I’ve been playing bass for 42 years, and while I’m no longer a gigging professional musician, I do still gig out regularly. And pretty every time I do play, I do it on a short scale bass strung with flatwounds and played with a pick.
Yeah, I know, kind of a triple heresy for most modern bassists, but hear me out on my reasons why. These have developed over many years of playing in lots of different bands, in varied styles. But first, a few caveats: I don’t slap or pop much, I haven’t played in a really heavy rock band in years, and I rarely play with distortion. If any of those three exceptions are where you live on bass, this probably won’t be too applicable to you.
Short scale: there is something truly magical about a good short scale bass – strong fundamental, slightly diminished harmonic content, and a lovely bendy feel that makes for easier note shaping. Mostly though, in my many years of experience, the short scale basses simply plop down in a band mix just perfectly. A good Precision Bass will also sit perfectly in a band situation, but for most other long scale basses, I usually had to extensively tweak the onboard EQ and/or the amp EQ to get a tone that worked right. With my short scales, it was pretty much always plug in and go.
Flatwounds: this took me longer to accept, but once I got my first set of TI Jazz Flats, I realized I loved the sound of flats, and the super bendy feel of the TI Jazz Flats was a revelation. Still, I used them on only one bass, and assumed I needed roundwounds for most gigs. It was only after 4 different bands said they preferred the bass with the flats did I finally have my epiphany: great flats simply sound better in most band situations and most duos as well. Unless you’re going for that Chris Squire/Geddy Lee trebly snap sound, flats are going to give you a stronger fundamental and sound bigger at the same volume level in a band setting.
Pick: when I play bass by myself, I much prefer the sound of my fingers. In a band, I can no longer deny that playing with a pick makes the note easier to hear. Something about that attack and midrange emphasis really pushes the fundamental of the note to the forefront, which is especially important when playing parts with strong melodies, countermelodies, or unusual harmonic notes. Even my bandmates who instinctively say they prefer bass played with fingers have told me to play with a pick most of the time. Of course, combined with a short scale and flatwounds, the pick doesn’t produce too much treble.
I hope these insights can assist some of you who may be struggling with bass orthodoxy to find what works best for you. Obviously, these choices aren’t going to work for everybody, and probably not even for most bassists, but they sure will work for quite a few. Feel free to experiment, and don’t let ideas of what you’re supposed to do get in the way of what sounds best for you.
Yeah, I know, kind of a triple heresy for most modern bassists, but hear me out on my reasons why. These have developed over many years of playing in lots of different bands, in varied styles. But first, a few caveats: I don’t slap or pop much, I haven’t played in a really heavy rock band in years, and I rarely play with distortion. If any of those three exceptions are where you live on bass, this probably won’t be too applicable to you.
Short scale: there is something truly magical about a good short scale bass – strong fundamental, slightly diminished harmonic content, and a lovely bendy feel that makes for easier note shaping. Mostly though, in my many years of experience, the short scale basses simply plop down in a band mix just perfectly. A good Precision Bass will also sit perfectly in a band situation, but for most other long scale basses, I usually had to extensively tweak the onboard EQ and/or the amp EQ to get a tone that worked right. With my short scales, it was pretty much always plug in and go.
Flatwounds: this took me longer to accept, but once I got my first set of TI Jazz Flats, I realized I loved the sound of flats, and the super bendy feel of the TI Jazz Flats was a revelation. Still, I used them on only one bass, and assumed I needed roundwounds for most gigs. It was only after 4 different bands said they preferred the bass with the flats did I finally have my epiphany: great flats simply sound better in most band situations and most duos as well. Unless you’re going for that Chris Squire/Geddy Lee trebly snap sound, flats are going to give you a stronger fundamental and sound bigger at the same volume level in a band setting.
Pick: when I play bass by myself, I much prefer the sound of my fingers. In a band, I can no longer deny that playing with a pick makes the note easier to hear. Something about that attack and midrange emphasis really pushes the fundamental of the note to the forefront, which is especially important when playing parts with strong melodies, countermelodies, or unusual harmonic notes. Even my bandmates who instinctively say they prefer bass played with fingers have told me to play with a pick most of the time. Of course, combined with a short scale and flatwounds, the pick doesn’t produce too much treble.
I hope these insights can assist some of you who may be struggling with bass orthodoxy to find what works best for you. Obviously, these choices aren’t going to work for everybody, and probably not even for most bassists, but they sure will work for quite a few. Feel free to experiment, and don’t let ideas of what you’re supposed to do get in the way of what sounds best for you.
