What riff do you play when trying a new bass

Hoogie Boogie Land

 

Hi mr zee

Sometimes (when the kids play RHCP stuff)



when I am alone in the shop I play blues!

may the bass be with you

Wise(b)ass

 

Scale of B flat major. Don't ask me why.

 

The bass intro to Sweet Child O' Mine, Stone Temple Pilots' Big Bang Baby and random scales are favourites of mine.

 

The Trooper, some blues walking lines and a couple originals from a previous band.

 

I have my own arrangement that I play.

 

I usually play the bass line from whatever I learned last. If I like the bass enough after that, it gets boring. I play every fret letting the note ring. If I can tell immediately that everything is OK with that fret, it will likely only ring for about a second or so. If something seems off, I might play that note three or four times letting it ring.

That tends to filter out a lot of basses that I would otherwise buy. Just about any bass with a good setup will plickity plackity fast notes or execute fast rock bass lines. Not every bass has a neck or setup that will allow notes to ring out with clarity and no buzz.

Whenever that process starts my wife pulls out her phone and checks her email. It could be a while.

 

First thing I just run a blues in F and then E. If the low F or E doesn't sound right I put the bass back on the wall. If they're good I then run through portions of random songs in our set lists which could take a half hour.

 

I'll usually play the bass line to the Temptations version of Shaky Ground. This covers all tones from the open low e string to the 9th fret on the G string so I can see if it's even . Any uneven tones or dead spots and I walk. I will also do a chromatic of every note on every string to check for any buzzing and general action on the bass. Bad action or buzzing can usually be fixed by a good set up so neither is a deal breaker for me. I also check for a ski ramp which is a definite walk away for me. That all said , I haven't bought a bass in years. Two P's , an Ibanez and a Cort have cured me of any G.A.S. that I might have had.

 

Pulling Mussels From A Shell.

 

I have nothing in particular, whatever comes to mind. I generally don't play any specific songs but just test various made up riffs and grooves all over the neck...

 

I do a few things. I play random bass lines usually including Fast as you - Dwight Yokum and other random walking bass lines to check for comfort but usually first thing I do is put my ear to the upper horn of the bass and play low E And other random notes to hear the acoustic resonance of the bass itself. Then it either goes back on the wall or random songs from my set list are played.

 

I just make a bunch of stuff up on the spot. However, I was working on a bass transposition of the vocal part for the old Meow Mix jingle, just to mess with whoever else is in the store.

Sometimes I'll do songs I know, though, like Rock And Roll Band by Boston, The Boys Are Back In Town, or Killin' Floor.

 

Hi twofer

She waits?

She doesn 't pull your credit card to pay herself some shoes?

You Sir have a very nice wife!


greetings

Wise

 

She makes more money than I do. She don't need my card.

And when it comes to bass gear, she's an enabler! I'll be playing a bass I'm only mildly interested in and she'll say "Oh just buy it. You can always sell it later if you don't bond with it."

 

Somebody by Fleetwood Mac or the bass solo from Champagne Jam by Atlanta Rhythm Section