'The Comfort Factor'

[Ken Smith]

I am starting this thread to discuss the comfort or discomfort of playing the Bass.

What factors to YOU are important in making playing more pleasurable and less strain when playing this 'bigger' Guitar?

I will be tuning back in with my ideas and concepts concerning comfort and what went thru my head in designing the various Smith models as far as the feel I was shooting for.

[Christopher Rhodes]

The owner of a local bass only store stated to me recently - "a lot of musicians do not take into consideration the shape of the instrument when making a purchase - the only consider the sound, tone and feel of the neck.".

His statement made me think of my Smith Basses. Smith Basses play extremely well while sitting down - better (in the sitting position) than any other because of the wide body and cut-outs for access to upper 20+ frets is easier - because of the body shape - in my opinion. Smiths feel bulky while standing up - but that can be a good thing - to hide my expanding waistline! But seriously...

Shape, size and weight are important factors. I tend to prefer lighter weight instruments on long gigs, however light weight instruments tend to be neck heavy - and thus neck dive to some degree. When that happens - I am spending to my time/effort balancing the bass - vice playing it.

I am not sure what the objective of this topic is ... but this is my two cents.

Oh yes - here is a video of me playing an MD-7 Ken Smith. It is heavy, but the tone! Check out the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtLy4wtJy4k

All the best....
C. Rhodes

[Amit Shtriker]

Very sweet video Chris .. one major reason I was amazed when I first played a Smith was the deep rich woody "boink" that it makes when slapping (this doesn't happen in any other bass i've played so far).

The first time, when I checked out my friend's BMT Elite around 8 years ago, I was amazed by the tone but thought that I could never play an instrument that big, because I am a small player, and it can look very funny.

But then I saw there's a new design - the BSR! I was really happy because it looked much better for me and won't be so big compared to me.. When I checked out the BSR-JMW (which I eventually bought), it still was on the heavy side (I thought to myself it's because of the maple body), but it felt way more luxurious and professional than my older $500 bass.

I can say that after 4 years of descent use (mostly standing up with the bass), I don't have any major problem with comfort, I got used to the weight of the bass, and I think that the strap with the pad is really comfortable. I know I will always stay with the smaller BSR shape, though..

[Bob Faulkner]

Well, I'll preface this by saying my BSR4EG fretless is the most comfortable and best playing bass I've ever touched.

Having said that, the only thing I could think of that would improve the comfort a little would be to shape the top edge of the body where the forearm rests so the body is thinner there. The downside to that is it could impact the tone of the bass, and definitely would impact the look since it's a multi-layer body.

It's rounded already, so it doesn't really hurt, but I've found that on some of the longer sessions I've played, my fingers can start to go numb from the pressure on that one spot of my forearm.

Given the impact this change would have on the look of the bass, and the potential tonal impact, I wouldn't really change this as it's not that big of a deal. But, when asking for constructive criticism on perfection you should expect things like this

[Darren Lipper]

Several factors go into an enjoyable, easy to play bass for me. I guess the ultimate goal is to have an instrument that I do not have to think about, will not fight against me, and will inspire me. And of course this is all in the context of playing live, anywhere from 45 min to 4 hours or so...

The first factor is the neck... It must have a nice smooth feel to it, and the strings must be set up nice and consistant... I like each string to kind of meld into the next in terms of feel and sound. Also, a relatively flat neck profile with low action feels great of course.

The second crucial factor is how the bass feels standing up. How does the bass feel at the 1st fret? How does it feel at the 24th fret? In terms of Smith basses, I am BSR all the way... the 1st position standing on the BSR body shape is much easier on my wrist.

Also important is the weight... again, for my playing style, if a bass is so heavy I can feel it when I play, then it is NOT for me.

Finally, the dynamics of the instrument.... I must be able to play a bass that responds to nuances in playing. Of course there are many other factors to this one, such as the room one is playing in, or the other musicians, the sound system, the size of the room, etc....

So in summary, if the sound in the room is good an balanced, the action is nice and low and even across the neck, and I don't feel any pain in my shoulder or left wrist, I am in bass heaven lol...

[Gareth Hughes]

Aside from string spacing the most important thing for me is being able to comfortable play in first position without bending my wrist too much. I reckon about 70% of my gigging time is spent there so of it gets sore quick I know all about it.

This comfort factor is a variable quantity tho given that what works for me might not for another. I'm a small guy - 5'9", with shortish arms and small hands so what I've found that works best is having the strap button coming over the 12th fret, halfway into the 11th fret. I have the strap hang down vertically, not pulled to my right. Doing this I do lose a little access to the upper frets but that's the trade off, but I reduce the angle in my left wrist.

My basses are J-shaped. When I'm standing I like them to hand just an inch or two to the left of where they would be when I sit.

This set up might not work for giants like Melvin Lee Davis tho as the high frets would be an awkward twist in the other direction.