Trying out eqiuipment in the shop

[ZH_Driver]

Morning all
I plan to head in to my local this weekend and try out a couple of pedals (Bassbone/similar and overdrive). Despite having little problems trying stuff in a group setting, when I play by myself (in particular in a shop with an 'audience') I get a blank!
I do have a few requirements on my list already, but I'd like some advice from people with experience. I do not use much in the way of effects and although I enjoy growing in to new equipment, this takes a lot longer than the time available in the shop!
1) What are some of the requirements you have when trying out new equipment (does not have to be either of the things I am looking at, just looking for ideas).
2) What do you do to avoid getting mind blanks when trying out new equipment? Exercises rather than riffs/songs?

Hopefully I can learn enough from your experience to make a list of requirements and 'inspirations' that is suitable for my situation.

Thanks in advance.

[Rip Topaz]

Remember, when you're in a shop trying out a new piece of gear, you're auditioning the gear, not auditioning for the idiots in GC. I usually play with all the buttons and knobs, maybe play a few notes, but don't sit and show off my knowledge of Metallica or Chili Pepper riffs.

[crapusername]

for me -

checking instruments, i always make sure i play for a while with the volume OFF. I like to be able to hear how the instrument is without any thing ...... extra.

pedals wise - get stuck in, change all of the settings, play something reasonably representative of what you normally play in a band or even by yourself,

does this pedal / piece of kit inspire you?

do you get excited hearing the sounds coming from the box?

spend as much time as you need to answer these questions properly. do not be rushed
if you can't answer the questions with a yes, try again later or walk away
YOU are the customer, you must be happy with the gear, so, take your time!

[BigOldHarry]

GC is a hard place to try out gear for me - it's literally hard to hear things well. the last amp gear I bought was at LA Bass Exchange (now closed, sorta) where I was the only customer - a buddy and me tried *everything* in the store, playing and listening until I plunked down zany $ on an amp and cab that I liked. The process took me hours - but I've still got that amp and cab, 11 years later. I alway say that amps in the store always sound better than they do in the mix, so keep that in mind. The same goes for pedals. They are often designed to *sell*, not to work in a band setting.

[wolffman]

most important requirement? a 30 day money back return policy.

no matter how many reviews i read or watch on youtube, i'm never certain right off the bat- and i also like to grow into gear, so take it home and try it. you should try the pedals with your rig, the pedals will likely react differently with your bass, amp, and speakers. more importantly than liking it in your home playing by yourself, if you play in a band, how do the effects sit in the mix?

best of luck

[Explorer]

Since I stack certain effects, any time I go effect shopping, I know exactly where it will go in the signal chain... and that means I have to bring that chain with me, letting them know at the desk that I have them with me.

I normally do this if there are several possibilities, as I can usually knock a few out immediately due to something which doesn't sit right. After that... 30 day return policy is king.

----

I don't play a concert, of course, but I'll test various things which will matter down the road. If a pedal will supposedly add sustain, then I'll be plucking notes and seeing how long they last. If there is a question of tracking, I'll be running at fast speeds to see if I can notice.

----

Most importantly, I normally know what I'm looking for out of a piece of gear by the time I get to the store. If I can weed something out by prior research, then that's less time I have to waste in the store.

And, of course, if there is something neat and unexpected at the store, if I can't think of a way it can be useful to me... it stays at the store.

[johnboy65]

I have a confession... I do music store chops. I worked at stores for so long it just makes me revert.
But I agree with everyone that you should just play what and how you normally play. No need to impress anyone with stuff you don't do in real life.

Side note, I recently got a tonebone/bassbone DI and it's awesome. I got rid of my Avalon because it colored the sound too much; then I got rid of the Radial J48 because it was WAY to clean for my taste. It's one of the few DI's that everything i've pluged into it sounds like the individual instrument. The loop was a bit confusing but it's super sensable after you look at the manual or check the Radial site.

There's also a bunch of stuff in the TB classifieds.

[kevteop]

I don't try out effects in music shops, I buy them used (or direct from boutique builders if I know exactly what I want) because my setup is pretty odd and I need to hear the effect in a full band mix to know if it will be useful or not. There would be no point in trying something in a shop, for me.

Top tip for trying bass guitars in a shop: Take along a Boss OC-2 and solo the -1 octave knob. It's the best dead-spot-finding unit in the world - play every single note on the neck and you will find every dead spot on every bass you try. Some music shops get quite aggressive if you ask them to plug in an analogue octaver these days - they know most of their basses won't pass that test.

[Mark Olson]

1) When I try out a new piece of gear I look for inspiring tone. If it doesn't inspire me to write music with it, play gigs with it, record with it, or generally rock out then I don't see a point in owning it.

2) If you're trying out a piece of gear in a music store, play through it what you're going to be playing through it everyday. That's what's going to give the real idea of how that piece of equipment is going to perform for you in reality. I would suggest to anyone nervous about playing publicly in a music store not to be so concerned what everyone else thinks. Unless you're getting paid to play in the music store, who cares what anyone thinks?

[Gozu]

right i have a question for you... i'm going amp shopping soon but i want to know what the head/cab will sound like with my bass and my effects, would you take them with you? do you cart your board around to see how they react with each other?