Do you as a bassist (have interest to) play guitar and vice versa?

I am a bassist and decided onto that instrument because wider apart frets are a lot easier to work with than the multi tasking guitar requires with chords. I decided onto this instrument because it gives me an „easy spot“ for possible future live performances while my main focus can still stay on composition for this possible group. I bought myself once a cheap guitar to try things out the frets are too small and with my problems with fine motoric, I decided to stay with bass and don’t play guitar anymore at all.
I am curious how much of you are only interested in playing one instrument and who of you want/are playing both.

I would love to play bass but i suck at it lol

I think going from playing guitar to bad bass is easy, so is bass to bad guitar.

Maybe i’d say you kinda play the instruments the exact same, but the job you do changes, and it’s learning the new job that’s hard more so than the physical technique?

Where it gets fun is baritone guitars (which are unfortunately sold above the amount that makes sense to try out…) bc you CAN play them like a normal guitar and they’ll be a bit loose and mumbly, or if you use them like a bass they’ll be pretty thin and anemic. So you end up finding whole other jobs for them that’s totally outside the usual sound of the two we’re used to

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I actually have been more of a guitar player over the years, started on guitar and didnt pick up a bass for years and still play guitar live but actually prefer playing bass these days, just love the sound and how more dynamic you can make song by playing different melodies or even just switching up rhythms can make a massive difference to how a particular section feels.

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yes!! one thing i totally agree with is that while i know i can’t do anything of value on bass, i can’t deny it’s fun - maybe specifically bc i don’t understand lol

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Well if you enjoy it then stick with it! You can defo do something of value on bass! A lot of VK is pretty much carried by the bass line so roll with it and flourish!

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Appreciate the sentiment haha but in my case all my bands have better bassists already, & i don’t mind having an instrument that’s only in the “for fun” category for me

But it really is crazy the difference between like me laying down a temp bass track to fill up space in the mix and then what someone who knows what they’re doing can say with it!

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I don’t own a bass but sometimes I like to play bass lines on my guitar. Does that count?

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Yes esp with an octave down pedal

And then just get a bassist octaving up to be your guitarist!

…why haven’t I thought to do this before? I just play an octave up! Haha!

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