Help me understand

[Inkdork]

There's so much to learn here. Any question you post will give you a variety of helpful (or not) answers. We like to see our bass playing brother & sisters succeed on their journey ... so don't be shy

Thank you. I'm quite possibly going to die of impatience waiting until my patch cable (is that what is called? Lol) and strap arrive on Wednesday. I keep going into the music room to caress it, pluck at the strings, and cradle it. I'm seriously enamored with her and can't wait to learn to play.

I love my ukes and other instruments, but oh my heart! This one excites me!

 

[Korladis]

Welcome!

Also, don't worry about other kinds of basses for now. The Peavey Grind is a good bass. I also learned on a Peavey, but not as nice of one as a Grind.

The regular "long scale" strings should work fine on your bass. There are a lot of different brands and gauges to choose from, but I'd stick to the regular gauge for now (.105, I think). A tip when changing them to avoid way too many winds on the tuner posts.... take the old string off, and cut the extra bit off the end of the new string so that it's the same length (at the end that doesn't have a ball) as the old one. I prefer to change strings one at a time.

That said, you don't really have to change strings very often. Roundwounds (probably what your bass has, as they're more common) eventually lose quite a bit of their brightness, but they still work fine. You probably won't break strings very often at all. I've been playing for 16-17 years and I've broken.... maybe two strings, in that time.

There are a bunch of kinds of pickups, too, but don't worry about it for now. They work through the power of electromagnetism. Most are passive.

One thing you might want to do is take your bass to a local tech and get a setup. This involves adjusting the intonation (the saddles at the bridge, so that the bass plays in tune all the way up the neck), the action (how low or high the strings are from the fretboard), etc. It can make a big difference in how a bass plays.

 

[Korladis]

Thank you. I'm quite possibly going to die of impatience waiting until my patch cable (is that what is called? Lol) and strap arrive on Wednesday. I keep going into the music room to caress it, pluck at the strings, and cradle it. I'm seriously enamored with her and can't wait to learn to play.

I love my ukes and other instruments, but oh my heart! This one excites me!

"Patch cable," in my experience, refers to a shorter cable meant to link two things that are very close to each other.

A longer one for plugging your bass into an amp or pedal or whatever is an "instrument cable."

 

[Inkdork]

Welcome! (...) One thing you might want to do is take your bass to a local tech and get a setup. This involves adjusting the intonation (the saddles at the bridge, so that the bass plays in tune all the way up the neck), the action (how low or high the strings are from the fretboard), etc. It can make a big difference in how a bass plays.

Thanks for the welcome. A setup will definitely be considered in the near future. I have a uke that needs one (I filed down the nut and saddle a bit myself which helped but it's still not quite right) too, so I know how the little things can make a big difference in how they play.

 

[Inkdork]

"Patch cable," in my experience, refers to a shorter cable meant to link two things that are very close to each other.

A longer one for plugging your bass into an amp or pedal or whatever is an "instrument cable."

Ah.... Then I meant an instrument cable.

 

[Growlmonkee]

Welcome to TB, you've gotten good answers, my 2 cents to your questions...."Jazz Bass" - a model invented in the 60's by Fender, used for ...any type of music (not specific to jazz), it's still a popular model, and has become a "standard" , your Peavey Grind is a bit different, not better or worse, but, not the same really. "Active Bass"- has one or two 9v batteries in a onboard compartment powering things (a preamp), "Passive Bass" - has no onboard battery, or preamp......both are popular, "active" gives more tonal variety, but, if the sound of a particular passive bass nails it for you, (it does for many), some would rather have passive, neither is better, they are different. Strings...choice of which ones is very subjective, but, for all strings, new ones are brighter sounding. There are several types, some types are best kept fresh, and changed when they get dull, (form 2 weeks to 3 months), Other type strings get better and better with age, (years), all subjective to taste.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Okay... talk to me about pickups. How do they work, for starters. I understand mine has passive instead of active pickups? What's the difference?

Sorry, but I can't resist!

You see, Ink…when a copper-wire-wrapped magnet and a ferrous-metal-based string love each other very, very much, an electrical signal is born.

Okay, now I got that smart-assery out of my system, welcome to TalkBass, Ink!

I agree with just about everything the others have said. Certainly, you'll get a wide variety of opinions and personal experiences coming your way, but ultimately, yours is the one that counts most to you. We neither have your hands or ears, so whatever pleases them most is Aces.

 

[Kubicki Fan]

You should consider researching what entails "setup" for your bass. Best if you learn how to do it yourself but in the mean time $50-100 spent on setup may be money well spent. You can get a guitar tech to set your bass up and s/he will more than likely be helpful in explaining how the best string height for your playing comfort can be achieved.
String height can be adjusted at nut and bridge accounting for your finger board radus. Intonation is adjusted at the bridge with screw driver after neck relief and string height is adjusted. Neck relief is adjusted with fractional turn of a truss rod.
You may of course already be familiar with all this, but I thought I mention it JIC you were not.

 

[Inkdork]

.both are popular, "active" gives more tonal variety, but, if the sound of a particular passive bass nails it for you, (it does for many), some would rather have passive, neither is better, they are different.

That's one thing I love that I never would have suspected a few years ago... Each instrument, depending on setup, strings, etc can have a totally unique voice.

 

[Inkdork]

You should consider researching what entails "setup" for your bass. Best if you learn how to do it yourself but in the mean time $50-100 spent on setup may be money well spent. (...) You may of course already be familiar with all this, but I thought I mention it JIC you were not.

Actually this is new information for me. I know nothing of setup of more complex instruments and only enough to get into trouble with my ukes. But it's good to have a basic understanding of things.

 

[Matthew_84]

I'd also recommend lessons as well, but in lieu of that:

This is, in my opinion, the best video to show you how to hold the bass without promoting injury:


Below is a website which has great tips and info on everything bass-related, including playing (and composing) basslines:
StudyBass - Free Online Bass Lessons

If you'd rather get some visual cues through online videos, see the link below. Scott has a course, which costs a fee, but he also has a lot of great, free videos on YouTube:
Online Bass Lessons - Scott's Bass Lessons

If you want something more tangible, below is a link to what many think is the best beginner book for bass guitar:
Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume!: Ed Friedland: 0073999950748: Amazon.com: Books

And welcome to TB! Good luck!

 

[Inkdork]

If you want something more tangible, below is a link to what many think is the best beginner book for bass guitar:
Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume!: Ed Friedland: 0073999950748: Amazon.com: Books

And welcome to TB! Good luck!

I'll check those links out. Holding it properly would be good because holy crap she's heavy!

Oddly enough that book series is one of my favorites - I have the ukulele ones, baritone uke one, and the guitar ones. Looks like I will be adding another to my collection.

And thank you!

 

[ezstep]

First, welcome to the dark side. Second, if you think there are no stupid questions, you obviously have not read many threads on TB.

The set up - take it to a local mom&pop store, and stay with the bass. Watch the guy set it up, ask questions, etc. You will learn quite a bit just seeing what he does, and ask him why he does that - most guitar techs will give you straight answers.

NEVER use an instrument cable to connect a speaker cab and the amp. NEVER.

Have fun!

 

[Felken]

I see it's your first day as a member. Welcome to talkbass, the website that will eventually destroy your playing until you descend into madness. (It's not that bad )

You had some pretty god answers already, so I'll give my own version of what you should be concerned about as a beginner. The rest will come as you get more experienced.

1- Bass models.

Bass models are endless, and they all have certain companies. (Fender, Rickenbacker, Music Man, being some of the more popular). Bassically, models count more or less by the type of pickup they use (The blocks under the strings).

Precision bass:

Jazz Bass:

Rickenbacker:

Stingray:

Pickups (PU):

Precision bass uses split-coil pickup, which look like this:


Jazz basses use two single-coil pickups. Each pickup has it's own volume knob, used to change the tone. Pickups closer to the bridge will have more treble and less bass. Pickups closer to the neck will have more bass.

Single coil PU:


Humbucking means hum-cancelling. It uses a negative hum and positive hum that cancel each other out, eliminating noise.:
(this shape might also be called soapbar)

You'll see variations of these, but for now, that's all you need to know.

The bass you use uses two humbucking pickups.

Active and passive:
Active basses use a 9 volt battery to power certain controls. Active basses make less noise, have greater tonal options than passive basses. Bottom line is: Active basses and boost and cut EQs, whilst passive can only cut.

Strings:
Strings affect quite a lot the tone of the bass. There are two major types: Flatround and Roundwound.

Roundwounds are used more commonly, in any genre. They are good for all purposes.
Flatrounds give a smoother sound and feel, and they last longer. But they are mostly used for jazz.

You can bet a bass with either 4, 5 or 6 strings, 4 being the most common. I personally prefer 5, but that's just me.

I would recommend you start with nickel roundwounds for now.
-----------------------

Every bass sounds different. Go to youtube, listen to different types of basses, learn what you like. Practice and you'll learn all you need to know.

Congratulations, good luck, have fun and God bless.

 

[Marikk]

Lots of good info here for you. I'll echo what a few others said of the value of a good set up. A few fractions of an inch here and there, as small as they are, can have a big impact

 

[BurnOut]

No pictures no bass, that's the rules

 

[Inkdork]

I see it's your first day as a member. Welcome to talkbass, the website that will eventually destroy your playing until you descend into madness. (It's not that bad ) (...) Congratulations, good luck, have fun and God bless.

Thanks for the welcome and the easy summary of things. And for further explaining humbucking.

 

[Inkdork]

Lots of good info here for you. I'll echo what a few others said of the value of a good set up. A few fractions of an inch here and there, as small as they are, can have a big impact

It's on the list, especially since I know nothing about the history of this particular instrument.

 

[Inkdork]

No pictures no bass, that's the rules

Here she is.... Lousy photo- the color is too dark in it. Our house has terrible lighting.

 

[Doner Designs]

Google is your best friend when you want to learn stuff. I get best results searching via google and including talkbass in the search string. The answers are in talkbass but google has a much more effective search engine for finding stuff here (in my experience).