Electric Bass Tips for Beginners

Just simple stuff today. A few things I learned about my Deltatone Bass from 2007 and my 2013 Peavey Vypyer VIP-1 amp.

Moderately Deaf Bass Player Advice on Rattling Amp

Take out your hearing aids.

My Peavey Vyper VIP-1 and VIP-2 were both rattling on some low notes. Not a whole lot, just enough to make me unhappy.

I easily spent 16 hours on my two Peavey Vyper VIPs bracing their cabinets with lumber and sticking adhesives underneath parts of the cabinet. And still, my Deltatone Bass rattled on a few low notes.

My solution? I took out my hearing aids. I don’t hear the minor rattles anymore. It’s an imperfect world with imperfect solutions.

Plucking with a Twang on my 3rd or Middle Finger

Pluck-twang. Pluck-twang.

I tried plucking differently with different hand positions. The twanging continued.

Trim your Nails on Your Third Finger

Guess what? That solved the problem.

The bass no longer twangs when I pluck with my middle finger. That’s all it took: trimming my middle fingernail, a lot.

Getting a Bright Tone from my California (Eleca) Electric Bass

I really should sell this first electric bass ever. It has a stripped truss rod that can’t be easily fixed. But secretly, I enjoy it.

Experiment with your Tone Knobs on Your Bass

Wow. I fiddled with the tone know on the California Bass (Eleca, made in China in 2004) and all of a sudden, the bass wrang out some very clear tones. Sounds like a jazz bass perhaps.

Fun.

Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today…

…perhaps you learned something today to improve on your bass playing or enjoyment of it.

I am in my 13th month of playing guitar and now bass and I enjoy it. I am Shoshin in my attitude.

Shoshin in Japanese means “beginner’s mind”. I approach guitar and bass playing with a new perspective every day welcoming anything I can learn to play bass better.

Thanks for visiting Shoshin Guitarist today.


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