Guitarists picking up bass

[RacerX]

Watch the Master:

[Lumpy]

I learned a lot more from listening and especially watching other bassists when I picked the instrument up. You know how Geezer on the older Sabbath stuff noodles with his right hand just above the neck and not above the body? Al Cisneros does the same thing, noodling a bit higher up on the neck. The sound is better for that kinda stuff and it sits easy. In a very "duh"-moment I tried it as well and holy smokes, noodling and just playing with a groove all of the sudden made much more sense to me.

I find the strings a little too rubbery up there, but YMMV. I like a little bit of tension, so I play closer to the bridge.

[MichaelZodiac]

I vary a bit on where I place my hand, I like it up there for some noodling stuff but if I want to dig in hard I play really close to the bridge. I dunno, I just do what feels and sounds right.

[Lumpy]

Me too

*fist bump*

[chille01]

Ended up picking up a used MIM Jazz at the local music shop for $399 yesterday. I probably could have got one for $300 in a private sale if I'd wanted to wait, but searching back through the listings they don't actually come up that often. I tried a bunch of MIA Jazz and Precisions, as well as some Yamaha stuff and some Music Man stuff.  The neck on the jazz seems to fit my dainty guitar player hands best, and I couldn't really see that much difference between the MIM version and the MIA. I'm sure there is one, but I'm not enough of a bassist to know the difference yet. So the MIM seems to be a decent fit at a decent price for now.

[Lip]

I love this thread. I write a lot of riff fock stuff on guitar - i think the first song I wrote that was recorded and released was Man's Ruin off of Flores de Sangre - gdfu's last release... but I've been a bass player for almost 30 years. Typically, I have always been a very unorthodox bass player - yet - still - i think - fitting well within the confines of what a 'bassplayer' is and should be... which is reeeeally arbitrary. I've always been a hugs fan of players like Mike Watt, flea, Cliff Burton, Steve Harris - as well as - the opposite end of the spectrum - Roger Waters and Gene Simmons - to name just a few that I think are tremendously tasty - very much in what they choose not too aly - as much as in what they do play. I'm a finger player - and move my hand around the pickups - both laterally and depth wise - depending on what I'm doing. I really lover listening to stuff like Irepress - they really utilize the bass in terms of texture, melody and rythym - same with Intronaut - fucking fantastic playing - AND Scott Reader is DEFF a bassist's bassist and I love listening to his blend of rythym and melody. You guys might remember slugfuct - he is always telling me I play guitar like a bass player - which he likes - says its different.

[moose23]

I play a good bit up over the fretboard, especially so for intricate noodly stuff then drop back to between the pickup and neck for the heavier. Never go back near the bridge, way too trebley for me.

[Dunedin]

Watch the Master:

Jack Bruce makes the bass guitar look effortless. Applauded RacerX, for this cool clip.