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I have huge hands. Even I don't use 1 finger per fret low on the neck. I do lots of octave double stops, which means my left hand moves a lot. Just play the thing and you'll adapt.
Oh wait, this is Talkbass. You need a bunch of transition basses, with progressively bigger necks. 12 oughtta do it.
Oh wait, this is Talkbass. You need a bunch of transition basses, with progressively bigger necks. 12 oughtta do it.
The best bass for you to play is the one you have. The constant gear trading and buying that we all do is just a distraction from playing, the Fender P has been played by many different sized hands over the years, you will adjust to it, and you said that it was the look and sound you wanted so just give it some time.
Right. There are a lot of important differences between guitar technique and bass technique, and you really want to put in the time and effort to work on the latter. I think the more different your bass is from a guitar -- including a chunkier neck and longer scale -- the more you'll be motivated to develop good bass technique and the less you'll be tempted to fall back on your more familiar guitar technique.
I've been collecting for 30 years and I have a problem with getting rid of anything. HOARDER????
I suppose I should clarify one thing. Technically I was a drummer for years who is now playing guitar and bass. I have about a month more time on the guitar than bass and while the guitar was initially a stretch it only took about a week for it to be trivial and I haven't had any soreness since. The bass stretch on the other hand hasn't been trivial to develop and it's my wrist that is sore after playing. On the guitar it was my forearm muscles. Hope that makes sense.
- Jan 1, 2014
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- Decendant from the Clovis culture. "Emitting that wonderful bass effect since 1970".
It does. Personally I'd try to find one from the early 2000s, they're passive with the nice adonized gold pickgiard. It looks really sharp.
I respectfully disagree, kinda. Don't immediately shake it off and trade it in. Stuck with a little to see how you are once you acclimate to the size. Your body is still in guitarist mode, so it's kind of in shock going to such a much larger change. If you play it consistently for a month or two and still don't like it, then make a change. There are plenty of P basses that have thinner necks. Or keep the body and find a Jazz neck on the classifieds (they are always around). If you don't want to buy a used part, Warmoth makes great necks that will fit most fenders. I believe their most basic necks can be had for under $300.
If you liked the look and sound of a car, but couldn't reach the gas pedal, it wouldn't make sense to keep it. Same thing here, if the neck is making you feel like you can't use the bass effectively, it doesn't make sense to keep it.
Best advice I can give, is to find a teacher who can help you play that P bass without any soreness. Wrist pain is a warning sign of a technique problem, and can become severe over time if ignored, possibly even requiring medical attention or (worst of all!!) needing to take a break from playing while your body heals.
Lots and lots and lots of existing TalkBass threads on "safe left hand technique."
If you are having trouble reaching the E string with your pinky, it is hard for me to diagnose without seeing a photo (care to post a "hand selfie"?) but usually that is because of bad thumb position. Make sure the thumb doesn't cross over the 1st finger into the palm of your hand; it should be spread open like you are about to catch a baseball in a mitt.
Yep, good advice. A couple of lessons,even just to get proper technique from the get go, is the wisest choice.Best advice I can give, is to find a teacher who can help you play that P bass without any soreness. Wrist pain is a warning sign of a technique problem, and can become severe over time if ignored, possibly even requiring medical attention or (worst of all!!) needing to take a break from playing while your body heals.
Lots and lots and lots of existing TalkBass threads on "safe left hand technique."
Jazz neck is much eaiser to smaller hand .So I bought a Fender MIM P bass because that's the sound and look that I like/want to end on. But coming from an Epi Les Paul to a P neck is a big jump and frankly my hands aren't very large to begin with.
That said, would I be better off getting a Jazz for a narrower neck, Mustang for shorter and narrower neck to transition to the P or just plug away on the P until it's natural? Going the other way is great though since it makes the LP feel like such a toy
So I think it's better for you .
Ibanez necks are great too .the sr series have slim necks .
Interesting. While I can definitely attest that my hand naturally wants to do that, I had watched lessons where they said to avoid that and force your thumb to stay between your index and middle finger.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of teachers out there who recommend techniques that can strain or injure your hand. Never "force" your thumb to do anything painful! I recommend to always keep your hand loose and relaxed.
Also in my opinion, there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" technique. Keeping the thumb between the index and middle fingers might be perfectly comfortable for some players, depending on the size and shape of their hands.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Can't even tell you how many times I jumped over that video because of the quality. Have now watched it, the safe right hand and 1 finger per fret video of his and it makes perfect sense.
