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What makes a Bassist Adaptable to different Basses?

#121
The more you practice on a particular bass, the more you get used to it. There's always a learning curve when changing your specs, but personally I get used to it after a few days. I could play a gig with pretty much anything, given it has enough strings for the notes needed.

But I buy my own instruments, so I'll buy what feels the most comfortable because I can. 5 or 6 strings with wide necks and big spacing, long scale.
 
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#122
An intentionally humorous reply was provided by the first two threads on the TB main page today...

Unintentional.jpg

... I'll see myself out.

GT
 
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#123
Dr. Cheese said:
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?
Click to expand...

I am singularly unadaptable when it comes to basses. All my basses are exactly the same ... only different (read: Fender or FrankenFender Ps or Js ... mostly Ps). I have thousands of gigs under my belt playing Fender basses, am accustomed to how they feel and their sound works well for the roots music I typically play. I often play with players who are WAY better than I am and feel that I have to bring my A+++ game (which is about a C game) in order to keep up so I always go with what I know is going to be the most comfortable for me when grabbing a bass for a gig. As an example, a coupla Summers ago, I went back to LaCrosse, Wisconsin to visit with my old bandmates from a busy touring Country Rock band I played with for 5 1/2 years back in the late 70's/early 80's. The drummer I played with (and my best friend in the band) is a very accomplished player who has played on a coupla Warner/Reprise records and earned a Grammy award. Anyway, while I was out there visiting, he had a big outdoor gig/party at the legendary Trempealeau Hotel with members of multiple bands he plays with that he wanted me to sit in for a few songs at. One of the guitar players on the gig was Dave Rogers who owns Dave's Guitars in LaCrosse, Madison and Milwaukee and he (EXTREMELY GRACIOUSLY) let me pick out any bass from his incredible personal collection to play at the gig. He had a super cool and rare as hen's teeth early sixties single pickup Gibson Thunderbird II bass that I could've chosen. Just like this one ...



I had never seen a Thunderbird II bass in the flesh, much less played one. However, I had to go with his infinitely more familiar to me all original candy apple red '63 Fender P-Bass so as not to embarrass myself in front of my old bandmates. Maybe next time I go out there I'll grow a pair and try playing that badass Thunderbird II. :D
 
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#124
dkelley said:
The Cello is played with one finger per semitone, like a bass guitar (again I'm emphasizing guitar just to differentiate - don't spam me about calling it that LoL)
Click to expand...
Anthony Jackson was adamant about calling them bass guitars and called his six a contrabass guitar. Good enough for me. In the sixties-seventies there wasn't a cool factor in playing a “bass guitar” like there was in playing “electric bass” so lots of players got really testy if anyone referred to it as the former. They also hated being told to lighten up about it.

Lighten up about it, gang.
 
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#126
Dr. Cheese said:
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?
Click to expand...
I'm fairly flexible. Not super picky...
 
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#127
I tend to play Fender and Fender style 4 strings, and Devon 5'ers. I have no idea as to what string spacings each instrument has . . . don't care. I have determined that my most familiar and thus most comfortable necks have 9.5" radii, but whether the scale length is 34" or 35" makes no difference to me. I figure that by playing a variety of different instruments, I will ultimately make myself a bit more versatile, just like playing songs which I enjoy in a range of different genres will do the same.

As an aside, I have determined that I do not like super heavy and resistant strings with high tension. It makes my fretting hand too tired.
 
#128
I learned to play bass on an upright in Jr. High and high school orchestra. Perhaps that prepared me to enjoy anything shorter in scale.

I'm also am "OK" bass player who tends to favor open strings and the first five frets. I have for more than 30 years.

Really I don't care a lot whether I'm on 30", 32" or 34" basses - I have at least two of each, although I have more short scale 30's than anything else.

The main challenge/difference I notice is that the finger stretch to cover four frets is more challenging on a 34" than it is on a 32". I don't tend to notice differences between 30 and 32 when I play them.

And there's my electric upright, which I bought after 30 years of not playing anything upright sized. I confess that I'm not ready to try that one in public yet.

I think it really only requires wanting to play different basses. I find something to love about the individual basses I have, so I do what's needed to play them regardless of scale.
 
#129
adapting - is one thing

personal preference is another

some combo of the 2 , plus arthritis = what's comfy

i could play whatever ... but would not wanna live full time with something that actually hurts my hand/wrist ..

maybe playing a wider variety of sized basses from the beginning would make things feel better .!? but most can't afford several instruments .. or really need them in the beginning .
 
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#130
For me, I play just about everything with strings to a greater or lesser degree, including things like banjo and violin. I can't afford to complain about ergonomics, and it's interesting how little time it takes me to adapt to the differences. I can have a soprano uke session and jump straight to an upright bass session and it only takes a couple of minutes or less to be fully acclimated.

I also hate the thought of missing out on a truly special stringed instrument because I have concerns about scale, shape, weight, number and type of strings, etc. I realize and sympathize with those that have legitimate concerns because of physical limitations, but my willingness to adapt to the instrument has let me play a lot of crazy amazing instruments I might have rejected otherwise.
 
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#131
StatesideRambler said:
Anthony Jackson was adamant about calling them bass guitars and called his six a contrabass guitar. Good enough for me. In the sixties-seventies there wasn't a cool factor in playing a “bass guitar” like there was in playing “electric bass” so lots of players got really testy if anyone referred to it as the former. They also hated being told to lighten up about it.

Lighten up about it, gang.
Click to expand...
LoL, thanks, yea I agree, but I know how that other thread went about the topic LoL
 
#132
As a person self-diagnosed with Bass Hoard Personality Disorder (BHPD), I own 20 basses and 9 guitars. My basses themselves cover a few categories:
4-String
5-String
6-String
7-String
Most fretted
Some fretless
A Uke bass
Ashbory
Kala UBass Solidbody

When it comes to buying/ordering basses, I have never asked or even considered radius or string spacing. My scale preference is generally 35", but I have a few enjoyable instruments with 34", and of course I've noted a few microbasses in my collection already.
 
#137
If one knows the instrument well enough in general, I don't think the make or model makes that much of a difference as far as ability to play it. Number of strings might make a difference. It's just a matter of personal preference and what someone's comfortable with. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but that's my opinion anyway.
 
#139
I used to think scale length was a challenge until I switched to playing mandolin, octave mandolin, and bouzouki in my last band.
The difference in scale length was just a bit more than in bass scale differences.
Now if I pick up a bass it doesn't matter if it's a short or long-scale, but don't ask me to play a fiver.
 

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