
Pro bassists weigh in on the differences between how guitarists and bassists approach the instrument.
That got me to thinking:
What is it about a guitar-playing bass player that's different from a "pure" bass player. Surely, our musical DNA is ninety-nine percent identical. So what exactly is that other one percent? And how can a guitar player play bass like a "real" bass player? I don't presume to know the answers, so I asked some accomplished "real" bass players from a variety of genres to weigh in.
Maybe it has to do with the way we relate to our respective instruments. David Ellefson, former Megadeth bassist and now Artist Relations Manager for Peavey thinks so: "Thinking of the bass as just a longer, deeper version of the guitar is the wrong approach for technique as well as composition." Six-string fretless virtuoso Steve Bailey expands on this notion, saying, "Guitarists think of music from the top down. Most of the licks happen in the mid-to-upper register, rarely going down. Bass players generally think below the fifth fret, occasionally working their way up. Traditionally, guitar is taught with high E as the first string. On bass, we teach that the first string is the low E [or low B]." Phil Chen, bassist for Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and countless others says, "Bass is a foundation instrument, like the foundation of a house." Chen advises players to "replicate the low frequency of the bass drum." Ellefson sums it up this way, "It's called a bass, not a treble, so please play it like one."
Maybe it's the mindset.
Doug Pinnick from King's X sees it this way: "If the bass player can't find the groove, it's because he's thinking 'guitar.' Guitarist-bass players tend to overplay and have no concept of the true reason we play bass. The bass dictates the groove and the feel." Former Suicidal Tendencies and Infectious Grooves bassist, Josh Paul, now with Daughtry, notices, "A lot of guitarists play a bit in front of the beat, in contrast to pure bass players who play a bit behind the beat. I like to think of the bass guitar as a drum kit that you can play melody on." Peavey's Ellefson continues, "A bass line that just follows a guitar pattern an octave lower is really a waste of a perfectly good track."
Maybe it's technique.
Says Ellefson, "It's a guitarist's right of passage to do anything they can to be nimble and quick on the fretboard. But a truly skilled bassist is solid, forceful and commanding, not necessarily swiftly dancing across the fingerboard."
Expanding on this is Walter Milsap, bassist and musical director for Lady Gaga, who has also worked with Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Timbaland, and Mariah Carey. Milsap notices that guitar-playing bass players are easy to spot because, "They're usually quicker with their fingering then most bass players." 311's P-Nut admonishes, "A guitar player playing bass shouldn't try to play slap; it's a dead giveaway." Amen, brutha.
While most of the players I interviewed jumped at the chance to finally tell their guitar playing brethren what they really think, a few didn't see the big deal. Jonas Hellborg, who has played with John McLaughlin, Shawn Lane, Buckethead and many others, told me, "I actually like when there's an extra element to people's playing. So for me, wrong is right." Similarly, legendary producer Don Was said, "I don't think that playing bass like a guitar player is, by definition, a bad thing: Bill Wyman and John Entwhistle come to mind as great influential players who did it the 'wrong' way."
Okay, but what if you don't want to strap on a bass and sound guitar-challenged? Don Was suggests, "Lose the pick and don't let the notes ring indefinitely. Take your fingers off the fretboard and let the notes breathe. You're part of the rhythm section now. Space is very important to the groove. Lock in with the bass drum and the hi-hat, and play in the pocket." Phil Chen agrees: "Play with the bass drum." In that vein, Steve Bailey advises, "Take three steps back and stand with the drummer and explore how few notes can actually make it happen." Similarly, Josh Paul offers, "It's important that the bass and drums work together as one unit." Walter Milsap gives this simple but sage advice to guitarists: "Change your delivery from complicated to simple." Don Was echoes this when he says, "Less is more."
Several of the bassists I talked with suggested that guitarists listen to legendary '60s Motown bassist James Jamerson, who Don Was describes as "such a lyrical, melodic musician that he was like a bassist and a guitarist put together." Others suggested listening to Larry Graham, Jaco Pastorius and Chris Squire.
Finally, Don Was offers this gem to make sure us guitarists can easily pass as "real" bass players: "Always dress as sharp as possible."
[Updated 11/8/21]
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Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where theyāre based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
- User-Defined Audio Presets: Each user can create and name up to five custom presets, like āBand Practice,ā āStudio Mic Setup,ā or āQuick Jam,ā making it effortless to jump back in with the perfect sound.
āThese tools are all about saving time and hassle,ā said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. āMusicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, weāre giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.ā
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
- Instantly identify which contacts own a Lutefish Stream deviceāso they will always know whoās ready to jam.
Go Yearly and Save 20%
Lutefish now offers a Yearly Subscription Plan, providing users with the same great access as the monthly plan at a 20% discount.
This option is now available within the Lutefish app and web platform, and current monthly users are eligible for a discount with an upgrade to a yearly subscription.
Lutefishās mission has always been to empower musicians to connect and collaborate without boundaries. With these new updates, Lutefish Stream continues to break down barriersāwhether youāre jamming with a friend across town or collaborating with a bandmate 500 miles away.
For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
Empress Effects is proud to announce the release of the Bass ParaEq, a bass-specific parametric EQ pedal.
Building on the success of their acclaimed ParaEq MKII series, which has already gained popularity with bassists, the Bass ParaEq offers the same studio-grade precision but with features tailored for bass instruments.
Basses of all types ā including electric and upright basses with active and passive electronics ā can benefit from the Bass ParaEqās tone-sculpting capabilities.
The new pedal follows the success of the Empress Bass Compressor and ParaEq MKII Deluxe, which have become some of the companyās best-reviewed and top-selling products. The Bass Compressorās popularity confirmed what Empress had long suspected: bassists are eager for tools built with their needs in mind, not just adaptations of guitar gear.
The Bass ParaEq retains the lineās powerful 3-band parametric EQ and studio-style features while introducing a bass-optimized frequency layout, a selectable 10M⦠Hi-Z input for piezo-equipped instruments, a dynamically-adjusted low shelf, and automatic balanced output detectionāperfect for live and studio use alike.
The Bass ParaEq also offers an output boost, adjustable by a dedicated top-mounted knob and activated by its own footswitch, capable of delivering up to 30dB of boost. Itās perfect for helping your bass punch through during key moments in live performance.
Whether dialing in clarity for a dense mix or compensating for an unfamiliar venue, the Bass ParaEq offers precise tonal control in a compact, road-ready form. With 27V of internal headroom to prevent clipping from even the hottest active pickups, the Bass ParaEq is the ultimate studio-style EQ designed to travel.
Key features of the Bass ParaEq include:
- Adjustable frequency bands tailored for bass instruments
- Selectable 10M⦠Hi-Z input for upright basses and piezo pickups
- Auto-detecting balanced output for long cable runs and direct recording
- Three sweepable parametric bands with variable Q
- High-pass, low-pass, low shelf, and high shelf filters
- Transparent analog signal path with 27V of internal headroom
- Buffered bypass switching
- Powered by standard 9V external supply, 300mA (no battery compartment)
The Bass ParaEq is now shipping worldwide. It can be purchased from the Empress Effects website for $374 USD and through authorized Empress dealers globally.
Few musical acts did more to put their fame and fortune to good use than punk rock icon Wayne Kramer. Known for his enduring commitment to activism, especially in justice reform, his life story embodies the defiant, DIY ethos of punk, directly inspiring generations of bands and musicians who followed. Now, fans and fellow musicians alike can attempt to emulate Kramerās incendiary sound with the new, limited-edition pedal.
Designed before his death in February 2024, Wayne Kramerātogether with friend Jimi Dunlop (Dunlop CEO) and Daredevil Pedals owner Johnny Wator āthe pedal features artwork from artist and activist Shepard Fairey (Obey Clothing founder). A majority of profits from the sale of the pedal goes directly to Kramerās charity supporting the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
In honor of his close friend, Tom Morelloāthe innovative guitarist behind Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, the Nightwatchman, and moreādemoed the pedal, showcasing its sound and shining light on Wayne Kramerās incredible legacy.
Tom Morello Introduces MC5 Wayne Kramer-Inspired Pedal For Charity: MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive
"What they've tried to bake into the MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive distortion pedal is not just Wayne's sound but Wayne's attitude, and the grit and the rawness of Detroit and of the MC5," said Morello, one of Kramerās best friends, during his demo of the pedal. "This is the guitar pedal that was used on the song 'Heavy Lifting' that I recorded with Wayne for the last MC5 record.
"Named after the late rocker's charityāwhich provides instruments and art workshops to incarcerated individuals as rehabilitation toolsāthe MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal aims to capture all of the high-voltage energy of Wayne Kramer's sound. It features two uniquely voiced gain circuits cascaded together with a singular pot controlling both the output level of each circuit and the overall saturation level of the distortion.
Music makers looking to capture Kramerās raw, fiery sound can pick up the new MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal, exclusively on Reverb via The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop for $199, here: https://reverb.com/shop/the-official-mxr-jail-guitar-doors-reverb-shop.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you donāt need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single āTrembling Level,ā back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December⦠A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PGās Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the bandās show at Nashvilleās Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by DāAddario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Hetās Hardwired strings, .011ā.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab thatās been rebadged in honor of its nickname, āDonkey,ā while the Archon, which is like a ārefined 5150,ā runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primackās Pedalboard
Primackās board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taverās Teles
Vadim Taverās go-to is this cherryburst FenderĀ Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primackās recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have DāAddario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taverās Pedalboard
Taverās board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmonās favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which heās outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ā70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmonās Pedalboard
Harmonās board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.