Sure the electric bass started as part of the rhythm section, but why can’t it be used solo?
There are plenty that do.
Is that a beginner thing - no, but not much past root-fifth is a ‘beginner thing’.
But you can choose to learn melodies on the bass.
I do it on my bari sax all the time, prefer them down there to alto (or sometimes raise them up to soprano). Depends on the song, some songs lean one way or another, some don’t. Finding the right song is key in changing keys (see what I did there).
Most folks focus on bass tunes they know when starting to learn, so yes, it is more of an accompanying instrument, but if you are the only instrument, just learn a melody.
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Lol ok here’s the same guy with no capo. I agree with other comments that if you can already play guitar you wouldn’t grab the bass as your campfire singalong instrument.
Josh covers the role of the bass pretty thoroughly in the b2b course, so I don’t even know why this is a discussion. Yes you can solo but it’s not the primary role for most situations. Yes exceptions like Victor, Jaco etc but Horses for courses.
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Of all the objects in my house, my basses would be among the last things that I brought to a campfire.
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Bass I feel has an easy barrier to entry, but can be as complex as u make it. I would have no idea how to solo at this point. Some people who are pros do shred it tho.
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If you owned a Warwick you could burn one of those? I mean it’s nice that they employ blind designers to be a more inclusive employer but (I know many will think I’m wrong) they’re not attractive. YMMV 
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A similar scenario happened in Joy Division. Peter Hook the bassist played the role of lead (bass), and Bernard Sumner took on the role of rhythm (guitar), essentially switching roles. That’s why Peter Hood played 6 string so that he could access the higher register with the C string.
In a lot of rock based music, it’s the bass that plays the melody along with the guitars. When you having crashing cymbals and screaming guitars, there’s no room for a bassline. They only way it can work i for the bass to bolster the melody. And even in not so busy rock songs, the bass still plays the melody.
So did the guitar…
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I am so with you here. I know others love them and that’s cool. Just not for me.
Which stinks cause I love the woods and they have the best brand name going for basses.
Hooky’s main bass was a 4 string BB1200S; he only uses the 6 on a couple songs. But yeah, his signature style came about when, due to his crappy amp, he had to play up high to be heard.
He’s basically my bass hero - without him, New Order is basically a New Order cover band 
LOL. Yeah, tastes really vary. I honestly don’t see how you guys can look at Warwicks and Spectors (which look almost exactly the same) and think they aren’t amazing. I like the look a whole lot more than the vanilla Fender and Gibson standards anyway.
Throw in that they probably have the most creative custom shop on the planet…
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As a carpenter I’ll completely agree that the wood choices and craftsmanship are amazing. I really want to like them, but just can’t do it 
How dull if we were all the same though @howard
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Indeed
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I like Fender and Warwick. What does that say about my taste? 
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Tastes like you are gonna spend a lot of money.
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This is interesting…Gibson aside (I have no use for them), but Geddy Lee’s BBB of Basses really got me into the nuance of Fender and Fender style basses. I guess I am just used to them now maybe too. Ibanez, Spector, Shecter, Warwick - I see a lot of good looking wood, colors etc but things that never make me want one. Trying the couple Warwicks in hand yesterday made me even double shure I don’t want one. I was looking down at a Warwick fingerboard with gold (maybe brass?) frets against a dark woodgrain fingerboard that matched the bass thinking “that’s super cool, I can’t stand this bass”.
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Yeah I totally get that. I had to own two of them before I admitted the Warwick feel just wasn’t my favorite. For me it was the offset neck position due to the long body adding extra reach that I noticed. Or at least I think that’s what it was.
Loved the look though.
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Josh did this video…
How to Learn Bass Scales (Become a Better Bassist, Not a Robot)
There are links under the video for a bunch of melodic music written out for bass.
It’s a great lesson.
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I don’t dislike Fender, I just don’t think they are anything special (to me anyway). They are a solid instrument you won’t go wrong with (despite occasional QC issues), and they are the standard everyone compares to. But I like what other manufacturers do stylistically a lot more.
Personal preferences really. I could easily see owning a P-bass at some point. But whether it was made by Fender or one of the many outstanding small manufacturers is a good question.
Fender (and by limited extension, MusicMan) does do pastel colors really as well or better than anyone else though. They just look great.
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Each brand has his own vibe. The pricing was pretty much the same for any of my basses. You would think that you pay less for a passive bass but that is not always the case.
Personally I think that a lot of brands stepped up their game, especially if we are talking about entry level. Before I would agree that Fender entry level was a bit overpriced compared to other brands but I think the new Player series are quite good. Tbh these days I would prob pick a Mexican over an American. Imo judging on resell value is just an excuse to go for a shinier bass 
Ibanez, Yamaha and LTD ESP are good examples who sell great guitars for an affordable price. In the end it all boils down to personal preference anyway.
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