Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

You definitely have to practice to keep anything up to scratch. I hardly ever use a pick these days & it feels almost awkward & much less fluid, & I started out using a pick. It's just that my tastes changed over the years.

some modern misconceptions ...

- bass players should not use treble or distortion
- bass players should not use picks
- bass players should not play above the 7th fret
- the bass is there only to back up the band
- bass players should play simple basic parts only
- you should never play leads on a bass

Another one - You only need one bass.

Here's one, "you should feel the bass not hear it"

Seems more like stupid superstition from the Dark Ages (the good old days to some)!

Our sound guy is finally putting some Rick tone in the FOH mix! Maybe he's just tired of fighting it.
We all like Ricks because you can hear the notes, not just a dull, ill defined thud!
It's like we're fighting for "bass player's rights" or something!

Jeff, I think your list goes back way before modern times. In the early '60s it was very uncommon to find bass players who added treble to their sound. And I was initially taught that I should never go beyond the FIFTH fret or take a solo break. Root, V, Root, V. Thank goodness I ignored all that advice (in large part because my models were McCartney and Jamerson) and I knew a couple of local bassists who taught me, by example, how to anchor the band and still be creative. I find myself almost wishing these days that modern bass players would take off some of the treble and play more within the first five frets. But if what they're playing fits the music, I have no problem.

My Rick has 20 frets, and I like to try and use all of them. Look how much modern music has bass players playing the root - Chugga chugga.... Yawn!
A funky, driving bassline is the heart of any song.
And that should include exploring the fingerboard. Different notes fretted on different strings changes the tone and timbre of said notes.
Then again, I'm not averse to playing the root if the song calls for it.

Kevin, you need me for your FOH engineer (A qualified and experienced sound engineer who is a Rickenbacker fanatic - It doesn't get any better than this!) You are guaranteed to be well up in the mix!.

Peter, I'm glad to see someone appreciates the finer points of sound!
Well, our guy is improving his point of view slowly.
Actually, our drummer is a pretty good sound tech too, but he can't get out front to mix while we're playing, obviously!
Our soundguy is also a fine singer & sings either from the board (headset mic), or on stage while strumming an acoustic electric, so he's an important member of the band. I guess I have to train his ears to like the Rick sound.

"Here's one, "you should feel the bass not hear it""

I can't stand this sentiment. If you're only supposed to feel teh bass and not hear it, just get your drummer to hit the kickdrum every time the bass would play a note . . . oh wait, that's what modern bands do anyway (16th-note kickdrum anyone?). The kickdrum is basically a bass without tonality; it's what happens when you remove discernible pitch and just leave the low frequencies. The bass has frets and can play notes for a reason: you're supposed to hear those notes. It doesn't matter if they're whole notes or 32nd notes; they're meant to be HEARD.

WHAT?

"Here's one, "you should feel the bass not hear it"

The guy who told me that was trying out for the band, he didn't get the job....

You know what I think.... You should turn the bass up until everyone in the room can feel it.... Maybe thats what the guy ment haha.

As for modern misconceptions ...
My friends would say I have some.
-Bass should be heard over everything else. (haha)
-theres no need for a guitarist, Ill find some way to replace him.
Yeah im probly wrong, but thats how they think I am. Which... ill admit. Alot of time I am.

"WHAT?"

Hahahaha! I noticed that I also wrote "teh" instead of "the", which I surprised me, because I usually catch little errors like that . . . I must be slipping . . .

the bass SHOULD be heard above everything else!!!

the bass is a guitar ... it is just a little cooler because it plays lower notes ...