Just been mowing the lawn thinking about basses - hoping that will stop me thinking about how much more mowing there is to do
- and a absolute top mod (especially if you are still a bit of a beginner and on a less expensive bass):
Learn to play with your fingers, pluck with your thumb 1950's style and be good with a pick, and slap if that is your thing (hey, learn it anyway at least to a functional level) as each of these have a massive impact on sound.
Also, experiment playing closer to the neck and closer to the bridge moving up and down across the pickup(s) as there are huge sound differences to be milked by doing that.
Muting is really useful too, producing some really cool sounds. There are lots of ways to do it but it can produce a "thump" very much like you hear on the 50's-70s live rock recordings back when the amps and speakers didn't project sustain quite as well as now. (Years ago I watched a guy mute to get an amazing early Motown bass sound out of a very modern 90''s rig.)
Finally, don't be like me when I first went electric. I found a sound I liked and never touched the tone knob again. Change the settings on the guitar (not to mention the amp) and move your plucking hand some place else; maybe pluck, maybe pick, maybe mute h
ere and there too.
Ok, so that's almost off topic but a lot of mods are all about sound, and that's what I'm talking about. Good players have their signature sound(s), sure, but those guys and girls sound great on sub $500 basses too.
What was entry number 2, "Operator"?
P.S. Still really enjoying reading about the mods though!
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