Bassists

[michael]

I typically change my strings every year or two. I use a variety of strings on my different basses (flats on my fretless, Elixirs on my fretted 5, and coated gold strings on my blinged 4-stringer) so I don't have a set schedule.

I've only broken one string in 25 years of playing, and that was when tuning a new G string.

[kimball492]

Here's a few Bass riffs to practice
http://youtu.be/FDKDdVilQT4

[kimball492]

Here's one for the guitarists to laugh at
http://youtu.be/r-zKMsj5rio

Here's one for the bass players
http://youtu.be/1hAWr6c9wV4

For the bass player singer and guitarist
http://youtu.be/_2zUYmgIxEU

Now it's the singers turn
http://youtu.be/XG--kTbq4ww

[moody]

I'm going to jump in here. I have recently gotten onto the flat wound band wagon and I love them.

Before that I was very much a dead round wound person. I had a box full of second hand strings so that I had already dead strings that I could put on my basses if one broke - I hate the sound of new strings and particularly one new string on an already strung bass sounded awful. That doesn't mean I don't like treble - I like a consistent, non zingy tone that will remain the same whether I change strings or not.

PS. I have worked hard at getting the tone I want, I have a good half dozen effects pedals that I use regularly. The basses themselves I don't use for tone shaping (one bass I never touch the controls, another the controls are bypassed).

[Rob L]

It seems to me that his rant was really about guitarists playing bass. He seemed to be preaching for viewing bass as "not" a guitar and therefore worthy of an independent technique. I have not problem with this. There are similarities between electric guitar, acoustic guitar and bass guitar. But they are all very different, requiring the development of different playing techniques and a different approach to rhythm. I can play bass, but I play it like a guitarist. I'd rather have someone who understands bass to be playing any time.

Worn is right. His first 3+ minutes of his rant wasn't about bassists. It was about bad guitarists trying to be a bassist and how they shouldn't.
I don't like playing bass at all. I do it on all of my own recordings but I play it like a 6-string guitarist. I would make a terrible choice as a bassist in a band.
The bass player and drummer are 2 of the most important parts to a band. Problem is, they know this and many of the bassists and drummers I have played with tended to be arrogant jerks especially my last bassist who never did understand that every song doesn't require a complicated bassline.
I started out as a strictly rhythm guitarist because I was also the singer. That changed when we lost our lead player the night of a gig. I had to play 3 roles then and have been ever since.
A good bassist knows when to back off and play something simple. So does a good guitarist and drummer.

BUT, having said all that, two of the guitarists I have played with in the past have made fantastic bassists. In fact one is playing in a working band as bassist only and the other does double duty in his band and he wants to play bass on my new recordings. I think a lot of it is mindset. If I took the time to learn bass I'd be good at it cause I know how important the bass is in a band/song. Not being a shredder helps me with that.

[Rob L]

As to bass strings I know notta. When I was a full time working musician I changed my guitar strings every 2-3 weeks.

[Rob L]

I typically change my strings every year or two. I use a variety of strings on my different basses (flats on my fretless, Elixirs on my fretted 5, and coated gold strings on my blinged 4-stringer) so I don't have a set schedule.

I've only broken one string in 25 years of playing, and that was when tuning a new G string.

My fave bassist ever in one of my bands was the same way Michael. I don't know what strings he used but he loved the sound he got with his Music Man bass and old strings. He called it a greasy sound and I loved it.
Irony. His name was Michael too...hehehe

[lunaticthighs]

As a bass player who never wanted to be anything else I think he has some valid arguments. I personally hate the guitarist who plays bass because they play like a guitarist. That being said I have been in a project as a bass player with a guitarist also on bass and we made some good sounds, mainly because I played bass lines and held it all together while he played bass like a guitarist.
Totally agree with the practice and knowing the arrangements before hitting the studio especially if your paying for the time. Bit different just writing and arranging in your own studio.
As for new strings, that is a personal preference and really depends on what style you are trying for. I hate new strings unless I am trying for that punk twang or want a more mid range to fit in with bottom heavy metal guitars. Mind you that being said strings do have a life span and will sound shit and wont hold a tune after a certain amount of time and becomes pretty obvious when they have had their day. Good thing is bass strings are cheaper now that they were 15 years ago and easier to get the brand and size I like. Haven't resorted to boiling a set in years

[fatmunkey]

Boiling strings works because you're getting rid of all the oil and gunk out of them, and that's what deadens strings. If you never touch the bass, they'll last for a long long time. When I was gigging three nights a week, I'd go through a set every six months (still better than the guitarists' Elixirs that were changed every other week (or so it seemed)).

Fact is, bass and guitar look kinda the same, have the same standard tuning pattern, and that's where the similarities end. If I pick up a bass with my guitar head on, I wonder why it sounds weird for a few minutes and then remember "duh, its a different instrument."

Fun fact, same story is apparently true with pianos and organs, though you'll never hear about it online coz they can't hook their keyboards up :P

[dingobass]

The boiling strings thing is something I have never done... Probs because I use flatties and they never seem to age... The just get sweeter the older they get

One thing that has got me wondering though, if you use strings with a layer of silk in the widings, wouldnt boiling screw em up?