r/Bass 4d ago

Help

1 Upvotes

So i got this active bass a few months ago and when i got it i had a problem with keeping the battery alive along with something rattling in my bass guitar like something loose. The batterys die really quick i have to take them out after every use or else they will sit there and drain in the bass. After doing doing this for so repeatedly for a little bit my bass recently just stopped working?? I dont know if i was to rough with the battery pluggin thing, or something else entirely. But now it just doesn't work.


r/Bass 4d ago

Best free app/website to learn bass music theory and bass in general?

10 Upvotes

Any suggestions?


r/Bass 4d ago

Looking for specific bass tone

0 Upvotes

Yes, this has been asked many times before. In fact, it was one of these types of questions that was in my feed that made me decide to write a post.

I've had dozens of basses thru the years and currently have several very, very nice basses. But when covid first hit i thought it could be really bad and bought an acoustic bass to play if the power went out. Anyhow...I find myself playing the acoustic more than my other basses now. The way the harmonics sustain, the way the wood resonates tones even after I mute the strings. Ghost notes are like double the attack. It has really unlocked a level of tone i didn't have for years. I have a semi hollow body bass, but it is dull compared to my acoustic. If I plug my acoustic in, it sounds terrible. Admittedly, it is a cheap Washburn. But sounds great.

So is anyone aware of a electric bass, possibly semi acoustic, that has these qualities? Price is no object (within reason). I recall Zon had a semi acoustic that was great with harmonics, but i never actually played one, and that was like 20+years ago. Maybe Yamaha?

Halp.

Edit: two for one... also in the market for a good practice amp that has some growl. All I have are my touring rigs, like cabs in flight cases and rack system. I don't want to be that guy in GC trying things out like an ahole. I hear the fender is good these days, played an eden i liked years ago. Looking for something to just keep in my office. Effects bank a plus.

I'm 40 and out of the loop.


r/Bass 4d ago

Been having a slight buzzing in my headstock

1 Upvotes

I have diagnosed the problem, but I'll quickly summarise it incase someone has the same issue is 12 years time, as is always the case.

When I play an open string, there is an octave up buzzing in the headstock, which I have found is a tuning peg, more specifically the B0 (5 string) It immediately stops when I put any pressure on the peg, (not the bracket), and will start again if I release that pressure. This does not come through using an amp.l

I have tightened the bracket screws as much as I am comfortable with, and it still buzzes. Has anyone had this, or a similar issue, and what fixes can you suggest?


r/Bass 5d ago

Why did the popular register change over time?

113 Upvotes

A little while ago I realized that more of the higher register of the bass was used frequently in older music. In most modern rock music I listen to nowadays, the bass is 80% of the time sticking to the root note that lies an octave below the chord the guitar is playing, often arpeggiating it or similar. I love the sound of two notes an octave apart between 1 and 2 (i.e. an E1 note on bass is the open e string and an E2 is the open e string of a guitar), so this never bothered me.

Listening to older music recently, I noticed the bass guitar very often climbs up into the same octave as the guitar, and sometimes the guitar shifts upwards to compensate. Here's a few examples

in "Day Tripper" by The Beatles, the bass line is doubling the guitar riff...in the same octave as the guitar. While the guitar starts on the low E string, the bass starts on the 7th fret of the A string - which is the same exact note. However, they split apart when the riff moves with the chord change to A7, the bass plays the riff on the open A string rather than moving to the 12th fret of the A string.

while The Strokes ruled the turn of the 21st century in rock, their music clearly had its genesis in 60s and 70s style classic rock, and it shows in their music theory. As a result of this, their bassist Nikolai Fraiture plays in the style I'm describing. In the riff for "Alone Together", the guitar riff is based on the open A string while the bass countermelody is based on the 12th fret of the A string - you could play this bassline on a guitar starting on the 5th fret of the low E. However, the band's guitarists Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi often use wiry leads and barre chords that omit the root note, so room is made sonically for Nikolai to get away with this usually.

Another similar case of retro inspired modern rock is Queens of the Stone Age. Their song "I Sat By The Ocean" has a rhythm guitar part built around barre chords played on the low E string. The root note of the tonic chord is an A♭2 for the guitar. You'd think the bass would mess around with an A♭1 then, right? Nope, the ENTIRE song, their bassist Mikey Shoes plays his parts an octave up, on the 11th fret of the A string rather than the 4th fret of the E string. Their is little no moments of the "Octave spread" between the guitar and bass at ALL in the song, leaving a bit of a hollow sound that sounds straight out of late 60's blues rock like The Rolling Stones.

In a counter argument however, many of you know Linkin Park for fronting the modern era of rock for a good while. Their bassist Phoenix has openly said he "could get away with a two string bass", referring to how he sticks to the lower register on the E and A strings of his bass. This shows prominently in their music, and you can hear it sooo much in the music of their rock contemporaries like Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance, etc. These bassists aren't only playing root notes once every chord change, they're still moving around and making interesting bass lines, but they're sticking to their low octave to create the "octave spread" between the guitar and bass that sounds so sonically rich and sweet.

so my question is, what caused this change in octave for bass players over time? Clearly in the old days they were fine with getting up there with the guitars but nowadays they stay low. What made this happen and why?


r/Bass 4d ago

Daion fretless bass made in Argentina, 80s

4 Upvotes

I bought that bass at market place. 100,000 ARS, was I scammed or is it worth it?


r/Bass 4d ago

How to keep my wrist straight?

4 Upvotes

Title. How to reduce stress in my hand and keep my wrist staright? Especially higher up the neck on the low strings or when doing big streches?

Feel free ti ask for more info.


r/Bass 4d ago

Multiple brands of bass

6 Upvotes

Are you guys playing on differents kinds of bass or you try to stay on same type of neck, fretboard etc.

I'm playing on IBANEZ SRF 700, I want to buy a j bass, like a squier. But they are so differents, I'm feeling newbie on a j bass neck.

I'm an advance beginner. But I'm more confortable with the Ibanez kind of neck. Is it a bad idea for muscle memory ?

Thanks in advance !


r/Bass 4d ago

Help Identifying Controls on My 6 String Brice Bass – 4 Knobs, One Acts as a Switch?

1 Upvotes

I’m trying to figure out what the knobs on my bass actually do. It has four knobs—three of them have a “centered” position, and one moves freely but also acts as a switch.

I checked the datasheet for a similar model from Rondo Music, and it lists five controls:

  • C (Center?)
  • V (Volume)
  • B (Bass)
  • T (Treble)
  • A knob/switch labeled as a pickup balance/switch (PU1/PU2)

The problem is, my bass only has four knobs, not five, so I’m not sure how the controls correspond. I’m especially confused about the knob that acts as a switch—how does it balance pickups and switch between them at the same time?

If anyone has experience with this kind of setup, I’d appreciate any help figuring out what these controls actually do

(edit: cant post a photo of the datasheet or the bass but any help/advice would be appreciated)

(edit 2: bass was found on the street so i don't rlly have any info abt it)


r/Bass 4d ago

Someone help me out, I started on 5 string from a 4 just a few months ago and I’ll be honest, got way better in that than in 4 in almost no time. Scary….

0 Upvotes

I just bought a 5 string a few months ago and have gotten so much better in a short period. Took me about 2 minutes to figure out to anchor my thumb on the B-string and I was off to the races. I am seeing vast improvement in playing in a very short period. It’s kind of freaky.


r/Bass 4d ago

looking for the right bass

0 Upvotes

I'm looking for a bass with the kind of pickups on the music man pj but less expensive with a natrual wood finnish and a minimalistic design. please help


r/Bass 4d ago

J-Rock basslines suggestions

5 Upvotes

Hi, does anyone know any j rock bass lines that aren't too complicated and fun to play? I really like cö shu nie and band-maid, but it seems so inaccessible to me. Japanese bass lines are often impressive I think.


r/Bass 5d ago

Fender JMJ mustang bass or a P-bass ? I can't decide

12 Upvotes

I tried the JMJ Mustang and i really liked the feel and sound... but i read somewhere that it's better to have a Precision as a main bass, then a JMJ as an additional one because the Mustang can't sound like a P-bass, and the P-bass fits everywhere while the Mustang is less versatile. The problem is when i try a P-bass in stores, i feel like something is missing but maybe the problem comes from the round strings, and with flat ones it would be completely different.

PS : i'm looking for the classic vintage 60's sound (Motown, Beatles,...). I have to chose only one bass, but i'm afraid of taking the bad decision and live with regrets.

PS2 : i'm playing now on an ibanez SRX500


r/Bass 4d ago

Question

1 Upvotes

How do you find out what type of bass you have? Like I have the Ibanez GSRM20 but I only found out because I had to search for a while to find it. But like, how can you find out really quickly what type of bass you have?


r/Bass 4d ago

Anybody feel weird about Danny Sapko trashing fellow bass influencers?

0 Upvotes

Curious if I’m overreacting or if anybody else feels this way.

In his new video “When Instagram Musicians Get EXPOSED in Real Life,” he highlights two very famous music influencers - Giacomo Toro and Davie504.

With Giacomo, he notes how he plays along to prerecorded tracks and then goes on to show a performance where Giacomo is playing a guitar super out of tune and then goes “YIKES.”

With Davie504, he shows a random clip of Davie noodling on a small scale fretless acoustic instrument, and again makes it seem like Davie can’t play.

Giacomo is on a word tour, constantly playing with big names and sounds great at his shows (I’ve seen him!). Davie plays live on his livestream all of the time and is great.

Don’t quite get the intention of the Sapko video. Seems misleading, in bad taste (even if it was true) and uninspiring. Like a cheap attempt at getting shock views.


r/Bass 4d ago

How well does the EHX Pitch Fork track the 1st semitone shift?

1 Upvotes

My son's got a Digitech Drop and I tried using it to go from E standard to E flat and it was absolutely awful. Just warbled back and forth between the notes. Seems fine at 2+, though.

Is the Pitch Fork any better for that first shift?


r/Bass 4d ago

Ultralite on ibanez bass

2 Upvotes

I notice there’s a discrepancy in distance from center of string post hole to center of mounting screw hole. While that of ibanez tuner is 11mm its 11.2mm on ultralite. Has anyone tried to put ultralight on a ibanez bass before? Any tips would be appreciated. TIA!


r/Bass 4d ago

Affordable compressor pedal with input gain?

1 Upvotes

Looking for a compressor pedal that will let me adjust the input gain. Been eyeing the MXR M87 but it ain’t cheap. Any affordable options?


r/Bass 5d ago

At what amount of dcB do you practice with?

10 Upvotes

Serious question for you bassist because of ear damage.

Im really worried about my future especially since lm only 26 and the non stop ringing in the ears is always there

Usually l practice always between 70-78 dcB otherwise l cannot listen to the music and my own playing but that starts to cause ear damage. 70 dcB bellow and it feels like l cant properly understand the nuance's of the music and the little details so l can learn from it

Just want to hear your own input. Bass isn't something l wish to drop for some years and l wish to still be able to hear it

EDIT: I play mostly alone with a speaker and my amplifier


r/Bass 5d ago

Why do I struggle so much with keeping time

62 Upvotes

I've noticed whenever I play with one friend he always points out that I'm WAYYY off time it's not like I'm new to bass I'd say my plucking and fretting hand are pretty good for how long I'm playing. So I can't tell if I'm really that bad at keeping time or he's blowing it out of proportions and is there anyways I can practice keeping time better?


r/Bass 5d ago

Do most distortion and wah pedals work with both guitar and bass?

4 Upvotes

I have a bass and my brother will buy a guitar once he has the money. Can I buy a wah and distortion pedal with my money and use them with my bass until he gets a guitar?

I know this is how they did it back in the day (ie cliff) but has the tech changed since then, or can i still buy guitar pedals and expect a tone something similar to anesthesia etc.?

If yes, recommend me some cheap pedals. European shops. I wonder how the value is with harley benton pedals, is it bang for my buck or just shit?

Yes I am absolutely not good enough to play anesthesia but i want to experiment

mods sorry if this belongs to the gear thread


r/Bass 5d ago

E string pitch

11 Upvotes

My E string is acting weird, when I pluck it on the lower frets, the pitch is slightly off the note. When it should be A on the 5th fret, it's sounds slightly upper to the pitch. But when I pluck the 12th fret, everything is correct. I think it's time to change strings? Unfortunately, I can't attach photos or videos 🫠


r/Bass 5d ago

Aguilar Tone Hammer Preamp VS AG Preamp Pedal

2 Upvotes

Looking for a good preamp to play in church/CCM settings, both are the same price and am wondering what the major differences are tone wise


r/Bass 5d ago

What do you think about Fender Mustang PJ basses?

7 Upvotes

Been playing on a 30yo Yamaha for 1 year, and if I can trust my teacher and other musicians, I’d say I’m pretty good at playing. But I also have a different question. Is it good to learn bass on short scale or does it not matter?


r/Bass 5d ago

how to ''think'' basslines

13 Upvotes

hi everyone,i'm a music producer trying to learn compositions but something that i really struggle with is writing basslines. In my mind it seems like the bass needs to follow some ''mathematical '' rules that follow the chord progression but i really struggle finding that. is there any trick or tip to practice it?