Different Basses for Different Things

[WayneP]

I have “different basses for different things,” but none relate to the music I’m playing.

I keep one strung with flats for something of a vintage sound, and one with rounds for a modern sound. I choose for the gig the one I’m in the mood for.

I’m probably the last one to notice, but I recently discovered that pickup location hugely affects sound. For instance, the two basses mentioned above sound roughly the same with roundwound strings. Not coincidentally, their pickups have almost identical placement in relation to the neck and bridge.

By contrast, the Tobias Killer B I picked up last year has both pickups closer to the bridge than the other basses. It has a really forward, aggressive sound compared to the other two. (This can be simulated with the right hand situated at the forward pickup vs. at the rear pickup.)

Consequently, the Killer has less low end than the other basses. I used that to an advantage this past week when I played at an outdoor backyard party. I figured the bass with less low end would not annoy the neighbors nearly as much (or as far) as a “booming” bass.

And of course, a fretless bass for when a song seems to beg for one.

So – different basses for different things, but none related to music. Except the fretless maybe.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Pedulla Club #45 Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
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[Jeff Elkins]

I made a list in response to a post a while back if all the basses I’ve ever owned. It was… long. Nearly every one I bought because I thought I needed whatever it brought that was missing from my sound, or might be if I got a call for a certain kind of gig. P with flats, woody semi-hollow body, something slappable, etc. Once there were near 15 at a given time.

At one point I had to make the decision, for me, that I needed an upper limit. So I settled on 8, still thinking I needed one for each situation, including one vintage (because I don’t know why), one fretless, yadda yadda.

More recently I’ve gotten it down to 5. But between 8 and 5 I finally found my sound and how I want to approach making music for the near and long term. I keep an active/passive 5 string with single coils that doesn’t look too weird, for bandleaders and others that hear with their eyes and for simpler performance gigs. And I still can’t help trying out new and interesting basses—my latest is a multi scale fretless.

But yes, I definitely have given a LOT of thought to this topic!

 

[Wasnex]

I guess it depends on my perspective. Ideally, it would be possible to optimize the bass for every song. This could involve switching basses, making adjustments to your amp, or using a totally different rig. Course it could also involve changing and adjusting effects. So conceptually I think it makes a lot of sense on some levels, such as recording.

But as matter of practicality, I think it also makes a lot of sense to use one bass and one rig for the entire gig. The reality is it's difficult to impossible to really even get one sound that approaches perfection. So the idea of swapping gear and making all sorts of adjustments for every song on a performance is pretty nuts.

Of the top of my head, I think I own 8 basses, and they are all different. My #1 since about 1995 has been a Yamaha TRB6P. I have played it pretty much exclusively for so long that it has significantly changed how I play. The result is I am more comfortable on a 6-string, than a 5-string or 4-string. The TRB6P is the only 6-string bass guitar in my collection.

I play through my collection of 4s and 5s a couple of times a year. But I find that if I spend too much time on one of them that it starts to change the way I think, and this negatively impacts my proficiency on the 6-string. Don't get me wrong, I could easily swap between each of my basses, if it was necessary, but there is small price to pay for it.

The type of switching I actually did:
I doubled professionally on upright bass throughout my active career and played jazz and classical repertoire. Playing upright doesn't have a negative impact how comfortable I am on the 6-string bass guitar. A few years after turning pro, I started developing a one finger per fret system for bass guitar, but I have remained with Simandl 1,2,4 fingering for upright. So I use totally different fingering systems on bass guitar and upright. I view them as different instruments that require different techniques.

I never could get comfortable on a fretless bass guitar. Since I wanted that sort of sound, my solution was to get an NS Design electric upright bass. I used upright fingering and was immediately comfortable on the NS Design. However, there were times when playing the NS Design compromised my intonation on upright bass. Before tours where I played in a classical style, the NS Design went in its case and I spent a few days playing through Simandl excerpts to dial in my intonation on the upright. No problems switching between upright and fretted bass guitar.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Sounds dumb like hippy sh!t but vibes are huge for me. When I pick up my jazz bass I feel way differently about what I'm about the play than when I pick up my P. They feel wildly different. Same with my 3 guitars. I do a lot of just jamming out, and the different vibes can result in wildly different jams.

"Sounds Dumb Like Hippy Sh!t" is going on my next T-shirt (checks in the mail bro)...

 

[2112]

I don't need to use different basses for different things, but I do because I believe it enhances my skills, playability, and/or performance.

For example, when I switched to playing 5s, I noticed that doing so has made me a better player on 4s. I've found that this is extensible to practicing on 6s... it has made me a better player of 5s. So, now I practice on 6s pretty all the time.

I play my G&L JB5s in my 80s cover band, and probably will use them for the 90s cover band I'm fidna start as well. But, for the Rush tribute project I'll be doing later this year, I'll be using my MIA Geddy Jazz with Brantley pups. This is mainly for tone but also for appearance.

 

[J Wilson]

Past a good passive bass and a good, sophisticated (modern) active bass, I would need nothing else.

The rest I can do with my hands and tone control.

 

[Dust2Dust]

I've got a P and a J but I could easily get by with just the J

 

[Killing Floor]

Fretless for the times I need a lack-o-frets. Jazz and P both basically sound the same so I just pick based on color or grab whichever happens to be out. Hollow/semi-hollow for more thumpyisms and MMs with rounds for funk and slappity stuff.

 

[overit]

I’ve had a bunch of basses since the Internet but I always sound like me no matter which one I play. Sure, there are some sonic differences between active/passive/flats/rounds/single coil/humbuckers/fretted/fretless but in the end i sound like me and play best when im playing the bass I’m most comfortable on. Hence the reason I have 3 for sale right now.

 

[Pearly Gator]

Two bass guitars would cover all the sonic territory I need.

A Precision with round wounds and a Precision with flat wounds.

 

[metron]

I used to think that way, different basses for different genres or whatever. P, J, Ray, Ric, 5s, fretless. Session musicians might need that sort of lineup. I do not nor will I ever.

For some reason it took me a long time to figure that out. What I needed to do was explore what sound I wanted to call mine and just roll with that.

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

My approach: different "strings" for different things. I like using flats for old-school or upright-ish stuff and rounds for everything else. So, I pick flats for some gigs and rounds for others, each paired with an appropriate bass.

For the record, my current "flat bass" is a Fender P5, and my "round bass" is a Sadowsky M5.

 

[mambo4]

I don't use different basses for different music.
Assuming decent gear any bass can reasonably do any style, imho
Some may be slightly better but so slightly that it's not worth my money,

 

[pklima]

I once brought three very different sounding basess to three rehearsals of the same band. On the way home after the third guitarist asks me which bass I actually plan to play at gigs, and I tell her (honestly, but trollishly) that it depends on what I'm wearing and which bass will match that.

Pretty irrational to have totally different basses then try to make each of them work for an entire set of the same material, yeah. But I'm not going to pretend I got a passive bass with Jazz pickups because I wanted a passive Jazz sound. I like the look of that particular bass.

 

[Snert]

But as matter of practicality, I think it also makes a lot of sense to use one bass and one rig for the entire gig.

The reality is it's difficult to impossible to really even get one sound that approaches perfection. So the idea of swapping gear and making all sorts of adjustments for every song on a performance is pretty nuts.

Maybe, maybe not. One certainly doesn't need to make the tone on every track sound exactly like the recording for it to be good and fun for both the audience and the band.

I have posted several times about using one bass and rig in cover band (pop, rock, country. funk, blues etc) , simply adjusting PU selection / blend, plucking position and some minor EQ choices. With modern digital EQ/FX like a Stomp and a MIDI controller and a well set up rig, you could have massive tone changes track to track if you so choose. Large bands do this all the time.

Sounds dumb like hippy sh!t

I'm also gonna put that om a T shirt.

Past a good passive bass and a good, sophisticated (modern) active bass, I would need nothing else.

The rest I can do with my hands and tone control.

Basically agree, but see above.

 

[Wasnex]

I have posted several times about using one bass and rig in cover band (pop, rock, country. funk, blues etc) , simply adjusting PU selection / blend, plucking position and some minor EQ choices. With modern digital EQ/FX like a Stomp and a MIDI controller and a well set up rig, you could have massive tone changes track to track if you so choose. Large bands do this all the time.

I generally start with the volume of my bass wide open, tone controls set to the center detente, and the pickups blended slightly towards the neck. The bass also has a piezo with a blend and polarity switch. I prefer the position that add clarity and it is blended to taste.

I use the amp's controls to dial in my volume and tone during sound check.

During the show I adjust the bass from time to time depending on what type of tone I want. However, if I need a more global tone change or volume bump, I usually reach for the amp.

Although I make adjustments, I find it usually works best if they are subtle.

But as I mentioned earlier, during some shows I switched between three drastically different sounding basses: 6-string fretted BG, acoustic upright with a pickup, and 6-string electric upright that sounded similar to a fretless BG.

 

[Snert]

Although I make adjustments, I find it usually works best if they are subtle.

Ditto, the biggest change was usually a big mid notch for the funkier tunes. Though a programmable EQ with 3 or 4 presets would most likely cover just about everything.

 

[retslock]

Pretty weird thing to post about but I'm just curious and have been thinking, feel free to disregard this if you would like lol. What is your perception of different brands/models of basses? I'm always trying to have as little things as possible that cover the most ground. I have 1 humbucker guitar, 1 P90 guitar, and 1 Fender guitar strat. I have 1 p-bass, 1 j-bass, and 1 Ibanez active humbuckers bass.

To me, the P is best for when I want to play some classic tones, old R&B/Motown, dub, stuff that requires a lot of tubby thump. The J is best for that smooth funky jazz or jam music and also digging into some hard rock. The Ibanez is actually the most versatile in tone, but I have it set up with pretty high action where I can just go nuts on the strings for some distorted metal riffs or beat on it super hard with some hard slapping.

I've never played more than briefly at a store a PJ, Rickenbacker, Mustang, Stingray, Jaguar, Modulus, Lakland, Sadowsky, Gibson, Dingwall, Danelectro, Hollow, Semi-Hollow. Sometimes I think I have all bases covered just with my 3 basses, sometimes I'm like, I want another bass that does something totally different.

What's your perception of different brands/models of basses and where do they fill holes in your jamming? Whether it's rockin out, smooth jazz, heavy dub, articulate fusion jamming, whatever it doesn't matter. This is interesting to me, YMMV lol.

For most of my nearly 30 years as a professional bass player in just about every kind of scenario where live music is played, I only played a Precision bass. I tried a Stingray and a G&L L2000 briefly. They didn't last. I played an Ibanez MC924DS Musician for a while on tour because I was sponsored. Off the road it was back to my Precision. There was never a time where I considered changing the bass because of the music I was hired to play. I was never asked to play a different bass either. While I played plenty of rock, funk, pop, country and some jazz I never played metal. However, I believe I would have managed with any of those basses.

 

[SteveC]

I think to a certain extent one can justify different basses for different things. I have a P with flats, a J with rounds, an “active modern” 5 with soaps and an “active modern” 5 fretless with soaps. Except for “needing” notes below E, I could get by just fine with either the P or J 4 string passives. If I could only have one, I’d probably go fretted 5 so everything is covered. Yet my best sounding and playing bass is my fretless 5. Fortunately I’m able to have all 4.

 

[bassclef112]

In the 90's I was fortunate to get into a band (still in it) that generated substantial disposable income. I had a great job so it was all "bass gear gravy". Getting this gig allowed me the luxury of accumulating (and passing on) an excellent sampling of brands and quality.
I loved/love the idea of being able to select a bass best suited for the gig (sonic plus aesthetic).
Many players are completely satisfied with one bass. I get it, but I have a dozen+ I feel that way about, all different. All offer their own personality to the task.
Play what you love, but variety is the spice of life. Do you have a closet full of identical clothes? (unless you're Einstein...) Basses are tools, and until you can pull one out of a box and tell me I will never need another, I will enjoy each bass out there for what it offers.