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Electric Bass in Bluegrass
- Thread starter Alden Vines
- Start date
It might work for you, but probably less so for the bluegrass bands you'll be auditioning for. I get by with my acoustic bass guitars (Thunderchief and Guild B50) since I had to put the upright aside (arthritic hands). I guess it maintains that "acoustic vibe" stage presence, and sound reasonably "upright-ish". I suppose the fact I sing lead and can harmonize on the fly helps, too.
It works but you will be urged every minute to buy an upright bass. The BG crowd has some wonderful people and musicians and that's why you should do it.
Play electric just to tease them, but really keep the bass lines clean and simple.
Play electric just to tease them, but really keep the bass lines clean and simple.
A big one is T. Michael Coleman with the Seldom Scene.
I had the pleasure of attending MerleFest a few times in the late 90’s and T. Michael was a fixture and jammed with a lot of folks.
At one point they were getting ready to do a tribute to Earl Scruggs - Earl was present and playing - and Doc Watson was on stage with about 17 banjo players. He nervously asked for reinforcements and called out for T. Michael by name. Classic moment. The jam was fantastic! Of course they played Foggy Mountain Breakdown and each of the best banjo players in the world took a chorus to strut their stuff, with Earl finishing off in spectacular form. I really appreciated Bela Fleck’s understated, assured, and unique reading of the classic.
On the new grass scene Trampled By Turtle’s bassist plays a really sweet ABG and gets a great sound out of it.
I joined a bluegrass and classic country band this summer. I replaced a double bassist, I’m using a P bass. I’ve been complimented on my playing by the members, family of the band, and random audience members. I get the impression the previous guy was a bit of a noodler, and they are liking my simple n steady approach.
I was approached by the guitar player of my blues band, who also runs this band- so they knew up front I was going to play electric. If you find like minded people, there is definitely a place for it. As I learn tunes, I find plenty of videos with electric (especially from the 70s)
I started with rolled off tone knob, easy on the mids. But as I get more comfortable, I find a tone closer to the blues/rock setting I usually use actually sounds pretty darn good! Here we are this summer:
I was approached by the guitar player of my blues band, who also runs this band- so they knew up front I was going to play electric. If you find like minded people, there is definitely a place for it. As I learn tunes, I find plenty of videos with electric (especially from the 70s)
I started with rolled off tone knob, easy on the mids. But as I get more comfortable, I find a tone closer to the blues/rock setting I usually use actually sounds pretty darn good! Here we are this summer:
I've used several electric basses from different manufacturers for bluegrass, country and roots. One of those was a DIY 4 string washtub EUB I made using an oval washtub and the narrowed neck from a Squier Bronco and mounted on an NS bass stand. I retired that one after a few years. Now I usually use a Hofner Ignition Club but mostly because it's much easier to transport than the washtub.
Yeah, T. Michael played with Doc for a long time. I remember seeing him with Doc at festivals in the '80s.
B.
I’m not sure which is worse. A bass guitar in a bluegrass band or bluegrass.
Oh, calm down. I’m kidding. One of my favorite musicians is David Grisman.
M. M.
Oh, calm down. I’m kidding. One of my favorite musicians is David Grisman.
M. M.
I played a ‘57 ri at a wake in a duo with a singer songwriter doing Dylan stuff. It was perfect! I know he’s not ‘grass but it’s all music and the EB doesn’t come with tags saying, “only for use in Polkafunk.”
Now try some Les Claypool Primus riffs and you might be replaced in that BG band. Of course they might keep you, hire an upright player and never admit they have a drummer.
Now try some Les Claypool Primus riffs and you might be replaced in that BG band. Of course they might keep you, hire an upright player and never admit they have a drummer.
IME bluegrass players are the biggest purists I've ever met in the music world. This goes for instrumentation, keys, licks, vocal style, etc. Thus there is no such thing as a bass guitar in bluegrass. I.e. if there's a bass guitar on stage, it's something besides bluegrass.
I've accompanied guys playing trad country on accoustic instruments on bass guitar. Not ideal, but sometimes the doghouse is too much hassle to haul. Sound-wise you just want to keep it simple. Thump along and stick to roots and fifths with a walkup/walkdown here and there. Learn how to palm mute, because if there's one thing bluegrass can't abide in a bass (besides extended chords), it's sustain.
I've accompanied guys playing trad country on accoustic instruments on bass guitar. Not ideal, but sometimes the doghouse is too much hassle to haul. Sound-wise you just want to keep it simple. Thump along and stick to roots and fifths with a walkup/walkdown here and there. Learn how to palm mute, because if there's one thing bluegrass can't abide in a bass (besides extended chords), it's sustain.
We know that being barefoot is authentic. The muting effect of the socks is evident. Some RedWing work boots would keep the cred and allow three full sets without the pain from that rim.
I run into this from time to time. I always ask them this;
Q: How many upright bass players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five. One to change the bulb and four to stand around and whine about it being electrified.
B.
my experience also. if i bring an acoustic bass guitar to the 'circle', i get heavy sighs, eye rolls, head shakes, and sometimes get asked to leave.
Joe Osborn played electric bass on two albums with The Dillards:
Wheatstraw Suite (1968)
Copperfields (1970)
Wheatstraw Suite (1968)
Copperfields (1970)
I think if you call it "Americana" you can play whatever you want. But if it's specifically a bluegrass gig/jam/circle, you best not stray from the canon. This is not a musical argument you can win; it is a liturgical imperative.
I play in a "blugrass" style band, I started using my fretless pbass and then learned upright. I play prob 80% of gigs on my upright but still love to play fretless for certain songs. I have gotten more praise for it than negative feedback. trick is, get good at both, and people wont complain when your killing it. tone is everything, make your ebass sit in the mix nicely and no one should care. But I have never cared about aesthetics, althi
john Hartford is the man, and agree on electric bass in bluegrass, but listen to "whirley pig". dude is on upright, soooooo funky. total funk groove that feels like it should be on electric, but better on the big bass.
