When i was just a pup starting out, i would have my (cheap-ass) bass at a height that echoed my bass idol, Mr Gene Simmons, i.e. belt buckle front and centre. From there I went up, down, down even further, down further than that... back up again... EVEN NOW I still faff about with it, depending on my current infatuation. DOES MY BASS HEIGHT MAKE ME LOOK FUNNY?
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does strap length maketh the basseth?
- Thread starter jimmyjammer
- Start date
I adjust my strap to fit the image of the gig. For Practice I play at whatever is the most comfortable.
Set it where it works best for your playing style. Don't worry about how it looks. Nobody tells Billy Sheenan he wears his bass to high.
Wrong forum, but that's OK.
I play my bass around Marcus Miller height or higher, and to me that's what looks smart. A below the bass the balls is inefficient and poseurish most of the time IMO.
Hey, what does, "faff" mean?
i wear mine at what i would call "mid-high". it's about at my stomach. and it gets higher or lower depending on how big my belly is 
When I started out, my bass was as low is it could possibly go. After that, most of my playing career (about 5 years) has been spent with my basses way too high.
Lately, however, my musical tastes have shifted a lot and I'm playing a lot more relaxed and vibe-y stuff (reggae, hiphop, indie rock), so for the first time in a LONG while, I've lowered all of my basses so that the neck joint is even with my navel. I've found I'm playing MUCH more fluidly that I used to, and my wrists don't hurt at all after a long jam session. I feel like a new man!
Lately, however, my musical tastes have shifted a lot and I'm playing a lot more relaxed and vibe-y stuff (reggae, hiphop, indie rock), so for the first time in a LONG while, I've lowered all of my basses so that the neck joint is even with my navel. I've found I'm playing MUCH more fluidly that I used to, and my wrists don't hurt at all after a long jam session. I feel like a new man!
Thank you, Talk Bassers... (apologies for wrong forum). I was really just putting it out there, as I also change around a lot... for a jam night sit-in, I will have it high enough so I can pull off that flashy run without dislocating my wrist (and shoulder, and collarbone, etc.)... whereas, if I am playing with a grunt rock combo, I will go down low, because I know the most wristy thing I will attempt will be octaves. Besides, I know if I do need to pull out that surprise sweep-arpeggio-hammer-flurry I can always fall onto my back and do it on the ground. That certainly catches the eye of the other players (although the gig spaces where these kind of combos do their thing usually don't have the kind of floor you really want to be touching with anything other than industrial boots).
Oh yeah, to 'faff' about is to blunder in a non-committal way.
Oh yeah, to 'faff' about is to blunder in a non-committal way.
I have mine set at a comfortable level. I don't play a lot of "wristy" stuff, so mine is a little lower than waist level.
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(those are high waisted trousers...)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
(those are high waisted trousers...)
