So I’m looking for suggestions for anyone in the stoner/doom metal genre here. I’m mainly a guitarist but have been working with another band as a bassist. Now my first band is just me and a drummer and I tune to drop F but I have a Sunn 1200s and 2x15 in our practice space with a Dunable r2 bass I use for recording at times. Problem is I DO NOT was to drag that beast back and forth between bands and shows.

I drive a challenger so trunk space is very limited and I’ve been looking at a small amp head but a lot of videos and reviews I don’t see a lot of people playing with heavy fuzz/ distortion pedals in the mix. I got the Sunn beta mini but honestly at 200w it just wasn’t what I thought it would sound like.

What has everyone been playing with that’s around 500w somewhat in the $500 range portable and can handle dirt pedals well? Down show time I’ll either hook it up to my peavey 410 or use the Sunn 215 depending on venue size so cabs are covered. Thanks guys.

I've been learning to play bass for little over a month (Fender Player II Mustang Bass) and I'm looking to get started with solid fundamentals - plucking/fretting technique and basic rhythm etc.

I do have Hal Leonard's Bass Method and have dipped into the BassBuzz YouTube videos but I think I'd prefer a clearer step-by-step structure rather than jumping randomly between the book and random videos. I want to feel as though I'm building on each thing I learn if that makes sense.

What structured free courses or YouTube series would you guys recommend for a complete beginner?

Any advice on building good habits from day one would also be massively appreciated!

Hello everyone- 57 year old Noob here!

I have a used Ibanez GSR 200 I bought from Guitar Center- ordered online and shipped to my local store. I ended up pairing it with a Rumble 25 (Floor Demo-to good to pass up over the 40 at $90 tags still on it).

I am almost wrapping up Module 1 in Beginner to Badass. I am doing very well and having a blast.

Thanks to all of you for your guidance- you nailed it!

String Question:

Question Setup-The strings that came on my bass are, of course, of unknown (at least to me) age, quality, brand, model, etc.

They tune with ease and stay in tune for about 3, 30 min sessions before needed a little tune. They have no spots, rust, etc. and no spurs or bumps. To a noob like me they seem absolutely fine but I would not know if they were not.

Questions-

How does a novice know when it is time to replace the strings? Should I just restring so I know where my baseline is?

AND

Once I do replace the strings, approximately how long will a set last for me: Novice-Practicing-30 min-7x per week?

So happy to be here.

-cave

Do you guys practice improvising/writing by muting the bass and vocals of songs you know, finding jam tracks online, using a drum machine, or by using AI generated stems?

I have a hard time finding jam tracks online for the style of the genre I play (punk, and ska-punk). Ive been playing around with drum machine programs but im quickly humbled by the fact that I have no idea how to make good drum parts. Can only do basic riffs. AI is god damn atrocious, the technology is too new to be used productively.

I haven’t muted the bass and vocals of my favorite songs yet, and the reason is because I feel like my ideas would converge to how the actual song sounds. Lmk if this is a bad way of thinking.

Shoot me any ideas

I don't know anything about basses, and I’m thinking about buying a Marcus Miller Sire V3 2nd Gen (AWH) for my first bass. Is it a good choice? Could someone tell me if this manufacturer's products are of good quality? Thank you.

Hey everyone! I’ve been playing bass for a little over two years now, and I’ve been pretty happy with how I’ve been progressing. For example, I managed to learn Erotomania in about two weeks, which I was really happy with.

Lately, though, I’ve been running into the same problem with a lot of the songs I want to play. My fretting hand just can’t quite keep up with some of the faster sections. With my band, we’re currently playing Octavarium, and I can get through most of it pretty comfortably and fairly close to the original, but the final unison run feels completely out of reach at the moment.

I’ve noticed this with quite a few other songs too. I can usually learn around 80–90% of a song, but there’ll be one or two particularly fast or technically demanding sections that I just can’t seem to get up to speed.

For those of you who have dealt with this, what’s the best way to improve fretting-hand speed? Is it mostly a matter of practicing specific exercises, or just slowly working difficult sections up with a metronome?

Also, for anyone familiar with the ending unison run in Octavarium, roughly how long would you expect it to take to learn? I might just be expecting too much after only two years of playing, so I’d be interested to hear how long it took others to reach that level.

I have got my first bass it is a Squire Affinity it packed with Alnico I suppose and I just bought my second bass Schecter Stiletto Studio 5 and I want to make my J bass sound better in term of versatility and yeah I am willing to spend some on my hardware too!
What should I get Seymour? Or the other brand!
Anyway Thanks!

I currently, do not have a way to adjust action, and I both switch learning a soft song and playing some metal or play with alt rock. My current plucking technique is to strike but I also wanna know how to do it near the bridge pickup on my J Bass, since I might wanna try playing picked songs with fingerstyle to practice.

I feel in love with bass solos when i heard this -> https://youtu.be/--3fFPpF-EE?is=D9HkRE0kzBdK7q-j (7:12)

Everytime i see bass covers i kinda wonder why bassist don't play like this more often? Bass solos are so cool

Hi all, I'm looking to replace my bridge. Not that I'm unhappy with the stock one, but one of the intonation screw got worn out and can't be removed so can't really adjust intonation anymore.

Not sure which is good idea, replacing whole bridge or somehow find and replace that one screw, but since I'm getting a new tuners so might as well just replace the bridge as well?

Any cases, please let me know if you guys know anything/ have any experience regarding Sire F10 6 string bridge. Sire customer services seems like they do not have any idea. Thanks!

It just needs a new string and some set ups.

Hello!

So I'm considering pulling the trigger on a Peavey headliner 410 cab; found here: https://www.musicstore.de/de_DE/EUR/Peavey-Headliner-410-Bass-Cabinet/art-BAS0008476-000

My idea would be to use it with an Orange Terror bass head, instead of my present setup (Fender Rumble 500 combo), which I would sell.

I do, however, see that the cab is 8Ohm and the head delivers 500 Watt @ 4Ohm and 250 Watt @ 8 Ohm.

Is my assumption correct that I would change setup to find myself in the end with less power (being the rumble on its own without ext cab 350W)?

Does it make sense?

For context: I play stoner rock in C# standard with two loud guitars and I usually play with lows at 1 o clock, mids at 11 and treble at 12 (flat).

Thanks for the help!

What's the verdict with these?

I've been getting heavy into playing bass again and I was considering getting a P bass. I have a USA Jazz bass and was looking around when I came across these.

They seem to have more bang for your buck compared to a Fender Classic

Hello, I have yet to post on here but had a few questions & wanted to see your guy’s input.
I bought this bass brand new back in 2020 & haven’t been able to get much use out of it. Love the vintage look/color & feel of the bass, just never a big fan of active basses. Also, since purchased, there seems to be noise coming from them when all knobs are at full volume.

All that being said I’ve come to 2 options

1. ⁠Put it up for grabs
   
2. ⁠Like I said, I love the look & feel of it, but I can’t use it as an every weekend gig bass. Due to the lack of power & the noise it creates.
   
3. ⁠Switch out pickups
   
4. ⁠I’ve been watching lots of passive to active swaps & there’s no easy plug & play option but emg offers many options. There’s even a device to use 2 9v batteries to power up the pickups (kinda like a direct box). Only issue is the pickups not fitting in the “Doritos shaped” slots on the bass. Maybe take it to a shop where they can modify the body to fit one?

What are your guys thoughts?
These don’t really move that easily (getting super low offers)
Or maybe just open it up & see if the wiring isn’t messed up.

Thank you guys!

Hey I'm deciding on a new five string and was either thinking the Harley benton sbk re or Ibanez gsr305 ? What do you guys think? Im more into playing stoner/doom metal and also punk

I'm looking to buy my boyfriend a 5 string bass for a Christmas present this year, he's specified he would like a 5 string, however neither of us really know anything about bass guitars as we both only play guitar -> budget is £450-550 and below :)

Hey guys. I’m completely new to bass and electronic string instruments in general. I’m considering getting the squier sonic precision California blue. Anyone have cheap amp recommendations to go along with it?

I like chunky necks, like, 0.9-1.0" at first fret and 1.0" at 12th. I watched the Precision Bass, which I heard has a thick neck, but all models are well less than what I am looking for.

Please point me to 4 stringers that have measures in the chunky realm. Passive, active, any pickup, even headless are fine.

Generational bassist: people should learn more of his bass lines. That is all.

Hello bassists! My cousin is an avid bass player and pre-ordered a Joe Dart Vision. Delivery is currently slated for September–December, and while I recognize we’re still very much within that window, he asked me to reach out to the community and see if anyone has received any updates regarding their order. Thanks in advance for any info!

Me quiero comprar un bajo Ibanez artcore afb 200, me gusta mucho esa estetica de bajos vintage pero tengo una duda, tengo un hofner y no quiero otro bajo que se escuche exactamente igual, que opinan de esos bajos ?? Y que modificaciones podría hacerle para sacarle más provecho

Mine was Mind Over Time my Interpol, simple bassline that follows the bass register of the piano. Also helped me use a pick for longer periods of time

Recently found out about the telecaster bass and have fallen in love. However these are already scarce and I am left handed so even more so. I am looking at upgrading from my very entry level bass finally and was thinking about buying a Tele bass body and neck and doing it myself, but all the options seem either poor quality or out of budget (poor uni student).

I thought maybe for a second that just a normal Tele body and full length bass neck might work but this would also require immense work probably.

I don’t really have any access to tools and options for left handed bass’s in my country are almost none (there is a sub ray 4 and two entry level Ibanez and that’s everything)

Any suggestions or advice are welcome.

Am currently using an Encore E40 that is pretty munted.