• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Switching to Bass

M

m83

Jul 20, 2006
17
0
#1
hey everyone...

long time reader , havn't contributed much tho :hiding:


anyways, I'm 20 and have been playing guitar since I was 8...I recently sold all my gear off (3 PRS custom 24's a Mcnaught and a couple Breedlove handmade acoustics) to pay for uni...but since I'm doing good, I think I deserve to purchase a fine guitar...or bass in this instance!

I would love to switch over to bass...and since I played Bass for highschool band a little bit, I enjoyed it then!

everyone is doing the guitar thing nowadays...soo my main concern is...is bass boring after a while? hate to ask that to such a community lol!

anyways...I'm lookin at a couple used Ritters and Benaventes(sp) :help:

any help to get me into the mindset of a bass player and seduce me that its better then electric guitars would rule :D;)
 
#2
m83 said:
hey everyone...

long time reader , havn't contributed much tho :hiding:


anyways, I'm 20 and have been playing guitar since I was 8...I recently sold all my gear off (3 PRS custom 24's a Mcnaught and a couple Breedlove handmade acoustics) to pay for uni...but since I'm doing good, I think I deserve to purchase a fine guitar...or bass in this instance!

I would love to switch over to bass...and since I played Bass for highschool band a little bit, I enjoyed it then!

everyone is doing the guitar thing nowadays...soo my main concern is...is bass boring after a while? hate to ask that to such a community lol!

anyways...I'm lookin at a couple used Ritters and Benaventes(sp) :help:

any help to get me into the mindset of a bass player and seduce me that its better then electric guitars would rule :D;)
Click to expand...

You're about to get torn to shreds right now.
 
#4
Do you WANT to play bass? If you have to get into the mindset then it doesn't really sound like it, especially if you have to ask if it gets boring after a while.

Buy a cheap bass and see what you think about it. You'll know after a short while whether it's the instrument for you.
 
#5
ya I want to play bass...but...I'm getting turned off it asking guitar players what they think :bawl:

I guess I just want to do something different and exciting, but not sure if its just a GAS situation or not
 
#6
fourstringdrums said:
Do you WANT to play bass? If you have to get into the mindset then it doesn't really sound like it, especially if you have to ask if it gets boring after a while.

Buy a cheap bass and see what you think about it. You'll know after a short while whether it's the instrument for you.
Click to expand...

x2 best advice.. End of Thread..
 
#7
A very logic question to ask before you buy an instrument. Hate all the bashing that you might be getting.
is bass boring after a while?
Click to expand...
Nahh, there is always stuff to explore. Its only a 60 year old instrument. (electric that is)
Lots of techniques to learn.

Something i have learned to make bass a fun instrument is to be openminded about music.
But i guess its the same for guitar.

About the first bass. Don't go crazy with a ritter just yet...
Grab Invalid Link Removed as a start :D
 
#8
m83 said:
ya I want to play bass...but...I'm getting turned off it asking guitar players what they think :bawl:
Click to expand...

Of course, you're asking musicians who don't play the instrument what they think...and the problem here on this thread is you're asking musicians who play the instrument what they think.

It's ultimately up to you and what your inner desires are. Me, I play drums as my first instrument. I didn't start playing bass until about 2001, and I've actually quit and come back a few times for various reasons. But I knew that I loved bass since I was 10 years old and each time I stop playing, something draws me back.
 
#10
There's about 8 zillion videos of bass players on youtube.
If you make the commitment, you'll never get bored.

But you do have to "play" bass like a bass, not like a guitar.
Layin' down the groove, playin' under everyone else and making sure the drummer and you are locked in. It's a different animal, that's for sure.

You also don't have to give up the guitar.
Knowing the guitar will help make you a better bass player.

I have an Fender acoustic and an '83 Les Paul Studio to dink around on.
Actually, I've always played a bit of guitar since day one.
I was also a fakeboardist in a band for a year and a half.

So, you know, if love music, you'll always find a place to fit in.

Get a good used bass (lots of advice on TB), have it setup and start playing.
If you need an amp, there's a bunch of threads on that as well.

p.s. Stop asking your guitard friends anything about bass. Post your questions here.
We're happy to display our low-end I.Q.:bassist:
 
#12
The depth of learning, of sound and tone and theory and all else, that I've found in bass (and bass-like instruments, such as bassoon) hasn't gotten boring or old yet - and I'm twice your age. Take breaks, learn something else if you become bored, you'll never regret what you learn (and hear) when you play bass for itself.
 
#13
mmm thanks everyone for their comments and theory anddd crit! :)

I think I shall jus go for it! I guess its true that I dont have to completly quit guitar...more the better right? :smug:

now, bass shoping :D I will show everyone what I get when I get it :cool::hyper:
 
#15
Sounds like *something* is calling to to try out bass, so that's a good thing. As stated above, it's a different instrument, and plays a different role in the mix. You wouldn't expect a drummer to take a solo in every song, and they still manage to have fun, so why would anyone expect bass to be different? I think guitar players who expect it to be boring are still looking at it from a guitar player point of view. "Four strings, no solos and no chords??? blea-ech!"

Guitar is expected to play melodies and to provide rhythmic accompaniment, in many styles this means leaving holes in what they are playing and just adding colour over the rhythm section.

Bass is expected to provide a groove, along with the drums. It's a very special place in an arrangement, and in many styles, there is a lot of room for improvisation throughout the entire song - sometimes that improv is playing the same thing over and over again, and sometimes it is adding fills. So long as you're "laying it down," it's up to you.

I relate each instrument to a part of a person's body. The drums control your feet: 1, 2, 1, 2, etc. The guitar controls the heart and vocal chords - this part is easily remembered by the average non-musician, and sung when someone asks them to sing the song.

The bass controls the pelvis, and all that the pelvis brings! That's also where you should play it from too, so it is a shift from guitar: where guitar players may be used to "emoting" or playing from the heart, bass has to come from the.... well, you know. :)
 
#16
Grab a cheap bass, mess around with it, and see if you like the instrument. You really want to play bass right? When you're asking "does it get boring after a while?" it's almost like saying "well I'm not sure whether I should play or not..." you see what I mean? Some people (like me) just see the instrument and bam, they just want to play it. They don't give a second thought about it.

And yes, so many people are doing guitar now, one of the reasons why I love bass too. :)
 
#17
I don't think that the OP's questions necessarily meant that he was looking at bass for the wrong reasons. There are all sorts of ways people come to bass.

For me, I started a little late, I guess: I was 16 and had got my first guitar. It was some white strat clone, a Profile, I believe. Anyway, I walked into a show at a local club (Yeah, I was underage by 2 years, but this was Montréal, after all...) where the soundman had actually done his job. The song that started as I came in began with a reasonably searing guitar riff and everyone started screaming, but a bar later the bass player plowed in. I felt it like a kick in the groin and I saw every arse in the joint start to move.

That instant, I knew two things: 1) that the guitar with the long neck made that wicked sound, and 2) I wanted some of that.

It's twenty years later. I've let it drop once or twice, but I've always come back to it. And for the past few years I've been taking it more seriously and gigging regularly. And I still love it.
 
#19
Bass isn't that different than guitar except... there will be just one of you in a band. As a bassist your major role to be kind of glue between a drums and other instruments. So you have to be proficient rhythmically and melodically at the same time.
It's sometimes hard but it's rewarding in its own way.

But remember - there is nothing stopping you getting a guitar and using your new found skills on it. :)
 
#20
I played guitar for 25yrs before taking up the bass. I love it!! Its way more addictive than the guitar.
Be warned, GAS pains for bass are far more severe than Guitar. Too many choices, not to mention once you start looking for an amp you are in trouble. Any 300$ guitar amp will sound good and cut thru the mix. Not so with bass. Its much tougher to get a good bass tone that will cut thru and retain the original timbre you started with.
Good luck!
Signed: A former guitar player.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back