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Do you also play guitar?
- Thread starter PortlandBass77
- Start date
Ajapses
Gold Supporting Member
Started out on bass but always wanted to play lead guitar so swapped a tape deck (this was about 1968) for a dog of a guitar with a baseball bat neck which I learned on. Still have it and it's still a dog despite my best efforts to set it up.
I have played bass in gigging bands almost continuously since learning and played lead for about 12 years in one band while playing bass in another. I don't play lead much now despite having a couple of Strats and SGs but do enjoy playing acoustic guitar and delta blues style bottleneck slide guitar.
I have played bass in gigging bands almost continuously since learning and played lead for about 12 years in one band while playing bass in another. I don't play lead much now despite having a couple of Strats and SGs but do enjoy playing acoustic guitar and delta blues style bottleneck slide guitar.
Been playing bass and six string since 1980 or so.
Finger injury in 2013 led me to start playing lap steel, pedal steel and dobro.
Played drums in there for a few years as well and have dabbled on baritone/bass vi as well well.
Finger injury in 2013 led me to start playing lap steel, pedal steel and dobro.
Played drums in there for a few years as well and have dabbled on baritone/bass vi as well well.
I like to think of myself as a guitarist with GROOVE!
I have one of my basses setup as a piccolo bass and have been messing around with chords on it.
I think it helps my bass playing for the fact that I can see what notes make up the chord. It helps to put bass lines together by getting into a guitarist's head, if you will..
I think it helps my bass playing for the fact that I can see what notes make up the chord. It helps to put bass lines together by getting into a guitarist's head, if you will..
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Its also a plus to understand chords and to have an ear for it. It's nice when you bring songs in for the band and you can show the guitar players the arrangement, saves time.
I played guitar for about a year , even was in a couple of bands. Played bass in a couple of bands for a couple of years after that. My first paying gigs were on bass. Didn't play anything for a couple of years after that. Got the urge to play again and picked up a 12 string guitar. A couple of years after that I picked up the 6 string again and put a band together playing both lead and rhythm. That went on for about nine years. The band finally crapped out and I went back to 12 string. About 12 years ago a buddy of mine told me his bands bass player was leaving . I told him I would take the spot and have been playing bass ever since. Still keep up my chops on the old 12 string and pick up a 6 string every now and then but the money maker these days is definitley the bass. This all started when I was 13 years old. I'm 62 now........ what a long strange trip it's been.
I played guitar for about 20 years and took a sebatical for about 20 years because of family and work. I've been playing bass for about eight years now and haven't touched a guitar in ages. I still have an acoustic and electric that stay in their cases. I find it awkward to play a guitar now.
Not me..
I did vote for "Yes - Learned Before Bass"--but I consider myself a guitarist and a bassist.
Overall I play guitar more than bass, but I used to describe myself as a guitar player who dabbled in bass, or who could fake bass if you kept it simple.
But over the last couple of years, I've come to consider myself as a bass player too.
I'm not a virtuoso at either and I'm not out to impress anybody--I'm here to play guitar & bass and to learn new things & have fun doing it.
I realize there's some tongue in cheek quality to the post I'm quoting, but I just felt like clarifying--there are some of us who consider ourselves bothe guitar players & bass players.
Years ago I joined a band that wanted me to double on guitar. I bought a cheap guitar and learned how to play it in a fairly short amount of time. Now I play as many gigs on guitar as I do on bass. My first love is bass, both upright and electric, but I enjoy the guitar gigs also. It keeps me busy. One interesting thing that I learned is that it's easier to follow changes on guitar to a song you don't know than it is on bass. On guitar you can pause just long enough to hear the bass note, whereas on bass, you have to be there right as the next chord happens, whether you know what it is or not.
It certainly was, Antoria 993 built for JHS in about 1962. 3 SCs with some crazy rocker switch tone selector. I have some photos somewhere in my archives but it may be quicker to take some more than look for them.
The tele(which needs no stand) on the left and the strat are mine. I've also gotta blue '85 Fernandes anda few acoustics
Whats the worst insult you can hurl at a bass player? "Are you a guitar player?". I was trying to keep things interesting while two guitar players went on a twenty minute solo in "Cant you see" and an excited kid runs up and shouts that at me. I felt gut punched.
There as many reasons to switch or add instruments to one's resume. My sister got a violin for Christmas and didn't have the desire/ability to use it. I took violin lessons from fourth to sixth grade just to prevent this instrument from ending up in the wood stove. I still have it, but never play it. Drums came next, but the inability to "turn it down!!!" and the amount of room the kit took up shortened its shelf life. Guitar was next. Barely audible when unplugged. Portable. Chick magnet. How can you lose? Neighborhood high school pals were forming a band and there was no shortage of six stringers, but nary a bassist could be found. ( That was 41 years ago.) After deciding that composing was important, piano was added. While attempting to a record musical masterpiece (yeah, right!) it was obvious that percussion was needed. Hello congas and vibra slap. In order to understand solo instruments and the mentality of those who play them, flute entered the mix. ( Still can't get the hang of it.) Now that your bored to death, it's just to illustrate that "guitarist turned bassist" isn't all there is to the story. See also: "Do you always vote for the same party in every election? Why?"
A good reply might have been "Ah, yes, my son, a very long time ago, then I saw the light!..."
Started bass 5 years ago, have played bass in bands for 4 1/2 years. Tenor Sax in school concert band, bass in school jazz band and just got an acoustic guitar for Christmas a Taylor 414ce.
