instrument shape & genre

A spikey BC Rich Warlock might not go over well at a praise service...

 

The better way to think about it might be that certain types of basses will not be used in certain types of music because of how they look.

Most of the common basses could be used in any genre: Rickenbacker, NS, Thumb, Precision, Stingray, Jazz, etc.

Some shapes are styled to suit certain genres worse: 500/1, Star, Longhorn, Warlock, Spirit, etc more because of the look than the sound.

Like guitar, you can play metal on a Telecaster, but you will look better playing metal on a Bich.

 

pointy = metal, especially a few generations ago.

but we all know jazz bass and P bass can be seen anywhere. from k-pop, thrash metal, jazz, disco, you name it kids.

 

I go out of my way to bring basses that look "inappropriate". And to sound good enough that nobody ever questions my choices after we start.

People who "would never play X on a Y" are either insecure, mediocre or both.

 

You just need a pink u-bass then.

 

I voted a lot, but not because I think it should be, but because I think that's the common perception. Play what you like, as long as it doesn't get you fired or not hired.

A B.C. Rich in a spectacular old-school funk band? Of course! That song never gets old.

 

Take a look at the classic Motown studio guitar guys. Messina played a Tele, White played a hollow bodied Gibson (ES 137 I think), and Willis played a Tbird.

 

Or...maybe we accept and conform so that we get hired for the next show. I'm always seeking the next opportunity, and the fewer asterisks by my name, the better.

 

Agreed on common conceptions.

I never really think about this though. Most of my basses are so "ordinary" that they'd fit with any genre. My guitar playing days, however, are a completely different story. I think it would be weird to see a Vai Gem played in anything other than a heavy metal band, unless done ironically.

 

I assume you mean an Ibanez Jem. I don't recall ever seeing one used for heavy metal, it would be a waste of a such a dynamically capable guitar.

 

Beatle's Tribute = Hofner and Rick 4001. Extra points for being left handed.

Sometimes it's that specific, but most of the time, it's much more flexible.

 

favorite ax for bebop/jazz:

 

No one sounds better playing anything on a Bich. No one.

 

Lmao! What? This?

 

Do you wear Jorts on stage?
Image matters on stage to some extent.

That said in the studio behind closed doors it is a totally different story. I recorded the softest rock album I was on with a bass that looked like it was designed for Batman lol a jazz band I was in had a guitar player that would gig with a fender strat but played a bc rich on a recording we did lol.

Basically I can see both sides of it.

 

If anyone here finds a gig that actually notices the bass player, please let me know and I'll humbly submit my .02...

Good Luck!

 

Most certainly.