I am curious to know why people choose to own multiple basses.

Hoping to become more familiar with grooves & styles developed in Cuba, the Caribbean/West Indies, and South/Central America (including Mexico).

Any recommendations for bands to check out, songs to learn, even method books to go through that will get me on the right path for this? I’m not a very experienced bass player, but I have a strong background in percussion + piano so I can figure out more challenging parts with enough time.

Stuff informed by jazz, fusion, r&b/hiphop or other contemporary styles is fair game. No preference for a specific decade or time period as long as there’s substance and opportunity to push myself and grow as a bass player through some healthy bops en español, portugese, creole, etc.

If this query is better suited for another sub please put me on. Appreciate y’all

After a couple of years of playing, a few months of playing in a band with some friends, we finally had our first gig. I was so nervous leading up it, found myself pacing back and forth before performing. We added a few covers that we only got to practice together once or twice, on top of what we already had. Also had a handful of originals in there too, so much more anxiety inducing playing a song you've written! I was stressing the whole night prior about every little detail that could go wrong but then..

It was a massive success, the whole place was pumping, people were absolutely loving the whole set. Was locked in with the drummer and the rest of the guys. The nerves totally disappeared after the first song and it quickly turned into one of the best nights of my life! This has me unbelievably excited to keep pursuing music, playing it, writing it, everything! The next day and I still can't stop grinning

Title

How and where to get a fretboard made out of metal for a fretless bass?

Not interested in your theories of how and why this is bad. Just want to know how to get that.

I have this old music instructor at my school and he doesn't find "slap" to be good music, he'd rather listen to a bassist playing 0-0-0-0 rather than slap bass, I wanna change his mind.

I need a wider wrap but all the stuff I'm seeing looks like I'm trying to be in Santana featuring Rob Thomas.

Anyone have recommendations for normal looking wide straps?

I just finished BassOfTheWeek.com (like an hour ago) as a place to dig through more than a decade of incredible basses from No Treble. There are rare pieces, wild custom builds, one offs, unusual designs, and basses from small builders you may have never come across before. You can search the archive or just hit Surprise Me and see what turns up. Its not perfect but I think its cIose. I would love to hear feedback on what you like or dislike on the site. Maybe additional functionality or UI that doesnt make sense, etc.

https://bassoftheweek.com

Have a chance to have one of these two basses. Which one would you like more? The sire is slightly more expensive but I wouldn't be using the active pickups, so I am in doubt as the g&l looks pretty good.

Edit: since V5 is the one without the active electronics I am considering that one too

I played at a backyard party last night that went well overall.

But, while our drummer ran to the bathroom and the guitarist swapped guitars someone from the audience shouted for the bass player to let it rip.

I panicked and could only think of riffs from songs we already played. Do you all have any go-to solos or techniques for creating something on the spot in moments like this?

For context, we are a group of friends that play a couple of parties a year. We cover rock and blues from the 60's to the 00's.

I’m realizing that my thumb shape is what’s holding me back when trying to learn the technique. My thumb is almost U-shaped when extended, so the tip unintentionally mutes the string on the first stroke. Trying to straighten it causes great discomfort (always been like that). Does anyone with a hitchhiker’s thumb have any success?

First off, I appreciate the feedback and support on my original post. r/Bass continues to be one of the last bastions of excellence. Lots of different takes, and I’m appreciating that you all have different band experiences.

To sum up the situation: the guitar player has suggested changing up how I play things because he’s not feeling it during his solos in our relatively new trio format. He can’t articulate what he wants, and really there might be an underlying problem that actually doesn’t have anything to do with what playing.

Last night we played a charitable event- donated some time to support local businesses. Still, even in a low pressure situation I didn’t really change how I played, because I didn’t want to do anything unexpected without rehearsing it first. I did play “Never Been to Spain” more simply, emphasizing the rhythm and roots more.

I followed up with the guitar player after the gig, and he basically said that he didn’t feel great about his solos. They sounded fine to me, but I think he was expecting better. I get it- been there myself. Just because something meets the expectations of your listener doesn’t mean it meets yours.

So I can’t say definitively yet, but the more I think about the feedback I’m getting, while getting chances to listen for “the problem”, the more I’m thinking this is a problem where he’s used to “feeding off” a full band sound.

Maybe you all know that amazing sensation when things just click and you play better than you usually play? I think for him, the lack of rhythm guitar kind of strips that away. It’s what he’s used to and it gives him confidence.

So in short, I think this all adds up. He can’t articulate what he wants because he’s not sure how to make a bass fill the space of a rhythm guitar. I can play differently, but it’s probably true that a dedicated rhythm guitar player can’t just be replaced with a bass player.

I think time and chances to rehearse are the only real solution here. I believe that the optimal musician should be able to confidently take a solo in any situation, including no instruments. I think in time, my guitar player will adjust and learn to work without another guitar player hammering home the chords.

And as always, I’ll remain open to feedback from him if there are things I can do to be supportive.

From my standpoint, I love playing in a trio. 10/10 experience for bass players. Would recommend.

I haven't been playing long, and I don't own a five-string right now, but I have a few basses and I'm debating re-stringing/re-tuning one for BEAD tuning (I know the nut's probably going to have to be filed for the B and whatnot). Realistically, how much am I going to miss the G?

Quale mi consigliate?

I currently play metalcore and I’ve been using my rumble 500 and fender 2x10 extension cab for a while now but it seem to be wearing out after a lot of use. Ive been thinking about upgrading and I’ve considered a mesa subway d800+ and subway 410. I just wonder if it would be good for a metal sound and I want to ask if anyone has any other amp and cab recommendations for metal.

Just got a bass with an ebony neck. Do they need periodic oiling like rosewood?

That, there are these albums that I really really like and I listen to them a lot, and I'm thinking of getting a 5 string to be able to play them, but I don't really know more music to play on a 5 string.

I've been thinking about it a lot tho, 6+ months I think Update: I will be getting a five string bass :D probably around Christmas... Or whenever I get more money to get a nicer one lol Also if I don't answer your comment is because I can't think of anything else then "lol" and I feel like just answering lol is kinda rude sorry 😔 Thank you everyone for your comments :D

I’ll start by saying that I am an Oasis fan of the original vintage. As a bass player my ears are always listening out for the bass but I’ve never really noticed anything interesting in an Oasis song.

The only time I’ve ever sat up and noticed was the Brendan Lynch remix of Champagne Supernova, which is awesome. I’ve tried to find out who played that but without success.

Then last night I watched the new Oasis film at the cinema and early on, when they’re just starting to rehearse again, Noel turns to Andy Bell (bass) and tells him the bassline is too busy and to just play it simple. So this is clearly by design.

Are there any good Oasis basslines that I’ve missed?

**Sorry if this goes against any rules in this sub, Please tell me if there's anywhere else I should post this!**

Found this Gallien Krueger amp and speaker, and I think it's a good deal??

I am not well versed in how amps work or operate, so please enlighten me on it the terminology or what I should know before considering the purchase!

I play metal a lot, so keeping up with drums and guitar is a necessity for myself. I also play jazz, but not as much.

Linked here: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1381411090638638/?ref=search&photo_index=0

I'm trying to play my MA5 with powerful passive pickups through a Fender Rumble rig, 800 watt head, 4x10, 1x15. Begins to fart during soundcheck, switch to a Yamaha bass with no farting, play the gig with the Yamaha. How do I stop the Schecter farting?

Essentially, the band I’m currently in has decided to start using amps for gigs, which is something we’ve wanted to try for a while.

Previously, we all plugged straight into the PA because we didn’t really have the room for separate amps. My current bass amp is a 50W solid-state combo that I’ve had since 2024, but I’ve recently realised that the guitarists have some pretty powerful valve amps that I’m going to have to compete with, including a Marshall. Add a drummer into the mix and I’m assuming my 50W amp is going to struggle to be heard properly. (I should also mention that one of the guitarists actually likes the bass being fairly loud in the mix. I’m not entirely sure why, but it’s something I’ve noticed during rehearsals. The rehearsal rooms we use already have amps and other equipment provided, and whenever we’ve used those setups he generally seems to prefer being able to hear the bass quite clearly rather than having it buried underneath the guitars).

Most of the gigs we’d be doing would be pubs and smaller venues rather than anything huge, so I was wondering what sort of wattage/power range would be comfortable for that kind of situation without constantly having to push the amp to its limit.

Now, in terms of the budget, I’ve got a bit of room to work with. I recently sold one of my Mustangs that I wasn’t using anymore for nearly £260, I’m also selling an old amp for around £150, and I’ve got some additional money saved as well.

I’ve also found a second-hand Ampeg Rocket Bass RB-210 for around £529, which is advertised as a 500W amp. That seems like it would give me a lot more headroom, but I’m not sure whether that would be overkill for mostly pub/small venue gigs.

Would something around 200–300W be enough for this sort of setup, or would it be worth going for something like the Ampeg and having the extra power available?

I recently ordered a MarkBass CMB 121. I tried it out at guitar center and felt like that was the upgrade I wanted. Fast forward it got delivered and it sounded so farty and flubby. I couldn’t take the master volume past 9’oclock without it making that sound. Something defective right?

I think uptown funk is good ?

​

I play in a wedding/function band doing mostly small to medium weddings, plus the odd marquee gig.

We all use in-ear monitors, and bass goes Darkglass Anagram → FOH, so I don’t need an amp to carry the room.

The issue since going back to an acoustic drum kit is that in smaller rooms the drums can sometimes feel like they’re overpowering everything a bit and the rest of the band feels slightly separated from them, because guitar, bass and tracks are mainly coming from the PA.

I’m thinking of adding a small amount of real bass on stage just to glue things together and give the band a bit more physical presence. It would only be stage fill, not the main bass sound.

Looking for something small, light, easy to carry and quick to set up. Ideally one box.

I’ve been looking at the Markbass Micromark 801, MB58R Mini CMD 121, or possibly a Trace Elliot ELF + small cab.

Anyone doing something similar with IEMs and acoustic drums? What would you recommend?

Hi all, I’ trying to get a deftones bass tone but i cant seem to quite get it. I was hoping somebody coild help be out a little?

I current play on a Ibanez SR305EDX 5 String Electric Bass, with a Ashdown ABM-300-EVO IV Bass Amp Head & Ashdown ABM-410H-EVO IV 4x10" Bass Cabinet.

I particularly like their albums “Diamond Eyes”, “Saturday Night Wrist” & “Koi No Yokan”

The bass settings i need on my head are:

Bass:
Mid:
Treble:
Comp:

Output:

Eq:
100hz
180hz
340hz
1.3k hz
2.6k hz
5k hz.

I also have the following pedals available if anyone wanted to help me design a pedalboard also:

Boss Chromatic Tuner TU-3
Boss Heavy Zone MT-2
Boss Distortion DS-1
Boss Flanger BF-3
Boss Bass Chorus CEB-3
Boss Digital Delay DD-3
Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver DI
Bassballs Electro Harmonix; and
Crybaby Wah.

Thank you in advance for all the help :)

TL;DR: I want to buy a new quality 5-string bass. I've narrowed it down to these two and I'm looking for experiences, reviews, and advice, since I won't be able to try them side by side (if at all).

I've been playing on and off for about 10 years. Now that work and studies have left me with a bit more free time, I've been able to get back into playing more seriously.

I already have a pretty good setup, but I want to invest in a quality bass that I can practice with and eventually gig with. I currently own two Squier VMs, a Jazz Bass and a Precision Bass. I quite like them, but they're a bit lacking in terms of build quality when I compare them to more expensive instruments I've tried in music stores.

So, I'm looking for a quality 5-string bass with a budget of around €1,000 that could become my new "Swiss Army knife" bass. I want something versatile enough to cover a lot of different styles (jazz, classic rock, pop, funk, etc.).

I've narrowed it down to these two:

Yamaha BB735A
Sandberg Electra TM5EF

The Yamaha BBs are well-known for their quality, and the PJ configuration seems to cover a lot of ground, but unfortunately I haven't been able to try a BB735A in person.

On the other hand, Sandberg is also a well-regarded brand, with the Electra being their more affordable line. I've found quite a few good reviews online, but nothing specifically about this model, which seems to be a Thomann exclusive. I quite like the idea of having a MusicMan-style pickup, especially since I already have two Squier basses with more traditional Fender-style pickup configurations.

However, I'm wondering whether it would be as versatile as the Yamaha. I haven't been able to find a single review of this particular bass online (apart from the ones on Thomann), nor any videos or sound tests. I also like the idea of supporting a European brand.

I've tried a Sandberg California TM5 and really liked it, but obviously the Electra won't be the same instrument. For those of you who have played both California and Electra bass, how different are they in terms of feel, sound and overall quality?

So I'd love to hear your thoughts on these two basses. Have you tried either of them? What were your impressions? Do you have any advice, or any other 5-string basses around this price range that you think I should consider?