Inside the Studio - All About That Bass

I started playing bass by accident. I grew up playing guitar and eventually found myself recording young rock bands that didn’t have a bass player. Let me clarify: they had someone on stage holding a bass, but it was usually another guitar player who just wanted to be in the band.

The parts, the tone, the approach–it was not “bass.” This took me down the long dark road of bass discovery. What should the bass be doing, or not doing? Where does its sound fit in the music? What restaurants do bass players eat at? As I learned, I developed some chops, and as years went by, I decided that I actually enjoyed being a bass player.

Like most things, we have options when it comes to recording bass. The choice of instrument plays a big part. Want a differ-ent bass tone? Switch basses.