| I agree that soundclips of someone's bass just wont help. Every player makes a bass sound different, strings are different, setup is different, etc.
You should try as many basses as possible--absolutely, If you can bring a friend who's a bass player with you. Myself, the first thing I look for is "does it feel comfortable physically"--excluding the stuff, like string height, that can be changed with set up. Are the shoulders too wide? Does the neck feel awkward? If it feels comfortable, play on!
Second thing I look for is even-ness across the fingerboard. I really don't want a bass where one set of notes are dramatically louder or softer than another--where you have to hit hard on some notes and back off on others, just to keep the same volume. The more consistently the bass responds, the easier it is to play.
After that it gets more intangible.
__________________
Skeptical but resigned
| 
