Well, I just like to know who the bass players on this forum are, the bass is not to be underestimated ...
I play bass myself, pretty shitty gear actually .. I'm playing exactly one year right now.
An adonis four strings, and a Stagg 80W amplifier, it's just doable to play in a band
Monday I'm recording a demo
I love to play rock and metal (of course) Iron Maiden - Hallowed be thy name and Dream of Mirrors are heaven!

So .. What's your gear ? Favorite songs to play on the bass ? Band ?

I've been playing bass for about 4 years now and the bass I play is an Ibanez 4 string and I have a 500w Ibanez bass amp. I currently don't have a band but I am looking to start one only I want to play guitar in it not bass. My favorite things to play are Symphony X, Tool, The Mars Volta, Mastodon, Death, and I used to play alot of Iron Maiden. Basically I like to play anything that's challenging. Steve DiGiorgio, Michael LePond, Victor Wooten, Justin Chancellor, Steve Harris, Geezer Butler, and Martin Mendez are my favorite bass players and influenced my style the most.

Finally! A bass thread! Despite what it looks like due to my posts previous, I consider myself to first and foremost be a bassist.

I own an Ibanez Iceman [4-string], and an Ibanez RD505 [5-string], and I'm looking to get an Ibanez SRX705 [when I get the money]. I play out of a used Ampeg B2R Head, and a Hartke 115 paper cab [around 200 watts].

As for musical inclination- as a bassist I'm a HUGE fan of Tool, Mudvayne, and Black Label Society [for the bassists mainly, love the music too]. I'd have to say my biggest influence is in fact Justin Chancellor of Tool, strictly because he is so innovative, doesn't limit himself to just 1 string [at a time!] or playing style, and he can get really heavy tone out of his fretless.

I am buying a bass next week actually, I have no greater cunning so I would like to hear some recommendations for "starter" basses. Cheers! Also dont forget Marcus Miller when talking about good bassist, even though he doesnt play metal he is one hell of a jazz bassplayer.

Ibanez all the way! Not just because I like them for higher ups...they have great start basses/packs. They're more known for basses than guitars.

http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=GSR100Z

IMO that would be a great first bass, especially for something along the lines metal [pick-ups are higher, so you get deeper lower end, with less clang].

Also, what styles are you looking to play? Slap? Pick? I may be able to help you more If I know what you're shootin' for. [unintentional rhyme]

Well basicly the genres I have a major intresst in playing is Black / Death and grindcore, and some experimental stuff. So I dont think I will go all nuts and slap like the crazy dood in Primus ^^

Hehe you'll get the slapbass some day , it's not really something to get in a song standardly as Primus , but cool to show off to your friends or something
I started with an Adonis .. I don't really know which one, but it was the cheapest one in the store .. I still believe it's best to buy a cheap bass to get you started, and when you feel you really lost yourself in the instrument, get a better one
But that's just an advise ofcourse
@Endoftherainbow : my idol is Victor Wooten I try to play a song by him called : Classical Thump
I'm just trying to play the beginning, but even that is just .. really difficult! it has so many different styles .. it has thumping, slapping, double thumbing, ...
you should look up some tabs at www.bassmasta.net or something and give it a try

hello all, I just got a bass about 6 days ago, and yes, I bought a cheap one to start out with like belgianmetalman said...
To get started, I just started playing some scales and one of my friends told me to start playing modes... The first song I learned or am learning is Electric Funeral by Black Sabbath (but there are no correct tabs on the internet so don't go looking for them... I had to tab it myself and I just started playing ...) So if anyone else has any advice on how to get started,,, and also how to use a tuner haha.. that would be prime...

oh I'd also like to ask what makes a good bass?? and I am assuming Yamahas are not good hahahaha.. because that's what I have ..

I have an El-Degas bass and it has held up in all the years that I have been playing bass...it has a very strong and body...I have dropped it so many times and all this shit and it still looks like I just bought it..the finish on it is amazing...

The first song I ever played on the bass was Zombie from the Cranberries back when it came out...that song is so easy to play...after that I moved into some Black Sabbath and Metallica and have evolved into Rush, Dream Theater and all that...

So like 400 Euro for a starter bass + a functioning amplifyer is an ok price for starters?

I got my bass and amp for 225 Canadian, I don't know how many Euros that is though..

The average price I've seen for starter BASS packs is around 200-250 American. And that's from brands like Fender/Ibanez/etc...

I bought my bass guitar for $90 hahaha....used...my amp is a 3-way keyboard and I got it for $700...

Basso awesome avator Bad Taste rules...after Dead Alive.

I'm not a bassist, but I know one of THE BEST bass players around. (He won All-National) which means under 17 he's one of the best basses in the U.S.
He's got a Warwick Corvette Series and An Ibanez 6-string, and a Peavey 60 watt amp.

I'm not trying to ran any of you down or be a prick or anything, I was just telling you about a friend

Do any of you like Jaco Pastorius? (He's the man!!!!!!)

@ Masque Of Death: Yes indeed Bad Taste is incredible. Havent seen Dead Alive though, suppose I will have to check it out.

Anyway I decided to buy my bass this week. I aint sure what brand yet but I suppose it will be an Ibanez or something in the vain of that.

PS: What do you think of Yamaha bases? Are they bad or ok? I saw one that was for aprox 300 Euro, then I will spend the other 100 Euro on an amplifier

Written by Guest on 02.07.2006 at 00:46

I have an El-Degas bass and it has held up in all the years that I have been playing bass...it has a very strong and body...I have dropped it so many times and all this shit and it still looks like I just bought it..the finish on it is amazing...

The first song I ever played on the bass was Zombie from the Cranberries back when it came out...that song is so easy to play...after that I moved into some Black Sabbath and Metallica and have evolved into Rush, Dream Theater and all that...

Haha, cool man, my band plays Zombie from The Cranberries too, it was one of our first covers, and I played bass for about a month .. We still play it nowadays, it's just a kickass song

I bought a bass 2 days ago A Yamaha RBX 374. It is great to finally have an instrumet to play with at home. Anyone knows a great site for bass tabs?

Get this program if you can... TabIT. It taught me guitar and bass!!

I've been playing bass for like a year and a half now... Currently playing on a Fernandes 4-string, without a real bass amp (I'm saving up to a Kustom 600W). Also, when I've got the amp, I'm going to buy a Spector or Mayones 6-string.

My favourite bassplayers are Kristoffer Gildenlöw, John Myung, Jaco Pastorius, Justin Chancellor, Steve DiGorgio, Felipe Andreoli, Mikael Håkansson, Peter Vink, Mark King, etc.
I mostly play progressive, experimental stuff, but I try to play anything, really, I play finger, pick, slap, tap, etc.

I have a band, but I'm not the bass player of the band, just the singer.
I'm quite a multi-instrumentalist (playing guitar, bass, piano and drums, and singing as well).

if i want to get a bass for metal,is acoustic bass an option?
btw what's the diference between acoustic,fretless and electric bass?(the sound)

Acoustic would not be the way to go. It is most often a large up-right piece of equipment that looks very much like a Cello, but with a hollower, more wooden sound. Fretless could, I guess, be an option [Justin Chancellor of Tool plays fretless], the sound doesn't differ too much, and you can slide more on the neck.

I would still say go with an electric fretted. Electric of course is a given for metal, and fretted for beginners would be better because it's easier to indentify where on the neck you are, and get a precise sound. So again, I reccomend go electric-fretted [most common].

oh thanks,but(don't bash ) isn't bass a whole lot easier than guitar?considering there are only 4-5-6 strings mostly,and well,just look at a bass tab,and you'll notice the difference...

@Basso,
Honestly when I first started to play bass I started with really easy shit like nirvana, alice in chains, etc. Then as soon as I got used picking and good interaction with the bass, I started playing children of bodom, slayer, in flames and arch enemy. Now all I play is death, slayer, children of bodom and dissection, great stuff to train your left hand and coordination.

However whenever I'd play in C standard alot it would start loosen my pegs so I try to refrain playing C standard.

@Cursed well if you are low on cash and you are really desperate for a bass sound.
and you dont want to get a fretless if you are starting off in bass, you need to get coordination for where the notes are then you can consider a fretless. Its not easier, in the sense that a bass is alot bigger and you can do so much tricks with a bass. Playing a bass good takes alot of seasoning my friend, techqunique and style is something that tablatures dont show, its about improvising, harmonizing and having a soul with the bass.
If you notice in bands like death or necrophagist, the bass is doing smth much differrent that what the rhythm guitar is pulling.

I have a Cort action bass with a kustom amplifier, both affordable and very decent quality.

@cursed
I wouldn't say bass is easier than guitar ... Just read what Hellraizer said to Ibanez07, it's all about technique and you can do a lot more on a bass than a guitar. Which makes it more difficicult to control all these techniques and tricks. I play guitar too, and some lines are harder on the guitar than on the bass .. But some aren't ..

@belgianmetalman,
sorry, I meant that message for cursed, I dont know why I put Ibanez07 on there.

Written by Sunioj on 10.07.2006 at 21:18

@Basso,
Honestly when I first started to play bass I started with really easy shit like nirvana, alice in chains, etc. Then as soon as I got used picking and good interaction with the bass, I started playing children of bodom, slayer, in flames and arch enemy. Now all I play is death, slayer, children of bodom and dissection, great stuff to train your left hand and coordination.

However whenever I'd play in C standard alot it would start loosen my pegs so I try to refrain playing C standard.

Cool, I myself started out with Mayhem and Burzum tabs. And oh my aint Ea, Lord of The Deaphs a simple song My fav song to play atm is Freezing Moon or Funeral Fog

Anyone that has any hints to give when it comes to playing fast?

I play bass and i love to play Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. It´s not to hard to play and it sounds good! Most boring to play is power metal and punk. I also like to play blues!

@Basso,
If you want to play fast as in shredding, you should use a pick...but that sometimes takes some tone away from the bassy sound, but if you are refferring to playing notes fast as in arpeggios, then your fingers are just as fast; train your left hand with practicing scales and arpeggios, and you will see that in time, you will be able to connect notes on the differrent strings without even thinking.

Hey.... Please don't bash me now with my seriously stupid questions.... I'm just wondering if you guys took classic guitar lessons before starting playing bass? Or are you self-taught? Is it possible to play bass without knowing how to play classic guitar?