Demand for Bassists v Guitarists

Tri-Newbie

Hey,
I'm getting back into playing music after a few years away and I'm deciding whether to go back to playing the bass as I used or going with the guitar. My abilities are , to put it politely, 'rusty' at the moment but my level is about the same for both bass and guitar. I'm 33, in Limerick and have the usual alt/rock/blues tastes.
The question is, will i get more offers to play as a bassist or a guitarist.
Posting in a hurry at work so sorry for the bad english.

Rigsby

Seems like an unusual reason for choosing an instrument IMO, as most people would have a natural attraction for one in particular.

To answer your question. Judging from the threads here, guitarists seem to be ten a penny, while bassists seem to be in demand.

gotBass

Ok,
so getting back into it, bass will get you more offers at the moment.
But being good is what will keep you busy.
One trick pony type bassplayers are going to end up in loads of bands for short periods.

You may actually be a better guitarist than a bass player, it will greatly depend on the music your playing. regardless of whether the bass or guitar is your choice:
1. if you really learn the instrument, and
2. listen to what the rest of the band are up to and be able to complement what they are doing

you'll get offers.
One other point, guitar players if they sing can play solo, I haven't seen any basspl ayers do that. ( well not unles they are virtuosos)

From personal experience, I think of myself as gluing what the guitarists and drummers are trying to do together. Some of the best gigs you'll ever do will mean that you make them look good and are hardly noticed, us bass types tend to sit in the background for 90% of the time.

best of luck with whatever you do

OK-Cancel-Apply

I play bass and guitar, and I'm slightly better on guitar. I find that I go rusty on bass far quicker than I would on guitar. You must put in some decent playing each day to stay sharp on bass. But if you find you enjoy them both equally, OP, then I would suggest going with bass, as there's far more demand out there.

Malice

I agree with what Rigsby wrote. Go with whichever takes your fancy the most. As regards which is more in demand, I also find bass players are more in demand.

ham_n_mustard

if its sheer volume of work you're after, then bass is probably the way to go. As both an average guitarist and bassist, i've had a lot more offers of work on bass. Plus you'll get more offers again if you have vocals.

DerKaiser

There's 10 guitarists for every bass player and 5 bass players for every drummer, so if you have the time and money, go for drums

If you have amp + transport, bass player is the way to go, you'll get a lot of work this way

Tri-Newbie

Thanks lads,
I really enjoy both instruments but I suppose I lean more naturally towards bass as thats what I started playing on. I took up guitar later because bassists were a dime a dozen at the time thanks to the fact that every fool with 100 quid and dreams of glory seemed to take up bass as the 'easy' option. I shouldn't have given it up.
In my haste i forgot to mention that i already have a guitar but dont have a bass or bass amp anymore. I usually play a friends bass.
My vocal abilities are best not mentioned.
Better start saving - be back in a year looking for a band to jam with.