How easy is it for a guitarist to play bass?

Question:may sound silly coming from a guitarist but ive never sat down and played a bass but wanna learn. im always jealous of my mate who has the groove in the band and im playin rhythm lol. oooo and which bass guitars would you suggest, he has a rickenbacker and i love the rick brand but i know nothing about basses. so yeah are we saying easy or not...? (and before you ask i have asked him but he plays 4 instruments so everythings easy to him lol :)

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: may sound silly coming from a guitarist but ive never sat down and played a bass but wanna learn. im always jealous of my mate who has the groove in the band and im playin rhythm lol. oooo and which bass guitars would you suggest, he has a rickenbacker and i love the rick brand but i know nothing about basses. so yeah are we saying easy or not...? (and before you ask i have asked him but he plays 4 instruments so everythings easy to him lol :)

If you play guitar, the notes are the same for the bass. The difference is that you are now in the rhythm section....and ust think of riff instead of lead parts.
Rickenbacker is an awesome bass but Fender Jazz also.

Do you read? If so, get a cheap Squire bass combo and beginner book and get going. Learn how to read then learn scales, arpeggios, & chords. You'll be groovin' in no time if you have an ear and relative pitch.

--Bass is played with the fingertips, not typically with a pick
-Bass has a longer neck and the frets are farther apart
--Bass has thicker strings
--Bass lines are different from guitar parts, from rhythm guitar....you need to know how to play bass lines....in classical music it is known as counterpoint...

I was a bass player before i was ever a guitarist. It's a different instrument; just cause you can play guitar, doesn't mean you can play bass. You are right to be jealous, because the bass player drives the band in a way that the guitarist doesn't.

It's not easy. It takes a more profound sense of rhythm and harmony than you are used to. If you want to learn, I recommend (with most other people) the Squier P- or J-Bass.