Bass players from Mars Guitar Players from Uranus?

[Loni Specter]

Just wondering. Do bass players not feel that they are a part of the guitar related community? I know some guitarists play bass and vice versa.

Do dedicated bass players, meaning those that play bass as their primary instrument, feel distant from guitarists?

[James Hart]

unfortunately most bassists find it insulting to have their bass guitar called a guitar.... many feel bass guitar is an insult as well.

Myself, I took guitar lessons in the 80s because I couldn't find a "lead bass" styled teacher..... I'm an Extended Range Bass Guitarist myself. My main bass is a 7 string tuned like a guitar with a low B and I own a strat and yamaha acoustic.

[Brian Scherzer]

I am a bassist. I don't use the term "guitar".....out of respect for guitar players!

[GDking]

"When drums stop, bass solo begin"!!


Aieeeee!

[2 Loud 4 You]

Are you trying to say you can pull a guitarist out of your...well, you know?

Actually when I was fulltime bassist I got as much respect, from fans and musicians, in my band as the guitarist did.

[dillonfiore]

I can't play anything but bass, but I dont mind guitarist or bass guitarist. I do think that the two have differing philosophies on what a bass is supposed to do or sound like. A bass isnt supposed to sound like a guitar nor should it be played like one. Most guitarist dont get that.

[PB+J]

I think of the bass as being a different instrument from a guitar--I can play guitar well, but I prefer playing bass. I try to make my basses sound "un
-guitarlike."

[Bassomatic]

Originally Posted by Loni Specter

Just wondering. Do bass players not feel that they are a part of the guitar related community? I know some guitarists play bass and vice versa.

Do dedicated bass players, meaning those that play bass as their primary instrument, feel distant from guitarists?

Sadly, most of my bestest musical friends are guitarists.

[Mikebass]

It just kills me when I hear guitar players almost speak down to bass players.
OK Mr. Guitar player- here's a Jamerson line, have at it and play it correctly.

It's a completely different animal. Most guitar players don't relize that.
What makes them/you sound good is us.

[The Golden Boy]

What drives me nutty is that many bass players, moreso than other musicians, have this weird "elitist" thing going on. Like they're special because they play bass. Getting insulted by being referred to as a "bass player" instead of a "bassist." How a 'true bassist' would never use a pick. Get over yourself. You're a musician. You're a part of a team. Yes, the music would sound like poop without you, but it would also sound like poop with no drums or no guitar...

Bass is an entirely different animal. I believe it's an entirely different thought process. But it's something you work at, it's something you develop- the good ones have a gift, but it's no different than developing any other gift in being a good musician.

I don't recall ever being "looked down upon" simply for being a bass player by any decent musician.

[Loni Specter]

This is the kind of dialogue I was hoping for.
I'm putting together a Bass "Tone Wizards" forum at the OCT. AMP SHOW, so this is great stuff to help me understand the perceptions of the players and manufacturers.
Keep it comming.

[Mikebass]

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

What drives me nutty is that many bass players, moreso than other musicians, have this weird "elitist" thing going on. Like they're special because they play bass. Getting insulted by being referred to as a "bass player" instead of a "bassist." How a 'true bassist' would never use a pick. Get over yourself. You're a musician. You're a part of a team. Yes, the music would sound like poop without you, but it would also sound like poop with no drums or no guitar...

Bass is an entirely different animal. I believe it's an entirely different thought process. But it's something you work at, it's something you develop- the good ones have a gift, but it's no different than developing any other gift in being a good musician.

I don't recall ever being "looked down upon" simply for being a bass player by any decent musician.

I can't tell you how many times I walked into gigs and/or jams with either my 5 and maybe a 6 string and either got "your not gonna need that thing", "Dude, you a bass player", or something of the like- BEFORE I even played a note.

And on top of it, guitar players who have told me they don't want bass players who can play, just ones who can hold it down- a true art in of itself mind you, I do that 90% of the time, but who can just do the basics and nothing more really.

What's funny is how many "Ego" jokes do you know about bass players? Now, how many about guitar players?? Think there is a reason for that myself.......

I could really care less how or why you play a bass the way you do or call me- bass player, bass guitarist, bassist (just don't call me late for dinner!). Me, I'm a fingers guy, but I lost my mind when I heard Walter Beckers slighted muted pick tone on Steely Dan's "EveryThing Must Go" disc.
WHEW!!! Sweet tone!!

[musicofanatic5]

When I see a fella with a five or six string bass, I say "dude you're not going to need all those". We used to have a joke at one jam that a bass player was useful only until he "learned how to play", and then he was no good anymore. Oh yeah, I'm a bassist, too (it's how I make my living), but since I mostly play upright, that must make me "super-elitist"! (this is fun!)

[Gordon_Gecko]

Originally Posted by Mikebass

It just kills me when I hear guitar players almost speak down to bass players.
OK Mr. Guitar player- here's a Jamerson line, have at it and play it correctly.

It's a completely different animal. Most guitar players don't relize that.
What makes them/you sound good is us.

what he said...

[mcknigs]

Reactions to some of the comments in this thread. For what they're worth. Which may not be much.

I play bass and guitar and have been going back and forth between them for years. I agree bass is different than guitar, and being a good bass player means learning things about bass that good guitarists don't necessarily know. I wouldn't agree that bass is completely different than guitar because I think there are potential overlaps in technique.

I like to play bass in different ways, with a pick, with my fingers, with my thumb, with a P-bass, with a hollowbody bass, flatwounds, roundwounds, etc. As part of that, sometimes I do things that are relatively guitar-like -- bend strings, add vibrato, palm mute, attack the strings with the side of the pick so the pick across the windings adds a high-frequency "sching" that's more guitar sounding than traditional bass... I tend to think of this as being more on the "bass guitar" side of things than on the "bassist" side of things, but I hesitate to go too far with labels like that because, ultimately, verbal labels do a poor job of describing music. As far as I'm concerned, it comes down to IISGIIG (if it sounds good, it is good).

I've known rockers who look down on the guys using fingers to play the 6-string Alembics strung up just below their chin, and the technical, schooled bassists who look down on the guy wailing away with a pick on a P-bass hanging down to his knees. I try to avoid choosing sides. As far as I'm concerned, IISGIIG.

I certainly don't have problems with a bassist who becomes highly technically proficient. That technique can be a great tool that benefits the band. OTOH, I don't want that bassist to overplay anymore than I want any other musician to overplay. If that guy starts playing a pop-bass solo behind the band when it's playing "You're Cheatin' Heart," I don't think I should be considered overly stodgy for reacting negatively to his show of technical prowess.

As far as bassists being part of the guitar community - most bass players I know also play guitar, and vice versa. Most specialize in one or the other, but there's enough overlap that there's a defacto single community whether you think of the bass guitar as being a guitar or not. How close bass playing is to guitar playing, and bass players come to being guitar players, depends on playing style.

-Scott