Making the switch...

GNX Jammer

...to bass.

Ibanez SR-706 six string bass
Peavey Millennium 5 string bass
GK 700RB-II amp
GK Neo 410
GK Neo 115-III

I'll recycle a GMajor v2 from one of my guitar rigs for effects. Just need a midi controller and I should be set.

Too damn many guitarists around Dallas, but apparently not enough low end. I see ads for groups looking for bass players FAR more often than I see ads looking for guitar (or compared to the responses I receive to my ads for 'guitarist available'), so I finally decided to officially bite the bullet and look for bass gigs.

Also considering jumping on the cover-band-wagon. Might as well make a little $cratch while I'm at it.

Yeh, I'm officially \"selling out\". At 45 I'm sending up the white flag and giving up on doing anything of substance with original music.

shredd

I can totally relate...in fact, I think it's a gutsy move. I think it's common knowledge that there's a 100 git'rists for every bass player or drummer, hence jokes like:
Q: \"Why did the bass player miss his third lesson?\"
A: \"He had a gig.\"

I think very few git'r players actually \"get somewhere\" with their music, especially original stuff. I listen to guys right here on the DT forum - genuinely talented players like carciello and really gifted composer-types like kbauer - and realize that 95% of us are lucky to play well at all, let alone \"do anything\" with it.

So if you've got the chance to put your skills to work on bass and \"get somewhere\" you want to go with it - be it cover band work, or just being in functioning bands - I say go for it. Right, 'taus??

Manitou

Well...maybe around Dallas... but you get out on the Gulf, and there is a lot of Bass.

Revshredder

Dude, I did the same thing 6 years ago and I've never looked back. I play guitar in my own band but were all working, family raising, old guys so we only play out once a month. But I play bass in a couple bands and I play out every Wed, Fri & Sat night. It's a blast just getting to lay down some low frequencies, act a fool, get paid and go home.
I have the 700Rb as well, love it! 8)

GNX Jammer

Update:

Auditioned for a Southern / Blues rock cover band last night and was offered the gig on the spot.

Good thing about playing bass in a cover band...leaves my opportunities for original guitar projects open.

ednrg

\GNX Jammer\ wrote:

Update:

Auditioned for a Southern / Blues rock cover band last night and was offered the gig on the spot.

Good thing about playing bass in a cover band...leaves my opportunities for original guitar projects open.

Sweet!!! Congrats!!!

iliace

Awesome, man. Are you going to take it, or do you have other prospects?

GNX Jammer

Offered on the spot, then accepted on the spot. These guys are great players, and I'd be dumb not to jump on it. A chance to get back on stage with players of their caliber...hell yeh! I'd even venture to say they're probably better guitarists than I am, so no complaints here at all.

The two guitarists also work at the Harley dealership where I bought my last 3 bikes. One is a sales guy, the other a mechanic (who's worked on my bikes before), so...bonus!

The drummer is a little on the eccentric side, but also a great player with great timing.

I'm pretty stoked about the whole thing.

Gonna work up 4/45's and be out playing by late Summer/early Fall.

So, first \"real\" cover band (besides those I played in during high school), and first band gig playing bass. Oughta be fun.

Revshredder

Congrats Dude! Keep us updated on the fun....enjoy.

Mike B

Tear em up. Enjoy the ride

gtaus

Made the swtich from guitar to bass about 3 years ago for many of the same reasons. Went out to a local jam night and was just one of six guitarists trying to play along - nobody was playing bass. So I figured I'd rather play bass and contribute something to the music as opposed to being just another guitarist in the mix.

Best decision I ever made. Found myself in a band real quick and have been gigging ever since. The thing I love about playing bass is that you can usually play a simple bass line and still make the song sound good, and as I get better, I find I can bring more and more to the song and the group. After 3 years of playing bass, I'm still learning new stuff all the time and that's what keeps me interested. I found it easy to play bass with simple lines, harder to think like a bassist, but now finding that the better I get at bass, the more I realize that I have a very long way to go. As a musician, playing bass exposed me to another whole world of the music that I never really paid much attention to when playing guitar.

I hope you enjoy the switch to bass as much as I did. BTW, as I have gotten better on bass, the new songs the guys are picking out for us are more and more bass \"critical\" where I am carrying the theme of the song and the guitarists are either just chugging away on simple power chords and/or not even playing much at all. I'm working my butt off on the bass and I know my guitarists are just skating on some of our newer songs. But that's OK with me.

The only thing I would have to say that I do not like about playing bass is that often I cannot sing at the same time while playing some of my bass patterns. I'm just not good enough to sing some songs while laying down the bass beat that runs contrary to the melody - if you understand what I am saying. I can't split my brain yet. When playing guitar, especially rhythm guitar, I never had that problem. But playing bass and singing is just too much for me at times. Oh well, I do better than most of the bass players around here in the backup vocals, so it's not a complete bust. Keep us informed about your new vocation. I'd like to hear more bass stories on this forum. Take care.

Rawb

WTG Jammer. Hope you enjoy ur new position... And also Pursue any other interest with ur originals! 8)