Bass guitar lessons: tutorials and gear-buying guides

Bass guitar lessons: tutorials and gear-buying guides

This is a constantly updated hub of all our bass tuition videos and step-by-step guides. From artist lessons and playing tips to essential gear buying galleries - everything a bassist needs to start and improve.

The dedicated bass channel is the latest addition to MusicRadar so you can expect this page to grow fast during the coming weeks. Keep it locked here for regular updates and scroll through the thumbnails below to find a tutorial to suit your skill level or need.

First up is a brand new buyers’ guide: 6 acoustic basses under £500…

Round-up: 6 acoustic basses under £500

When it comes to acoustics and electro-acoustics guitarists have it easy; there are hundreds of instruments to choose from at virtually any price you want to pay. If you want an acoustic bass, however, you get the short straw… until now.

Bridging the gap between electric bass guitars and the traditional, cumbersome upright bass, here are six affordable electro basses that provide a practical route to small ensemble playing, home rehearsal and some studio work.

ROUND-UP: 6 acoustic basses under £500

How to get Kings Of Leon's Closer bass intro sound

Just as Kings Of Leon’s fourth album Only By The Night was exploding in the band’s homeland, we caught up with bassist Jared Followill’s tech Jay Schleusener onstage, before the show, at the AJ Palumbo Centre in Pittsburgh.

While showing us around Jared’s live rig, Jay let’s us in on the gear and settings you need to re-create the ominous intro to Closer…

VIDEO: How to get Kings Of Leon’s Closer bass intro sound

Round-up: 4 retro bass guitars

As with most classes of instrument, today’s semi-hollow thinline basses fall into two main groups: those that follow or emulate past favourites and those that add more than a touch of originality.

So what’s the attraction of a semi-hollow thinline bass, you may ask? Well the depth of sound and the generally lighter weight compared to a solid-bodied bass has a great deal to do with it, but the ‘different’ factor is there too. So if you’re not attracted by the industry giant solid body models (perhaps because so many people own one), these four offer a cool, retro-looking alternative.

ROUND-UP: 4 retro bass guitars

10 best bass guitars under £300

Thanks to Ask MusicRadar, the power of your axe-buying knowledge and following the search to find, name and honour the best acoustic and electric guitars under £300, we finally uncovered the best budget basses your money can buy.

This is a gallery of the top 10 as chosen by you. All cost under £300 and are well worthy of your consideration, but we do have one overall winner… scroll through to reveal the very best.

CHECK OUT: 10 best bass guitars under £300

Bass processing: the quick and easy guide

Regardless of the type of music it is you’re recording, a good bass sound is usually essential. You could spend weeks, even months learning about bass processing, but for the benefit of those who want to take a an extreme shortcut (or just get a quick idea of the basics) MusicRadar has put together this simple overview.

A guide to dynamics, ratio, threshold, attack, release, equalisation and effects…

CHECK OUT: Bass processing: the quick and easy guide

How to layer bass sounds with Victory Pill's Jim Davies

In this video lesson, Jim Davies of Victory Pill shows you how layering bass parts can give you a fuller sound.

By paying attention to the timbre and register (which octave the bass is played in) of the bass parts, Jim creates an interesting bass sound that fills out the mix without crowding or muddying it.

VIDEO: How to layer bass sounds with Victory Pill’s Jim Davies