how high to wear the bass guitar??

Question

i used to wear my bass somewhere in the middle from the lowest to the highest position on the STRAP/BELT
but after watching the likes of wooten i tried wearing it as high up as possible and felt i have a much better reach and controll on the fingerboard and the bass is also steady and was certainly a better position to tap
but this high up position gives me some kinda back issue ........stiffness or something after about 15-30mins of wearing it

now should i keep practicing and playing it up high and would the issue be sorted as i would adapt to it or something or should i lower down the strap (but that isnt as good playing wise)
please help me with your opinion and the reason behind the opinion

ps:my bass isnt one of the lighter ones its near about the fender jazz and please dont respond by saying "wear it damn low like the GNR bassist looks cool!!"

Answer 1

hey theres no best position
but there IS your most comfortable position
read and experiment untill you find the best
and then the better then the best its an everlasting quest!

Answer 2

Never mind how it looks. Wear it where it's comfortable. If that means lower, OK, but your back is more important. Practise with it in the most comfortable position, and the other issues should sort themselves out. Hope this helps. A wider strap might help.

Answer 3

Don't worry about how it looks, whats important is that its comfortable for you.

I'm a bass player and I have back troubles so I can relate. Actually my back hurts more when I play the piano. Sometimes I sit down while I'm practising but on stage I always stand up and you want to be as comfortable as possible on stage because there's enough up there to make you uncomfortable.

Answer 4

What I discovered was, that when I am practicing (bass or guitar), I am sitting down, and my axe sits on my leg, so I get used to this, and when I play standing up, I had to adjust my strap high enough to where it would be in the same position, as if I were sitting down, and since I was used to that , It felt really comfortable!

Answer 5

Wearing the bass up high can make slapping technique a bit easier to do - but there are many top bass players that can slap with the bass in the normal position.

the bass way low is just a silly look and makes it harder to play.

Answer 6

I don't think there is an exact position the instrument should be worn. The one s who wear it low like GNR are only doing it to look cool. All the really great players I've seen wear it higher like you mentioned. My guess is to let your chest (boob) rest in the top cutaway of the bass, any highr than that might be too high.

Answer 7

jogs my memory of guitar hero. between the little sayings on the same time as the track is loading says you shouldnt placed on it above your belt reason youre not in the beatles. i presumed it became into humorous.