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John G
Joined: 21 Apr 2007
Posts: 21
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 Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:30 pm Post subject: Buying a First Bass |
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I'm a longtime guitar player who has finally decided to start spending some time with the bass.
I love the sound of an upright bass, though it seems to be a bit of a hassle to deal with, at least in the beginning. A friend offered me a good deal on his fretless Fender Jazz bass. It has the lines on the fretboard so I could know where I am, and I can still get the feel for the fretless neck of the upright.
I guess I'm asking if anyone can think of a reason not to start with the fretless. I can easily get a fretted bass for a good price, but I have this opportunity and I like the sound of the fretless in jazz. By the way, I plan on playing primarily jazz with it, not really any rock.
Thanks for any suggestions,
John |
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Gorecki
Site Admin
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 238
Location: Glenwood, MD
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| Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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Hi John,
If the price is reasonable, I would jump on that Fender. Perfect first bass IMO and if you're doing mostly jazz you'll never regret it! Full double bass or upright is very cumbersome. Cool, but massive!
Actually, if you don't get it let me know, I may want it! 
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Do you know where all of your F'n B flats are? |
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Mark
VM Coach
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:27 am Post subject: Re: buying a first bass |
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| John G wrote: | I'm a longtime guitar player who has finally decided to start spending some time with the bass.
I love the sound of an upright bass, though it seems to be a bit of a hassle to deal with, at least in the beginning. A friend offered me a good deal on his fretless Fender Jazz bass. It has the lines on the fretboard so I could know where I am, and I can still get the feel for the fretless neck of the upright.
I guess I'm asking if anyone can think of a reason not to start with the fretless. I can easily get a fretted bass for a good price, but I have this opportunity and I like the sound of the fretless in jazz. By the way, I plan on playing primarily jazz with it, not really any rock. |
John,
First of all, regarding your decision to double on bass? Bravo! Trust me, it will be the smartest move you've ever made. Genre aside, I only wish that I could get more of my students to do likewise. They really have no clue as to what they're missing and what some bass expertise will do for their guitar playing and composing in the long run.
Second, I've played electric bass, both fretted and fretless, for close to 40 years, and all of my jazz influences are upright players whom I've religiously transcribed. Sam Jones, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, etc. If I didn't play guitar I'd play upright, but realistically the instrument is a physical beast, and what it does to your left and right-hand fingers does not complement guitar technique.
Third, regarding the instrument and the decision to go fretted or fretless? I've owned many basses over the years, including several Fenders (P's and Jazz). Nowadays I have three, a first-year Ibanez Musician fretless 4-string, a Padulla Signature fretted 4-string, and a custom Mark Knowlton fretless 5-string.
Obviously, fretless would seem the logical choice with jazz in mind, but I must warn you that if you plan to play in bands with guitar players, the intonation and concentration required to accurately stay in tune is a BIG challenge, regardless of fret markers. During bass solos it's not as critical, but while walking or playing heads (I play close to 300 bebop heads on bass a la Jaco), you've really got to be on the money. Most of my past experience is working with piano trios, where the intonation is not as critical compared to playing with guitarists. Still very important, though. You can't just close your eyes and play if you don't have a superior ear, so it's much easier to go into your "automatic" pilot on a fretted. Just bass food for thought. 
Btw, I use the Padulla for most of my lessons in the LBM jazz bass course. If you want to hear how it sounds in that context (lesson samples), click here. All for now...
- Mark
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"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus |
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John G
Joined: 21 Apr 2007
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2007 3:48 am Post subject: |
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Thanks Gorecki and Mark for these replies. I'll definitely have to give some thought to whether I want to deal with the challenge of a fretless right out of the gate. I know I will be playing with guitar players, certainly not exclusively, but it will happen. Luckily I don't have to make the decision tonight 
I'll let you know what I decide and maybe even post a picture of the new bass when I get it.
Thanks again,
John |
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thaydon
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 80
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
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| Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:11 pm Post subject: First bass |
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I bought my first bass today, squire by fender, bronco for 125.00. It is a shorter scale bass supposedly ideal for beginners, guitarists wanting to dabble in bass, and players with small hands.
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sincerely yours,
Todd |
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kbgtr001
Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 122
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: buying a first bass |
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| Mark wrote: | | John G wrote: | I'm a longtime guitar player who has finally decided to start spending some time with the bass.
I love the sound of an upright bass, though it seems to be a bit of a hassle to deal with, at least in the beginning. A friend offered me a good deal on his fretless Fender Jazz bass. It has the lines on the fretboard so I could know where I am, and I can still get the feel for the fretless neck of the upright.
I guess I'm asking if anyone can think of a reason not to start with the fretless. I can easily get a fretted bass for a good price, but I have this opportunity and I like the sound of the fretless in jazz. By the way, I plan on playing primarily jazz with it, not really any rock. |
John,
First of all, regarding your decision to double on bass? Bravo! Trust me, it will be the smartest move you've ever made. Genre aside, I only wish that I could get more of my students to do likewise. They really have no clue as to what they're missing and what some bass expertise will do for their guitar playing and composing in the long run. |
Mark and John G,
To quote; I too am
"a longtime guitar player who has finally decided to start spending some time with the bass."
My choice has been to go with a Martin BC-15E (just arrived last week);
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?p=m&m=BC-15E
(the model I purchased has a 'glossy coating')
This instrument has a very rich tone and very little body weight and
really holds it tuning. For my practice time, it fits very comfortably in a 'classical guitar' like position.
It's very close in design to my Martin DC-15E acoustic;
http://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/choosing/guitars.php?p=m&m=DC-15E
When I change instruments in my practice time, each instrument is
very much in the 'comfort zone.'
The 'scale' of the neck feels quite comfortable, although it needs some
'getting use to.' My long ignored classical 'rest stroke' technique has
immediately resurfaced. I'm quickly jumping into trying different note attack approaches;
Pick, i-m rest stroke with the thumb anchored on the low E, and a
thumb (or thumb pick) - middle finger combination.
I'm immediately working on tune 'Heads' and porting over some
12 bar blues solos. It seems each each instrument line/melody technique is feeding on the other;
i.e. I'm working out the 'So What' head on each. Using Paul Chambers as a reference;
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue Transcribed Sores. Discovered an interesting way to realize the
line on the bass that would not be so apparent on the 6 string. Yet on the 6 string, I'm working
out an approach with a 'Drop D' tuning that wouldn't work so well on the bass.
I have a 'G Blues' chorus (which I transposed to E) from a Joe Pass/Herb Ellis duet that sits really well on the bass.
I will put it in standard Notation and TAB and post it.
-kb
Last edited by kbgtr001 on Tue Jun 03, 2008 8:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Dean
Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 287
Location: California
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:50 am Post subject: |
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Kb, really cool stuff...I like the acoustic bass,think if and when I get one ,it will be a acoustic.Don't think I can afford a Martin,but I'am sure I will find something.Is that a mahogany top?
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kbgtr001
Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 122
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:51 am Post subject: |
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| Dean wrote: | Kb, really cool stuff...I like the acoustic bass,think if and when I get one ,it will be a acoustic.
Don't think I can afford a Martin,but I'm sure I will find something.Is that a mahogany top? |
Ron,
Thanks, man.
Mahogany. I had a discussion with the sales people about the wood type in this instrument.
The 'comfort factor' is an important issue for me and I don't deal well with a lot of
weight pulling on my back and shoulders. I very much like the consistency between the
two instruments. Of course, the bass is very rich sounding; piano like.
'Squeakiness' can be issue with this type of instrument, but I deal with it by using
'baby powder' (talc) on my fingers and hands and sometimes a light coating over the strings.
This an issue that came up in my way back classical guitar studies. Put considerable thought and
time into issue moving around the neck with as little squeak as possible, though I
still l like to hear it to some degree.
My other big issue is 'left-handedness.' Not so easy on the used market for good 'lefty'
instruments. The left handed 6 string came from 'Elderly Instruments';
http://www.elderly.com/
They just happened to have a lefty Martin Martin DC-15E when I was looking.
The bass came from 'Southpaw'; http://www.southpawguitars.com/
-Kb
Last edited by kbgtr001 on Fri Jun 27, 2008 7:31 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mark
VM Coach
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:16 am Post subject: Re: Buying a First Bass |
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| kbgtr001 wrote: | I too am "a longtime guitar player who has finally decided to start spending some time with the bass."
My choice has been to go with a Martin BC-15E (just arrived last week) |
Kb,
Speaking from personal experience, that's one of the smartest moves you'll ever make in elevating your guitar work and musicianship. Congrats on the "new addition" to the family!
- Mark
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"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus |
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kbgtr001
Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 122
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| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: Buying a First Bass |
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| Mark wrote: | Kb,
Speaking from personal experience, that's one of the smartest moves you'll ever make in elevating your guitar work and musicianship.
- Mark |
Mark,
Thanks for the discussion on the importance
of the bass in our guitar life. I'm loving every minute of my new bass experience.
Would not have moved forward on the decision to get a bass if not for
your 'words of wisdom' and the VM forum.
-Kb |
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Mark
VM Coach
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 9:14 pm Post subject: Re: New Bass Experience |
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| kbgtr001 wrote: | Thanks for the discussion on the importance
of the bass in our guitar life. I'm loving every minute of my new bass experience.
Would not have moved forward on the decision to get a bass if not for
your 'words of wisdom' and the VM forum. |
Kb,
Sure thing, man. I don't know how much composing you or anyone else does, but writing original tunes spanning several genres is one of the main things I do. When it comes to the pop stuff or anything groove-oriented, the bass role is beyond just being important. It literally defines the entire underlying personality of the song, and when you go back in history and examine timeless pop standards ranging from the Beatles to Stevie Wonder and everything in between, you'll find that the same thing is true.
So if you or anyone else reading this is as eclectic as yours truly, besides getting into the instrument itself I'd highly recommend observing and transcribing classic bass lines from hit songs, then creating a personal book to document your findings and to assimilate the knowledge. It's no different than being a blues or jazz improviser and having a wealth of $$ licks at your disposal.
Eventually you become what you practice, but in this case you'll compose and arrange based at least partially on exposure to proven, signature bass parts. It's a best-kept secret that most marginal or unsuccessful writers never take into consideration. All for now...
- Mark
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"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus |
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Larry_DC
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 207
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| Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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| I finally got on the bass band wagon. Bought me a Fender Deluxe P-Bass today. It has a P-bass body, Jazz neck, and both P and J pickups. |
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Mark
VM Coach
Joined: 26 Feb 2007
Posts: 479
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 9:17 pm Post subject: Re: First Bass |
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| Larry_DC wrote: | | I finally got on the bass band wagon. Bought me a Fender Deluxe P-Bass today. It has a P-bass body, Jazz neck, and both P and J pickups. |
Larry,
Congrats on making the smartest move a guitar player can make!
- Mark
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"Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple" - Mingus |
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kbgtr001
Joined: 04 May 2007
Posts: 122
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| Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 12:07 am Post subject: |
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| Larry_DC wrote: | | I finally got on the bass band wagon. Bought me a Fender Deluxe P-Bass today. It has a P-bass body, Jazz neck, and both P and J pickups. |
Larry,
Very cool. Seems like a reasonably priced, nice choice for a work-a-day instrument.
-Kb
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nylenny
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Fri Nov 14, 2008 2:39 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I finally got on the bass band wagon. Bought me a Fender Deluxe P-Bass today. It has a P-bass body, Jazz neck, and both P and J pickups. |
Congrats Larry. Fenders are great. I have a '62 Jazz Bass reissue. They're extremely versatile. |
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