So I've been playing bass for a while now and I decided it was time to share some insight that I feel was "learned the hard way". Feel free to disagree with me and share your opinions- the only constant in life is change.
Gear
1.Your amp determines most of the way you sound, the bass just makes it easier to get the soud you want. This took me a long time to figure out. I started playing bass in highschool after learning guitar. I'm ashamed to admit it was about 6 years after picking up the bass before I played through a decent amp and another 10 before I had a really good amp of my own. I spent way way too much time early on searching for the right bass when what I really needed was a decent amp. I think I can summarize it this way: your bass determines how you feel (to you), your amp determines how you sound (to your audience).
2. Parts fenders are easy and fun(!!!!!!!!)
3. Bass setup is KEY! (And not that hard to get right)
In many ways the difference between a cheap bass and an expensive bass is the setup. The frustrating thing is that a setup only lasts so long. There are so many resources online now explaining how to adjust INTONATION, action, neck relief, file nuts, and even do light fret work. Learning how to do this can make a bad bass feel great and make a great bass keep feeling great. I have yet to find a tech who did a setup I find satisfactory (wasted so much money!).
4. Compression is your friend in a stressful situation.
I spent quite a while feeling like compression was a cheat like autotune that would take away from my natural playing dynamics. I have learned that was a stupid sentiment. Compresion can make a crappy amp sound louder and a good amp sound more clear. I recently started using a compressor about 5 years too late.
Gear
1.Your amp determines most of the way you sound, the bass just makes it easier to get the soud you want. This took me a long time to figure out. I started playing bass in highschool after learning guitar. I'm ashamed to admit it was about 6 years after picking up the bass before I played through a decent amp and another 10 before I had a really good amp of my own. I spent way way too much time early on searching for the right bass when what I really needed was a decent amp. I think I can summarize it this way: your bass determines how you feel (to you), your amp determines how you sound (to your audience).
2. Parts fenders are easy and fun(!!!!!!!!)
3. Bass setup is KEY! (And not that hard to get right)
In many ways the difference between a cheap bass and an expensive bass is the setup. The frustrating thing is that a setup only lasts so long. There are so many resources online now explaining how to adjust INTONATION, action, neck relief, file nuts, and even do light fret work. Learning how to do this can make a bad bass feel great and make a great bass keep feeling great. I have yet to find a tech who did a setup I find satisfactory (wasted so much money!).
4. Compression is your friend in a stressful situation.
I spent quite a while feeling like compression was a cheat like autotune that would take away from my natural playing dynamics. I have learned that was a stupid sentiment. Compresion can make a crappy amp sound louder and a good amp sound more clear. I recently started using a compressor about 5 years too late.
