Bass Articles at ActiveBass

1. Building Your Own Bass Cabinet
   
   John Hancock (3721)
   Posted on 4/8/2004 · 130628 Hits
   There are a huge range of bass cabinets and combos available on the market, both new and second hand. There is a box to suite every budget and ear. All this said there is nothing quite like pointing to a massively impressive quad that sounds f...(more)
2. How Do I Find The Right Bass?
   
   Keith Rosier
   Posted on 5/1/2000 · 108102 Hits
   Many players ask me what kind of bass rig to buy, and the answer is: "The one that makes you sound and play great!" <br/><br/>It starts with a great sounding bass: set-up well (no buzzes), intonated, and properly installed fresh, high-quali...(more)
3. Mastering Fretless Electric Bass
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 6/17/2004 · 84337 Hits
   Starting out on a fretted Fender Precision and listening mainly to rock music, I had an epiphany the first time I heard Jaco Pastorius' playing on Pat Metheny's first album, Bright Size Life. Bass guitar suddenly offered whole new sonic vistas ...(more)
4. Everything You Need To Know About Wood
   
   Kasra Saboktakin (7772)
   Posted on 2/27/2003 · 82085 Hits
   Let's talk about the very first thing which produces the tone of an instrument, the wood! In this article I'd like to give you a complete information about the woods and their tone so that you can choose the suitable wood for your instrument,...(more)
5. Understanding Basic Electricity of your Amp and Speakers
   
   Doug Matthews (4123)
   Posted on 6/7/2002 · 67464 Hits
   The name plate ratings on the back of your amplifier says something like [100 watts at 16 ohms. 200 watts at 8 ohms. 400 watts at 4 ohms. 800 watts at 2 ohms]. If you are confused by the markings on your amp and speakers you are not alone. Ma...(more)
6. Position is Everything
   
   Matthew Brown (9286)
   Posted on 7/3/2003 · 65828 Hits
   There is little that proves more daunting for young bass players than realizing just how physically demanding it is to play bass. As novices watching our favorite bassists on video we think, "That doesn't look so hard! I can do that!" <br/><br/>...(more)
7. Jazz Bassics for Bassists
   
   Sean Benedik (4277)
   Posted on 3/25/2003 · 65174 Hits
   For most bassists coming from rock or funk influences, tackling Jazz is like looking over the ledge of a tall rooftop skyscraper; you could easily survive the frightful leap if you had the right gear. If you've ever thought of entering the wond...(more)
8. Key Signatures - The Easy Way
   
   Bob Bonnington (338)
   Posted on 5/7/2003 · 60912 Hits
   As a beginner you may find it hard to remember what notes go flat or sharp in a major key. However you may be surprised to learn that you are not alone and that this is a common difficulty faced by many musicians irrespective of their playing ab...(more)
9. Practicing
   
   Kelly Marsh (11455)
   Posted on 7/3/2003 · 60479 Hits
   As a result of the many posts I have seen lately inquiring about practicing, I have decided to write this article. This, you see, is a much more economical way for me to get my decidedly biased opinion out to the greatest amount of people in the...(more)
10. Note-Reading Fingering System for Electric Bass
    
    Xavier Padilla (26)
    Posted on 11/7/2002 · 58106 Hits
    To read music in general we must understand first the standard music notation system, of course. But to read music with an instrument it is required to know, in addition, the particular fingering system of that instrument. That means that readin...(more)
11. To Use Or Not Use Strap Locks?
    
    Dave Papke (9980)
    Posted on 11/7/2001 · 55417 Hits
    Have you ever considered buying strap locks because your strap always falls off? You should consider buying them if you are going to play gigs or if you are just a crazy nut in your room playing your bass. Straps do have a tendency to fall off i...(more)
12. Buying a Bass via the Internet
    
    Thor Iversen (7461)
    Posted on 7/3/2003 · 45925 Hits
    There can be many reasons for wanting to buy a bass via the Internet. Maybe you live in a place with no music stores? Maybe the only music store in your area only carries Fender? Maybe you came across a great deal on ebay? Whatever the reason...(more)
13. Double Bass: Keep A Dying Instrument From Extinction
    
    Joshua Prentice (134)
    Posted on 5/7/2003 · 45708 Hits
    After looking long and hard, I have found a shockingly limited number of resources for double bassists and their instrument. There are plenty of resources for electric bass guitars, from periodicals to web sites, that may print articles for the ...(more)
14. Hand Coordination Exercise
    
    D.G. (Gonzo) Grogg (869)
    Posted on 9/18/2002 · 45662 Hits
    One thing I have come across quite a lot with my students is a lack of communication or coordination between their left and right hands resulting in improper timing, meter and just bad rhythm in general. <br/><br/> Here is an exercise I learne...(more)
15. Warm Up/Work Out
    
    D.G. (Gonzo) Grogg (869)
    Posted on 3/25/2003 · 44330 Hits
    Hello there fellow music lovers! I would like to welcome you to my second article for ActiveBass.com. I hope you all had a chance to check out my first article "Hand Coordination Exercise" and found it helpful. This time I would like to share ...(more)
16. Some Tips Learned Over The Years
    
    John Rudolph (200)
    Posted on 6/17/2004 · 44348 Hits
    After 25 years on and off from playing bass guitar, here's a "potpourri" of some neat things I have learned: <ul> <li>Avoid nylon or "smooth" straps. With the weight of the bass and movement onstage, the strap will uncomfortably slide all up a...(more)
17. How to EQ Your PA
    
    Kelly Marsh (11455)
    Posted on 11/7/2002 · 40421 Hits
    Well, I finally saw one. One what, you ask? Let me tell you. Many, and perhaps most people misuse the EQ on their PA by immediately and automatically setting it in what I call the Smiley Face configuration. Mids cut, highs and lows boosted, with...(more)
18. Quiet The Hummer
    
    Mark Shannon
    Posted on 9/18/2002 · 39793 Hits
    These instructions were derived from the instructions for shielding and star-grounding a Strat guitar on the Guitarnuts.com website. This is the basic method. In addition, you can install high-value capacitors on the ground connections to the br...(more)
19. Learning to Keep Time
    
    The ActiveBass Community
    Posted on 6/17/2004 · 39762 Hits
    From Lesa McCabe:<br> <i>As bass players our job is to hold together the "pocket" - to merge the drums and other instruments in the band together to produce a smooth rhythm. In order to do this properly, the bassist must be able to keep time. As...(more)
20. Those Pesky Hands
    
    April Stevenson (14009)
    Posted on 2/27/2003 · 34585 Hits
    As bass players, we subject our hands to repetitive use of certain muscles and tendons in the arm, forearm, wrist and hand, often causing or worsening an existing injury that we may or may not know about. In the medical world, this is called Re...(more)