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This. Everyone needs a couch bass.
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- Thread starter Forty-Thirty
- Start date
This. Everyone needs a couch bass.
In other news, I told him about it when I got home and he says "saving for a dishwasher is our first priority right now."
haha usually it's the wife who says these words..
accoustic-elec bass have a different timbre, i think it's a good idea to own one..it got that voice u cant get from an electric bass or a fretless nor upright..
If you like it, and you want it, buy one when you can afford it - and sort out the angst later.
There's nothing wrong with having two (or more) instruments. Switching back and forth can be beneficial to your learning experience. Different sound, different feel, possible different playing technique to fit the instrument - it's all good. And it expands your range of experiences and skills.
Once nice thing is that the Ibanez sounds very different than your Jag. So it's not like you own a Precision and want to get another Precision. That 'electro-acoustic' will get you a whole additional and distinct palette of tones to work with. That's what I'd call "buying smart."
You're a good person. Stop being so hard on yourself. If you want one - get one. It's only rock & roll.
(P.S. Good choice for an avatar. Daria rules!)
What's wrong with "owning a Precision and want to get another Precision"?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
If you have the money and it will help you play more, go for it.
My issue would be do you really want an ABG? I have a Tacoma Thunderchief - great axe. But it's not as easy to play and feeds back easily, so it sits home most of the time.
My issue would be do you really want an ABG? I have a Tacoma Thunderchief - great axe. But it's not as easy to play and feeds back easily, so it sits home most of the time.
Enabling you ask for, enabling you get!
For sure, when an instrument talks to you (and they don't _all_ talk to you, right?) you should buy it. And an ABG is a complement to your electric bass, not a duplication.
So run down to the store and put it on layaway.
My SO sometimes teases me about my gear purchases, but she's not truly unhappy with me about it because I never slack on the household requirements. It's about balance, and responsible income management.
Betcha a nickel your SO would be content with saving for the dishmasher and paying down the balance on the ABG, simultaneously.
For sure, when an instrument talks to you (and they don't _all_ talk to you, right?) you should buy it. And an ABG is a complement to your electric bass, not a duplication.
So run down to the store and put it on layaway.
My SO sometimes teases me about my gear purchases, but she's not truly unhappy with me about it because I never slack on the household requirements. It's about balance, and responsible income management.
Betcha a nickel your SO would be content with saving for the dishmasher and paying down the balance on the ABG, simultaneously.
I have one of those! She's Oatmeal.This! ^ ^ ^
By that bass and forget about the dishwasher (you have your husband to wash the dishes, right
By the way I like your cat and the white dress!
here's mine:
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As for OP's dilemma, don't worry about looking like a poser. Do what you want because ultimately, this is your musicianship that is concerned here. Want something you can take camping or on a road trip? Whip out the acoustic! As long as you aren't that guy who brags about how many basses he has and doesn't touch them, go for it. Or heck, be that guy. It's your life.
I own three basses, and though I can hold my own I'm no professional. Not even slightly guilty about it. Do what makes you enjoy being a bass player more!
As much as I have to agree with the lack of volume thing on ABGs, it sure is handy to have one on occasion. Not the most comfortable thing to play, but handy nonetheless.
D
That does indeed sound like a reasonable compromise. Almost *too* reasonable for TB
FWIW, I'm the bass player in my family. My wife is a guitarist (and is so many levels above where I am with the bass that it shames me), but that's pretty much what we do. We've been putting money aside for both a new fridge for the house, and a new PRS custom for her. That we'll be getting both at essentially the same time when all is said and done makes it even better.
+1 on Couch/porch bass. I have a really crappy Ovation-style, I like to sit around and play music on it for my own enjoyment. It's great for jamming with mandolin, muted trumpet player, or the drunk guy on the porch playing the wooden spoons.
I own three basses, and have the general skill level of a rutabaga (okay, maybe a squash), primarily due to a lack of time to really practice and play like I know I should. (Darn rest of life getting in the way...)
That being said, I bought the first one to learn on (Ibanez SR 400). Then one day, a few months later, I saw an Ibanez ATK 300 go on sale at Music 123. Not wanting to buy something sight/sound unseen, I went to the local Guitar Center, where they had the same bass - but with a rosewood fretboard, which I preferred, instead of maple. I loved the sound (and the neck; thicker than my Soundgear, and it just felt better to me - who knew?), and Guitar Center said they'd match Music 123's price. I already had an acoustic guitar that I had bought over a decade earlier that was just sitting in the closet, so I sold it and bought the ATK 300, which I now play more than the SR 400.
The third bass, which is a short scale acoustic-electric (Ibanez AFB200, in black), was actually purchased at the insistence of my wife, who wanted to at least try bass, but felt my current ones were too big and heavy. I told her about the short scale bass, and added that I had never tried one out. We went to the local Sam Ash and Guitar Center and found one, and I played it for her. To my surprise, she said we should get it, so we did. Now, I play it when I just want to pick up a bass and play it on the couch, although she sometimes gives me a funny look about playing "her" bass (which she rarely touches).
All of this is to say, that if a new instrument makes you want to play more, go for it! I wouldn't have gotten my ATK if I thought that having more than one bass was a problem, and I am so glad I got it.
I need a dishwasher, too. Is this a Talk Bass thing?
That being said, I bought the first one to learn on (Ibanez SR 400). Then one day, a few months later, I saw an Ibanez ATK 300 go on sale at Music 123. Not wanting to buy something sight/sound unseen, I went to the local Guitar Center, where they had the same bass - but with a rosewood fretboard, which I preferred, instead of maple. I loved the sound (and the neck; thicker than my Soundgear, and it just felt better to me - who knew?), and Guitar Center said they'd match Music 123's price. I already had an acoustic guitar that I had bought over a decade earlier that was just sitting in the closet, so I sold it and bought the ATK 300, which I now play more than the SR 400.
The third bass, which is a short scale acoustic-electric (Ibanez AFB200, in black), was actually purchased at the insistence of my wife, who wanted to at least try bass, but felt my current ones were too big and heavy. I told her about the short scale bass, and added that I had never tried one out. We went to the local Sam Ash and Guitar Center and found one, and I played it for her. To my surprise, she said we should get it, so we did. Now, I play it when I just want to pick up a bass and play it on the couch, although she sometimes gives me a funny look about playing "her" bass (which she rarely touches).
All of this is to say, that if a new instrument makes you want to play more, go for it! I wouldn't have gotten my ATK if I thought that having more than one bass was a problem, and I am so glad I got it.
I need a dishwasher, too. Is this a Talk Bass thing?
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My local craigslist has a decent looking dishwasher for $30. Get one like it and put that bass on layaway!
I recently picked up a Jack Casady bass that by itself, is loud enough to have next to the couch and noodle on when I feel like it.
SACRILEGE!!
Of course you are worthy of having two basses... especially two different kinds of bass.. you need a fretless too.... ! (.. you said enable you.... )
Although truthfully with me when it comes to ABGs I prefer a string through bridge...
There is a way to "make it work", acoustically, but very hard to find at that price point - that one won't do it. ABGs that can compete to exist, but are generally very large and expensive. If you like that bass, get it, just accept you'll need to use an amp to be heard.The friend that I was with said that he too had had trouble being heard over an acoustic guitar on the acoustic bass. Surely there's a way to make it work! I would have a lot of fun just practicing on it, but I think my husband would veto the idea of me buying a $400 instrument that is really only good for playing at home.
In other news, I told him about it when I got home and he says "saving for a dishwasher is our first priority right now." But, see, I could just serenade him with my beautiful new bass while he hand washes the dishes. I think that's a wonderful idea.
All of my couches are full of basses. I may have a problem.
Nothing at all. Precisions are each as subtly different as cats. It's fun to own a few and explore their strengths and differences. But when you're just starting out, and (like most of us) your funds aren't unlimited, getting something different as opposed to more of similar is usually your better option. At least so it seems to me.
The other thing is a PBass is incredibly forgiving. It's pretty hard to sound flat-out bad on a PBass. An acoustic-electric is a little harder to manage effectively. You need very good right-hand technique or it will boom (or swallow) your notes. You also need to pay a lot more attention to muting (both right and left hand) or you'll get a lot of jangly sounding sludge floating around your head. And the notes will ring a lot longer most times. Especially if you play an open string. And (unless you're using flats) the strings can really squeak. That extra bit of tessitura can be a feature. Or least according to the classical guitar playing crowd it can. But it usually doesn't sound that great when it rides along on a bass note. So clean execution on your fretting hand is a must.
An electro-acoustic (or anything that uses piezos really) will keep you honest and make you be more attentive to details when you play. It's an easy instrument to sound really bad on. And it's more work. Which is one reason so many are available on the used market. There's no training wheels on these puppies. They're nowhere near as easy to make sound acceptable -as opposed to a slab bass - which usually just does. Make no mistake, Acoustics are harder to play well.
The PBass, on the other hand, is more like a big friendly dog. If it can possibly do it for you, it will. (Did I say it's virtually impossible to sound really bad on one yet?) That's the brilliance of Leo Fender's design. It just works and sounds good. With minimal need for fussing to get there. Any wonder so many people who only play bass occasionally opt for a PBass of some flavor more often than not? It, and it's close cousins the Jazz and Jag, are what most people hear in their heads when they think bass.
But that's my two cents worth. (Just 3 more pennies and you'll have a whole nickel. Yay!!!)
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Long Live Daria! Neither one of my Siamese cats care when I plug in. But they don't like acoustic guitars very much.
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