Any Bass Players Here?

[quickervicar]

I had an Ampeg SVT-3 Pro -> Peavey 4x10 for the longest time. Sold it to a friend when I moved across the country. I didn't think I'd like the Ampeg sound but it turned out to have a big influence on my lead playing. Dunno if I want to go 2x10 this time around.

I toured with that same head into an Eden D-410XLT for several years. It served me well, but only really started sounding great above 3/4 volume. Strange, for a MOSFET-powered amp.

Unlike you, I always thought I was an Ampeg man. I chased the sound I wanted all over that EQ section. I was satisfied with the punch & grind I got, but never ecstatic. Then I tried a Trace Elliot....

[kronus]

Any micro amp suggestions? Looking at something like this for a 1x15 Vox cab to drag to dive bars:

[Das Delfin]

I toured with that same head into an Eden D-410XLT for several years. It served me well, but only really started sounding great above 3/4 volume. Strange, for a MOSFET-powered amp.

Unlike you, I always thought I was an Ampeg man. I chased the sound I wanted all over that EQ section. I was satisfied with the punch & grind I got, but never ecstatic. Then I tried a Trace Elliot....

It's funny you say that, because I'd always wanted a clear, full, tubey bass sound, with no edge at all (like a Mark Bass), so to me, the "Ampeg sound" was anything with any edge at all. So it sounded okay to me! It really helped slice through the guitar's clean parts while not being too choppy for when he went distorted. All in all a good deal for an amp I got on a trade.

My friend had a Gallean Krueger 2x10 with a 15 ext and loved it. I've been thinking of trying one of them

[marshallnoise]

Primarily a guitarist (I know, I know), but there is definitely something liberating about the bass. It's foundational elements, and just groovin'. Playing bass is more enjoyable than guitar, most days. Also, that video rules OP.

This is my pig. '95 Black Label (cut in America, assembled in Mexico) with a Bill Lawrence P46 and flats.

I am a guitarist primarily as well. When I was having arthritis issues (I am now for that matter), I switched to bass and it really opened up a whole new world for me as a guitar player. Melody was so much easier to find. I have always gravitated towards being a rhythm guy and finding the groove so playing bass and locking in with the kick felt so natural.

Can't beat a P! My current bass is a Mexican Precision Bass Deluxe which is a Jazz neck, P body, Jazz bridge pickup, P neck pick up and active. It sounds great and everyone loves it, but the active stuff just frustrates me. I am the kind of guitar player who would rather just plug into the Marshall and rock so tons of options frustrates me. :D

[quickervicar]

Any micro amp suggestions? Looking at something like this for a 1x15 Vox cab to drag to dive bars:

I've heard good things about the Mark Bass line. I haven't tried any myself, but I believe they are solid, reliable amps. Don't be afraid to look at Edens, Ashdown, G-K, or TC Electronics.

[AWDBOB]

I am a guitarist primarily as well. When I was having arthritis issues (I am now for that matter), I switched to bass and it really opened up a whole new world for me as a guitar player. Melody was so much easier to find. I have always gravitated towards being a rhythm guy and finding the groove so playing bass and locking in with the kick felt so natural.

Can't beat a P! My current bass is a Mexican Precision Bass Deluxe which is a Jazz neck, P body, Jazz bridge pickup, P neck pick up and active. It sounds great and everyone loves it, but the active stuff just frustrates me. I am the kind of guitar player who would rather just plug into the Marshall and rock so tons of options frustrates me. :D

I completely agree. I think with any string instrument (guitar and bass specifically) we're taught the entirely wrong way, and learn patterns instead of notes. So naturally then, we hear patterns instead of notes. This screwed me when I was doing my undergrad in jazz guitar, because instead of playing what I heard, I would play what I heard as it applied to what mode I thought I should be in over that chord. With that every guitarist is able to fake quite well, and even show expressive qualities, but it opened up an entirely new realm when I began to leave the patterns behind and think in notes instead of patterns and licks (which you have to know before you can forget). And applying that to what you said, the groove on bass is so much easier to find that naturally I think much less if any at all about where I'm at, and rely solely on the ear to guide me, which is a HUGE stepping stone for any musician. It's quite crazy how learning pretty much any other instrument can help you grow as a guitarist (and musician as a whole).

And that bass sounds awesome! And I agree about the active stuff. That's why I ended up with a plain ole' Pbass.

I've heard good things about the Mark Bass line. I haven't tried any myself, but I believe they are solid, reliable amps. Don't be afraid to look at Edens, Ashdown, G-K, or TC Electronics.

Been playing with a fellow for years who uses a Mark Bass tube head. Sounds great, low maintenance.

Another really solid brand I've had great luck with is Genz Benz. For the money they sound incredible and are quite reliable.

[marshallnoise]

All wheel drive Bob, I am stoked you shared the same sentiment. I still play bass and I am tonight.

I have never had to use a big back line before for bass. Guitar though, I have hauled more Marshall 4x12s than I can remember. But a friend of mine brought over his SVT 8x10 cabinet to store and holy crap that thing is massive!

[quickervicar]

I completely agree. I think with any string instrument (guitar and bass specifically) we're taught the entirely wrong way, and learn patterns instead of notes. So naturally then, we hear patterns instead of notes. This screwed me when I was doing my undergrad in jazz guitar, because instead of playing what I heard, I would play what I heard as it applied to what mode I thought I should be in over that chord. With that every guitarist is able to fake quite well, and even show expressive qualities, but it opened up an entirely new realm when I began to leave the patterns behind and think in notes instead of patterns and licks (which you have to know before you can forget). And applying that to what you said, the groove on bass is so much easier to find that naturally I think much less if any at all about where I'm at, and rely solely on the ear to guide me, which is a HUGE stepping stone for any musician. It's quite crazy how learning pretty much any other instrument can help you grow as a guitarist (and musician as a whole).

This is really interesting. I have the opposite issues. I was trained classically, learning etudes and symphonies. There weren't set patterns to the notes I was reading (i.e. I, IV, V), I was just told to play the notes as straight as they were written in order for the ensemble to perform together. When it came time for me to try my hands at jazz, I felt handicapped because my ear could not predict the notes or patterns that I was expected to play. Where's the chart?! To this day I am not good at faking (or jazz, for that matter).

[Das Delfin]

^

Well since no one else has replied... I have a combination of both worlds. Playing percussion in the middle/high school bands, I learned sheet music to play marimba etc, but mostly focused on snare drum, drum set, so stuff like tune and pitch usually went the wayside. When I figured out that all music on guitar was simply a pattern, it was like the heavens opened up and the secrets of the world were revealed. That said, there are thousands of scales, chords, moods, and temperaments you can make out of 13 notes, so a few patterns is by no means the complete solution.

I don't know what started it but somehow I got in my head the importance of improvisation. Maybe because you have to create true music from the heart or otherwise because you have to be able to take what you play and own it. But I became aware that being able to improvise an awesome guitar solo or bridge or entire bass parts to your friend's song meant you understood the music and what was going on with the tune. Or, more accurately, fake it til you make it.

So imagine you combine everything you've learned so far and think, what else is out there that you haven't learned yet? And then you think, why didn't I pursue that music degree?