Two Basses in one band

These cats get my everlasting vote as three untouchable bass maestros. And hearing them playing together as a band is just…DAMN!!!

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Another good example :slight_smile:

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Oh and there’s always Kiyoshi.

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If a band can have 2 guitarists (rhythm and lead) or 3 (Iron Maiden) I see no reason why one shouldn’t have two bassists.

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Why stop at two? Why not five?

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Never forget The Omnific.
This would be their most famous song (for a little known band).
I’ve seen them live twice…

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Why not go all Spinal Tap and have three bassists?

I would not want try playing in a band with another bassist or a keyboard player who can’t figure out what to do with his left hand except trip all over my bass line. There’s a huge difference between three HOF bassists playing off one another and two amateurs or even semi pros trying it in a country band where bass lines are actually very simple.

If you want to add something that might actually work pick up a guitar and play a tic tac root/5 line an octave higher.

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Or just a Bassist and Drummer…

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Why stop at 3?

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:rofl:

I think the only way having two bassists would work is if you’re lacking in other melodic instruments (guitar, keys, etc.). Then you could have one bass player play the bass line and another take on the role a guitar/keys player would take. However if the band already has two or more guitar/keys players, there’s no way to add a second bass without stepping on someone else’s toes frequency wise (unless the bass players are going to trade songs, so only one bass on each song).

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Peter Hook played the melody a lot of the time with Joy Division and New Order with the guitar playing rhythm. Touring with Peter Hook and the light, he’ll have his son (unless Jack is touring with Smashing Pumpkins) play the meat of the basslines and Peter will do his solos and fills over the top of that.

Yes, exactly. That’ll work if you only have one guitar who plays rhythm. But if you have lead and rhythm guitar, or rhythm guitar and keys, not so much.

There many good reasons the vast majority of bands have only one bass player, vs the number of bands that have multiple guitarists, keyboardists, percussionists, etc.

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Worked great for New Order, and as @faydout mentions still does for Peter Hook and the Light. Peter still takes the lead roles, his son is playing bass, they have an excellent lead and rhythm guitarist (especially when Jeff Schroeder is playing with them), and of course, heavy keyboards.

Joy Division had Bernard Sumner on rhythm/lead, Ian Curtis on Rhythm for some songs, and Hooky playing his most iconic leading basslines.

It’s not a binary question of works/doesn’t work; it’s about having the genius and ability as a band to make it work. They forged an iconic sound that kicked off a whole genre.

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Go for it. The band I’m in has Three Guitarists

What was I thinking?!

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You were thinking something glorious and loud :rofl:

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So does ours. One could definitely go or at least learn how to play in time :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Sure it is. Take the number of bands you can think of that use more than one bassist and divide that by the number of bands that exist total. I’d be surprised if you got a number anywhere close to 1%.

Again, there are Reasons most bands don’t do it, and the ones that do are the exception, not the rule. It’s best to assume one is the norm, not the exception.

That’s absolutely fine :grin:

I still love Freebass. Three top tier Mancunian bass players.

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