Bass FAQ

trowaclown

New member
Welcome to the Bass FAQ section in soft.com.sg. This little article hopes to answer some of the common questions asked by beginner bassists and those who are considering to pick up this instrument. If you have an unanswered question, first use the forum's search function to check if someone else asked it. Let's keep this forum clutter free and post new topics only when necessary.

1. Bass? The four string guitar?
2. So what does bass do?
3. What's this thing about P and J basses?
4. Are there other differences between the two bass types?
5. What about other basses?
6. What are extended range basses?
7. What about fretless basses?
8. What else affects the sound/tone of a bass?
9. Can you recommend me a bass to get as a beginner?
10. Where can I buy <insert brand> or jam?

1. Bass? The four string guitar?
Yes, and no. The electric bass you see nowadays is actually an offspring of, and replacement for, the double bass. Back then, bassists were still using double basses to cover the lower frequencies in band settings, and found it increasing hard to cut through the mix (of all the instruments and vocals) to be heard, as the electric guitar with its amplifier was far louder than what a double bass can naturally provide.

Leo Fender invented the first electric bass guitar in 1951 to replace the double bass in bands, with features borrowed from his earlier success, the Telecaster guitar, such as electric pickups with amplifiers for the eventual output of sound. Frets were also introduced so that bassists could intonate precisely, thus giving birth to the Precision Bass.

The most basic form of the bass is a four string instrument (just like the double bass) tuned from low to high E A D G (just like the double bass). This tuning is coincidentally just like the last four strings of a guitar (E A D G B E), but one octave lower. Compared to a guitar, the bass is physically larger, owing to its longer scale length (in layman's terms, the length of the vibrating string). This is necessitated by its lower tuning, as a shorter scale length wouldn't sound as good tonally. Consequently, a bass guitar tends to weigh heavier.

To differentiate between the different incarnations of the bass, we refer to basses as such:

-Upright/double bass: The traditional double bass still used in orchestras and some jazz bands
-Electric bass: Basses that require amplification to produce any audible sounds
-Acoustic bass: Like classical guitars, these basses do not require external amplification, instead the sound board (not the hole) vibrates to amplify the string vibrations. Hybrids exisit with pickups that can allow external amplification, while the bass will still be able to fall back on its own without external amplification.

2. So what does bass do?
The bass is very verstatile, being able to:

-Provide the rhythmic backbone in a band, influencing the harmony while helping to keep time
-Being a lead instrument
-As a solo instrument
-Anything else you can think of. I use mine as eye candy sometimes.

3. What's this thing about P and J basses?
Ah, the most common question. When new bassists appear on the forum asking for virgin gear recommendations, the first question we tend to ask is the tone they're looking for, whether it's the P or J tone. P actually stands for Precision (mentioned above) while J stands for Jazz. The Jazz bass is actually the second model introduced by Leo Fender, originally as a Deluxe model. The most important difference between the two is that the Precision bass has a split single coil humbucking pickup while the Jazz bass has 2 single coil pickups.

comparison.jpg


The humbucking pickups (so named because they buck the hum, more on this later) give a more punchy sound with more low end, and are noiseless. The single coil pickups have more prominent mids and are described as growly. If these don't make sense, please listen to some sample clips below.

Jazz Bass samples:
http://images.misupply.com/downloads/Fender/019_0209.wav
http://images.misupply.com/downloads/Fender/019_0300.wav

Precision Bass samples:
http://images.misupply.com/downloads/Fender/019_0116.wav
http://images.misupply.com/downloads/Fender/019_0115.wav

The magic word that emcompasses all these funny words (like punchy and growly and throaty and singing) is 'timbre'. Simply put, timbre is the 'colour' of the sound, and describes its musical quality. As an illustration, a flute and a guitar may both be playing the same note at the exact same frequency and loudness, but you'll be able to tell the two apart, because the timbre of the notes are different.

The single coils in a Jazz bass and the split single coils (wired in humbucking mode) in a Precision bass produce different timbres due to their location relative to the string's vibrating length and their circuitary. Jazz basses are capable of a wider tonal range, as there are two pickups to blend and play around with, while the Precision bass' humbucking single coil only has a volume control and a tone control. However, single coil pickups also pick up (hur hur pun there) the 60Hz cycle of your power supply, so if you dial up one pickup louder than the other you'll get an audible hummmmmmm even when you're not playing anything. The single coil pick up on the Precision Bass is split, and the two split sections are wired in series, with opposite polarity and wire windings. The hum these 2 sections pick up thus cancel each other. (Physics 101. It's okay if you don't understand, the tonal differences are more important here.) You cannot judge whether one is better than the other, but you can come to a decision as to which you prefer.

Pros and cons exist for these 2 basic bass types. Of course, compromises exist as well. For example, the Warwick Streamer Stage II bass has both P and J pickups, so you can get the best of both worlds. In addition, the traditional single coil sound can now be reached without the hummmmmm as it can be wired to be a humbucker while emulating the tone of a single coil pickup. You can buy both basses in time, to cover both bases (hur hur pun there) and use each accordingly. There are many workarounds for this age old question.

4. Are there other differences between the two bass types?
Of course! Visually, you'll notice that the Jazz bass has an oh-so-sexy off-set waist, meaning that its body isn't quite symmetrical. In addition, the nut at the Precision bass is wider, thus making it feel chunkier. Whether this is a pro/con is entirely personal, so you must try both to find out which you prefer.

5. What about other basses?
Other basses exist, of course, and many have arguably grown to be as popular as the two classics. Some other basses to read up on include:

-Musicman Stingray (Also by Leo Fender, albeit in a different company. This model is the 'third twin' to the Precision and Jazz.)
-Gibson/Epiphone Thunderbird (With its reverse bodystyle, this bass is a sight to behold.)
-Warwick Thumb (Arguably one of the most popular models from Warwick, a company famous for alternative body shapes, exotics woods and unique tones.)
-Hofner Violin (Made famous by Paul McCartney, a Beatle.)
-Rickenbacker 4001 (Another model famous by association, also to Paul McCartney.)
-Steinberger Spirit (One of the iconic headless basses still popular today. They pop up for sale in the used section from time to time.)

6. What are extended range basses?
Extended range basses are basses that play beyond the notes allowed on a typical bass guitar.

Taking a classic Fender Jazz bass, the lowest note you can play is the open E string, sounding an E1, while the highest note you can play is a D# 3 semitones above C3, by fretting on the 20th fret on the G (first/thinnest) string. Some songs call for a drop tuning, sometimes up to two half steps. By tuning down 2 steps, the lowest note played reaches D1, which is an extension of a step. Not a lot, actually.

Extended range basses can go lower and higher in a few ways. 5 string basses, for example, typically have an added B string (B0) to increase the lowest note reached by 2 steps. You can't go lower than a low B string because you're already hitting the floor of the audible human range of frequencies. Going higher can either mean you add frets, up to 24 typically, or you add another high string above your G string. 4 extra frets add two steps to your range as well, while a high C string increase your range by two and a half steps.

Luthiers typically stop at 24 frets, as increasing the frets will make little sense since the frets get so close together to make them unplayable. Instead, extreme forms of extended basses take on the form of even more strings, beyond the 6 strings you get by adding a high and a low string. Monsters can include up to 12 or more strings that are played in atypical ways, such as bass tapping.
 
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7. What about fretless basses?
Fretless basses/guitars are, to quote Michael Vick, "like having sex without a condom. It is more dangerous and just feels better". Tonally, fretless basses are definitely less agressive sounding, as the 'attack' (the initial part of the note) decays very quickly and mellows out. This is because a fretless bass' vibrating string length is now anchored on one end by the bridge, and on the other by the fretboard and your finger. Being made of flesh, the finger pad absorbs the string vibrations more quickly than a fret, thus causing a quick dampening effect. Tonally, this translates into a mwah sound frequently, but is often affected by other factors discussed below. In addition, the sustain of a note is decreased from the high loss of string energy.

The dis/advantages of fretless basses are:

Advantages:
-Slides are smoother as you do not raise/drop a semitone everytime you slide pass a fret.
-The lack of frets just feels better, like drawing on blank paper instead of lined paper.
-You are not restricted to traditional Western tunings. But if you're reading an FAQ like this, this is probably beyond you and me.
-An unfretted, unlined fingerboard is just oh-so-sexy.

Disadvantages:
Without the precision offered by precisely placed frets, your intonation must be spot on or you sound off tune even if you bass is tuned properly. You may use a fretboard that has lines, like me, to learn where to place your fingers first. However, it becomes impossible to play visually if you're on a dark stage, so the skill must be trained to play without looking eventually. This is compounded by chords and the bass' scale length. Some chords may be near impossible to play without frets as your fingers may not be able to stretch adequately to intonate individual notes in the chord.

8. What else affects the sound/tone of a bass?
We have covered pickups and fretted/fretless so far. There are other factors including:

-Neck, body and fretboard woods
To oversimplify, woods that are denser end up being heavier and sound brighter, like hard maple. Less dense woods are lighter and sound warmer in comparison. Check out Warmoth Direct - Bodies Overview and Warmoth Direct - Necks Overview for a more in depth coverage.

-String core, string winding, string material
Bass strings are constructed by winding a material over a core, as shown below. As can be expected, all the factors involve will change the tone of the bass. String cores are either hex or round in cross section, while string winding can either be round (where the wrap material is round), flat (where the wrap material is flat like a ribbon) or ground (which is an average of the two, as round wounds are grounded down to make the string grooves shallower). The basic string materials used are either nickel or stainless steel.

To simplify again, hex core strings are brighter sounding than round core strings, have higher tension (thus feeling less flexible) and are generally cheaper as they are easier to produce. Roundwounds are brighter than flatwounds, with flatwounds giving a sound that's closer to that of a double bass. Ground wounds may seem the best of both worlds, but are the least popular as they're...neither here nor there. Lastly, nickel can be describes as bright, and steel as extra bright. Of importance is the fact that some people are allergic to nickel and cannot play nickel strings for extended periods of time. Nickel is also said to deteriorate slowly, while steel is said to deaden suddenly pass a certain point.

stringwinding.jpg


-Construction (bolt-on, neck through or set neck)
The way the body is attached to the neck is supposed to influence the tone produced by the bass eventually, with some claiming that neck through construction offers better sustain and note response across the neck, while bolt ons have better attack. I think if you're reading this for information, you should ignore this debate for now and concentrate on getting better. I certainly think that the skill of the player would matter more than the construction to a large extent.

-Fingerstyle, plucking with nails, using a pick, or ebow etc
Bass players adopt different methods of sounding the strings. Using fingers creates a more mellow sound, while nails and a pick sound more percussive. (I used to use nails when playing classical guitar, but bass strings are of much higher guages and prove near impossible, although I have read of people doing it.) Where you play affects the timbre of the note as well. Playing close to the bridge yields a harsher and brighter sound, while playing near the neck gives a warmer sound. Slap and pop is yet another way of playing, whereby the strings are struck against the fretboard in a very percussive manner. Check out Larry Graham on youtube to see its inventor at work.

-Effects used to alter the tone of the bass
Bassists generally use far less effects than guitarists, as our primary role in providing the music's rhythmic backbone is compromised when overly fanciful effects are used. Still, subtle effects always go a long way, while there is always a time and place for extremes. For an example of a subtle effect, check out Nirvana's Come As You Are for a slight chorus effect in the bass line. Arguably, the most essential effect a bassist needs is a compressor. It works by limiting the range of the bass's volume, to ensure that excessively loud notes are moderated. This is important in keeping the rhythm steady (imagine a loud thundercrack in the midst of steady rainfall) and moderates the peak volumes when players are playing using slap and pop.

-The bass amplifier wattage, cone material, cone diameter, etc etc
Errrr. This really isn't necessary if you're a beginner. If you aim to jam in studios, get the cheapest amp you can find to practise at home, then use the proper ones in a studio when playing in a band.

-Cables
Surprise! Cables do matter as they're part of the signal chain from your bass pickups all the way to your amplifier. Quality cables needn't be expensive anyway. I'm currently using RDM cables handmade by Cherns. You can check them out at .: welcome to red dot music « red dot music. Other suggestions include Monster Cables and those from Planetwaves. I'm not being paid for this, but RDM cables really sound better than these, as I've tried my friend's cables from these brands. In addition, one way to ensure good tone is to limit the length of cables. Excessive lengths like 20ft and above tend to attenuate the treble of your tone, as the resistance caused by the cable length filters out the higher frequencies.

9. Can you recommend me a bass to get as a beginner?
Of course. This forum has always recommended a few staples:
-Yamaha BB414/BB614: These are really underated basses, the former being passive while the latter is active (i.e. it needs a battery and gives a "hotter" output to rest of the signal chain, with options for tone shaping on the bass itself)
-Squier basses: The little brother of Fender, Squier offers the traditional Precision and Jazz basses at lower prices to their Fender counterparts
-OLP basses: TGM is to Musicman what Squier is to Fender. You can get budget models of the Stingray from them
-SX basses: Extremely cheap, with a full set (amp included) coming to no more than $250. These are usually P or J style copies, and have decent quality.
-Samick Fairlane: Yet another that's styled after the Jazz Bass, albeit with slightly different body contours.
-Timbre basses: Yes yes another Jazz style bass. Recommended by some in this forum for their price-performance ratio.

As a beginner, your concern shouldn't be about the brand, but more on the tone and feel of the bass. If a bass feels and sounds good to you, you'll be more inclined to practise on it, instead of leaving it in a corner. If you're unsure about your assessment of the bass, it will be good to bring someone you know along. If no one you know plays bass, give a shout out on the forum, and I'm sure a helpful soul will help you for nothing more than a kopi-o after your bass is bought.

10. Where can I buy <insert brand> or jam?
Check out the stickies located at the top of this page:
Music Kopi-tiam - SOFT = Music In Singapore
You should be able to find shops stocking particular brands, a list of jam studios in Singapore and an unofficial guide to stepping into music, among other things.

Quick list of references:
Wikipedia
Squier/Fender websites
Talkbass forum
Harmony Central forum
Soft forum
The Bass Handbook by Adrian Ashton
 
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-TGM basses: TGM is to Musicman what Squier is to Fender. You can get budget models of the Stingray from them

I think you mean OLP.

Otherwise, very well done! +1 to the section about Precision and Jazz basses. these questions keep popping up too lovelovelovelovelovelovelove much.

If you got material from elsewhere, it'd be better to include reference =D
 
I think it's OLP not TGM. But besides that, very nicely structured and clearly written! Must have taken you forever haha. Should definitely be sticked imo!
 
i think just to be specific, the p-bass pups are split single coils, and not split humbuckers. they are wired in humbucking mode, though. you didn't say they were humbuckers, but it might be a bit misleading :)
 
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i think just to be specific, the p-bass pups are split single coils, and not split humbuckers. they are wired in humbucking mode, though. you didn't say they were humbuckers, but it might be a bit misleading :)

Done. Thanks for the vet!
 
the hi-freq attenuation caused by the capacitance in >20ft of cable can be somewhat remedied by using a line driver, or pretty much anything with a low impedance output (pedals, active electronics in your bass etc). same idea as using a DI box.. high impedance in, low impedance out for the long run to the mixing desk.
 
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Bass

I've beening trying to look for a Squier Vintage Modified P-Bass.(In the picture, the white bass.) I've been to shops in Peni and SweeLee. They just dont have it there. Any idea where I can get it?
 
swee lee is the dealer for fender. i suppose you have checked swee lee bras basah. there is another swee lee in sims drive. if both swee lee's don't have, then it is sold out. it is up to swee lee to bring them in. and how you are going to get swee lee to bring it in is between you and swee lee
 

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