How do you know wich neck is the sweatest, wich sound is the best. You have to be rich, very smart or just lucky or what?

Give some advice.
Thanks anyway!:)

You have to be patient. Just look and do some research! and of course, save up some $$

Your ear will always be the best judge.

If it sounds good, it is good!

ok, wel I've figure that out anyway. thanks.=) I'll just have to wait.

play them all, then play them again a few more times... eventually you will form your own opinion on what it your best / favorite :bassist:

Well, I sure thought I had found two of my 'perfect' basses - then I went to my first bass lesson in over 22 years... Yes, I have found an amazing teacher and started taking lessons again...

Anyhow... he plays, amongst other fine basses, a couple of Warriors. He handed me his and said, "Give that a try."
Well, needless to say, the thing damn near played itself! I am talking virtually ZERO effort! I thought my basses had nice, easy playing necks and responsive, low action... now they feel like absolute - well, you get the idea...

These Warrior necks were very flat in profile - I was amazed at how easy they were to play. Now my teacher is quite good at setting up instruments and plans to teach me the finer point of that amongst all the other great training I am getting, but let me tell you, just when you think you have found the 'perfect' bass there is sure to be one out there that will change your mind about it... again!

--tz

hehe darn:P

I have been playing for about 15 years, and I have just now finally found what I consider to be as close to perfect as I have ever owned. It took a lot of time trying out different basses--some felt good, but didn't have the sound. Some sounded great, but didn't feel that great. Some did both OK, but not outstanding.

And then I tried a Roscoe. Now I own two of them.:smug: :D

I have been playing for about 15 years, and I have just now finally found what I consider to be as close to perfect as I have ever owned. It took a lot of time trying out different basses--some felt good, but didn't have the sound. Some sounded great, but didn't feel that great. Some did both OK, but not outstanding.

And then I tried a Roscoe. Now I own two of them.:smug: :D

AMEN BROTHER! Preach on! ;)

AMEN BROTHER! Preach on! ;)

:D

I should have specified that I meant I have found what I consider to be about perfect for me. And it did take many years, and quite a few basses--Warwicks, Peaveys, Modulus, F Bass, Hamer, Fender, Spector, EBMM, Alembic, Pedulla, etc. are some of the basses that I have owned or tried, looking for the ultimate in tone and playability and looks in a bass for me. And it just so happens that whatever dust Keith and Gard and the boys are sprinkling on these basses has me hooked.:)

Unfortunately I've never been able to tell which bass is perfect for me until I've played it on the job for several months. So often what sounds and feels good in the store sounds and feels like crap after a few nights on the job. I've pretty much settled on a SR5 because my left hand doesn't cramp after a few sets and the tone is usable with all the types of music I play. I have however, owned some other fine basses. The best 4 string I ever owned was an Ibanez Musician. One of the neck through Alembic copies. Played and sounded great but I needed a 5 string. The Lakland 5 string had the best tone I ever worked with but I just couldn't do the 35" scale. (small hands) I had a Ken Smith 5 string that played great but I just couldn't get use to the sound (too polite) Had a G&L 5 (the one with the EMG PU) Couldn't do the sound (too electronic for me) Had a Tobias that I could never get use to the way it hung on me, just didn't feel right. So you see, what works for one person may not work for someone else. What sounds and feels right is a highly personal thing. I'm not wasting any more of my playing years switching from bass to bass, If my SR5 fell apart tomorrow, I'd go buy another one just like it. (my many years of experience)

1960 fender jazz!

The MusicMan tone is exactly what I look for. Ive heard other tones I like but the MM tone is just, deliciously me.

couldnt say it much better than greybeard dude

Before you even try a bass bring someone with you who is more knowlegable than you and have him ask the salesman to set up the bass properly. If your friend approves of the set up then go ahead and try the bass yourself (noone will sound like you do; and one man's sound is another man's nightmare). If the bass feels fine, then go ahead and plug it. once you approve the tactile part, then you will go to the aural one.Then you try as many as you can and you decide.

fullrange bass brought to mind an article that I had written and posted at ThePerfectBass.com a few years back. Here's a copy of that article as I think it's applicable to this discussion. Peace!


In life, there are a few things that are constants...gravity, taxes, and the fact that all musicians get "The Fever". You know what The Fever is, it's the uncontrollable urge to buy new gear! Sometimes it's a new amp, sometimes it's effects, sometimes it's recording equipment. But, it's seems that often times the one piece of equipment that is the hardest to find is a new instrument.

Finding a new guitar is a tough job! There are so many choices out there, and a ton of factors influence our decision of what instrument to choose. I'd like to share with you some of the criteria that I have used in that past to decide on my personal instruments and what product lines we carry here at TPB.

It's important to understand that choosing a bass guitar is a very personal decision, and the evuation criteria for everyone will be different and very subjective to personal tastes. But there are some characteristics of a guitar that we should all pay attention to when choosing our weapon. So let's get to it...in order of my personal level of importance, here are the top 6 things to look for in a new bass:

<b>1 Feel</b>
Ther first thing I notice when I pick up an instrument is how it feels in my hands. Usually I'm sitting down, so how the neck and fretboard feel is the first thing that makes an impact. Sometimes I forget, but it's important to stand up and play the guitar with a strap on also. You have to be comfortable with the guitar in your hands. It has to "fit" you!

The guitar is a very intimate instrument and you must feel good when you hold and play it.

I personally like a medium to heavy-weight guitar. The weight of an instrument tells you a bit about it's character, and a little pull fron the guitar gives me a sense of power and solidness that I can't explain. Probably because a denser wood gives you more sustain and a crisp clear tone, and the weight lets me know that I will be able to produce a strong sound when I reach down to play that first note.

The guitar has to feel good to you! Don't settle on an instrument that just sounds good! If you want to progress as a player, you have to practice. I want to have a desire to practice! Having an instrument that feels good when I play definitely makes me want to pick it up as often as I can!

<b>2 Playability</b>
Playability...so what is playability? I'm no Victor Wooten, and I practice hard to continually progress as a player. If you're the Woo, I'd be willing to bet that you'd be able to pick up just about any bass and shred! But if you're an average player and working to get to that state of Woo...then you need a bass that is conducive to your playing style. One that you feel confident on, and that seems to compliment the way you position your hands and move on the fretboard. You should feel at home on your instrument.

<b>3 Tone</b>
When you're picking out your bass, the sound of the instrument is going to be a huge factor. A lot of professional musicians that I know have several instruments that they use depending on the style of music they are playing. Others, have one primary instrument that they use for all applications.

There are many aspects of a bass that affect how they sound including body woods, neck woods or materials, pickups and electronics. The type of music you are playing will likely be a factor in determining the tone you look for as well as what simply sounds good to your ear.

Be careful here also as what sounds good to you on stage isn't always what sounds good to your audience.

<b>4 Versatility</b>
Personally I like an instrument that can hang with me across several genres. My primary gig these days is playing at my church. At our church, we play everything from Rock to Funk, so having a versatile instrument is important.

For me the pickup and electronic configuration contributes a great deal to versatility. My personal preference is either Soapbar style or Jazz pickups and 3 band electronics. This is clearly a personal preference, but there are many options available from passive electronics to active with up to 4 bands of on-board EQ.

While tweakability is important and contributes to the overall value of the instrument to you as the player...BE CAREFUL! Too many controls can leave you tweaking yourself into bad tone.

<b>5 Quality of Construction</b>
If I am about to spend my hard earned cash on a bass, I want it to last! Look for tight seams, quality hardware and electronics, good finish work, and just solid quality contruction in general.

Most of the time, you can pick up a few instruments back to back, and without playing a note, know which instrument has a better fit and finish within moments. Quality construction means durability and is a component of the equation that there is really no replacement for.

<b>6 Design</b>
Now we all know, especially us rockers out there, that when we get on stage we want to look cool. And I am not afraid to admit it...I want to look cool! Not to mention when players in the room come up to me and say, "Dude! Sweet bass!!" (Usually I folow that up with, "Yeah and I know where you can get one! :)")

The look has to be there and can either instantly turn you on or off. I've played some amazingly ugly basses that played great, but since I didn't identify with the look of the instrument, I continued my search.

<b>The Wrap Up</b>
These are just a few of the evaluation criteria I use when choosing my instruments and the ones you see here at TPB. There are probably a hundred other factors that are in any purchasing decision not the least of which may be price, but hopefully this will help give you a 3rd party perspective on your next investment. The main ingredient needs to be your satisfaction with how the bass performs and how comfortable you are playing it! We're all different, so make sure you evaluate your next bass carefully and by your criteria and the sound you are searching for personally!

If you think we can help you with that, get int touch! We're happy to help!

Thanks for reading and Keep It Low!
JB

Simple answer to me is play as many as you can and pick what you like. Not what others say you should like, not the most expensive, not the best looking, etc.

Your tastes may also change. What was perfect 5 years ago may be not so perfect now. Also, what you need and what someone else needs will be totally different.

Also, you can "settle" if need be. I have "settled" for an inexpensive Yamaha BB605 and replaced the electronics with Bartolini. Even though it's not a "insert neam here" bass, it plays and sounds greta fo rmy needs.

Have fun looking. I did. But it cost me a lot so be careful.

yeah it really matters what you're preference is as a bass player and also maybe what musical situation you're playing with too.

For jazz and funk, I love the fender jazz and P's, and for the slap. could go with warmick.


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tabufx
http://www.bassguitarchops.com/

I've bought many high end basses, but sometimes they didn't satisfy the bandmates. Make sure that the bass is suitable for the type of music that you are playing. I own a Modulus Quantum-5 and a Roscoe LG3005, but neither bass made my bandmates too happy because the tone didn't suit classic rock and classic r&b like a jazz or p-bass would. So I started buying Lakland basses after motivating Brandt to up the inventory. My bandmates were really happy when I brought a Lakland Bob Glaub P-bass to practice one night. Not only were they happy, but I was very happy with the quality of the instrument, pickups, neck and everything else about the Lakland basses. So, now I'm the proud owner of 5 Lakland basses all purchased through THE PERFECT BASS. Bob Glaub, Darryl Jones, Joe Osborn, 55-02, and 55-02 fretless(got it 2 days ago). Best fretless I've ever owned by far.