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Nipple to the Bottle by Grace Jones has one of the simplest but funkiest basslines ever. Robbie Shakespeare isn't just a great reggae bass player... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs9kzmzHgmQ

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1319016159' post='1408827'] Yeah some amps don't need a preamp necessarily (although the Fishman is handy for its feedback-battling features) but it's a matter of trying it and seeing what it sounds like. My Bassmax through my Hartke head sounds horrifically thin, presumably due to the Hartke preamp not being designed to deal with the high impedance of the piezo pickup. Stick the Fishman preamp inbetween and it all works. [/quote] +1 to this - I did the same, BassMax through Roland Cube and 'horrifically thin' is exactly the right description. Then I got a Fishman and it made a huge difference.

[quote name='redstriper' post='1330339' date='Aug 6 2011, 08:53 PM']There are as many ways of playing reggae as there are styles within the genre.[/quote] +1 to this. The 'one drop' style of playing, where the bassline starts on beat 3 of the bar, is generally very laid-back and 'behind' the beat. The problem may also be one of shuffle or swing - some styles use a shuffle feel ('Get Up, Stand Up' by Bob Marley). If you play 'straight' eighth-notes over this, it will sound a bit forced and 'stiff'. However, 'Exodus' has much less shuffle and the bass sounds a lot more 'up-front'. I hope this makes sense

[quote name='chardbass' post='1371291' date='Sep 13 2011, 12:25 AM']What was it Marcus Miller said...?.. pauses to Google... oh well, something about people getting "too hung up on gear. Just find something that works and concentrate on your playing" (then he works on a signature bass!!!)[/quote] That Marcus Miller quote is pretty good IMO - I think the initial "just find something that works" bit can take a few years for a new player, but I've had the same bass for 20 years and try as I might, I can't justify getting another bass guitar ( I bought a double bass a couple of years ago but that's a whole other thing ). I'd rather worry about the things I can't do as a player than worry about the things that my bass can't do. Not sure if that last sentence makes sense but hopefully you know what I mean...

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1355691' date='Aug 29 2011, 09:02 PM']I think there's something to be said for just using a J or P bass with flats, and letting your fingers do the talking. [/quote] I tend to fall into this school of thought myself - not just for my own playing but for others too. There are some fantastic players out there who have a rich, lively tone to their bass which I'll never have. But to me (and this is obviously heavily subjective!) that sound isn't really what bass is all about. I suppose it's similar to the whole "Is Victor Wooten a bass-genius or a show-off who should go and play guitar instead" debate. There are bass players who like to keep bass simple and uncomplicated, and there are others who want to take it to different places and of course it's entirely possible to fall into both camps at different times. I could be biased because I don't really have the technique or the budget to do anything apart from the 'keep it simple' approach

Fela Kuti, some of the best basslines and drumming you'll ever hear IMO

I started out with rock stuff, but after I'd been playing for a few years I started listening to reggae, in particular Sky and Robbie. Robbie Shakespeare's playing is well worth listening to-he never plays more notes then he has to and he plays with an incredible sense of timing and groove. Two of my faves are ' Nipple to the bottle' by Grace Jones and ' Shine Eye Gal' by Black Uhuru.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1315762' date='Jul 25 2011, 02:17 PM']Are you playing complicated stuff because it's what the song needs or is because otherwise you don't find the music interesting enough? If it's the later then maybe you should consider that this isn't the right band for you and that's the real problem.[/quote] This is a good point - and maybe you're not just playing in the wrong band, but you're also playing the wrong type of music. This is purely subjective and I'm not trying to say that one type of music is better than another, but from my point of view I started enjoying bass a lot more when I expanded my playing to other genres. You can bring this knowledge back into your current musical setting, or you may want to find other musicians to play with. An example of what I'm talking about is rhythm - learn to start your lines on different beats in the bar than '1', hold notes across bars etc (maybe you're already doing this, in which case, apologies!) and, as others have already said, generally adopt a 'less is more' approach.

OK, here goes... I'm 44, and I've been playing since I was about 15. I started off playing with a pick inspired by the likes of Stranglers, U2 and The Cure, then I discovered finger-style playing via John Taylor. To me, the whole point of bass is to hold down the groove in the most economical way possible - this doesn't mean that the lines have to be boring, or even simple, but just that they should never be busier than the tune can support. IMHO if you spend too much time up the fretboard you might as well be a guitarist - but that could be because I've always been crap at the flashy stuff I've been playing a Japanese Fender Jazz for nearly 20 years and haven't seen any reason to replace it for anything else. I've also started playing double bass in the last 3 years and I'm trying to get better at playing Jazz and Latin music. My biggest influences on BG are Robbie Shakespeare, Paul Jackson and Sweet Charles Sherrell and on DB there's a long list including Dave Holland, Paul Chambers and Cachao. Oh, and the bass playing on Fela Kuti's stuff is amazing but I've never been able to find out who actually played on those records, so perhaps someone can enlighten me...

[quote name='Mr Bassman' post='1084927' date='Jan 10 2011, 10:08 PM']Hi guys, I've got a '60's Sunburst Ampeg Baby Bass on loan, with the option to buy. I quite like it to play, but it's sound is very limited. Just wondered if anyone can recommend strings, or has anyone experimented with a replacement maple bridge with wing slot pickup? cheers Keith[/quote] I haven't got one, but I'd love one - you're very lucky! To answer your question, there's a whole thread on TalkBass.com dedicated to the Baby Bass and I'm sure there's some discussions of strings there. I think that you're right about the limited sound, but for salsa / afro-cuban music that is 'the' sound so I'd be loathe to mess with the sound too much if I were you. How much is the asking price if you don't mind me asking?

[quote name='TPJ' post='993449' date='Oct 19 2010, 01:08 PM']- K&K BassMax: Current pup but it's faulty. It has a big almost bass guitar tone to it on my bass. Worked really well.[/quote] Yep, I agree. I have a BassMax and it works well, was easy to fit etc but it can sound a bit too much like a Precision bass at times, even with the Fishman Platinum Pro....

I have an IntelliTouch PT-10 - it works pretty well clipped on the bridge. It's good for gigs etc because it has a big display that goes green when in tune which makes it useful for checking intonation as Bilbo suggests.

I'm in the same boat as you - maybe I've been trying to learn jazz a little longer, but I'm doing the same thing - getting together with a guitarist friend and working through some standards. I can't add any advice to what you've already been given but I have to give a big +1 to the Jazz Theory Book - it's great. What we've been doing is to take a tune like 'Take the A Train' and then attempting (with mixed success!) to understand as much of the theory behind the chords as possible. On the side, I've also been learning to play walking bass lines from a few different sources. One thing that I've realised is that I'm never going to be a great jazz bass player because I just don't put the hours in. But I'm still improving all the time so one day I might be a competent player. More importantly, I'm having a lot of fun which is, after all, the whole point!

It's a bit hard to pin down, but along with what other people here have already said about timing, I think that bad bass lines are often those that fail to outline the changes in the tune. You can't rely on gutarists / vocalists or even drummers to always hold the tune together, but as bass players I'd say our number one task is to give the listeners a sense of the structure of the tune. Preferably while injecting some groove

[quote name='yanto' post='913027' date='Aug 2 2010, 05:36 PM']Has anybody got experience of the Headway EDB-1 as a preamp for bass?I know it's 2 channel so can add mic at a later date but soundwise is the Fishman Platinum Pro Bass a decent buy?I have a Bassmax pickup fitted right now. Cheers Iain[/quote] I've got a Bassmax and Fishman Platinum Pro on my Shen DB- the BassMax can indeed be plugged straight into the amp but I could never get it to sound great - very trebly and growly IMO. But when I added the Fishman it made a big difference so I'm happy with the combination.

The Latin Bass Book fits the bill nicely - it has plenty of 'tutorial' basslines plus some transcriptions of lines that have appeared on various records, all in standard notation:- [url="http://www.shermusic.com/latinbassbook.htm"]http://www.shermusic.com/latinbassbook.htm[/url]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='887040' date='Jul 6 2010, 09:57 AM']All good advice. My only beef with all of this info on Latin bass playing is that there doesn't seem to be much of a market for the equivalent 'Latin Drumming'. I got the Goines/Ammen book a decade ago but have rarely come across a drummer who was able to go there with me!![/quote] I think one reason here is that many types of Cuban music don't use a drumkit - the drumming comes from the various percussion instruments playing (and improvising around) particular patterns. Of course, newer Cuban styles and other 'Latin' music like bossanova do use drumkits but I agree, it's hard to find drummers who understand this stuff.

Hi fatgoogle I'm in Ireland too (Galway) and there are usually a few double basses going on buyandsell.ie and adverts.ie. Like you I was going to get one from Thomann, and I'm sure I would have been very happy with it. But as it turned out I found a used Shen SB180 in Dublin which means that I got to try it out before buying, so it might be worth seeing what's available second hand first. Hope this helps

1) How long have you been playing Bass Guitar/String Bass for or both? Bass guitar over 20 years, upright about 1 year. 2) If you don’t play string bass/bass guitar have you thought of doubling up on either to get more recognition as a bass player? n/a 3) Who are your favourite exponents of both string bass/bass guitar? On upright it's Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Cachao. On bass guitar Bootsy Collins, Paul Jackson, John Taylor and Bernard Edwards would be some faves. 4) Do you think that both the bass guitar and string bass are important as bass instruments? Yep, definitely. 5) What genres do you think are important for bass players to listen to? I think that there are great bass players in every genre, but in my entirely personal opinion genres like funk, jazz and latin are more fun to play bass to. 6) Do you think electric guitarists can learn to play bass guitar more than string bass? Yep, as bass guitar is much more like a 6-string. 7) Do you think bass can be used to solo as well as accompany other instruments? Bass solos can work if they're short and interesting and don't involve noodling around at the top of the neck sounding to all intents and purpose the same as an electric guitar. 8) Do you think it is important to learn to sight read? If it helps you to be able to play things that you wouldn't otherwise play, then yes. 9) What do you think of bass guitars such as 5 string/6 string e.g. as being an add-on to the bass players role? If you like the extra strings, go for it. Personally, I like the quote from someone about "not being done with these 4 yet". 10) What are your opinions on electric upright basses as a substitute for the string bass? Not quite the same instrument, but there are many cases when the EUB is a valid substitute. 11) What is the best amp to use for bass guitar or string bass? Lots 12) What pickups for string bass are the best for capturing the natural tone of the instrument? Haven't been playing it for long enough to have a useful opinion.

Hi there. I'm in Ireland too and I was also looking at the Thomann basses, which look pretty good, although I eventually managed to get my hands on a second-hand Shen from a guy in Dublin. You might want to take a look at this one :- [url="http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=140494&cat=16"]http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?prod...0494&cat=16[/url] It looks like one of the better Thomann basses and a much reduced price - well worth a trip up to Dublin to take a look at it I reckon.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='610617' date='Sep 28 2009, 10:08 AM']TBH I have never used them. I am a real stickler for tuning though It causes me grief if singers or horns or other strings are out of tune. I would be inclined to say that learning to rely on your ears is optimal, but I can see an argument for expedience.[/quote] I'm been playing DB for about about 10 months, and I've tried the 'purist' approach of not using markers, and on the whole I'd recommend it. However, for gigs I find it sometimes difficult to hear myself as well as I'd like, so at the last gig I put a small piece of tape at the 'fifth fret' position just to use as a sanity check. I must look at one of those clip-on tuners as well - can someone give me the name of one that they like?

Hi supabock I was in a similar position last year, and I asked a similar question (go straight to DB, or EUB as intermediate) and someone gave me the advice to go straight to DB and I have to say that I'm glad I did. There's something really satisfying about learning to extract a sound out of an acoustic DB, so unless you specifically want to play EUB rather than DB, I'd go straight for a DB. If you can't find a decent DB either privately or from a shop near you, take a look on Thomann's site - there are some good basses at around the £1000 mark (from the reading I've done, the Christophers are good and some of the Thomann own-brand basses are made by Strunal, who also have a decent reputation for entry-level basses). Hope this helps

This Shen SB80 [url="http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=91568&cat=16"]http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?prod...1568&cat=16[/url] looks pretty good - I have a Shen SB180, which is the hybrid model, and I'm really happy with it. From reading TalkBass etc, the Shens seem to be amongst the best of the Chinese instruments. I know the guy is asking a lot more than your budget allows, but the advert's been up for a long time so you might be able to knock him down a good bit.

[quote name='endorka' post='529711' date='Jul 1 2009, 04:33 PM']In general, when using the pinky to stop a note on the double bass, you should also be holding the same string down with all the other fingers as well, to distribute the load. So, if you're using your pinky on G on the D string, you would also have the 1st finger stopping F, 2nd finger stopping F#, and 3rd finger somewhere between F# and G. Regardless of this, the 3rd and 4th fingers should operate as a single unit; doing so addresses the strain on the pinky that you mention. Jennifer[/quote] That's good stuff - thanks Jennifer - sounds like I really should get my act together and take those lessons!

[quote name='teej' post='529484' date='Jul 1 2009, 12:20 PM']Just go down to a lower fifth... [/quote] Haha - good point - it's funny, but playing further down the neck is definitely easier on the hands - I've been playing "El Cuarto De Tula" by the Buena Vista Social Club and the bass line is mainly up the neck, but I usually get knackered halfway through and end up playing it right down at the bottom. I noticed on the DVD that Cachaito himself does the same, although I'm sure he did it for solid musical reasons and not because he's a bit of a wuss like me