General survey question here. Wondering why peeps picked up bass and what it is they like about it.
For me, it was a combination of wanting to reconnect with music, the lockdown, and just liking the sound of the bass. What I love about it is that 1) its fun; 2) it sounds cool; 3) and it is important but also not at the “forefront” of songs.
I was always more attracted to bassy genres and I like the symmetry of the bass that the guitar lacked.
I’d been playing a little here and there for a number of years before lockdown, but it was lockdown that inspired me to devote all my time to it.
My cousin, an avid guitar player/builder passed away at 51. Since I’ve always sucked at guitar I was drawn to bass in his memory. I also thought it would be cool to mix with bari sax (something is till haven’t done and I have no idea why).
I also wanted a cheaper musical hobby than Sax, and one I could practice late at night without getting divorced.
Lemmy Kilmister died and I promised myself I’d learn bass to eventually play some Motörhead.
I did buy a law suit Gibson almost immediately after his passing but it sat in a corner gathering dust until I happened upon the B2B course and Josh’s amazing teaching technique.
I’ve still got Motörhead in my sights but I’m enjoying the whole process getting there
When Covid locked us down I wanted to do recording, I played guitar but had never played bass…as I started stumbling my way through creating a bass line decided that there was probably a lot of just rudimentary knowledge that would make my life easier. I’ve found now that I enjoy playing the bass probably more than I enjoy playing guitar. One of the biggest surprises is how it affects my song writing in that I end up writing a song around a bass groove I stumbled on and end up leaving more space in the song to accentuate that line.
I thought I wanted to play guitar so I got that, and I did want to just not then I guess.
I still play guitar now too but when I got the guitar at first I would end up detuning it and trying to play basslines on it so I said screw it and went and got myself a bass which largely stole my attention for years before I went back to guitar again on the same level.
Hmm, I always assumed that most bass players became bass players like I did, out of necessity.
All of the stories I have heard or read were like mine — your band’s bass player:
And your band looks at you, the guy who can play a little bit of everything, and says, “You can play bass, right?”
That’s the drummer
I like the way bass lines integrate within a song, Good players know how to serve the song.
That’s something i am striving to achieve, when i finally learn how to play bass properly 
, until then just gotta keep on practicing and hopefully one day it will all come together.
Cheers Brian.
Cheers Brian
When I decided to start playing again I almost went with guitar. After thinking about it I decided anything I would want to play on guitar, I would rather hear myself play on bass. That was the deciding moment of picking up the bass again.
The tones the bass makes feels right to me. You can take virtually any song and bring the bass up in the mix and I would like it even more. Those tones sooth my soul.
Well simple really, I I wanted it easy I could have play guitar, 
I saw Boh play live. And when my sister sarted piano during covid…seemd the right move.
Therapy for my soul.
I played guitar back in my late teens thru early 20’s, but I always wanted to be a bass player.
My best friend already chose bass, so I picked up guitar.
He was a lefty, so we couldn’t trade off.
When I went on disability, into rehab, and after my couple months in residential treatment, I moved to the after care program, and I wanted to pick up something to keep me busy and I have always loved music, and a few guys all had guitars where we were living, and I said, F it, its time for bass.
There have been so many times
I thought I might lose it.
The only thing thats saved me
has always been Music
-The Beastie Boys
Mine is slightly different in that i was originally going for a Bass guitar then that christmas my brother bought me an Electric guitar. I had no clue how to even form a Chord. Then i said damn i need lessons, then it spiraled i ended up learning guitar, Bass, Drums, and Vocal classes.
I did all this for 2 years straight, then luckily got into a band, (no gigs though) jamming for fun and due to having dabbled in each instrument i had respect for each persons place in a band. Still right now my heart is on the Bass, guitar is fun but i’m not a lead shredder or lead guitarist it just don’t sink in but the rhythm thanks to the bass guitar i fit right in. a few times drummer didnt turn up so i sat on drums, then bass when he didn’t turn up. If the lead guitarist didnt turn up well HA i stayed on rhythm.
More to the point Thin Lizzy got me into Bass and Joshs course was my first lesson into Bass, i will say without his course i would have been lost, paying for a teacher for one on one lessons for 30min once a week is okay but you just don’t get the information josh provides in his course and that’s GOLD.
Great introduction to bass
I’ve always had “an ear for bass” and always enjoy listening to the bass lines in songs. Maybe it’s because the Red Hot Chili Peppers are my fav band. Anyways about ten years ago I got a cheap bass for my birthday and fiddled with it, but being in my early 20s I moved on.
During lockdown my brother in law picked up the guitar and is actually pretty good at it. I decided I would fiddle with that old bass to see if I enjoyed it. Low an behold I’ve spent a lot of money on bass gear since May. I really enjoy being able to create structure in a song, have some grooves and funk in it as well. For whatever reason the normal guitar seemed really overwhelming to me, but the bass just made sense.
In the times I’ve played with either my brother in law, or father in law…or both at the same time, I’ve really enjoyed what the bass can do in that situation. Instead of potentially having three guitar players trying to make some music, I can be on the bass and really add in stability, groove, and structure to the jam.
It’s always been in my mind for as long as I can remember listening to music. My mates would come round and we’d all just jam on anything that was available. I was normally on the synth coz I had piano lessons as a kid in school. But dabbled with anything really.
Then in my early 20’s, some mates got a band together and asked if I wanted to learn/play bass in it, which I did. Ended up doing a few gigs then it disbanded as guitarists and singers argued and moved on.
Then about 3 years ago, after about 25 years hiatus, I got another synth and started dabbling. Then an ibanez bass as I started feeling the pull of music again and I’ve not looked back. Finally found the instrument I love and am happy to be able to spend the rest of my life playing it 
When my husband’s uncle passed away and left us his bass, it was easy enough to say “Welp. Time to do this.” I played some guitar and did some singing. I thought it’d be a nice change of pace, and perhaps easier, to play bass while singing.
I was wrong!
But I found a certain satisfaction in learning some of my favorite bass lines. I have a new appreciation for the bass as not just “a low guitar that plays with the drums” but as a multi-instrument musician, how it ties everything together. Learning bass has made my guitarwork faster and simultaneously more technical. It’s made my vocals tighter, too. I think about the whole rhythm section as I sing, now. Not just the drums.
See my somewhat facetious reply above, but I did take up bass out of necessity. My garage band’s bass player moved, so I started poking around and found a decent deal on a left-handed jazz bass. Turns out I’m a much more conscientious bass player than I ever was in 40 years as a guitar player.
One of the odd secrets to being a lefty is that cheating is easy if you’re a decent player. The other guitar player is a mirror image. All you have to do is watch his or her hands. You can show up for practice after a couple of glasses of wine, not having really learned the songs, and get away with it as long as you can see the other person’s hands.
Now I have become a stickler for good timekeeping, knowing the changes inside & out, and actually listening to our very good drummer. I’m a fussy pain in the ass at rehearsal 
.
Thanks, @JoshFossgreen, my friends hate you!