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what bass is better for playing blues

what Bass is best for blues

  • Fender

    Votes: 185 95.4%
  • Warwick

    Votes: 9 4.6%

  • Total voters
    194
  • Poll closed .
I've heard people play the blues with all kinds of basses, from ibanez, G&L, Fenders, MusicMans. I'd first see a rig on stage with a bass that I thought would not be used for that kind of music but once the bassist started playing, I quickly changed my mind.
It also come down to how you EQ your amp, the kind of cab you're using, etc.
You can't go wrong with a good ol Fender P. But really it comes down what feels good in your hands and motivates you while playing that music.
I think the best I've ever felt while playing the blues was with a G&L L2500. Not necessarily a bass that first comes to mind as a blues bass but it worked for me!!!!
Go play a bunch of basses and find what sounds best to you. Best to play in a band setting.
 
One of these would work fine.

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Fenders work very well for blues, and IME a P-Bass usually works better than a Jazz. That being said, it doesn't mean any other kind of bass *doesn't* work for blues - it's much more in the player than in the bass, most definitely.

I think the trick with blues especially, is that you don't want to dominate the low end. Set your tone on your bass and amp right, and most importantly, play it right, and just about any kind of bass will do the job.
 
A Fender, especially a Precision, is going to be the one that a lot of people would sort of "require", at least people who listen with their eyes. An unfortunately there are a lot of those people. But a competent player should be able to play just about any decent bass and sound just fine.

Not that I'm a competent player, but I bought an FNA Jazzman a few months ago and the more I play it the more versatile I'm finding it. I'm not yet sure if it's going to replace my Stingray as my #1, but it's certainly giving it a scare. I haven't played it out yet, but I want to take it out to the local blues jam to see how well it works in that setting.

FWIW - I didn't vote. There is no "best". It's up to the player to make his bass work in any setting he's in. ;)