It's a '78 J with Michael Dolan rewound pups. The TI flats give it just what I need for blues.
(pardon the momentary lapse in left hand techinque)
Diggin' in here
Dang is that really you doc? You don't look half bad considering all the miles on you.
I've rolled back my odometer so many times the numbers are blurred.
This was the Blue Moon Tavern, a pretty serious blues joint down by the shipyards.
"Jophina" was trying to lure us in to buy her a cold Schlitz.
This was the Blue Moon Tavern, a pretty serious blues joint down by the shipyards.
"Jophina" was trying to lure us in to buy her a cold Schlitz.
