How high do you wear your bass?

[antiochbassist]

I, too voted waist. I've put on a few pounds and my bass is starting to look more like a DOBRO!!!! Freaky, huh??? I used to play way down low, with my heavy-necked 4 string one-piece, it killed my speed and my wrist. I went from medium to almost stop. Whatever works for you is what is best. Nobody can see my technique on the CD......... JIM <0><

 

[agyeman]

I have my bass on my thigh as i like to have my arm as stright as possible, but still be confortable.

 

[Angus]

None of my basses hang differently whether i use straploks or not. Maybe all of my basses ive ever owned are wrong though.

 

[Eliot Lorango]

I voted balls cuz I like to bump my you know what into it hehe. I actually sometimes go to about my stomache when I want to do some crazy slap bass moves though.

 

[shagEb]

i voted chest but like rick it's the tummy. the bass rules no matter the style. jaco who??

 

[Stu]

I voted waist but like a few others it is really on my gut..( tummy ). I find it easier to maintain playing over a longer time & it doesn't knack my wrist !

Stu

 

[Sheep Man]

Hmmm...now that I've actually payed attention to where my bass is at, it's more like 'hips' than waist.
The upper horn is at my waist, and the lower end of the body is covering my...groin. Area. Place.
But most of the body is covering my hips, and I play with the neck angled slightly upwards, I'd guesstimate at about a 15 or 20 degree angle. Then again, I never was good at guessing time, length, space or distance, so I wouldn't really trust myself with that measurement.

 

[David-Adler]

I play it about balls high, with a large Up-Angle of Neck because I

1.) feel most comfortable with that
2.) think it looks cool

Sometime ago I played as low as the strap could go, but I could only pick back than, right now, I don`t use a pick anymore .

David

 

[lump]

Originally posted by Beelzebob
Tummy, though I had to put Chest. Higher is better. I play a sixer, so I need to be able to reach around the C to hit the B! Some of my punker friends called me Elmer Dinkley, but they loved playing with me! LOL!

Yeah, it took me a coupla days to figure it out, but now that I'm on a five I had to hoist it up about two inches. I was having a hard time reaching the B, especially with my pinky above the 10th fret or so. Good bye rocker, hello fusion geek.

Then again, if I were a real rocker, I wouldn't be using my pinky. Or playing above the 10th fret...

 

[Sound Guy Paul]

I used to wear my bass around my stomach. Then I started to notice I played better when I had it high. Now I wear it as high as my strap allows. (which unfortunately is not high enough.) I would like to say that you cannot be a good musician if you feel you have to look cool by wearing your instrument at your ankles. First of all it looks pretty dumb, and second YOU CANT PLAY WELL LIKE THAT. Unless you have arms that are down to your ankles and can get around the neck alright but noone does and it just plain doesnt make sense. If you lifted that bass up a few notches at least inbetween your balls and stomach, you might be able to play well.

 

[Ty McNeely]

I was at a concert the other night and I really saw JUST how low some people wear their bass.....some o' these people are gonna have carpal tunnel by the time they're 30!

I admit though, it does look a lot cooler when its low.....that's all that matters, right?

 

[CrawlingEye]

Actually, I think it looks better when people play with it higher. For everyone who likes punk, I refer to Anti-flag's bassist who plays with it so damn high his top horns like touching his neck.

 

[Davidoc]

Today I lowered it from the waist, all the way down the the balls, and I love it! Now my plucking arm doesn't get cramped anymore! I have long arms, so I really like the new strap length

 

[Rickenbackerman]

Balls here... I play with my plucking arm elbow straight, and I have LONG arms. It's comfortable, and it's how I like it.

Quote:
>>>I would like to say that you cannot be a good musician if you feel you have to look cool by wearing your instrument at your ankles. First of all it looks pretty dumb, and second YOU CANT PLAY WELL LIKE THAT. >>>

How do you know I can't? Have you seen me play? Personally, I think anyone who wears their bass on their chest looks like a CHUMP, but that's only my opinion. If it's comfortable for you, have at it!

 

[Davidoc]

Those people posting along the lines of having the bass high means better, and having it low means worse definitely don't know what's it's like for people with really long arms

 

[Josh Ryan]

So it hangs at about the same place it would be if I were sitting down. sort of under mid torso.

 

[berserk]

Okay I have a different perspective than most of you. I wear mine at balls level, but before you begin to bash me there is a very good reason. That level makes for a perfect transition for me from upright bass to electric. The right hand ends up sitting in about the same comfort zone and the stress on the left hand is about the same, so for me it just makes sense. Much higher and my arms get tired, much lower and my short fingers get cramped up. Sorry to bring this up again but I have had experience playing jazz and metal and the main difference between the two musically is the ability to read music and to understand music theory. Metal isnt bad music its just much more likely to be uneducated and inexperienced. I personally can listen to mingus or primus and enjoy both thoroughly. I think its all just in the ear of the beholder. Sometimes rough and raucous music is preferable to quiet sophistication. Regardless it's still music!

 

[ImNotGeddyLee]

its a bowtie. i try to go as high up as possible.
but i recommend that most people try to make your strap equal from where the bass is when you sit down because thats probably how you normally practice.

 

[embellisher]

Originally posted by CrawlingEye
Actually, angus you'll notice it does. Strap locks have two pieces that are about 3-4" long that attach to the screws (and are not removeable without unscrewing the buttons)

And then it's like having another strap on top of that, so the strap will go way further down, and you also lose a good portion of your ability to tighten it up higher, since if you tighten it up as tight as it'll go, it'll hit the plastic clip. Where the regular strap will just go down to the leather (or whatever it is at the end)

Cheapo straplocks are like that, so you are BOTH right.

Crawlingeye, Schallers and Dunlops attach to the strap buttons, and do not change the height of the bass in any way.

 

[Nero 6-30-7]

I had to go with other on this, it's not quite chest and it's not quite waist, so I will have to agree with rickbass1 and say "tummy". Really I started out as a guitar player and higher up just feels better after playing guitar for ten years.