What makes a Bassist Adaptable to different Basses?

[NoSlapForYou]

I'm guessing it's just perseverance. I'm pretty picky, so I only buy basses with necks I like. But I had to play a bass I disliked for a week recently and got used to it.

 

[rtav]

I need basses to be exactly like each other in every way to the smallest detail.

At my bands studio I keep one of my Yamaha RBXJM2s and at home for practice I keep another one.

I do this so when I learn something at home I can go to rehearsal and there is no adjustments at all. I have enough to work on with all the Dream Theater etc I don’t need to consider anything else but nailing the song.

My basses have the same strings, batteries, straps, fretfx, cases and are setup at the same time by the same luthier.

I can’t switch to anything with a different spacing, 4 or 5 strings, different scales - anything. If I have to think about I’ve already screwed up.

im astounded at people who can move between basses with no issues - I can’t imagine it. Not me.

 

[craig0316]

I can switch between 4 and 5 string, upright bass, electric and acoustic guitars very easily. I have a friend who is a great guitarist and a very good bass player. He can't play a 5 string. He has the problem that many people do which is thinking that the top string (Low B) is the E string.

I have the opposite problem...when I play a 4 I keep thinking the top string is a B....

 

[DJ Bebop]

I listen to people talk about not being able to adjust to fives or narrower string spacing. Some really can’t take 35” scale. Some hate short scale basses.

I love fours or fives, I can play sixes, but I feel the C string gets in my way more than I actually use it. 32”,34”,35” scales are fine for me. I like short scales, but I would not want one as a main player. 19mm at the bridge is my favorite spacing, but I can do 17mm spacing if a bass has a pretty fat neck.

My guess is that I am pretty versatile because my chops are quite modest. I remember Stanley Clarke saying how he got lost when he tried to cut loose on a five. I will never have that problem.

How adaptable are you when it comes to different basses?

I've always claimed that I like certain specs but really, something has to be pretty bad before I can't play it
I have a lot of weird stuff in my stable that I'm surprised I play

 

[ObsessiveArcher]

It took me lots of practice before I even noticed a difference between basses. As a beginner, I didn't really understand nor could care less about string spacing, nut width, scale length, fretboard radius, number of frets, 4 or 5 strings, pickup type etc. Now that I have more experience, I have developed a preference for all of the above. But can I just pick up and play? You bet I need more experience with a 5 string. I mentally treat the top string as E instead of B

 

[Frndmoretti]

It's hard for me. I go by muscle malemory to play and sing.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

It's hard for me. I go by muscle malemory to play and sing.

You are like me because your muscle gets you when you are typing too.

 

[arbiterusa]

How adaptable are you when it comes to different basses?

Extremely, and not to be an arrogant ass but my chops are not modest. It’s not that. You spend a lot of time trying out different basses. I’ve worked in four guitar shops. Same deal. You just get used to playing a bunch of different gear and when you do, nothing throws you.

Stanley’s problem was he kept playing the same bass. Granted, if people kept shoving Alembics in my face all the time, I would too.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I think the sole contributor to being adaptable is an open mind.
I'm almost positive if my first bass was something different than a p bass, I would have been hooked anyway!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Extremely, and not to be an arrogant ass but my chops are not modest. It’s not that. You spend a lot of time trying out different basses. I’ve worked in four guitar shops. Same deal. You just get used to playing a bunch of different gear and when you do, nothing throws you.

Stanley’s problem was he kept playing the same bass. Granted, if people kept shoving Alembics in my face all the time, I would too.

I am sure you have a good point about me always playing different basses. I like some more than others, but I can play them all.

 

[CenTexThumper]

Train your brain. Know which of your instruments you have in your hands. It becomes instinct. I have found it quite easy to change back and forth when necessary.

 

[Jim Carr]

...hand issues abound from strenuous labor and injuries...
...My medical team i see has seen plenty of guitar players with hand issues, some very serious.
So, i can adapt but prefer certain necks: not too big or too small.

I'm with you on the Drs., stretching, and hand issues. I often spend several hours a week in two physical therapy clinics, one for my knees and back, and the other for my hands.

Besides PT, serious daily piano practice has helped me a lot, as has a regular evening hour of scales, slapping, plucking workouts, etc.
But if you want to know what helps my arthritic hands even more than two 500 mg tablets of aspirin or avoidance of carrying heavy objects in one hand, you might be surprised. It's playing upright bass! Especially effective if I'm playing really vigorous Rockabilly, with a good amount of slap and uptempo multi-octave walking in tricky keys.

 

[Blueinred]

I am sure you have a good point about me always playing different basses. I like some more than others, but I can play them all.

And I would bet that you're able to do that because you're focusing on the music and not the axe.

Just an experienced guess.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I have certain parameters with regard to string spacing. I am sure I can get used to 16.5mm string spacing if I put in the effort, but my sausage fingers like the Fender 18.4mm spacing just perfect, along with the Fender 1-7/8” nut.
19mm? Yes, with a 1-3/4” nut.
My G&L 17.5mm has a whopping 1-15/16” nut. The standard 1-3/4” nut on newer G&L 5’s (save for the Kiloton5 1-7/8”) and EBMM 5’s with 1-3/4” nut will need getting used to...

But I have absolutely no issue with neck profile - thick, thin, Baseball bat...no problem....on a 5...

I can’t do 6’s. These would take more getting used to than the 16.5mm string spacing 5, especially since most 6’s on the market are 16.5mm anyway...that’s double-duty.

 

[StayLow]

"What makes a Bassist Adaptable to different Basses?"

Practice. Less talking bass and more playing bass.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Stanley’s problem was he kept playing the same bass.

I should have such a problem!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

And I would bet that you're able to do that because you're focusing on the music and not the axe.

Just an experienced guess.

When you are mediocre as I am, I have to stay focused on the music!

 

[A9X]

How adaptable are you when it comes to different basses?

Fairly. I have a whole range of basses, 34", 30" 4s, 5s, 6s, 10.8mm (SS6) to 19mm (4) with 16.6mm 5s and 6s in between. It doesn't take much to adapt, but I'm not having to do it on stage between songs, so it's not an issue anyway. Last time I had a "full time" gig, all I used was my Steinberger XL2...

Teaching upright to 10 year-olds was eye opening. They do just fine on 37" scale "fretless" fingerboards, while playing arco and reading music the whole time—with a smile.

... which segues nicely into this comment. From the time I got the XL2 (new in 86), I played it like an upright player with the neck almost vertical, just away from the left cheek. A few people have commented on it over the years, but usually only to ask if I played URB too.
I could do this on the XL2 because of Ned's genius pivot plate. Playing like this feels so, so so, much more natural to me, that a low slung generically fender positioned bass just feels wrong (my Ibanez 6ers are OK for some reason though). Looking at the kinesthetics the wrist is at a more natural angle to the arm than a typical bass position, and that's why I think the younuns with the small hands can play so much more easily on a scale that is much longer proportionately for them than a 35" BG is to most adults. I'm much more comfortable for longer this way and have better hand stretch.

Maybe I do need to get that (wooden) XL2-6 made and add an insert for the pivot plate. I have a Boomerang for the XL2, the original pivot plate, and a couple of aftermarkets, so that should cover everything I'll ever need*.

* Thinking as I wrote this put some stuff into place, so I'm sorry if I sound like I'm talking to myself.

 

[chaak]

I believe it's the other way around, meaning how adaptable is the bass to what the player requires from it. So I've come to realize that basses at the end of the day, and past personal preferences and aesthetics, are tools and as such, they should afford the user the execution of the required task without getting in the way. Of course, as with every tool or object, there is a learning curve and the adjustment. Proficient players should be able to handle any bass granted it's comfortable and playable.

 

[Leo Thunder]

I can adapt to any bass because I'm not good on any either.