Should I buy a Bass ?

Pabcrane

Yes.

I got a Bass VI primarily for the different timbre when playing single line riffs and stuff (ala The Cure) but it has also been fun, inspiring and educational aside from that just using it as a bass.

It is a 30 inch scale as well. Oh, and looks cool as fuck too!

merciful-evans

ok fellers, bassists do push & pull away from the beat. Some even play across the beat. Phil Lesh is my favourite example of that. I am speaking generally, and generally that is the case with music I hear and with the bassists I have played with. YMMV and all that balls.

HCDavies

Yes, I got a cheap one around 18 months ago. And I've learnt more about songs and music in those 18 months, than the previous 18 years. I now wish I'd started on the bass. I deliberately bought a long scale, to help stop me playing it like a guitar.

Oh and you NEED a metronome as well to practice with, drum machines are fine, but I found a metronome better.
A click track created on the computer in Audacity didn't really work for me.
  

imalrightjack

SPECTRUM001 said:

Yes, buy a bass - it is good for your soul.

Hell yes it is.  Listen to this and realise that you will never ever play ONE NOTE like this and have as much fun

DesWalker

Thanks for all the replies.

fretmeister

Schnozz said:

Schnozz said:

34" scale is important unless you're just gigging.

34" is good for note definition and de-tuning, whilst not feeling like a big stretch (35").

Not really true anymore.

Quality of construction is far more important.
I’ve got a 32 scale that has a low B better than any Stingray 5 I’ve played or heard.
In fact I’ve got that 32 scale in Drop A# at the mo and it sounds amazing. As in, good enough for proper recording amazing.

And a Marleaux 34 will do drop A and even G as well as a Dingwall 37 scale.

Its all in the construction.

obviously I’d love to see Marleaux do a 37 inch fan fret but it’s not really necessary.

fretmeister

HCDavies said:

Yes, I got a cheap one around 18 months ago. And I've learnt more about songs and music in those 18 months, than the previous 18 years. I now wish I'd started on the bass. I deliberately bought a long scale, to help stop me playing it like a guitar.

Oh and you NEED a metronome as well to practice with, drum machines are fine, but I found a metronome better.
A click track created on the computer in Audacity didn't really work for me.
  

Oh-oh.

Jeff Berlin would disagree about metronomes.

(I agree with Jeff. But I’m just me and not the bloke that Jaco called the best bass soloist in the world).