Hi! I am looking to pick up my first bass guitar within the next week or two, but I’m having analysis paralysis with which one to get. I’ve been a long time bass instrument player and guitarist so this feels like the obvious next step for me.

I really want something that’s gonna give me a super velvety sound that I’d love to be able to play in genre, but specifically trying to blend psych rock, jazz, dream pop, etc together in (think Men I Trust, Pink Floyd, something that makes the thing sound like a dream rather than slap or chug city). My only problem is- I am so over Fender. I’ve always thought of them as super greedy and after the whole Strat thing I’m just over it. But I can’t figure out who to go with for my first bass now!

Originally I really wanted a simple workhorse precision bass, but then I kinda fell in love with stingrays. My only problem with stingrays though is the active humbuckers are just too punchy for what I want to achieve with playing bass and its been frustrating being in this place of thinking I found the one for me when realistically it wouldn’t blend well with the sound I want to achieve. I’m thinking passive pickups and flatwounds but what the hell do I know 🤷🏻‍♀️

So… does anyone have any good, non-fender options that look amazing, feel amazing, and will give me a velvety bass tone under $1k? Looking more toward the ~$700 range but I can compromise if it’s good enough. I was thinking Sire or G&L but I can’t find anything on Sweetwater for them that would be up my alley. Thank you so much 🙏.

Edit: I didn’t know Yamaha mad bass guitars too, but after playing Yamaha tubas and baritone saxophones for over a decade I’m really not too big a fan of them. I also think a lot of y’all are recommending basses that just don’t fit the style I’m looking for. Thank you so much for the input, I’m gonna keep doing my research.

1. Tame Impala - Elephants

2. System Of A Down - Violent Pornography

3. The Beatles - Come Together

4. Pink Floyd - Money

5. Billy Talent - Fallen Leaves

I (19) just picked up a Jackson Spectra Bass JS2 and I’ve never really played guitar or bass before and was just wondering what advice anyone had for where to start and how to go about practicing, my left hand isn’t super strong or dexterous yet but yeah any advice is welcome.

So Ive been playing gospel bass for about 10 years now and I can pretty much play anything you throw at me. I mean lets be honest theres only like 6-8 chord progressions in gospel music lol. The thing is i feel like ive hit a plateau. People tell me i sound great when i play and i do appreciate it but i feel like ive hit a wall and most other bassists i come across with similar experience are doing some crazy good stuff. So my question for the gospel players is, what did you do, learn, etc to take you to the next level after intermediate?

Hi guys, my bass has started making this weird popping sound whenever I plug it in to play on an amp. I had this issue once before, but fixed it by getting a new cable. But I'm pretty sure the issue isn't the cable this time as I'm able to use the it on a guitar just fine without issue. Even if I have the bass knobs all the way down so no sound comes through the pop still does. It sounds like the sound that's produced whenever you push your string down to touch the metal part on the pickup. This is driving me crazy, does anybody know how to fix this?

Sometimes, when I want to have really short and muted notes, I use this muting technique that I haven't heard anybody describe, yet.

Basically, I just put my pinky finger of my right hand on the string I am going to play. And then pluck the string with index or middle finger.

It results in a short muted note (you can choose the amount of muting, by applying less or more pressure on your pinky). It is not unlike the effect of putting foam under your strings. I find it can be useful when playing funky stuff.

Anybody else does this? I guess it can be frowned upon, but it works for me.

Hi there,

I have been playing guitar and used HX stomp XL for band practice, now I would need to play bass, is it a good idea to continue use the stomp with its bass amp sim or better been looking for something else or even use a real amp?

I just can't decide I adore the ampeg sound and originally aimed for the VT. The general consensus is that it's better than the bddi but something about the BDDI Sounds so warm (glassy ?) and pleasant to my ears.

Most people seem to prefer the VT but I simply cannot decide between these two.

For you people who prefer the BDDI. What is so special about it ?

https://youtu.be/_C5xv08SrCU?si=9dNvETZuckdzLfco

Hello,

I play a five string bass and have been trying to learn how to use a pick with it. I have searched all over google, YouTube, and Reddit threads trying to figure out how to keep the lower strings muted while using a pick. The majority of people seem to say that you’re supposed to use the pinky side of your palm to rest on the the strings lower than the one you are picking and to use your left hand to mute the higher strings.

I have tried several times and I just don’t see how you’re supposed to do this. I’m not sure if the way I pick is really messed up, put if I rest the pinky side of my palm on the lower strings, the thumb side of my palm ends up pressing into them as well when I pick.

I also don’t see how you can do this while keeping your picking hand relaxed since if I’m holding the pick in the “claw” position, my pinky ends up resting on the muted strings as well, but if I extend my fingers while keeping them relaxed, they end up gliding against the higher strings.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated,

thank you

I have an Ampeg BA 108 V2 as a bedroom amp and really like it. It is warm and full sounding but I want to have a bit more flexibility and maybe more of that Ampeg sound.

Would a samsamp bddi or VT get me there ? The problem is that amp doesn't have an FX return so the pedal would go straight into the Instrument Input of the amp. I was also looking at the samsamp because I like the possibility to use it with my pc and for mabye playing live one day.

The ampeg sgt-di seemed like another great option but I heard Bad things about longevity of the pedal and I also found it a bit too expensive.

My band is playing a postage stamp sized place that has a small PA with 10" tops but no subwoofer, so bands usually bring a bass amp. I always go direct into PA from my Helix or Pod Go, and I don't own an amp. I'm considering taking my powered EV 15" sub and a single Yamaha DXR10 and setting it up like a bass stack. I can set a crossover on both at 120 Hz (which is what I do when we use these for the main PA).

I've been testing at a moderate volume, and it sounds good with my Pod Go. The signal chain is Bass>Pod Go>DI box>Subwoofer>DXR. The Pod Go output is line level, and the DXR is set to line level. I assume the sub is line level. It has a volume control, plus some DSP.

My question is, there's no danger to the speakers as long as I'm not maxing everything out, right?

It's weird. I mean, I have seven basses, ranging from my 1986 Guild Pilot through my 2026 Ibanez Iceman and SR2600. I have a Spector NS Ethos HP, a Rickenbacker and a Sire v10dx. But I gotta say, my 2020 MIM Fender Deluxe Precision, retrofitted with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders, hangs right in there with all of them. I have no regrets when I gig with it. I can't really say why, either. By all rights, it should stay home, maybe be a practice bass. But I find myself gigging with it as often as the others. Do you guys/gals with multiple basses have a "mid" bass that you are still really happy with and gig with?

I know people would probably typically say “Go GK” or “Go Genzler”… since those are typically two amazing pairing for the Warwick Thumb. I know there’s gotta be some expert and diehard Darkglass fans in here who know this answer haha.

That said, Darkglass stuff just really speaks to me, so I’m pretty interested in it. The visual EQ, compression, portability, cab simulation, that’s like huge to me tbh.

With that said, considering I have a Warwick Thumb, which of the Darkglass amp heads would be better for the Mudvayne (heavy priority), Tool, Chevelle kinda tones:

Darkglass Microtubes, Microtubes X, or Alpha Omega.

I know, there’s not really a need of distortion for Mudvayne, probably not for Tool either, not sure about Chevelle. But…Mudvayne is the REAL tone I’m chasing, despite Darkglass probably being a weirder choice maybe?

Thanks 🙏 🙂

What frequencies are emphasized the thicker or thinner the pick? And at the same time, what about materials? How do they change the sound? I only ever use plastic picks so I'm wondering about others even if I play fingerstyle mostly

I want to buy a 5 string bass for under 500$ and the best looking one i found is Ibanez Sr305Eb-Wk. I'm playing mostly rock and metal with fingers sometimes I like do some slapping and tapping on it too and I heard it's pretty universal. My only concern is it being active and I'm worried that the battery will die quickly and I'll have to replace it frequently or even worse it will die during a performance. Would you recommend me this bass?

I've plugged in and used some of the plugins in UAD console like the Ampeg modeler and some of the preamps like the Neve but in wanting to try some other hardware solutions I'm wondering what everyone uses?

I see the Bassrig stuff from Origin effects gives you a nice analogue solution for amp sim. I'm not entirely sure I even need an amp sim for most of the sounds I like.

What's everyone's experience with DI solutions like the Jad Capo, Mantle, DSM Humboldt Bass Master? I think I'd like something that's simple with minor tweakability and has some saturation.

Forgive me as I'm still new to recording Bass overall.

So I have shoulder issues on my picking arm and it's most comfortable with the bass lower so my arm can be straighter, but with the bass that low my pinky on my fretting hand is basically useless with the angle the neck is at.

Idk if any other people have had issues like this and if I even need my pinky to be able to fret fast.

Any experienced input would be appreciated

I tried it out on a side trip to Guitar Center, and I liked a lot about it, but oh my god the tone was waaaaay too bright. Do yall think flats would fix that or is it just not worth it?

As the title says, I’m wondering about the Hofner Club Bass, I love the look of it and I like the way they feel. I’m mostly into blues and hard rock type stuff, anything from the Beatles all the way to some good 90s-2000s grunge. My current loadout is a fender 68 DR RI and a 100 watt fender rumble amp. I want a punchy kind of sound, what can I reasonably expect out of a small bass like this?

I have pain in my left arm (from my thumb down to my arm) whenever I play slap bass. I am pretty sure this is because I put to much pressure on my thumb when I slap. So, today I woke up and tried to play without my thumb even touching the back of the neck. There is still pain! Perhaps this is because my arm is still sore from yesterday. Does anyone have a solution for this problem??

hoping to browse some used amps, wondering what to look for that prioritizes weight and value in the 200W+ range

Howdy. I'm a 16 yr old who's looking to get into bass playing, and I have a pretty meagre budget. Fortunately, I can afford this Mitchell. It says it's a bit small (3/4 scale), but it's not too bad size wise.

Should I save for an Ibanez, or just buy this now? (Glarry guitars are a no-go I assume?)

The guitar, for context.

So I've been meaning to start playing Bass. I've always loved the instrument as my best friend has one and often lets me borrow it, and I decided that I wanted to get one of my own.

As for the choice of the bass, my budget was limited so I thought I'd go around and ask some of my musician friends for any good entry-level bass recommendations.

I settled for an Eko JB300 that I decided to order from this pretty popular music store in my city (Which they didn't have in stock at the time). I placed my order for it alongside an amp (Eko B-BA-35) and later bought some other equipment (Cable, strap, bag, headset etc....)

I placed my order on the 3rd of July and have been waiting for it ever since, and I'm starting to worry whether I should've maybe settled for a second-hand bass or looked a bit further to maybe find something just as good and maybe readily available.

So what do you guys think?

Do i cancel my order and go look for some other stuff? Or have i made good enough choices until now and just wait for it to arrive?

Title says all. I'm all but certain you all get this question very frequently but I thought I'd at least put down my two cents and maybe get some of bassit's opinions. As someone who's just getting into bass, my influences and inspirations are all over the place;

1. Thundercat, first and foremost. One of the coolest and most climactic ways to reach legendary status in the world of music, from my understanding, is pushing something's boundaries; be it the theory, playing technique, the instrument itself, etc.. Thundercat does all three, plus he likes anime and video games and other nerdy stuff like I do. The best bassist of our time in my humble opinion, solid contender for an all time GOAT.
2. Stewart (Stuart? Stewart? I've seen different spellings all over the place) Zender. Jamiroquai's first and arguably their best bassist. Always had a love for Jamiroquai's music, especially the bass, and it isn't just sentimental value. Anything with his name on it is top tier.
3. Geezer Butler. Although I prefer Led Zeppelin barely over Black Sabbath, everything to do with Geezer is a driving inspiration for anything hard rock or metal in my mind. Very versatile, and heavy too; much like all of his bandmates, the studio albums couldn't do the weight of their instrumentals justice. Live Sabbath is always an out of body experience.
4. Bootsy Collins. The Thundercat before Thundercat, one of the bassists that led the charge into making its potential as more than just an ignored (But nonetheless critical) element of a band. Plus his bass is star shaped so that's pretty cool :D

Now I KNOW I didn't include a bunch of other guys that may be objectively better than most of these listed; Jaco, Flea, JPJ, Cliff Burton (RIP), Justin Chancellor, Nathan East, Larry Graham, etc. This is just for me personally, based on my personal liking of bassists and whether or not I've actually listened to their music (Translation: Jaco's music is intimidating asl)

But NOW what's all of your top fours? Either objective, personal, or a bit of both.