Trabens play like shit.

Then you must play like shit, because it demolishes anything I throw at it with ease.

Practise within your depth. That's all there really is to it.

Make sure you have a basic understanding of scales, chords etc. first. You can just google it and it's a maximum of a few hours of reading and experimenting.

Start off with material that you feel comfortable with. Don't just grab the tab of a Flea solo and spend months trying to imitate it. You will naturally develop your skills and find yourself getting more comfortable with progressively more difficult songs.

If you can, try and learn by ear instead of tabs as much as possible. It's an invaluable tool later on.

Finally, practise, practise, practise. You can only get better by partaking.

I played for a year or so before I even bothered looking at 2-handed tapping techniques, slapping etc. Basics are very important.

That's all I can really think of. Most importantly, just have fun!

Thanks, I play the drums and am now trying to expand my skills with other instruments to be more...universal or however to put that! My friend's bassist is leaving their band after the summer and they want me to learn bass over that time. I'm just not sure I'll have enough time to be mediocre at least to satisfy what they want out of a bassist. They're a hardcore band so bass isn't too too important..

Good luck, but be careful how you're treated in the band. I made that mistake before. Nobody's importance should be downplayed. Rock and metal bands sadly tend to do that. My current band allows each member to shine in their own ways. I have the mids and trebles cutting through the riffs so that my sound is always present, and that I'm not there for the sake of being there. When you get comfortable with the instrument, you can start doing some differentiation eg. I have some slow, mellow solo tracks and dark, gritty solo intro tracks.

Sorry for ranting. Have an amusing gif.

I know what you mean though. Why I play drums, and experiment with different things it gets fun; adding your own little input while at the same time adding umpf to another instrument making the whole picture better.

I know that feel.

As Bassists,we shall UNITE!!!

The three of us.

LET'S DO IT.

Your bass, is it custom work? The bridgepiece is very admirable, and the fretboard is pretty extensive.
I've only got a P-J knock-off, but I guess that's all I need as a casual player.

Nope, it's a completely stock model. I've changed the strings and lowered the action, but that's about it. Traben have some of the best designs I've ever seen. I just had to get one. Worth the price.

Holy SHIT those are some gorgeous designs they have.