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Two Basses in a band?

#24
I tried it before with another guy and wouldn't do it again unless it was planned out. Both of us had no issue playing the style music but when 2 basses were put in the mix and you're trying not to step on each others subsonic toes mistake free natural playing takes a backseat to screw up city. Fun at a jam among friends, embarrassing in front of a crowd.
 
#26
I saw it live once, it was the band "Bomb the music industry". They are like a cooperative/band, kinda strange and they have different members depending the tour. Anyway the two bass players were playing the same line. Funny thing, they didn't had a drummer that night and were using a drum machine.

But it's possible to do some great stuff with two basses, listen to "I don't trust myself with loving you" by John Mayer Trio. There is 2 basses on the record, and its sound really good. I did something similar with overdubbing on a song in my band because I really liked the way it sounded :).
 
#27
Hah, Neds Atomic Dustbin was the 1st band I thought of, saw that someone else mentioned them as well.
They never sounded like they had two bass players, maybe it was gimmick thing.
Though I only remember the video on MTV way back when MTV played music. Yes! MTV did play music videos once.
 
#28
It seems like you would have to work really hard to make it tasteful. If you added a bass to a three piece it could make sense though...one bass playing 3-piece-style bass stuff (in the music i listen to/play this often means filling in where a rhythm guitar would have gone---more 8th notes, more bass playing in general---see "With Love and Squalor" by We are Scientists or "Elephant Shell" by Tokyo Police Club) and the other playing leads (or the rhythm guy could play in the upper register and the other guy could just play real simple low bass). It could be awesome to double hard hitting sections live.

The application I would most like to see two basses used would be in shoegaze/instrumental/ambient music. One guy could still be playing with very low feedback while the other is a part of building into something normal people would call music. I'm afraid more wouldn't be better for the actual shoegazing part though.

I'm pretty sure the real answer is no. A baritone guitar will probably almost always be a better addition than a second bassist. Unless you're looking for a gimmick. Then you should consider outfits and only go for a 2nd bassist if the leotards don't work out for you.
 
#30
Zappa had two bassists for a few shows during the autumn 78 tour, concentrated around the Halloween run. Arthur Barrow had just been hired as his regular bassist, and they invited Patrick O'Hearn back in temporarily.

O'Hearn generally played fretless and Barrow did not, so it kind of worked.
 
#39
My band has 2 basses in it. One plays harp and is a lead singer, the other (me) plays keyboards, sax and pennywhistle. He is a 4 stringer and I do the extended range stuff on my 5.

We only both play bass on 1 tune, our version of Long Train Runnin. We do it in 12/8, he lays down a blues bass line, and I play the standard bass line up an octave stretched out to 12 with some alterations so as to not be muddying up sections.
 

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