Coming from several years of observations and experiences in the music world, I've always found that whenever I come across a beginner or fairly new bass player, their basses are most often horribly set-up..
Usually, their necks are bowed radically and the action is high enough to fit a college textbook underneath the strings. It concerns me that these musicians are trying to learn technique while developing their ears on instruments that limit their abilities. For example, trying to build up left hand speed and precision when the action is abnormally high.
I know that these basses have great potential to sound great and feel great (relatively speaking), but unfortunately many starting musicians are uneducated about the setup and maintenance of bassists.
I simply propose that as fellow musicians, we try our best to educate those who haven't had the opportunity to learn about setup and repair. Personally, whenever I come across one of these basses, I always offer to set it up for them. I just think back to when I was first starting, and it's not that I didn't care about action, relief, or intonation, but it's that I did not know any better.
Almost every time, these musicians express their gratitude and after the set-up I do for them, they tell me that they're inspired to play more because the instrument feels and sounds much better than before.
Hearing that alone makes it worth it. It's just my way of giving back to the music community, so I encourage you ladies and gentlemen to try the same, you won't regret it!
