Bass or Guitar?

[AMD8806]

I have spent around 5 years playing bass as my first instrument i have really enjoyed but have been attracted to guitar and cannot decide if i want to stay with bass and invest into more gear or go the other route and go to guitar.

[PatrickJ]

Do both

[Old Horse Murphy]

Or neither. Try the cello. They're addictive 

[mep]

Do both if you have the time. Bass is where it's at though😎

[itu]

Please try piccolo strings on your instrument.

[dannybuoy]

Do both. Just get a cheap used Squier etc to start with and you won't have to worry too much about investing in gear.

[PaulWarning]

I find Bass on it's own is fairly boring, great in a band, but I play acoustic guitar when I want to just play and sing on my own

[PatrickJ]

9 minutes ago, PJ-Bassist said:

Do both

I meant at the same time.

I saw Charley Hunter supporting Snarky Puppy.  He plays an eight string multi-scale guitar that  he uses to play both Bass and Guitar parts on at the same time.   

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

get a ukulele - they're fantastic fun and great for annoying people

[Reggaebass]

Maybe try a 6 string bass 

[upside downer]

Bass. And guitar. And mandolin. And bouzouki. And saz. And oud. And so on and so on.

[MikanHannille]

I say do both if you can afford it. It gives you different perspective on how you play either.

[Crawford13]

Nothing wrong with playing guitar & bass. If you only have enough practice time for one, then go with the one that calls you. I can play guitar but I always prefer playing bass. I wouldn’t know this if I hadn’t learned guitar.

Good luck.

[Bassassin]

Not either/or. Bass was my first instrument and is still the only thing I'm remotely proficient on, but I started messing around with guitar after a couple of years of just bass. Understanding the instrument definitely made me a better bass player, and made my lines more varied and (imo) creative.

Never wanted to be "a guitarist", and I'm absolutely not good enough to get on stage with one - but it's 99% of what I play when composing, and I'm good enough (with enough takes!) to get down what I hear in my head when recording demos.

I'm developing a substantial piece of music at the moment, so far entirely using guitar, and have probably played bass for about 15 minutes in total this year! Lots of bass ideas in my head, though.

 

[madshadows]

Play both, I do and enjoy bass and guitar  

 

John  

[SH73]

Both, I play more guitar but better at bass IMHO. 

[Cato]

As everyone else says do both.

If you've never played skinny string guitar before it'll take a while* to get the hang of chords, but the dexterity in your fretting hand should give you a bit of a head start.

*when I say a 'while' I've been playing guitar for over 20 years and every now and then I still come across a chord shape I've never seen before.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Cato

[sammybee]

Give the guitar a try, you might love it. If you don't you'll regret not trying it. And as everyone else suggests, there is no law against playing both.

[Cato]

You can probably get a Harley Benton skinny stringer plus a Zoom G1-4 multi effects unit, all brand new for around £200, maybe £150 depending on the guitar.

You can either run them through headphones or even through your bass amp and it'll sound decent enough while you decide if you want to take it further.

Edited March 3, 2020 by Cato

[Doctor J]

Another vote for both, but don’t stop there. Every instrument you learn will give you a better understanding of music as a whole and improve your bass playing too.

I play guitar and drums as well as bass and have gigged on all. I’m starting to learn piano. Why restrict yourself? Spread your wings, fella. 

[Ricky 4000]

“If you end your bass training now — if you choose the quick and easy guitar path (as Vader did) — you will become an agent of evil.”

 

 

– Yoda

[odysseus]

I started on guitar then moved to bass. I still play guitar for writing purposes. It's good to have that extra perspective.

[BrunoBass]

I do both. Bass in the covers band and acoustic guitar on my solo original stuff. It’s no problem switching between the two.

[Skybone]

Started on bass, moved to guitar for a wee while, back to bass. Definitely my happy place.

Still have guitars & actually pick them up now and again. Still prefer bass.

[Guest]

Have you considered the mandolin?