Bass player moving to second guitar

[AntLockyer]

http://www.joinmyband.co.uk/classifieds/zen-dog-seek-bass-player-to-complete-lineup-rock-n-roll-t566241.html

A friend of mine (who is friends with the singer of this band) sent me this in case I wanted to audition.

Didn't we have a thread recently where the bass player was "promoted" to guitar duties? Anyone here ever been tempted to make that move? What I find odd the most is that I'm sure there are 100 guitarists to every bass player. Surely finding a rhythm guitar would be easier.

[Mr Lizard]

Don't do it !

edit... didnt read link properly. Does seem weird that a bass player would want to move to guitar though

Edited November 13, 2013 by Mr Lizard

[clauster]

Been considering making the same move myself recently......

Why? Our new guitarist (who is our old drummer) would feel more comfortable with a second guitarist. Experience tells me that when you put two guitars in the same band music can rapidly devolve from an art form to a competitive sport. I know if I do it that won't happen.

What will happen is I'll look at the guy playing bass and think "Why is he doing my bit?"

So I'm staying where I am and our guitarist can man up.

[ezbass]

When I first decided to move to bass in the early 80s I was very disappointed at not finding work as quick as I'd've liked and then got offered a rhythm guitar position. As nothing was happening bass wise I did it and ended up not going back to bass for nearly 20 years. As whether it's a good idea for bass players to play rhythm guitar; well from the band's POV it's brilliant, as bass players have a sense of rhythm and no massive ego demanding a solo in every song.

[Marvin]

Poor guy, fancy being demoted to second guitar

[Grangur]

Who'd ever want to be in a band that considers moving from bass to guitar as a promotion!?!!

[AntLockyer]

The promoted bit came from the previous thread which I can't find. I don't think that is the case here. I'd audition but I don't think I can commit as much as it looks like they need from reading the blurb.

[Grangur]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1384358689' post='2275668']
The promoted bit came from the previous thread which I can't find. I don't think that is the case here. I'd audition but I don't think I can commit as much as it looks like they need from reading the blurb.
[/quote]
I'm just mucking about. I'm sure they're good guys or you wouldn't post here for them.

[BigRedX]

I've moved from bass to guitar in a previous band.

After the original guitarist left, we spend almost a year auditioning replacements none of whom were even remotely suitable and after a while I found that I could play all the guitar parts well enough through having learnt them to show some of the numpties who turned up for auditions, so we advertised for a bassist and found a great one (better than me) almost immediately. That line up lasted 4 years which was longer than the line up with me playing bass had been going.

[chris_b]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1384352204' post='2275568']
....A friend of mine (who is friends with the singer of this band) sent me this in case I wanted to audition....
[/quote]

Do it.

You could be a bass player in one band and a guitarist in another. I wish I played more than one instrument.

[xilddx]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1384360628' post='2275698']


Do it.

You could be a bass player in one band and a guitarist in another. I wish I played more than one instrument.
[/quote]
I'm a guitarist in another band and I love it. It's tricky music, hard work, high level of quality control and discipline. It's all music and I really hate all this more earnest disrespect of other instrumentalists from some on here who go beyond the lighthearted joshing. It's stupid. There are musicians in all disciplines with good and bad attitudes.

[JapanAxe]

I play guitar more than bass these days. In my main band I am the only guitarist, together with bass and drums. That leaves me with a lot of space to fill! I now dislike playing with another guitarist, as I have become so used to a single-guitarist approach. There is very little that you can't do with a 'power trio' line-up.

[Lozz196]

I`ve moved from bass to rhythm/second guitar, but the reason wasn`t "promotion" more that I was the principal song-writer, and I was writing the songs on guitar. So it was easier for me to keep the rhythm guitar exactly as was written and get the existing lead player to add their finishing touches, and get a new bassist in to add whatever the song required.

[Roger2611]

[i]I tried it, played rhythm guitar in our band for four years, it helped my guitar playing no end but eventually I started to find that I was concentrating more on playing the guitar than on enjoying playing (if you know what I mean) I noticed every time our bassist cocked up (which was alarmingly regular) so when the band decided his services were no longer required I stepped back into the bass player role...now I enjoy concentrating on playing the bass but also I now enjoy the gigs as well.

If you give it a go your guitar playing will certainly improve rapidly and you will take some really interesting rhythms to the guitar and in reverse will take some interesting ideas back to the bass....BUT be prepared to resent the new bass player and wish you were back on familiar ground! [/i]

[Buzzy]

I started the "Promotion" thread back in October 2012, search the forums for "Would you answer this ad??" you'll find it there.

[nottswarwick]

I play guitar and bass and drums.

Unique (? Maybe not) perspective on things.

[randythoades]

I did it after i had been playing a couple of years. One guitarist left and i knew another bassist so i moved across and did either or in various bands for the following few years. I quite liked it as i get bored easily so it was good to have a change every couple of months! Then ended up joining a band with a bassist far beyond my skills (fellow basschatter bobVBass as it happens) so stuck with guitar for the next 15 years, indulging in copious amounts of unnecessary soloing. As a previous bassist, i actually found it a real benefit in a band, a good sense of rhythm, a need to leave space for other instruments and also a need for simplicity. We managed to get a very full sound by giving each other space to play and a great groove.
I still play guitar but have changed back to bass now i have stopped gigging. Trouble is, i now seem to play bass more like a guitar, which has its benefits sometimes, but loses the real integrity of the bass instrument. I have also taken up double bass now in an effort to lose my "guitariness" feel to bass.
My advice to anyone, is to make the change, but keep very close to both instruments and avoid losing the bass mentality.

[martin8708]

I have considered moving to guitar as here on the Island there are a plethora of bass players ( thanks to Mark King and Platform One music school ) and tons of lead guitarists thanks to Youtube.

Rhythm guitarists are pretty rare as everybody wants to be Slash / Jimmy Page or some plank spanker on bass .
I figure that as some one with a good knowledge of chords and a decent sense of rhythm should find a slot in a band .

[Lozz196]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1384554943' post='2278258']
I have considered moving to guitar as here on the Island there are a plethora of bass players ( thanks to Mark King and Platform One music school ) and tons of lead guitarists thanks to Youtube.

Rhythm guitarists are pretty rare as everybody wants to be Slash / Jimmy Page or some plank spanker on bass .
I figure that as some one with a good knowledge of chords and a decent sense of rhythm should find a slot in a band .
[/quote]

Agree, not many want to be Izzy Stradlin, Dave Kushner or Malcolm Young yet for me they are the heart of their bands, and think their better-known lead colleagues may have not been so well known of not for having such good rhythmists alongside.