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Switching between Bass and Guitar-who does it?

I aspire to, and do so rather poorly. Pretty good on my 6/12 acoustic doubleneck, but electric guitar, well, still can't play a decent lead after how many decades...
 
I just picked up my SG for the first time since I started playing bass in the band at the end of November 2015, and in that short space it feels weird!

I intend to more or less play bass now, to become great at it, so the guitars will be put away with just one left out (probably the SG, which is the newest and lightest).

Was going to sell one or two to fund a second bass, but I can't think of a single one I'd seriously consider losing, I have 5 trebles and they all mark periods in my life.
 
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I never switched from guitar to bass in a show, but regularly used to play lead guitar for the first set, then switch to drums! (It was a restaurant/bar type gig. We'd play from 9:30 to 1:30, and the first set was still the restaurant clearing tables from the dance floor.) But that was years and years ago. I still do play too many damned notes on bass, though. Go figure...
 
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When I'm working in a prog project I usually play bass and gtr. I keep the low stuff going with a Taurus. I find it way too difficult to play lead and a moving bass part at the same time, so I'll stick with rhythm gtr mostly. When I go to jam or play in a cover band I stay with bass.
 
I play bass, guitar (both acoustic and electric), and occasionally drums at church regularly. Usually just one for a particular church service, but have played more than one at a rehearsal that someone else couldn't make it to.

I feel most comfortable playing them in public in the following order from most to least--bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and the drums. I also play piano/keyboards, but only at home. Not in public.

For enjoyment playing at home, it just depends on what mood I'm in. I tend to go through cycles of 3 or 4 months where I spend my free time playing one of them more than the others.

I am truly a "jack of all trades, master of none" in that I am decent enough to pass auditions/get hired for sub gigs/get regularly scheduled at church regularly. Church is the only place that I gig anymore.

I started on electric guitar in my teens, keyboard in my 20's, picked up an acoustic in my 30's, bass guitar a few years later, then drums about 5 years ago. I'm nearing 50 now and have a busy work/family life, so not enough time to devote to each instrument.


By the way, I separated acoustic guitar from electric because I play them very differently, they truly are like different instruments. Acoustic with rhythmic strumming or finger picked, electric with effects, lead lines, etc. Those that don't play guitar might not have realized how different the techniques are.
 
I play six string all the time. Mostly for songwriting and to accompany myself or someone else singing.

I did play rythym guitar in a band for a couple years; not as much fun as bass but a lot easier to sing lead playing guitar.
 
I used to switch between bass and guitar while doing a solo looping set. But that was too much to worry about.
95% of my gigs since then have been just bass. I still write and record with guitar.

I've always wanted to have a trio where both non-drummers played guitar/bass double necks and switched back and forth during every song.
Lots of my guitar playing friends think it's a cool idea, but exactly zero of them are willing to spend the $$$ on a double neck for it.
 
I do it daily. I try to get a bit of practice in on both when I do play. Picking up guitar helped me understand where bass fits in and how much better. Sometimes I'll favor one or the other for a few days, but generally speaking I do both always.
 
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I switch back and forth at home with ease. Bass, archtop guitars, acoustic guitar, and an SG standard.

During rehearsals I'll help the rhythm guitarist when he's stumped, but only when asked.

Some jams and open mics I'll take both a bass, and an archtop when sharing bass duties with someone. My Gibson L-4CES played through the Traynor SB115 is the most excruciatingly luscious sound imaginable.

I've never swapped when playing shows. Bass has become my primary instrument with four groups/bands. Guitar is only used with two of my occasional bands. Acoustic with one, and electric archtop/s with the other.

I now prefer to play the bass rather than the guitar. However, I still practice guitar about 45 minutes a day.
 
Jack of all trades, master of none here. Started on trumpet, was forced (almost at gunpoint) over to baritone, later moved to drums, found an electric bass, bought a cheap guitar, amassed too many synths, and eventually found a comfort zone with bass. So yeah, in a crisis situation, I can do the rhythm guitar thing acceptably, but I won't be playing lead guitar in public until 2057 or thereabouts.
 
I play bluegrass mandolin and Swing Jazz on Electric Mandolin, flatpick a Martin, lay down the twang with a tele, get funky with a strat, go all Jerry with a vintage Ibanez Musician, play a '54 Kay C-1 at Bluegrass jams, rock the f u c k out with a J Bass or a Mod Q5, and go all ballady with a fretless.

I play in 4 bands and am in the house band of 2 jams in San Francisco.
I am constantly switching instruments, gigs, bands, effects and gears.

I also play drums and piano if I can turn a buck.
 
Been playing bass since i'm 15 (gonna be 59 next year). Finally took up guitar 5 years ago. Still play mostly bass, but have an acoustic duo I sing and fingerpick in and a band I played bass in is reforming and looks like I'll be playing guitar in that.
 
I switch when the song calls for it. Examples: Wish you were here, by Pink Floyd. I start out on the 12, then switch to the bass when the drums kick in. The same for Bon Jovis' Dead or Alive. I have about 30 or 40 songs that I switch (multiple times) during songs. I also have a Godin 12 string to learn the song on, without breaking my back. I've played both guitar and bass for 40 years, but those thin strings kill my fingers, so I always come home.

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Every time I see one of these.

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