I got into music by learning 4 string bass, I am now finishing my degree in music composition and after not playing any bass for a while I picked it up again and I'm having lots of fun!

However my current instrument hasn't ever felt completely comfortable to me (cort A4, never got used to the "modern" shape).

I want to switch to a jazz bass and I'm thinking of maybe going for 5 strings to switch things up. Problem is i dont have any particular use case for a fifth string, most basslines I want to play are on 4 string anyway.

Do you think that if i get a five string i will probably come to appreate the greater freedom or should i not even think about it if i dont need it for something specific?

I feel like I've been digging deep into metal where 5 strings are pretty common, now I'm curious on why 5 strings aren't more common, aside from cost sice that's obvious. There's more beefy notes you can use and all, I don't think the bigger fretboard hurts, it's not like a 7 string guitar where you need to relearn some techniques in consideration with the B string.

I just got my first bass yesterday. I’m also in band so I know most of the beginner stuff like counting but I just want to learn some songs

Hey guys, I know this gets asked 25 times a day, but I'm special and want tailored answers to my questions 😂

Unfortunately I stripped the truss rod head on my Sqiuer Affinity P Bass by being an idiot so I'm in the market for a new bass while I try and repair the old one.

I've been playing since December 2025. In that time I've mostly focused on learning the fretboard, fingerstyle playing, and tone control with my fingers rather than using the knobs. I've learned a few easy songs and can play them pretty well to a drum or click track. Most of what I have learned fits really well in the wheelhouse of the P bass. Clean tones, thumpy low end, nothing flashy just carrying the rhythm.

For the next bass obviously I'd like to step up a bit, but seeing as how I'm a beginner I don't think I'm ready to step up too far. I'm thinking something in the $300-$500 range.

The only real extra feature I think I might be ready for is the extra tone control of a J bass. I say this because I eventually want to graduate to playing more funk/jazzy styles. I don't think I'll have much issue with the difference in neck shape, I've played a J bass at the local gc and it felt very comfortable. I'm also not opposed to a good PJ combo, if that will truly get me a good mix of both worlds.

Thanks in advance for any advice you have to offer.

Hi everyone!

My bass amp (Carlsbro Bass Bomber) sounds very crackly but only when I play, or when I move the gain knob. There's no static noise or anything if I'm not actively playing. Double checked my bass with other amps and the issue is definitely the amp itself.

I'm aware the amp is pretty terrible to begin with, but I got it with a limited budget so I'll make do for now, until I can afford a better one

Does anyone here have any idea what could be going on?

Thanks guys I appreciate the help :)

Hello hello. I’ve been on a Ryan Martinie/Mudvayne kick recently and have been looking into his setup on the L.D. 50 album. From what I’ve been reading, it seems that he used DR Hi-Beams (45-130) and had his strings tuned to drop B (F#-B-F#-B-E).

I guess what I’m wondering is would a 130 gauge string have enough tension to tune a low B string to F#? Or really would any of the strings in that set have enough tension to tune down 5 half steps?

(This is a question about process, and not a for-sale listing.)

I decided to thin my bass collection a few months ago, and took two of them to a local shop for consignment-- a Fender Aerodyne, and a custom-built instrument. As expected, the Aerodyne sold within a few weeks of being listed... it's a cult classic. The custom one has been chilling in the shop and on Reverb for months.

The custom one is a really cool instrument, is in great shape, and was built by Balaguer Guitars as a shop demo. Before I took it to the shop for consignment, I used Balaguer's online configuration tool to figure out how much it would cost to order a new one just like it. We originally listed mine on Reverb at roughly 2/3 of that price, and later dropped it to about 1/2 of the price of a new one. It's still languishing, though.

I would love to see it go to someone who will love it and play the hell out of it, but I'm not sure how to make that happen. Can anyone give me advice for marketing a boutique instrument?

I know this is a pretty useless complaint but it's just an annoying pet peeve of mine lol

(anecdotal) My Guitar Center never carries them, my local shops never carry them, and some of my favorite types of strings don't come in them either.

Obviously I have to buy everything online. All these stores have 45-100, 45-105, 40-100, 50-110, and the only 40-95s I can ever find are the EB slinkys (hate 'em). Never come in Stainless Steel for some reason

This would all be fine if Elixir Steel Nanowebs came with them at all....

I thought these string gauges were pretty common so it's confusing to me lol. I mean shit my GC even carries Roto 30-90s sometimes

I have had terrible luck with instrument cables that start crackling after only a few months. Friends say it's just bound to happen with all that bending. Some buy cable at length and solder on their own connectors to save on costs. What's your strategy? Are there things to look for in a cable like wall thickness and shield coverage? Any reliable brands you recommend or is there anything you'd look for in a cable meant for a bass? I don't need something with oxygen free copper and gold plated connectors, just a decent $10-$15 cable.

I've been playing bass for about a year now and I was looking into new combo amps since my 15watt SX amp started to become a liability in my skill growth. One of my friends told me about his other friend that's selling his Hartke B900 combo amp for relatively cheap so I immediately jumped on the opportunity. However, I didn't find any videos or posts about it, so I came to ask you guys for the final opinion on buying this amp.

All thoughts wanted!

I have a Rumble Studio 40 and I'm trying to learn how to replicate some tones, but of course all the amp and pedal names and preset tones are given fake names to prevent lawsuits that presumably anyone who already knows the gear will know what they're replicating, but I don't know what most of them are supposed to be. Does anyone know if someone's compiled a list of which preset corresponds to which real piece of gear, so I can figure out which one will give me the best match?

I'm contemplating buying a Harley Benton Bass guitar.

Has anyone played them and got a good honest opinion on them?

So yesterday I bought an acoustic bass and it's awesome. The only issue is that the 18th fret of the G string makes a D instead of a C#. Now, if I bend it a bit it does make a D, it's just not confortable at all lol. Frets seem leveled though so I don't know whats causing this.

Bought my first bass a few months ago (Yamaha trbx 304) and I love it but also want to get something a little more traditional. I was looking at jazz and P basses before finding the Yamaha and a fender rumble 100 for $400 together so I got that instead. Now that I know I'll be sticking with it for awhile I'm revisiting the idea of purchasing a P or Jazz bass, possibly a PJ. What would you do? Should I get something like a classic vibe or get a player 2?

I play a little bit of everything, with fingers and a pick. Would like to start learning slap soon. The few of these basses I've played i like the feel of jazz bass a little more but like the p bass sound a little more. I haven't played a PJ though. Not necessarily loyal to fender and have considered buying cheaper models of both then buying a nicer one of the one I like. Think squire affinity level if I decide to buy both or maybe one classic vibe one affinity idk. Regardless don't really wanna spend more than $900-1000 and preferably less unless you guys think I should upgrade my amp or something. Again, I'm not loyal to fender so will consider other brands (heard good things about sire and sadowsky for example) also Tokai seems to have some cool looking stuff.

Anyway, yeah any reccomedations are much appreciated.

Hey, i recently realised that i should be be playing bass instead of an 8 string guitar, but it'll have to be a 6 string, because i love Jon Stockman and Conner Green, and their incredible usage of extended range basses inspired me to make the switch.

However i want it to be not that expensive, and not absolutely garbage as well. Can i get some opinions on the ibanez BTB 676 NTF? Ideally i'd grab the 806MS for that sweet 37" B string, but it's really damn expensive and i can't really find a used one anywhere in Europe.

One guy in my city is selling his 676 and asking 667$ for it. Just wondering if it's a good bass for that price, and if there is anything better for the buck on the market. I've considered the g4m multiscale bass, but heard that their stuff are heaps of shit for the most part.

Are we about good deals here?

I just saw that the Markbass Little Mark Black Line 250 is $250 USD today.
https://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid/
When I bought mine used the pawn shop was asking $250 used, but after a few months, I negotiated them down to 200 used.

This amp has been great for rehearsal and I have done a handful of gigs with it. I like the EQ I like the sound, but I find the sound a little bit too clean at times. An overdrive pedal solves that. The XLR out can be a bit hot, but it has a volume adjustment. I have to turn it down for most PA boards. I have it paired with a 15 inch cabinet of 8 ohms and it’s just loud enough for rehearsal with a drummer two guitarist and a keyboard. For larger gigs having the output to the PA is great.

Only criticisms are no overdrive on board in the amp, and on my old unit sometimes the pots get scratchy and there’s no way to lube or clean them externally so I work them back-and-forth a dozen times each to work the crackles out. Other than that, it’s been amazing and I am tempted to buy a second one and keep my used one as a backup for this price.

Hi, I was playing Basketball, and when I got up for a rebound, ball came directly to my left ring finger (glad it was not a hard pass from someone else)

I immediately applied ice, and ordered these basketball player protection finger-gloves.

It was 10days ago.

Yesterday, I tried to practice, without these finger-gloves, I felt not good. Then I tried with putting on the finger-gloves to my left ring finger, but also on left middle finger(just to be sure).

I feel it is now better, it does not hurt as before, but I wonder if it will be back to being fit again, or if I should wear these finger-gloves all the time.

Maybe someone else had a similar experience, and want to give advice/share his/her experience

Thanks in advance

PS: My left hand is my fret hand

Looking at picking up a StingRay 5H and wondering what people think is the best generation to go for.

Currently have two custom Overwater 5 strings which I love, but fancy something different. Mainly play fingerstyle in a function band covering pop, rock, funk etc.

Been looking at late 90s/2000s StingRays and the newer Specials. Is the Special actually better or do the older ones have something about them?

Main priorities are tone, build quality, neck feel and a good low B. Prefer 18mm string spacing or less.

Budget around £1.5-2.5k, happy buying used.

Anyone owned both? What would you go for?

So I bought the bass and a couple gear along for the last half a year or so. I learned the fretboard, looked up songs that I like and followed their tabs... What now? I do have learning music theory and train my ears on the list, but I'm ngl these aren't really enjoyable to do so I'm doing them slowly over time, but in general I'm just really lost in what step to take next. Idk what to do now

I've been looking for a bass to save up to for next year or two years from now and want to be looking at a clear goal of which one of these i want to get, for context I'm still a beginner but will be heading to the fusion/jazz/city pop genre direction. I really like slap bass but want a decent finger style sound too? For those who have one of them or even both of these basses, how were your experiences with them.

I'm having a Sterling by Music Man StingRay SUB RAY4HH on Facebook Marketplace, and I really love its sound and tone.

I'm still trying to understand the difference between active and passive EQ. Since this bass uses a 9V battery for its active preamp, does that make any noticeable difference to the sound when playing live? What happens if the battery starts running low during a gig?

For those who've played both active and passive basses, which do you prefer, and why?

Wondering if anyone has one of these basses? Seems like a good price for a neck through body design. I love my Ibanez Mikro for fooling around in the house, but wanting a decent quality full size bass. Started with a Glarry and 3 months later I’m still interested and learning more everyday. Can’t justify the Ibanez 1425 I want but told myself in 4-6 months if I still played/practiced regularly, I would spend more money on a better bass.
Currently between the Winnz 4-string or the Ibanez sr-300eb.

I have this old yamaha 4 string bass that I don't use anymore but I've been thinking of changing the strings and leaving that bass always tuned in C standard. I was gonna buy an individual low B string (that you would find on a 5str) and put it on the bass. So the tuning would be B-E-A-D, but it would always be tuned in C standard. Is this a good idea? Or is it better to buy a new set of 4 thicker gauge strings ? I hope this makes sense lol. Thanks in advance

Hi all!

I currently have an Ibanez SR400 (2003, MIK) 34". It's fine, but more than ~2 hours of play a day and my neck and shoulders feel it. (I currently have a 3" elastic strap on it) I have an existing neck and shoulder injury from martial arts, so that doesn't help.

I also am very enjoying learning to play funk. I think a short scale stingray is probably my best bet for a lighter bass that fits my style.

I am wondering if people could recommend me some stingray-like basses that tend to run lighter? I think the SBMM is an obvious contender, but I don't know if there's other options. I have been playing only 4 months or so but I can swing ~$1k if I save up for a few months (and convince the wife to let me spend it... >_>)

What do you think about schecter sgr c5?