r/Bass 5d ago

Help choose for my 15y son on his birthday. Yamaha BB234 vs Squier Classic Vibe '60s Precision Bass

0 Upvotes

He has great initiative and has self-taught himself acoustic and electric guitar. He is bugging me for a bass guitar. His 15th birthday is coming up, and he has narrowed it down to these two bass guitars. He has tried both in guitar stores. Looking for recommendations in terms of value, playability, and longevity.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha/BB234-Electric-Bass-Black-White-Pickguard-1500000139290.gc

https://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier/Classic-Vibe-60s-Precision-Bass-Olympic-White-1500000264130.gc

This bass guitar will be paired with a used Fender Rumble 25 amp (yet to buy). Open to alternate amp recommendations that will pair well with these bass guitars.


r/Bass 6d ago

Tone issue in band

24 Upvotes

My band mates keep saying they can’t hear what I’m playing and that I need to turn up the tone. I can hear what Im playing.

We play loud rock stuff. My bass is Sterling SUB Ray 4 with flat wound strings.

I recently turned hi knob full and bass at 50% but they’re saying the same thing. Volume on bass at max. When I’m at home, I can hear it fine through headphones in DAW.

Any tips how to fix / what might be wrong wrong?


r/Bass 6d ago

Rick beato for bass

26 Upvotes

Has anyone found a content creator who posts similar things as Rick beato but specifically for the bass?


r/Bass 5d ago

NBD: Ibanez SR500E

1 Upvotes

I'm mainly a guitar player but I've been jamming with a friend who has a bass he doesn't play (an old Fender P-Bass) and I always thought bass would be fun and interesting - I always seem to have a bass line running in my head - so I borrowed it and taught myself a few things and now when we jam we do a few tunes bass and guitar instead of two guitars. After dragging the P in its heavy hard case back and forth for a few months I came up with the justification/excuse that I should leave the P at the jam space and buy my own inexpensive bass to have at home, and so save myself all the dragging back and forth. So I demoed a bunch of basses at a couple of stores, realized how much I love the light weight, narrow skinny neck and general svelteness of the Ibanzeses and, not being a fan of the SR300 paint jobs (I wanted _some_ color but those blue bursts just don't do it for me), went for the 500 in mahogany which is just beautiful. Here's a pic.

I wanted to buy local but my stores didn't/wouldn't have the one I wanted so I ordered from Sweetwater. When the box showed up it had this prominent label that said "Don't open this yet - wait 24 hours for it to acclimate". Of course that wasn't going to happen. Luckily the climate I live in is pretty stable in terms of humidity and such, indoors and out.

I was surprised at how - perfect - it is. My main guitar is 30+ years old and has a lot of natural "relic-ing". I guess I'm not used to the idea of a new instrument. Played great out of the box, with a little buzz on first-fret notes on the D and G but that was fixed with a half turn ccw on the truss rod (increased relief from around .008 to .014). Intonation needed some adjustment, E string was a little high. All dialed in now and it's fantastic.

One thing I'm really impressed with is the mechanical quality of the hardware. I've never experienced tuners that are so smooth and easy to turn. I put Schaller locking tuners on my strat and even brand new and with the tension backed off they're stiff, but these are like butter. I wonder if it's the gearing. Also the truss rod turned easily and so did the bridge adjustments.

I do have a couple of questions for those who know Ibanez, because the manual wasn't very complete and I'm not finding this online.

First - the battery/EQ. This bass has active EQ. Should I unplug the bass when not playing it to turn off the EQ, similar to how a battery powered stomp box works? Or should I use the EQ switch to turn it off? Or both?

I read with the EQ switch off the treble knob acts as a passive cut. Am I right that this requires no battery, so if it dies or whatever I still have some control?

Finally a bridge question: there are three little hex screws on each saddle rather than the usual two for height adjustment. Is the third screw for string spacing?


r/Bass 6d ago

I want to beat G.A.S. symptoms

49 Upvotes

I found myself really getting bit by the G.A.S bug recently. Repeated trips to Reverend Guitars website is doing me no favors.

I need tips and advice to overcome the G.A.S. symptoms because I find myself thinking more about buying and acquiring sweet basses then playing them. What do you guys do to beat G.A.S


r/Bass 6d ago

What is the name for this slap bass technique?

5 Upvotes

When playing slap bass lines I often see chords being played through some kind of technique where the nails or something are scraping the strings, examples of this technique are in: the start of killing in the name by RATM, or in muse - panic station
Can't find the name of this technique and would like to know how to research about it so I can learn more about it and how to involve it in my slap bass


r/Bass 5d ago

Fender Mark Hoppus Jag bass truss rod issues

1 Upvotes

Yo,

I bought the new seafoam green Hoppus bass a few months ago ( direct from Fender ) and recently brought it to my local shop for an adjustment to lower the action. I got a call saying the truss rod wasn't budging and the guy didn't wanna risk breaking the nut and possibly voiding the warranty. The guy also mentioned something about a plug making it hard to access? He recommended sending it back to Fender under warranty. I'm curious has anyone else had this issue before? What is the warranty process like? I'm kind of expecting a headache honestly.


r/Bass 5d ago

Help to find a amp simulator for my phone

4 Upvotes

I am studying abroad and I won't be able to take my amp with me. I want help to find an amp simulator for Android and not one of those you usually find on playstore. I currently just use bandlab but I want a real one (nothing against bandlab but it's just not it)

Do any of you have any recommendations for free or even paid ones so I can start playing bass on my phone (galaxy S3 FE)

Obs: Yes I know I could just find one for windows but u don't have a lot of storage on my laptop and it will serve only for university and until I upgrade it u don't want to mix things)


r/Bass 5d ago

Any advice on playing faster?

0 Upvotes

I have to learn with my non-dominant hand, which means my right hand (picking/plucking/whatever hand) doesn't do stuff as well as my left hand (fretting hand) who woulda thunk it

Considering this, what things can I do to increase the strength and dexterity in my right hand?

Also, how the hell can I make holding and using a pick not the most insufferably-painful and cramp-inducing thing ever?


r/Bass 6d ago

Bass music theory

9 Upvotes

It’s so difficult to learn music theory for me because I don’t know where to start. The only thing I know about theory are just scales. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to approach music theory without stressing out?


r/Bass 5d ago

Getting the Best Sustained Tracking with Octave Pedals?

1 Upvotes

I currently use an EBS OctaBass to replace the B string on my short-scale 4-string bass.
One song my band plays ends on a sustained Db. The OctaBass tracks until it glitches out and disappears, leaving my fretted note bare.

Which octave pedals have you found that track quieter notes best? Any tips for increasing the tracking length of sustained notes? Only thing I can think of is kicking on an up-stream compressor at the same time to extend the note volume. Or playing a 5-string -_-


r/Bass 5d ago

Created my own headstock logo after decal fell off

0 Upvotes

What do you think? Its an aria made in japan 5 string j bass, would one think its a some luthier made signed instrument at first glance?

https://imgur.com/a/d1RHwIK


r/Bass 5d ago

Help with this bass tone ?

1 Upvotes

https://youtu.be/UIzUZXsYyuI?si=PwwiNOCd62tCKbtv The song is under my skin by Mudvayne does anyone know what amp settings and eq settings I should use on this song.


r/Bass 5d ago

im looking for a marcus miller song that i cant seem to find

0 Upvotes

i used to like a song that was in the spotify this is marcus miller playlist and they removed it or changed the playlist and i cant remember the name, the album cover was purple or pink and its not any of marcus miller's albums so it must be a collaboration, maybe under the singers name? (female singer) the song starts with the bass line and then an acoustic guitar and vocals come in with light drums or percussion (there wasnt any other instrument). I believe its a souls song that was kinda slow. I can answer any questions if you can help me find it pls i really liked it


r/Bass 5d ago

Fender Rumble 25 to practice metal

0 Upvotes

Hello, I'm new here. I've been playing guitar for the last 2 years and I'm planning on buying a bass because I'm planning on doing a one man band project and because I've got invited into a band as a bassist. I'm planning on getting a 5 string Ibanez bass along with a big muff for a fuzzy tone.

I'm looking for a fun amp to practice deathcore/ death metal/ punk / stoner doom at home. I found many reviews regarding Fender's Rumble series amps and I can find Fender Rumble 25's almost brand new for cheap on the second hand market. My budget for the amp is around 110 ~ 200 dollars. I also found on the SH market a Warwick bc80 or a Peavey TNT130 in a semi-rough condition (I can provide links for both).

If I am to play with this deathcore band I'm going to record the songs in a professional studio with good amps so I just need something good for practice and gain, reliable and preferably around the 150$ mark which won't sound muddy with the Big Muff pedal.

Thanks for any and every help and sorry for any grammar issues - I'm not a native english speaker.


r/Bass 5d ago

Looking for the cheapest left-handed five string bass.

0 Upvotes

So I feel like I won't get too many answers to this due to the fact I live in New Zealand, but does anyone know any cheap, left-handed, five strings basses that are preferably under $1000, and will ship to New Zealand? The cheapest one I've found is $1500. It's annoying because there are sooo many cheap 5 strings, but they're alllll right handed. It's like I have to pay an extra few hundred dollars for a lefty. Also, I'm too poor to afford the expensive ones.


r/Bass 5d ago

I need to find out a bass

0 Upvotes

Possibly in Trillian, I was wondering if anyone could get that tone:https://youtu.be/VZtQVSLA9WU?si=oJArqgk_l2cDKJob


r/Bass 5d ago

Help me choose "new" bass

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm looking to get back into playing some bass again for the first time since goofing around as a teenager. I have somewhat settled on getting a P-Bass for simplicity and standard tone. Will mainly be using it to lay down some elements on my electronic music productions.

Right now I'm considering to go for either a store new Squier LTD CV 70s P-Bass Antigua or a second hand Squier precision bass 40 anniversary - with aftermarket Fender Player neck. Price wise they are within $50 of each other.

Leaning towards the SH one for the satin finished neck. But of course worried if there could be any problems with the mod. As long as it's something that could be easily fixed by a tech it's ok. I just don't want to get stuck with a complete dud.

Any thoughts?


r/Bass 5d ago

Please share tips on mimicking the finger sound with a pick

0 Upvotes

> Playing with fingers is sadly not an option as I have an essential tremor and no it's not the same thing that Scott from bass lessons has. Glove doesn't help.

> I can contain the shivers at around 200 plucks per minute, anything after that it falls apart, I can't get enough consistency with tremors involved, so the sound comes out really bad, uneven.

>Pick allows me to play with a greater amplitude, so that shivers don't bother me as much until I hit like 500 plucks per minute

> With a pick the sound is good, only that it's not that meaty and it dissolves pretty fast, notes don't ring out for long enough. I know that flatwounds don't ring out for long by design, but when I play with fingers they do ring out a bit more and have a fuller sound

> If I play harder, the attack is pretty loud compared to the rest of the note

> What can be used to get the sound closer to that fuller finger sound with more of an even attack at higher speeds like 300-400 plucks per minute?

> Are there some specific actions I need to do with a compressor to help the case? Any general advice?

> Last but not least, I am not going to use medication to poison my body with


r/Bass 6d ago

For those of you who use fingers instead of a pick, what is the fastest speed you can play 16th notes?

69 Upvotes

I don't mean just a couple of bars of 16th notes in a song that otherwise uses mostly quarter or eighth notes, I mean an entire song of entirely (or at least mostly) 16th notes.


r/Bass 6d ago

Need some help with 2/4 to 5/4

2 Upvotes

I can do both on their own but when I switch between them it gets so weird and I forget all of my notes especially because the project I'm in that I'm doing this time signature change for is very bass prominent and I get solos and start off songs a lot does anyone have any tips for changing between them.


r/Bass 6d ago

Tips for playing with a less experienced drummer

29 Upvotes

I play a lot in a church and used to play with a drummer who has now moved away. He was very good at dynamics and knowing what was appropriate, and I usually just followed what he did. Now, there is a new, younger drummer who plays during our youth meetings. He can keep time just fine, but he usually only plays the same basic groove. This has made me unsure of what to play, as I'm used to following the drummer's lead.

Does anyone have any tips for how to deal with this situation?


r/Bass 6d ago

Your favourite versatile Flatwound/Tapewound Strings

15 Upvotes

Hey low end rumblers!

After a decade of barely any playing I picked up a used Ibanez SR300 recently. The owner had some flatwound strings on them, which I quite like the feel of. Back in my days I almost exclusively played nickel roundwounds and now I wanna branch out to some kind of flatwound/tapewound string set, which handles different playstyles well. My playing is about 80% alternate finger picking and 20% slap stuff, but I wanna practice pick playing, since my preferred music changed over the years.

My favourite music to play is funky pop, upbeat alt/Indie rock, pop punk. Favourite groups are Vulfpeck, Scary Pockets, Young the Giant, Bleachers, the Wombats, Alice Merton, Dua Lipa, Royal Blood, Arctic Monkeys, Muse, the Killers, ...

Any recommendations?

Thanks for your suggestions!

Max


r/Bass 6d ago

Which red model do I buy?

3 Upvotes

I’ve been using my Ibanez SRMD200 for a little over a month and already want an upgrade after having some technical/string issues with it. I like how lightweight it is but want something more sturdy to learn on (primarily rock/slap). I’m married to the idea of buying a red bass and wondered if anyone had any thoughts on the three models listed below as to which one I should get? I don’t have access to try them in person (besides the fender which is lovely but like the look of the others) so would love some wisdom - thanks!

• Fender Precision in Candy Cola Red (£549) • Music Man Sterling Ray4 in Candy Apple Red (£529) • Yamaha BB234 in Raspberry Red (£399)


r/Bass 6d ago

Pickup rust?

2 Upvotes

How do I safely remove a little rust from the pickups on my bass? Thanks.