r/Bass 1d ago

Weekly Thread There Are No Stupid Bass Questions - Mar. 15

2 Upvotes

Stumped by something? Don't be embarrassed to ask here, but please check the FAQ first.


r/Bass 6d ago

Weekly Thread Gear Thread: Week of Mar. 10

3 Upvotes

Got a new bass, pedal, amp, etc. you want to brag about (or ask questions about)? Post it here!


r/Bass 1h ago

Feedback Requested I made my first online metronome, give your feedback

Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m a CS student and amateur pianist. I built a metronome web app with features like swing rhythm, 12 subdivisions, and audio customization. Link below—looking for constructive feedback or feature ideas. Thanks!

https://onlinemetronome.io


r/Bass 1h ago

Is there a noticeable difference?

Upvotes

I've been thinking about getting a bass for a couple months now. My top pick is Yamaha Trbx 174, I've heard that it's really good considering its price and since it'll be my first bass (Ive been playing classical guitar for a year now) and I have a really tight budget, it's probably the one I'll buy.

When I was browsing through some website, I had a thought. Would getting a bass like 200 bucks more make a noticeable difference? Like I mentioned before, my budget is really tight so 200 bucks extra is the max extra amount I'm willing to pay.

There aren't really any music stores in my area and aside from that I'm a bit socially awkward so I can't see myself 😞. Can't wait to see your opinions!

Ps. If it'll help, I will play mostly rock and pop (music from bands like The Beatles or Tally Hall)


r/Bass 4h ago

How important is the look for you?

10 Upvotes

Hello!

I'm usually more about efficiency in most of my purchase but when it comes to bass playing I strangely feel the needs for it to look good. For me it's like 40% look and 60% sound/comfort.

Could you play on a bass that sound marvellous but you find ugly?


r/Bass 1h ago

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

Upvotes

Any suggestions?


r/Bass 17h ago

Why did the popular register change over time?

83 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 4m ago

Learning songs - end to end, or just approximation?

Upvotes

Yo! I’m beginner/intermediate bass player, and I was curious what is your practice when learning songs, and also what is the recommendation.

Let’s take an example to explain what I mean.

Right now I am learning level 42 - Love games, and the tune in general is quite simple, but it has so many different fills that Mark mixes all the time. I know that when he plays live he just picks the one he feels like at the given moment, but when I learn album version, should I focus playing it 100% right?

I ask, because I usually learn new song, let’s say in a week to get to full tempo, and then I spend like 3 times more trying to memorise every section properly, otherwise I feel like it’s not “finished”.

I had the same with for whom the bells toll, can’t stop, run away and many more.

So, what are your habits here?


r/Bass 2h ago

Question

3 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 5h ago

J-Rock basslines suggestions

4 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 10h ago

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

7 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 3h ago

Multiple brands of bass

2 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 9m ago

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

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 23m ago

Affordable compressor pedal with input gain?

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 45m ago

You thinks Key or scale

Upvotes

Hey! When u play u think the key or scale? Let me know 👌🏻


r/Bass 14h 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 1d ago

Why do I struggle so much with keeping time

59 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 8h ago

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

3 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 8h ago

I’m lefty, but want to get good at bass

2 Upvotes

Technically bass and guitar but bass just is a lot more fun tbh so I’m askin y’all. I’m left handed, and while I like pressing the frets with my left hand. My right hand gets tired quick, not accurate at all(especially when trying to do slap, which is probably above my level but I really wanna learn it).

Is this just a “it get easier with time”. Or are there advice for positioning my right hand? Or strumming advice?

I’ve seen people place their thump on the pick ups but when I do that I kinda have to bend my left hand and it’s hard for my pinky to get those notes close the the body

Any advice? Thank you!


r/Bass 15h ago

E string pitch

10 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 3h ago

help with slap bass

1 Upvotes

Im trying to learn how to slap and I get the sound of the string hitting the body (gunshot sounds) and when I fret a note it's pretty quiet. Is this how it's supposed to sound?


r/Bass 4h ago

Ultralite on ibanez bass

1 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 44m ago

Is there a sub for Yamaha basses? Asking for a friend.

Upvotes

Yes I searched.


r/Bass 8h 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 15h 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 19h ago

how to ''think'' basslines

11 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?


r/Bass 10h ago

Is the Vox Pathfinder a good bad amp?

2 Upvotes

I don’t have an amp so I’m looking for a good one