Loops & MIDIs are cool, playing a VST bass is super cool, but a real bass could be BOOOM-BASS-TIC!

So far I never ventured to put my hands on a bass, but I always desired to do that, so tonight I tried

I set a texture with Scaler and Minimonsta, I put EZBass in a track, but instead of searching for some precooked riff I played it with my hands

It is easier than using a real bass because, usually, the bass makes the rhythm for other instruments, so if the bassist fails all the band fails :cold_face:

But in this case I followed the keys and the drums that never fail the rhythm, so doing a proper bassline was easier and a lot of fun :heart_eyes:

I must do it more often

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It’s about time! :smiley: You should try a real bass. So much better!

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I am sure about it

But:
it will hurt my fingertips, possibly more than a guitar :cold_face:
and
it makes noises and I don’t have an insulated studio

Nope, no sounds. You don’t need an amp. Just plug-in direct. Sound in headphones will make you smile! :guitar: :love_you_gesture: :sunglasses:

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OK

Now I just have to break my piggy bank, and to persuade my wife that it will not be another paperweight like my last guitar bought a dozen of years ago

I don’t know what is the Mission Impossible among the 2
Likely both LOL

And the fingertip stress issue remains :cold_face:

All you need is a bass, a cord, a sound card through which you can call the computer. Then a bass amplifier for DAW.

I have all them, but a bass :upside_down_face:
good basses cost a lot :thinking:
and marble fingertips require a lot of exercise :cold_face:

a bass plugin can be played with the flat keys of my MIDI keyboard instead
it doesn’t hurt my fingertips
no strings to buy
never out of tune
etc.

You can get one form Thomann for less than EUR 120 
 less than lunch in the village with your good lady 


If a cheap Yamaha bass is 400 bucks I think that there is some reason


I was able to build an almost complete solid-body guitar in the past, using an African teak, and I doubt that a decent piece of wood can cost so low

This is made with poplar and maple, 2 poor woods

They didn’t use balsa just because it’s so rare nowadays :rofl:

And, consider that a good pickup costs more, alone, and now add the mechanics


Anyway, the stress on fingertips remains :cold_face:

So I beg you pardon if I keep using a vst and a MIDI keyboard

I just posted because you seemed quite keen on getting one at one stage, and I was suggesting something that might not break the bank.

I’m not sure why you think maple is a poor wood. I know nothing about, it but Suhr, Fender, Vigier, Gibson, PRS all use maple in their top guitars costing many thousands of dollars. Even with Mahogany bodies, these companies often use maple necks, and most contoured bodies are finished in maple.

Here’s another suggestion, given in the spirit of trying to find ways for you to get better feeling and realism, even with a crappy guitar. www.jamorigin.com No amp required and you can feed it straight into a bass synth of your choice (EZ bass ?). As long as the guitar is in tune, it could be made out of plywood, as it won’t change the sound (audio or acoustic).


 but there is still the issue of the finger tips
 you could try putting putting a glue like Bostic on them and letting it dry before playing .

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Thanks for effort, but the real reason I prefer my MIDI keyboard is the stress on my fingertips, and you need a lot of exercise every day to have your fingertips strong enough to cope with the friction

The last time I tried with this fine Yamaha guitar

I remember the pain, so I have no intention to repeat the experience

well, I see that maple is used for aesthetic reasons, so it can be fine, but poplar is a weak wood so not ideal for the body, and I think it is just used because is very cheap, while mahogany is certainly better

https://woodworkly.com/poplar-wood-disadvantages/

but mechanics are important as well: if they are cheap the instrument goes quickly out of tune, that is not cool :cold_face:

Well, I changed the title a bit :grin:

You are absolutely right. In fact, one maple neck can cost in four numbers.
The other type of wood used for necks is rosewood. It apparently gives a bit “warmer” sound.

Personally, I prefer maple necks because this kind of wood is generally lacquered or varnished and in fact you don’t play directly on the wood but on the varnish so it is easier and faster travelling up and down the neck.

As for those cheap basses and guitars, I don’t necessarily recommend them even to beginners. They might be really bad. With good luck, you can get a decent instrument, which is really rare. you usually have to have it serviced and adjusted by a professional right away unless you know how to get a playable instrument out of it. In the worst case, it still won’t be good enough.

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I totally agree
I bought cheap stuff in the past, but no more an option
I want the best I can afford
If I can’t reach a good stuff, even used, I don’t buy

Personally I wouldn’t be quite so sure. Obviously all just opinions here, but I have seen plenty of these “unboxing” style videos in which experienced musicians are frequently “blown away” by the quality of cheap instruments.

A lot of the sound is in the player. Give a good player a cheaper instrument, it’ll sound fantastic. Give an average player a really expensive guitar? It’ll sound ‘average’.

I realise you get what you pay for, and I’m not saying one must admire cheap products. I’m simply saying don’t be quick to dismiss budget priced instruments, and particularly because a lot of the big brands aren’t actually terribly well made and they’re stupidly over-priced because of the name. I wouldn’t own a Gibson (for example) if you gave me one!

Just my opinion of course.

Neither would I. I prefer Stratocasters. :joy:

Seriously, Gibson guitars are great instruments, but so overpriced even for their quality.
My first electric guitar was Squire Strat. With a few inexpensive mods, one can have good sound. The body is excellent, tne neck is great. Change the tuners and it becomes very decent guitar.

well again, just as my opinion, I don’t really see “for their quality” evident in today’s Gibson instruments.

I was in a guitar shop in London not so long ago, and picked up a 335 dot, largely because I wanted to compare it with the really excellent Tanglewood “Memphis” 335 copy I own. That guitar cost me £100 off Ebay. Surely, I said to myself, this £3500 Gibson I’m holding is going to be clearly much better made.

How wrong I was! The purfling inside the body was terrible - roughly cut, no finishing. Things like fret setting, neck fit, overall finish? Not terrible, but no better at all than my cheapo copy.

One only has to go looking for the videos out there showing factory production for mid-price instruments like Peavy, Westone, Carvin etc. and to see guitars coming off a SINGLE production line
 these guitars then go left, where the Peavey labels are applied and then sprayed in their colours. Other guitar goes right and has a different label attached
 Yes I’m cynical, but since I jumped in by defending Harley Benson (indirectly) I have no problem at all believing that these cheap brands are made in the same factories, alongside more established names.

Unlike “back then” when, if you needed a guitar, you just went into the local store and bought what you could afford but which was only likely to be a Fender, Gibson, Burns, Gretsch, Hofner etc. today it’s all about “marketing” and convincing people that this wire, used in this configuration, or that this type of paint finish or wood, or pedal, is going to make someone sound like Hendrix. Hendrix would sound like Hendrix if he played a broom, NOT because he had “X” type of thingummy-jig.

Everybody knows the similar cases in cellphone industry.
Anyways, my second axe is MIM Fender Stratocaster and this one is really a great guitar. If Buddy Guy uses them, why wouldn’t I? Ok, put the playing aside. :grin: