Just over a month back, I got my first - and hopefully not last - bass guitar. No one understood my decision, confused about how I chose the bass over the more common, and arguably more interesting, electric guitar. I decided to choose the bass as most of my favourite songs have a broad range of easy to intricate baselines, with bands such as Franz Ferdinand, The Fratellis and Red Hot Chili Peppers being good examples of this. But these songs have good guitar opportunities too, so why did I choose the bass?
Firstly, price was a major factor - a bass is very expensive, and if you want to get a proper bass from a reputable brand such as Yahama or Fender, you might be looking at around £1000 to get a proper amp, cables and the guitar itself at very minimum. However, my cousin was willing to lend me his amp and cables, but his amp was for basses only. I was therefore quite restricted here if I wanted to get either instrument for a decent price, but after seeing a rather beautiful dark wooden Squier bass (budget Fender brand) for far less than £200, I was hooked. I did very little research before buying and decided to purchase this one before my mind drifted back to guitar, as I knew I was saving what remained of my bank account here.
As well as this, it seems as though bass opens up far more opportunities - it's much easier to learn initially, and within weeks of learning you can play some of your favourite baselines to a recognisable extent. A lot of friends and relatives also had more knowledge of the bass and could offer me far more advice for it than I could get with a guitar, making it a lot more compelling. Lastly, let's say I were to mess around and play some songs with some of my friends, I would be much more likely to be appreciated as the only bass player they know rather than yet another guitar player who they had to choose over someone else (which, given my lack of experience, is not a position I’ll want to be in).
Lastly, It’s not as though I’ve decided my fate forever - should I want to in the future, and should my bank account recover, I can always buy a guitar and learn that using the skills I’ve gained from the bass. It’s very likely I’ll do that alongside playing the bass too, as having both skills would be perfect for small talk or being that Wonderwall guy.
