(Part 2) Best products from r/Bass

http://www.scottsbasslessons.com

This was one of my first books. It starts off fairly easy, but gets moving pretty quick.

This is the Tao Te Ching of bass.

This was one of the books that helped get my technique to where it is today. I'm not sure if the new version has all of the same exercises.

Always read notation. Tab becomes a crutch, and the quicker you learn notation, the more you'll use it, and the better you'll get at it. It's a skill, it's frustrating at first, but it's worth it.

This is my favourite Music Theory book.

Transcribe music. Not only learn how to play it by ear, but learn how to write it down as well. It's really hard at first, but it's probably the best thing you can do to learn to jam, interact with other players, and communicate your ideas to anyone at any level.

Want Chops?

Find a qualified bass teacher in your area. Don't go to that guy who plays guitar and teaches bass on the side and only uses tab because he's never had to read. It may not seem like it, but there are differences in technique that an experienced bass player/teacher would know that a guitar player may not. Find a teacher that pushes you every lesson and makes you want to sit in a chair for hours working on technique, transcribing, and listening.

On top of getting an instructor, scour the internet for every piece of information you can get. At first you'll get some bad advice, but you'll find that there is a lot of great information out there. Always test the boundaries of what you're being taught by anyone with the information you're absorbing for where ever you're getting it. One of the best teachers that I had said "If you're teacher tells you there's only one way to do something, it's time to find another teacher".

I'll give you more great advice from a different teacher. He was this old grizzled player that played Jazz before, and after, Jazz was cool. He said:

"There are only three things you need to do to be a successful musician. One: Show up. If you show up every time you're going to be ahead of 95% of the rest of the musicians out there. That means every lesson, every rehearsal, every gig, every time.

Two: Know your parts. If you show up every time, on time, and know what you're supposed to play, you're going to be ahead of 99% of the players out there.

Thirdly: Play your heart out. If you show up, on time, know what you're playing, and love what you're playing, no matter what it is you're playing, then you're going to be in that 1% of musicians that actually get steady gigs."

Have Fun.

What they are using is an interface, a DAW and possibly an amp simulator on their computer.Basically an interface is a box that you plug your instrument or mic into that goes into your computer. It turns the analog signal of the instrument or mic into digital information that the computer can read. These can be worth a hundred dollars to thousands of dollars depending on your needs.

The bass signal would then have to go into an amp simulator for the direct input signal to be heard like it's played through an amp. These amplify and change your signal just like an amp would do, providing a full sound for your guitar/bass. These are can be worth anything from 0 dollars to a couple hundred and each has its own sound and quality.

DAW stands for Digital Audio Workstation and allows your instrument or mic to be recorded along with other tracks and instruments. These allow you to record songs and covers but also allow you to use tons of effects including compressors and eqs, amp sims and midi instruments.If you simply want to play and/or record your bass through your computer I'd recommend getting a simple 1 input interface like a Steinberg UR12 or a Focusrite Scarlett Solo. The Focusrite would have a higher quality build and sound, but the Steinburg will still get the job done. A great DAW would be REAPER, as it is completely free to use but will request a licensing of $60 that you do not have to pay. And there are tons of great free amp simulators online, but there are some really nice amp sims for a bit of money. I'd suggest checking out This list of free sims and checking out the other paid amp sims including Bias Fx and Amplitube.

Good Luck!

Don't sweat it!

It's better than sitting home and watching tv, right? Now at least you have a good story:)

You probably had some nerves which along with the sheer volume of sounds going on will cause your adrenaline to spike, which will mess your playing up (finger control and hearing are affected). That plus not being able to hear what's going on and working with unfamiliar tunes is rough.

There's no magic to practicing chord changes, you just have to do it. Playing along to album tracks works great - I have the GK Bass Amp app on my phone that lets me slow down and loop over sections and whatnot. I'll generally grab the chord sheet online and then play along with the recording while looking at that. Here's an example, Loving Cup by the Stones that matches up with the album version:

https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/t/the_rolling_stones/loving_cup_crd.htm

For practicing the chord changes, you don't need to play the exact bass line note for note (although transcribing the bass line is a good exercise as well). You just need to hear the changes and be able to play with them - fake it 'til you make it.

If possible, find someone who can play acoustic guitar and sing and play bass with them (or sing the vocals yourself). Just those three pieces will really make you hone in on what the bass is supposed to be doing.

Jams can be tough for a good sound mix because there's a bunch of random people with random gear doing random things, so it's not good. Hell, it's tough for established bands to get a good sound mix. Don't be afraid to speak up about not being able to hear well. At a minimum, you probably want to be able to hear the drummer and another rhythm instrument (keys/guitar), depending how their skill level and personality. Some guys are hardwired to try to help other players out, other guys don't give a shit. Drummers are great to lock in with, but they usually don't know the chords/notes so it's not super helpful.

It's also definitely ok for you to ask about the song - key, tempo, format, etc.

Part of playing is reading people, both musically and personally. Guitar players will try to lead you with what they're doing, so know that the bottom four strings of the guitar are the same as your bass. Try to figure out who knows the song and follow them.

It's also OK to turn your volume off if you're completely lost during a song. Better to drop out than blow it. Make sure you tell them after the song's over that you were lost and stopped playing - they should try and help you.

Oh, and if you're going to be doing blues jams, this book is awesome:

https://www.amazon.com/Blues-Bass-Essential-Techniques-Supplement/dp/0634089358

Gives you all the things you need to jam on the blues - intros/outros/rhyhms/riffs/etc plus charts of songs you're likely to run into (Stormy Monday, Pride and Joy, etc).

Practice is important, but the focus should be on learning good upright style position playing, especially in first and second position. And learning to really incorporate open strings in your playing, as that definitely helps you 'calibrate' unconsciously. Learning to walk changes like that will easily dial it in, esp. if you start working to tempo. Use iReal Pro and just practice random Real Book changes, or the standard jazz exercise sets available.

I have students switching to fretless pick up the Rufus Reid book [The Evolving Bassist] (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0967601509/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_40YQCb7935GP8) to learn double bass position playing and walking/2 feel lines. (I use the [Chuck Rainey](The Complete Electric Bass Player, Book 1: The Method https://www.amazon.com/dp/0825624258/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_p3YQCbKQKWVWG) books for fretted players, which i heartily recommend in general, btw)

Mostly its a matter of getting a steady, repeatable hand position in the lower registers and letting the muscle memory develop.

Perfect intonation is a goal, but i never worry about it when i get moving in a line or solo. Developing a good vibrato and approach/slide covers a lot of minor mistakes. And on stage, no one will notice a few cents out of tune especially if you play expressively and use good vibrato and slide movement on approach notes.

You don't necessarily need an amp when you're starting, if you have speakers. I just use a guitar USB interface and Audacity. Sure, you can't gig with that sort of setup, but it is more than adequate for practice. Any cheap practice amp you buy is only really going to be good for practice, so I don't really see the point - you'd be upgrading when it comes to gigging anyway.

If you're really committed, I would be tempted to spend a bit more money on the bass itself rather than getting something cheaper and an amp. Not only will a good branded guitar retain a decent resale value if you treat it well, but if you buy something really cheap you're only going to be upgrading later anyway. It's also a bit easier to learn on a quality instrument. Ibanez GSR-200 is in your budget and is a quality instrument for a beginner.

Look into buying used as well, others have posted tips on that.

Just my 2p, I've only just started learning myself as well (I bought a used Yamaha BB604 for $280 and really like it). Best of luck.

An initial investment will be required. The Fender Squier is the absolute standard in beginner basses. $150 new, much cheaper used. So if you check ebay/craigslist, you may find some decent deals. Indeed it may be defected, but that's the risk you run when buying used gear. Maybe you can work out some deal with the seller. I'd buy a used amplifier as well. The Fender Rumble still serves me to this day as a practice amp. Either way, I would just look for cheap used equipment. Beginner gear isn't supposed to be amazing. Just functional. Whatever fits your budget.

I'm a gamer myself as well. A thing that keeps one playing games is a feeling of progression - you're improving in mechanical skills, equipment, talents, etc whenever you play the game. Things that were tough aint shit after a while. If you put the time in for Bass, you will have similar experiences. Songs that used to make you sweat become childsplay. You have no idea how you used to struggle on that. You will see tangible improvements.

If you want to use your PC, a possible solution is getting an Audio Interface. Rocksmith comes with a $40 cable that can be used as an Audio Interface iirc. I'd still recommend using Guitar Pro and going to https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ for all your bass tab needs. I tried using Rocksmith last year and didn't like it. However, maybe I would have enjoyed it more as a new beginner, since many people in this thread recommend it. Too bad it didn't exist when I started! And again, I highly recommend you play with your friend. When you play with somebody better than you, it accelerates you much quicker. You're forced to get on their level.

tl;dr maybe try separate outputs for each pickup

If you want to go for something unique and versatile without spending much cash, you can go for a two-output configuration. On the Fender Jazz, this would involve putting a second output jack where the tone knob currently is. You can decide how to wire up the remaining knobs... maybe you don't need volume control for one pickup, but you do want tone control for it, or maybe you don't need tone control at all.

The idea is to have one pickup going to one output, and the other pickup going to the other. That way, you can put the effects on the sound of only one pickup.

I do this on my main bass. It has a fat mudbucker at the neck position, and it has a P-style pickup at the mid position, and the P-pickup is wired to a 0.0047 μF capacitor to kill the low end, so that it doesn't interfere with the mudbucker. The mudbucker runs clean to provide a huge low end, and the P-style pickup runs through an overdrive pedal to boost the treble and add some crunch, and also a phaser when I want something a little different. This way, all the effects only act on the attack and the fret buzz sound, while the low end can just be what it is.

Maybe you want something different, like putting thick fuzz on the neck pickup while the bridge pickup provides a clean, treble-rich attack with a little bit of chorus. Maybe you set up one pickup with a reverse tone knob... if you wire it up like it's a volume knob, and then bridge the terminals with something like a 0.0047 μF capacitor, you'll have a knob that turns down the low end while leaving the high end. There's a lot you can do, and this is a fairly easy mod that's fairly easy to undo if you don't like it. But if you like to use a lot of effects, having two signal chains with different frequency profiles can provide a lot of versatility.

If you have two amplifiers, great, but to combine the signals for one amplifier, you'll need something like this, which runs about $25: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-MicroMIX-MX400-Low-Noise-4-channel/dp/B000KGYAYQ

Here's the thread where I describe the two-output mod I made to my bass: https://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/5mn5my/gave_my_cheap_ibanez_a_new_paint_job_a_second/

When buying a new bass, the biggest thing to look for is how it feels. You can always change pickups and electronics and such, but finding a bass that's just fun and comfortable to play is the challenge. If you're interested in a Rickenbacker, it already has dual-output capability, so go to the music store with your pedals, and try a bunch of configurations with the effects, and you'll see what's possible.

Hello, fellow low brass person! I'm a Euph/Trombone (Tenor/Bass)/Tuba grad, myself. Bass was always my passion and my "non-academic" instrument.

Some good suggestions on here, but always remember with anything online, you have to evaluate the credibility of the source (not the comments, but online lesson websites, YouTube videos, etc.).

There's nothing like having an experienced teacher that can monitor your progress and help guide you on your path along the way. If you can afford lessons, even every two weeks, something, I'd suggest it.

Since you already read bass clef, why not get a method book? Start associating the notes on the bass staff with the bass guitar. You'll be surprised how quickly you're ear will help fix wrong notes.

Some good books are:

• [Hal Leonard Bass Method](http://www.amazon.com/Hal-Leonard- Bass-Guitar-Method/dp/B000UY567I)
  
  
• Berklee Practice Method (For playing in a group and understanding your role as the bassist.)
  
  
• Chuck Rainey: The Complete Electric Bass Method
  
  
• 101 Bass Tips: Stuff All the Pros Know and Use (Not a beginning method book, but more of collection of tips and ideas to help your playing and practicing. Its a valued read on my bookshelf.)
  
  Good luck!

I subscribed to Mark Michell's (Scale the Summit bassist) website Low End University that covers a myriad of topics both bass and non bass related, I'd say its a little more advanced material than what Scott Devine offers but both are great and have some good stuff for free.

As for books, I'd always been really interested in music theory behind jazz and certain video game OSTs and I can't recommend Mark Levine's The Jazz Theory book if that's your sort of thing. As someone else posted, Alex Webster's book is marvelous for not so much composition but being able to fluidly play intense rhythms and using three fingers.

Reading Contemporary Electric Bass is a really good resource for this if used strictly for sight-reading. Large variety of styles and keys.

Getchell for Trombone This is a staple for trombone/euphonium in the classical world. Obviously won't help for genre study, but can certainly be used for sight-reading and the etudes are great as lyrical studies (which we should all be doing!) to help make sure you're getting a good sound.

Dotzauer More advanced, but in a similar vein as the Getchell. Some octave adjustment may or may not be needed if you don't have a 5 string.

Other than that lyrical etude books for any instrument tend to do well, and if you can read (or learn to read) treble clef reading down the melody from jazz lead sheets can be used as sight-reading material as well.

> I can read tablature but not music notation (I'm assuming this is the first step!)

Standard notation is important - and definitely learn it. But as important, or maybe more so, is being able to understand chords and progressions.

Here's a really simple lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ilh4uMAdss8 to illustrate how to get started. Scott's Bass Lessons has a lot more content, too. Christian McBride also has an online fundamentals course: https://www.openstudionetwork.com/project/fjb-overview/

To apply even a basic knowledge, I'd recommend getting one or more real books. The app, iRealPro is a digital version of this approach and has some nice features like being able to change key and tempo. At its heart, jazz is a performance and improvisational art, and these resources let you build up those playing skills.

I'd probably suggest this one, or maybe this one

In terms of walking bass, the only to get better at it is unfortunately just to keep working at it. Start on a not-too-complicated tune such as Satin Doll, or something else with lots of II-V-I progressions in it, or a 12-bar blues, and work up to more complicated charts.

Here's a "quick and dirty" method to work out some walking bass lines. It's a bit simplistic perhaps, but it will at least get you started, and it does work. Assuming a 4/4 time sig:

ON BARS WHERE THERE ARE TWO CHORDS PER BAR:

Beats 1 & 3: On the beats where the chords fall (1 & 3) play the root (at least at first).
Beats 2 & 4: On the other beats (2 & 4) play an approach note that gets you to the root of the next chord, so a note either a half-step or whole step above the note you want to get to. Use your ear to judge which is best. So if the chord on beat 3 is G7, on beat 2 you could play either A, Ab, F# or F.

ON BARS WHERE THERE IS ONLY ONE CHORD PER BAR:

Beat 1: Play the root (again, at first)
Beat 4: Play an approach note as above, so either a half or whole step above or below, whichever sounds best.
Beats 2 & 3: You have a few options:

a. outline the chord notes. For example root, 3, 5 then, or root, 3, 5 then to your approach note.

b. move by step (don't be afraid of chromatic notes, you'd be surprised how often they work). So going from Dmi7 to G7 you could move up be step playing D, E, F, F#.

c. Try going from the root on the first beat up or down to the 5th on the second beat, then keep going in the same direction to the root an octave above or below on the third, before hitting your approach notes.

d. Do something else entirely.

So a sample bassline for the first 8 bars of Satin Doll might look something like this. Note that in the last bar it moves completely by step while in the three bars before that it uses that root-fifth-root pattern. Obviously that's just one way to do it. When you're new to walking bass and learning a tune don't try and go right through straight away. Get from bar 1 to bar 2, then from 1 to 4, and so on. Build it up in stages, and try different ways to get there. If you can figure out how to get up by step to the next chord, then try moving down by step the next time.

Now, before anyone tells me that I am the awful spawn of satan and I have killed Jazz by explaining things this way and thus downvoting me to the diminished 7th circle of Hell, I know it's a very simple way of explaining it, I also know that walking bass can be a wonderfully nuanced thing with infinite variety. But we've got to start somewhere and the above will work. As with everything, the ear has to be the final judge.

I'm not familiar with Massive, but I can help with getting your bass signal to your pc.

As a first option, there are 1/4" guitar USB devices sold expressly for this purpose. Behringer makes the cheapest one I know of: Behringer UCG-102. Ran across it while looking for a general purpose USB audio interface, but I didn't buy it because of the reviews complaining about the drivers. There's a $30 Mac cable I've seen used, too, but I don't know if anyone has PC or linux drivers for it. There are a lot of others, most of which start around $100 that I've seen. The Native Instruments one runs several hundred $$, I think.

I have a cheap jerry-rigged method that suits my needs, though. If you have a desktop pc, a DI pedal, or a better soundcard than usual, you might be able to do something like this more easily, but this is what I threw together one day after picking up the ground-isolator and USB audio interface for other purposes:

1/4"-to-3.5mm adapter into the headphone-out of amp, then a 3.5mm-to-RCA converter on top of that. Ground-loop-isolator (mine has RCA inputs and outputs, hence the converters) from that into the USB audio interface. I'm using the Behringer UCA-222. The interface connects to the PC via USB, or course.

Two things worth noting: 1) you'll probably want to install "ASIO4ALL" drivers to decrease latency times on this or similar USB audio interfaces and 2) you may not need a ground loop isolator, depending on your hardware. I'm using a laptop in this setup, and if it's plugged in then there's some interference. Easy way to check: while the pc's plugged in, if you can output your pc's audio to the Line In on your amp without hearing static, you probably don't need a ground loop isolator.

Hope that helps.

Start off by listening to a ton of jazz. Afterwards, learn your major, minor, dorian, and mixolydian scales/modes. Check youtube, there's a ton of good tutorials if you don't know them yet. Then buy a real book and start attempting to follow along with the changes. Start with just the root notes and later add the 3rds and 5ths. Here's a book that I think explains walking basslines pretty well, and another one if you're interested in soloing.



Here's a list of jazz songs most students learn early on:

Afro Blue

All Blues

All Of Me

All The Things You Are

A Night In Tunisia

Au Privave

Autumn Leaves

Beautiful Love

Black Orpheus

Blue Bossa

Blue In Green

Blue Monk

Blues For Alice

Body And Soul

Cherokee

Cotton Tail

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

A Fine Romance

Footprints

Four

Freddie Freeloader

The Girl From Ipanema

How High The Moon

How Insensitive

Lady Bird

Maiden Voyage

Misty

Mr. P.C.

My Funny Valentine

Oleo

Ornithology

Recorda-me

Red Clay

Satin Doll

So What

Song For My Father

Sugar

Take Five

Take The “A” Train

There Will Never Be Another You

Tune Up

The Louis Bellson Book

This is for jazz syncopation. Can practice this without the bass. Just tapping your foot and tapping your hand on your knee or whatever.

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The Applebaum Book

This is for more modern/contemporary pit band / session type of stuff, but still valuable.

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There are also smartphone apps like "Read Rhythm" and sites like "SightReadingFactory.com" but I prefer the books above for rhythm-only stuff.

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Best way to learn two-feel is to transcribe a ton of two-feel. Transcribe the all the two-feel choruses Bob Cranshaw plays on this tune. That should add some variety to your lines. Or what Don Bagley does on this tune. (Or anything that Ray Brown, Scott Lafaro and Eddie Gomez ever did in two feel).

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http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Electric-Bass-Player-Book/dp/0825624258

I always reccomend this. Chuck Rainey's method is super solid, covers fundamentals, and it's something with real instruction and heart put into it. I feel like a lot of the more generic methods are kinda strung together without too much thought into them. This book has proper technique instruction, and useable, and most importantly, musical, exercises.

Plus, this one will teach you how to read notation with a very easy learning curve, which in my opinion is an essential tool for communicating with other musicians, and will also make it easier for you to learn different kinds of music down the line.

Bass Fitness is, for me, the golden standard to which I hold all guitar practice books. It's a no-nonsense text that offers little in the way of guidance or assistence, but stick with it and you will notice a difference in your playing in due time. It's not perfect by any means -- in fact it is quite rough around the edges -- but it works.

For more general resources, check out 101 Bass Tips, which features of a plethora of different tips and tricks for the working musician -- everything from set-up and maintenance, to technique, to recording and tone, and much more. It's also accompanied by a CD with examples and practice songs you can play along to.

Once you've got the basics down and you're ready to move into the more advanced facets of bass playing, you might want to try out some books on musical theory. I suggest this, this, and these. Hope these help!

How much do you want to spend and how will you be transporting it?

There are a wide range of options from cheapie gig bags to heavy duty road/flight cases.

I like to spend good money on gig bags since I will use them with multiple basses over a long time. I used the same Mooradian Double Bass Guitar gig bag for over 10 years. The only reason why I threw it out was it got a bit mildewy/moldy from being shoved under my bed for 2 years (I used hardshell cases exclusively during that time). A note on gig bags-I vastly prefer to have one that has backpack straps that are padded. When I lived in Chicago, I took public transit (subway, buses, commuter trains, etc) to gigs, so having the bass on my back gave me free hands in case I needed to bring an amp or just to access to my train tickets/cards.

Hard cases-it depends on the intended transport method. If you're looking for a light-duty case for an instrument you will be transporting in your car, a tolex case would suffice-they look cool and are a step up in protection from a gig bag. The base model SKB hardshells are a safe bet. Something like this. The next step up, and would be suitable for all but the heaviest of road/flight uses is the SKB iSeries. I've been using one of their open cavity cases since 2012. It has been in the back of the gear truck for over 1k gigs, flown around a dozen times, and other than replacing the wheels once and a few scratches, it is in great shape.

The Squier Vintage Modified series basses are typically P or J shaped. so they will fit in a wide range of cases.

I think this is what's meant:

https://www.amazon.com/Real-Book-Fake-Books-Leonard/dp/0634060384

It's a book full of literally hundreds of 'standards' and songs for around ~20 dollars. I am also starting to learn some jazz, and it's one of the most helpful things I've found. What I like to do is find versions of the songs on YouTube, and listen to how the bass player fits in their line with the other parts, and try to play along -- even if it's just the root notes from the chord diagrams!

The history of the book is fascinating, too - Adam Neely has an interesting vid on YouTube.

Have fun!

I just bought a used Ibanez SR650 from Guitar Center -- my first bass -- and it's tremendously pleasing so far. It came with a hard case, which I'm pretty sure is an SKB 44, based on this Amazon listing: https://www.amazon.com/SKB-Electric-Bass-Rectangular-Hardshell/dp/B0015B0AX0/

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The case seems effectively to have been free, based on the price of other SR650s on GC's website, so that's sweet, but I've noticed that there's just a little bit of play when the bass is sitting in the open case. Is that normal, that the bass can shift a little within the padded cavity of the case? Maybe when the case is closed the padding on top locks it down?

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Or should I consider adding in some extra fabric or padding around the bass (around the body, I guess?) in order to make sure the bass is completely immobilized within the case?

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Any advice would be appreciated.

I'm a big fan of Patterns for Jazz for day to day exercises. Although the title indicates jazz music, this is a great exercise book for much of the harmony that you see running through rock, blues, jazz, and most popular music.

Another favorite of mine are the Bach Solo Cello Suites. I'd get the cello music rather than any transcriptions for bass. IMHO they all sound beautiful on bass and you'll run the gamut from relatively straightforward to very challenging.

By far, the most helpful music theory book I've ever seen is The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine

It's definitely helpful in understanding the thought behind scales/modes/chordal relationships.

You will need to be able to read music somewhat, but if want to be the best you can be, you'll want to learn to read music anyway. I believe that book would help any musician to get to the next level.

Sounds like you definitely need strap locks. If price is a factor, you can always buy Guitar Savers Premium Strap Locks. I bought these the other day and feel they work great so far.

I also bought a Neotech strap off of Amazon with this order and I love it so far.

Hi! I really want to pick up the bass, and I have a bit of a budget since I don't know if I'll like it. I hope this question doesn't annoy everyone, but I need to ask the generic "what bass should a beginner buy". (Although, every hobby sub gets annoyed by it and I'm guilty of hating the question as well. Feel free to point me in the right direction if the answer exists elsewhere)

I would like to keep it under $300 if possible, for bass and amp. I have a cheap Starcaster 15G amp that I know is crap, I just don't know how crappy it is. Can I use it for practice at least, or should I just buy a new one? It came with a Fender Starcaster pos guitar that I'm going to sell, hopefully I'll make $50 out of it, so I could maybe add a little bit to my budget if that's the case. I mainly would like the bass for jazz, and I would like to experiment with slap bass as well.

I have a pretty musical ear already (I play a few other instruments) and I'm afraid that an instrument at such a low price would kill me to play. What does price determine in the bass world? ie, in brass, a cheap horn will mean it will fall apart after slight use, play completely out of tune, have a terrible tone and the valves will suck. Do basses suffer the same issues? I don't think it's worth it for me to buy something I'll hate playing because of intonation or durability.

I'm currently looking at the Ibanez GSR200 Electric Bass Guitar due to price and good reviews. Does it seem like it would fit my needs?

Thanks so much!

I use a Lexicon Alpha interface. Its about as basic as it comes, but hell it works just fine. One instrument and one mic input, I usually plug my bass straight in or run it through my amp output since I'm too cheap to get buy a DI or a good mic for bass. It also comes with the program Cubase. Again, its basic and its kinda finicky, but its as functional as any other software once you learn how to use it. There could be better interfaces at this price though, it looks like Behringer also has a pretty competent interface for $50 but I've never used it.

So far I have 0 pedals, but I'm wanting to do a Royal Blood setup, maybe playing just "rhythm guitar" for worship services. I was thinking that my best bet would be

ABY switch->Darkglass preamp for the bass side


ABY switch->micropog->pitchfork->Darkglass preamp for a guitar side

Run both lines into a mini mixer
and then a 10 band EQ and maybe a looper, and then out to an amp, DI, whatever.

Since then however, I've been considering the Helix or HX Stomp, and using Ableton Live/FL studio for the rest.

That would save me a little money and work but I'm not sure how functional it would be. Having no hands-on experience with any of this equipment means it's all theoretical for me so far. Help.

That's a good deal. There's also this alternative for less money but it's just the bass itself. But with a bass amp like the Fender Rumble 15 it still adds up to $279. But with the deal you found on the Guitar Center site, I'd say go with the one you linked. It's the same price as what I just linked but yours has a lot of extra stuff. I say go for it! Maybe someone will post something better but until then I like the direction you're heading.

https://www.amazon.ca/Modern-Walking-Bass-Technique-Richmond/dp/9995982447

This is a great book. It's based on 12 bar blues in several different keys and gradually introduces more concepts. It's a great place to start and will also help if you're new to sight reading.

https://www.amazon.com/Evolving-Bassist-Millennium-Comprehensive-Developing/dp/0967601509

This one too

An aux input would be ideal for your needs, but if your amp doesn't have that then you need to mix the signals.

A cable like u/TheShakerDuster described exists, but it's more like two male 1/4" on one side and stereo aux on the other. Reason being that it is actually a two channels in, two channels out arrangement, with one 1/4" connected to each side of the stereo. Two inputs will not work with one output because it will allow the electronics at either side to interact in an unpredictable manner. It would connect your guitar directly to the headphone jack on your phone and vice versa.

If you want both your guitar and phone signals going into the instrument input of your amp then you're going to need a mixer. Here is an example although for your purposes you might be able to find one with a 3.5 stereo input, a 1/4" mono input, and 1/4" mono output.

Carlo Mombelli intergalactic bass guide! This guy is a monster of the bass. Hands down my favorite and weirdest bass player ever. Super inspirational as well: http://www.amazon.com/Intergalactic-Bass-Scales-Arpeggios-Fingerings/dp/1476868891#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1454022688461

Also here is some of his music, check it out:https://soundcloud.com/permanentrecordcapetown/carlo-mombelli-thehunter

I was in a similar position a few years ago. I grew up playing trombone and guitar. I went to theory camps, and studied in college. In jazz, it's all mental at first. You have to know your theory and know it well. For now, go buy a real book, not a face book, or Steve's collection of jazz standards, or any other book. You need This one. It's the one everyone else will be using, so you might as well be on the same page. I'd recommend by looking it over, and making sure you understand what all of the chord symbols mean, and how to play over them. Once you figure that out, you can start putting together lines. If you have the budget for two books, then the other one you need is This one.

The Milestone is a P/J shape. Any generic case will work. It's just a matter of how much you want to spend.

You could go for a cheaper "open cavity" style case that go for $50 - $75.

Or you could go for a nicer case, that has better padding and a generic p/j mold, which goes for about $100 - $130

I have an older Peavey Millenium BXP 5 that I carry in a generic Coffin case. It doesn't have any kind of molding or compartments for accessories, but it has done a great job for the past 15 years.

I've got a friend who has one of these for his bass, he's pretty happy with it

Try putting new-skin on it. It burns like hell but works great. You can find it at pretty much any pharmacy/Walmart/grocery store in the same section as the band-aids.

https://www.amazon.com/NEW-SKIN-LIQUID-BANDAGE-BOTTLE/dp/B0006GDBT0/ref=asc_df_B0006GDBT0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=242003539383&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5721939594577140067&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9052294&hvtargid=pla-423104104486&psc=1

I would say something in the 15 watt range would be plenty for bedroom practice.

I am fond of my Fender Rumble amp (http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Rumble-Bass-Combo-Amplifier/dp/B00HWINK1E $79). I use this one,s big brother in my band.

I also have a friend who has an Ampeg like this one (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BA108V2 $99) if you want to get a bit louder and dirtier. Welcome to the club!

I'd recommend this instead, unless you need the extra outputs: http://www.amazon.com/AP2BS-amPlug-Bass-Guitar-Headphone/dp/B00NAUKJTY

Plugs straight into the bass so less cables and more portability (powered by 2x AAA), has a tone control, and even a built-in drum loop/metronome with its own volume/tempo control. The metronome tempo is controlled with the volume knob and there's no display so you can't really get a specific tempo, but it's certainly more functional than a regular headphone amp, and probably sounds better.

There's also these if you want to go a step further and put the amp into the headphones: http://www.amazon.com/VOX-AMPHONESBASS-Active-Amplifier-Headphones/dp/B009703PZG

Haven't tried them but the headphones are made by Audio Technica so they're probably decent.

I bought this to use with my bass: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P4FBQO/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

It has some give to it which is really nice. My shoulder definitely feels better after a gig.

Not leather, but the best instrument strap I've ever used. Actually makes them feel lighter. Neotech Mega Strap

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002BJHFFG/ref=psdcmw_11971331_t2_B007AGXZ8G?th=1&psc=1

This one looks awesome, but it says JB?? Is that anything majorly different, or would you recommend the regular?

Silly name, but a great book - Intergalactic Bass

The teaching method in this book works the way my brain does. That's really all I can say.

The aux in bypasses the preamp and tone adjustments from the amp so you need to adjust the bass with an equalizer app or bass boost app on your phone. One other option I have used is a mini mixer with stereo inputs using the proper cable from your phone to the inputs (probably RCA type) or 1/4" dual mono inputs on the mixer...I have a couple of these cheap Behringer USB 302 for around $50-60 (they used to be around $40 when I bought mine)...https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-Premium-5-Input-Interface/dp/B005EHILV4
These will allow you to adjust the bass and treble from your phone. Cheers

I'm in the exact same boat. I do two things. First one sounds exactly like what you're looking for. Vox amphones https://www.amazon.com/VOX-AMPHONESBASS-Active-Amplifier-Headphones/dp/B009703PZG
The other thing I use is a tenor ukulele I tune like a bass. I use this more often because it's smaller and because I can learn a song inside out since I can play chords and all other parts.

Here are my accessories in a backpack I take to every gig:

• Snark Tuner
  
• Sansamp Bass Driver DI
  
• Two extra 9V Batteries
  
• Vitamin C
  
• Herb Wong's Jazz Fakebook
  
• Two cables (I should be carrying two more)
  
• Pen
  
• Blank sheet music
  
• Strepsils (I sing)
  
• Two sets of earplugs
  
• Folder containing repertoire and lyrics of our set
  
• Extra set of strings
  
  I hope this helps!

As someone else has said, save up a little more money and invest it in a instrument that you will enjoy playing.

Squier has been suggested and I particularly like the Vintage Modified series.

Another option would be something like this.

You could find both of these instruments used for $100-$150, but they aren't too expensive new.

I haven't had very good luck with rechargeable batteries. They don't seem to have the same power as the standard pollution-causing kind. It makes my bass sound kind of fuzzy.

This stuff is great for injured fingers as well.

Use a mixer like this just an older version. and a headphone amp like this again just an older version. We've been rehearsing like this for years.

You should be able to solve your problem for around $50.

Have you tried the Vox Amphonebass? My brother got some for Christmas last year, and I used them with my 18v Active 5str. The sound was considerably better than the average set of headphones. You can probably check them out at a music store.

https://www.amazon.com/VOX-AMPHONESBASS-Active-Amplifier-Headphones/dp/B009703PZG

Focusrite Scarlett Solo/2i2 as audio interface. If you are certain that you're only going to record one thing at a time, the Solo will be sufficient.

I've seen many people recommending Reaper which is the WinRar version of free DAWs (I think?)

So what about something like this https://www.amazon.com/Tech-BSDR-SansAmp-Bass-Driver/dp/B0002D0EN8 ? From what I can tell its mostly the same settings, between that and the pre-amp, It's just in the form of a pedal. I currently don't have any pedals, so maybe this would be a good place to start in terms of getting the Wentz sound, and getting a little bit more tone control?

Hi,

For a thorough blues bassline guide I like Ed Friedland's Blues Bass. It comes with a CD and Ed plays the guitar parts too. He builds up multiple styles using basslines and the price is not bad:

http://www.amazon.com/Blues-Bass-Essential-Techniques-Supplement/dp/0634089358/ref=la_B001JS9DZA_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1421892796&sr=1-3

HTH

I use headphones that have their own preamp that sound good and aren't terribly expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/VOX-AMPHONESBASS-Active-Amplifier-Headphones/dp/B009703PZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469719551&sr=8-1&keywords=vox+bass+headphones

Yeah, Vox makes them in that format specifically for bass as well as a headphone version that runs under $100.

Long ago, Fender made these micro amps. I still have a guitar one that works just as well for bass if I need it to. Very limited features, naturally.

Pulled from http://www.reddit.com/r/Bass/comments/jpdy6/what_are_some_must_have_pedals/

I have a couple of pedals that I really like and recommend for all players. Sadly, they aren't cheap :-P

• Tech 21 Sans Amp Bass Driver D.I.- In my opinion this is the bass overdrive pedal. It's also an excellent DI.
  
• EBS Multi-Comp- Great compression with a single knob to ramp it up or down. Not as tweakable as many others, but I prefer the set it and forget it nature of this pedal.

I think that piece of kit is just a mixer and won't work as an interface to for recording.

Luckily, Behringer makes an even less expensive mixer/interface that will do exactly what you're looking for: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-302USB-Premium-5-Input-Interface/dp/B005EHILV4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1407273279&sr=8-9&keywords=behringer

My 4" wide neoprene strap. It makes my 35" scale 5 stringer feel just as light as my little basswood RG shred-machine.

Felt picks. They get this thumpy tone I can't get with my fingers, but without the "click" of a regular pick. It's like in the middle of the two.

Mike wrote a book that was essentially a collection of basslines over pretty typical jazz Blues changes. Each 'chapter' introduces new rhythmic variations to implement.

Because of all the different substitute changes in each chorus, the book covers a lot of ground for learning a walking bass vocabulary.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/9995982447?pc_redir=1409148688&robot_redir=1

I've used this on my Ibanez BTB for years. Very good at reducing strain on the shoulders and back.

Get one of these and some studio monitors and you're good to go.

I'm pretty sure it will do the job but probably for that amount of money you can get a recording interface
Edit: check these out
https://www.amazon.com/Lexicon-2-Channel-Desktop-Recording-Studio/dp/B000HVXMNE/

https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UM2-BEHRINGER-U-PHORIA/dp/B00EK1OTZC

https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlett-Audio-Interface-Tools/dp/B01E6T56CM/

get a 1/4" to usb 'guitarlink' adapter + otg cable + galaxy nexus + usbeffects. ultra low latency is possible, trust me

This or this or this + laptop among other options.

What do you think of this?

Focusrite Scarlett Solo (2nd Gen) USB Audio Interface with Pro Tools | First https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E6T56CM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Hb16CbM5WKFBX

Building Walking Bass Lines

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Walking-Bass-Lines-Builders/dp/0793542049/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539965332&sr=8-1&keywords=walking+bass+lines

​

Blues Bass Method

https://www.amazon.com/Leonard-Blues-Method-Acc%C3%A8s-audio/dp/0634089358/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1539965415&sr=8-1&keywords=ed+friedland+blues

This book changed my life

No but https://www.amazon.com/Ibanez-GSR200-Electric-Guitar-Finish/dp/B002BJHFFG is

Any opinions on these? My bass is heavy, and the guitar strap I've been using hurts my shoulder if I play standing for too long.