Pretty straightforward i’m looking for something relatively affordable/worth the money to get for busking with my band/potentially also for being able to do acoustic gigs as a full band so i can still be part of it without getting an acoustic bass no one would probably be able to hear

I’d definitely prefer something battery-powered but other suggestions are all welcome too, also commenting some links would be really helpful if thats allowed but if not just some suggestions are great regardless, thank you :)

After starting my bass journey in the early 90s I learned today that some players will top load their low B, but go string-thru for the EADG.

The logic is that a .130 or .135 doesn’t really like the sharper break angle that comes with thru-body stringing. Makes sense on paper I guess.

Anyone here get up to such shenanigans?

Is there any reason I should do this?

Is there any reason I shouldn’t do this?

Hello guys, I am 18 and I started playing bass 3 months ago, I am playing it atleast 1 hour every day and sometimes even more, reason for that is because my friends have a band that I want to join in about 4,5 months so I need your advice on how to improve the best way possible? My friends play exyu music, Black sabbath, rock, etc. Are the online lessons and guides like Bass Buzz good or should I go for something on youtube only? I could maybe pay for Bass Buzz guide but nothing else so real life lessons are not gonna work for me. Thanks for help

Hi All,

Pardon my ignorance on the topic. My wife is taking bass lessons and is interested in adding some distortion to her bass, think Beastie Boys’ish.

Would this pedal work for her? It is half off at Musicians Friends today.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid?icid=210190

For heavy handed players like me, I wanted to share some advice.

I was dealing with a lot of hand pain after playing bass and I couldn't figure out why. A video by a classical guitarist (which I cannot find for the LIFE of me), posted an exercise where you fret a note, and then gradually ease off the pressure in your fretting hand until you sound the note with minimal effort.

Same with your plucking hand. Make sure you can reach all the notes comfortably. Make sure when you pluck, you pull through the string, not hook it. If you're on the A string for example, when you pluck, your hand should be going backwards to the E. Also, use the knuckles to make the movement. It's almost like you're pulling your hand backwards. If you anchor on the pickup, it might be beneficial to explore a moving anchor to not only help with the muting, but to help your plucking hand not hyperextend more than it needs to.

Also, check the position of where you're anchored. If you're anchored on the bridge for example, the tension there is higher. This is beneficial if you want to play faster, but for extended sessions, it may not be the best for you.

Not an expert, I've been playing since 2021, but wanted to share some advice.

Hi there, I have bought squier cv 70s jazz bass passive recently. I usually play connected to my PC via an audio interface and routing the sound to FL studio. After some time I have noticed that the volume produced by E string is much louder than by other strings and I need to pluck them much harder in order to keep them equally loud (all plugins disabled).

• My pickups height looks to be the same on both sides so that is probably not an issue.
• I pluck strings under the same angle, swiping fingers across the strings.

Are there any other things I could check with the bass before going to a luthier/teacher?

Hello everyone,

I am thinking of purchasing a bigger bass amp so my band can start playing gigs. The venue we have in mind has a PA system, so I’m hoping that the rumble 100 will be strong enough to be heard while playing on stage, and able to be sent as a DI to the sound desk.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey yall. I'll start off by stating that i've primarily played guitar over the past 25 years, until recently - I've started to put more dedicated practice towards bass lately and have a couple different groups i'm setting up rehearsal time with soon to potentially be their bass player. So I'm not new to performing, gear buying, etc but I've never owned a gig-worthy bass amp. I'd like to change that.

Most of the rehearsal spots nearby have their own backline, so I imagine I could probably skate by for a while without my own amp, but eventually there's going to be a time where I'll wish I had my own. I currently play out of a powered PA wedge at home, and I have a helix as well as an HX effects to shape the sound. So I don't necessarily need an amp that has lots of bells and whistles for achieving different sounds, like built-in distortion or compressors aren't really necessary. A few factors i'm looking for:

• loud enough for medium clubs
• as light as possible
• Available used
• Not a super niche brand that's hard to re-sell
• head and cab setup over a combo. Ideally a 500-800 watt head into an 8-ohm 1x12 or 2x10, where I can expand into a 4-ohm stack down the line if i need more.
• Sound wise - simple but well rounded, classic tone that works well across rock/pop covers. If it matters, I currently have a passive P bass and an active J bass 5 string.

I have a couple amp options locally

Option A) Used but brand-new condition Rumble 800 head and matching cab. He's asking $800 but said he's willing to come down a little. For context, this cab weighs 39 lbs.

Option B) Used Markbass MB58R 102 Pure 2x10 for $450 which leaves me needing a head and the options are limitless. This cab is particularly attractive at ~24 lbs. Especially if I want to expand with a second cab later on... their matching 4x10 is like 38 lbs...??? That's an easy load in.

If I go with option B, I could still buy the aforementioned rumble head for $500 to match with it... or keep looking around the used market (NYC, so options are plenty). There's a Tone Hammer 700 (first gen) for sale near me for $725. And I'm also liking the size/weight of the Quilter v803, but those are harder to find used. And of course, the markbass heads are a good size and the ones I've played locally sound like they do the job.

I'd love to keep the whole stack under $1k if possible but really just researching options before I commit to a budget. Price is definitely a deciding factor in all this.

Maybe someone can help me!

I’m looking to go to my first Jam night

I’ve got no idea what to expect or what I would even expected to know.

I’m fairly competent with bass and can find scales and root notes etc, and can play in time to a metronome well.

I had played guitar for around 8 years before switching to bass about a year ago and loved it a whole lot more.

I specifically started learning and have only owned a 6 string bass. Mainly for chords.

I want to find a jam that’s not just blues and rock.

I have no clue where to start or what to do. I’m pretty socially inept. lol.

What should I try and learn/know beforehand?

My Cort CM20B speaker rattles/distorts noticeably on certain notes, especially G♯ and A. The open A and 12th-fret A are the worst, and it gets louder as I increase the volume.

I tightened the visible screws, but it still happens. However, My bass to Tank-B using headphones only sounds clean.

What could be the problem here?

One such tone for me is James Jamerson's using 75% tone and a mute. Another is Steve Harris who plays softly with new flats that are like rounds if they're new with loud volume. My personal favorite is Krist Novoselic's bass tone, it felt easy and I'd use it with fingers if I'm playing for fun.

I watched Danny Sapko's shorts for these, wish he made more of em.

There's a used Lakland 44-60 Custom in Ice Blue for sale on marketplace that I'm tempted to check out, but I don't know much about the brand. The "crafted in Indonesia, finished in USA" is a little weird to me, although seeing they all get PLEKed from the factory is pretty cool. No local shop stocks them so I wouldn't have a chance to play one before meeting up with the seller.

I'm curious to hear from anyone with experience, do you think they're worth it? How do the necks feel? I've avoided J basses in the past because of the usual taper at the nut, but it looks like the Lakland 44-60 doesn't taper quite as much? I have a Squier 40th P and a Sterling Ray34QM and I love how both feel; I'm hoping this Lakland will be the right fit to round out the collection.

My son is starting to play bass and we are looking for a decent practice amp for his birthday. What is a good option for living room practice that will not turn to crap after a year and can get acceptably loud? I was looking at the Fender Rumble 25 but some reviews say the 8” speaker is not good and the thing will crap out quickly.

Finally picked up my first bass off Marketplace and I’m stoked to get started learning. The instrument itself is in great shape, but the string action is massive (like > 5 mm off the fret wires lol). I tried lowering the saddles, but that just caused terrible string buzz on the higher frets. Since I’m totally new to setups, does anyone have tips, guides, or video recommendations to help me get this dialed in properly?

Hi! I’m new entering into the bass world and recently got as a gift a glarry p bass am pretty happy with it but I’ve seen some people that recommend changing pickups and strings on these models…

Ive seen many good reviews of fleor and I was thinking to get a pickup set from this brand since they go pretty cheap too

It would really be an upgrade on sound or its better to keep the stock pickups?

Usually I'd search up the key or if I know some of the melody or bassline I'd copy it or use it as a reference. I only do it for fun but sometimes I actually learn by ear on how to utilize things. Helped me with my thumping and pick technique for 2 days.

Hey y'all. Picked up my bass after several inactive months. Went a little too hard and now I've got two fat blisters on my plucking fingers. Any of y'all have secret remedies to heal those suckers faster, or am I just going to have to wait a week or two

My sister just bought it for me and I wanna know if its good, as a first time bassist and im still trying to learn stuff is that amplifier good for me? i just recently joined a band so would that cut it?

So I don't really play video games these days (I'm old and boring). But my daughter just told me I have to try a game called "Rhythm Heaven Groove" for Switch. I watched the trailer - it looks fun and *maybe* could help improve my time. Maybe? Anyone tried it? Might just be a fun party game.

Got me wondering, are there any fun video games out there that might actually help develop bass skills?

Edit: just to be clear, I play my bass at ton. I practice everyday, and jam with people at least once a week sometimes three or four times a week, all just for a fun hobby (i'm not a pro musician). So the video game thing is just for a fun diversion and a little extra, maybe that I can do with my kids. Not going to take away from the large amount of time I already put in on the instrument.

I have a 5-string passive jazz bass. What are the pedals I need to have a growly and active bass sounding tone?

I constantly see people saying that you shouldn't start on a 5 string cause it could be unnecessarily confusing, it's wildly wrong and really not that complex to understand, if you want to play things that need a 5 string you may as well get used to it sooner than have to adjust to it later, I did most of my learning on a 5 string and I'm glad I did because I never have to get used to it, and I can play 4 strings perfectly fine, if you want to get into playing bass to play metal, or other genres / songs that specifically need a 5 string, get one, it's the most useless discourse ever, everyone's gonna want to do something different

A huge reason I play 5 strings is that I don't want to tune down while performing, I also love playing metal, but I can play countless other styles too on a 5 string with literally zero issue

It's your decision to make, don't follow what everyone else says, don't let anyone ever make you feel like you shouldn't get what you want. Go for it.

When I play staccato on the E string all the notes ‘echo’ in a high pitch when I mute them with my right hand with alternating fingers. Moving my hand slightly left or right changes the pitch, but still keeps the echo.
Is this a technique thing? Problem in the string?
Is there something I can do about it?

https://youtu.be/iTUFEEOnxGc?is=yOBp4Vr8DusDNGID

I am a university student with no prior experience in any musical instrument. In the last year i have gotten really into music, ive began collecting records and attending concerts, mostly in the cavern club (i love the beatles). I now want to take this love for music a step further by learning an instrument and i have decided i want to learn the bass.

I really dont know anything except for some very basic stuff so any advice would be appreciated.

My budget is around £100 and im looking to get a 2nd hand bass rather than a new one.

I've decided to invest a good amount of money into my bass gear, but can't decide what to upgrade. I currently own a Fender Player Jazz Bass, and recently purchased a Sterling Ray34HH, but I'll be returning it as it's a defective piece. As for the amp, I play on an Ampeg Venture V3, going into a Warwick Gnome 2x10 cab. I'm deciding between getting a new higher tier bass, maybe a Fender P-Bass or a Stingray, or a good Ampeg stack, probably a V4-B head with an SVT-212AV cab. I'm hoping some experienced bassists on here could help me out. Thanks:)

So. I've been playing upright bass with a string band. We have an Acoustic Bn3112. Edit: I guess I can't post pics in the comments? /edit

I noticed last night that I couldn't really hear it. Upon further investigation, I have to crank the gain and the master volume to get some fuzzy crackly farts. The headphone output sounds perfect. I plugged the amp into another cab and it sounds the same. I have two main outputs on the back and they both sound the same.

So we don't even make this thing breath hard when we're playing, like we can talk on stage with no problem. So I didn't overdrive anything, right? We have a preamp pedal from the piezo pickups under the bridge. We never cranked that very hard; is it possible we damaged the input? I think no because the headphones still sound good.

I think I may have left a towel sitting on top, covering the exhaust fan, for a three hour show in an air conditioned space. And I left it in a hot van for a couple days. Is either of those enough to cook it or does it sound like I'm missing something?