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Buying A Bass Without Playing It

#41
Buying new i'm fine with. In the 90s after saving up from my teenage minimum wage job, i bought a custom Carvin LB76. If i was able to play it first i would have ordered different options, or maybe even a different bass. Youthful mistakes we live and learn from. I still have the bass, and those things still irk me about it. I do like how the things i dislike force me to play it antithetically to my normal playing style. (if that sentence tracks) :cautious:

I just put an order on a custom Maruszczyk Frog and a custom Olinto P. I did get to play all the Olintos in their shop before ordering mine with my specs, so i don't consider that buying-without-playing, even though i haven't played the one they're building for me.

Having a few extra decades and the Carvin mistakes under my belt, i feel way better about the options i'm picking with the Maruszczyk sight-unseen, but i can't imagine anything being so wrong with it that i need to sell it. I've done a tone of research and watch a ton of videos of them being played online. I kinda know what i'm getting visually and aurally, and the biggest surprise is gonna be how it feels in my hands. Again, i mitigated that being an issue because i picked the bridge spacing, nut spacing, and neck profile i know i want. The rest of feel is just gonna be part of that bass's personality.

I won't buy used without playing it first, unless it's something cheap and i don't care if it plays well or isn't working. (I do have the luxury of being in NYC, so i probably have more options of buying things locally and trying first.)
 
#42
I live in an area without many quality basses in shops to test out. So I’ve bought most of my basses by purchasing online without having seen or played them in person beforehand. All high quality instruments only from proven sellers with good feedback reviews. Some from eBay. One from reverb. One from here. One custom build from a builder overseas. (My Moollon which is my only “forever” bass). I only bought my first two basses from a store where I could play them. Even one of those was a custom order Warwick through the shop I put a down payment on without having played it first, although I did play it when I went to pick it up and make the final payment. Everything I’ve bought I’ve been able to sell at the same price or for a profit, if I didn’t keep it. I’ve had no bad experiences or unexpected issues. Some instruments I just didn’t bond with after giving it some time. I was on the hunt for a good P bass for a couple years and went through about 4 purchases like this before I settled. But this could easily have happened the same with basses I tried and bought in person, as I really never know about a bass until I do a few gigs.

Out of 10-15 basses purchased without playing first, I still own 4… with another custom build on order that I’ve never played before. If I end up liking it, I’ll sell 1-2 basses to cover the expense.
 
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#43
I've had good luck buying online. Over time, I've bought three basses online and two in person. The two that seemed irresistible in person have both moved on, but they were both worthy instruments (Ibanez RB 820, Tagima JB Copy). In some ways, I regret selling them, but if I hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to get new basses.

Of the ones that I've bought online, my current #1 (Fernandes PJ) had a poorly executed extra control cavity hidden under the pickguard. It was undisclosed prior to sale, but as sold, the bass played and sounded excellent, and my own subsequent mods have made it even better. I've owned it now for almost 2 years, and it has a classy, distinguished vibe that has only grown on me with time.

My other current basses were bought off reverb, and arrived as described. One (Squier Mustang) was my #1 bass for two years and still gets played a lot. I put recently round wounds on it while #1 has flats.

The latest Reverb buy (80s Greco) just arrived yesterday. It arrived as described if not better. The jury's still out on how much I like it, because I haven't had the chance to set it up to my liking, etc., but it's easy to play, looks cool, seems like it'll sound good etc. This was an unfamiliar design, where the previous buys were versions/copies of old Fender classics.

The only ppl precautions I've taken is to be really fussy about seller's feedback, and to insist upon paying with regular PP rather than friends & family. The instruments I've bought online have all been inexpensive, so I have no experience ordering a high end bass sight unseen and expecting near perfection. I'm looking for sounds good/plays good.

There are some things you can't assess from afar. The feel of a neck is one. Small gradations in balance are another. You can get a sense of it, but you don't really know unless you've played it.
 
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#45
I ordered a custom 5 that I knew generally how the neck would feel and how it would balance because I played a similar one. Just chose a slightly different profile.
I have ordered Fender Mod Shop instruments (bass and guitars) but I had them shipped to my dealer as a safety net. But I know what a C Fender neck is. Usually I’d play first but if it’s a common shape my main concern is that it is intact. So I’d buy without playing if it was from a reputable seller/dealer or if it could ship to a dealer.
 
#46
I've had both good an bad results.
G&L Kiloton (new):
It was a nice bass, but I didn't like the sound of it at all. I couldn't get enough low end out of it. I purchased it through Guitar Center, so I returned it.​
Rickenbacker 4003:
It was a newer instrument but nothing like the 4001 I had in the early 70s. The bridge pickup cover was plastic instead of metal and had been removed. I kept catching my fingers in the hole it left behind. I didn't like the way it played, at all. I returned it.​
G&L LB100:
Great bass. I like everything about it. I still have it and it is on my keeper list.​
Danelectro Long Horn:
Bought this on a whim. My first ever bass was a Dano short horn and in the early 60s, I thought the long horn was the coolest bass ever. It is as cheap and sleezy as I expected, but I am amused by it. It has a unique tone.​
There have been others, but all in all, my experiences have not been that bad.
 
#48
I have only ever bought two used basses.

One was purchased right here and I was less than happy with the purchase. The bass was not as advertised, but not to the point where I felt like going through all the hoops necessary to truly make it right. So, I kept it.

When I discussed it with the seller, I got two different statements which contradicted each other so ...

The second was a bass I purchased from Reverb, but it turned out the seller was also a member here (and I started a thread about it).

He was a prince. He sent me close-up photos of the action on the bass. He sent me a video of him, playing the bass before the sale. He worked with my desire to NOT use PayPal and the bass arrived as advertised, well packaged, and freshly strung (and presumably set up because I didn't need to do anything to it). I will name him if he shows up and says it's okay (even though it was a positive experience, giving his name without his consent would not be right).

I have been burned by sellers a few times on Reverb when buying other instruments. To Reverb's credit: they have backed up the problems and made them right, but my experience with the sellers have left me jaded.

It would have to be a very special bass/situation for me to purchase used online again.

That said, my favorite retailer (I should just start identifying them and put "Endorsing Artist" in my profile LOL!) has never given me any problems with returning any bass with which I wasn't completely happy.

I'll do that, all day long.
 
#49
I don't like the idea of buying something I haven't played any more than buying a car I haven't driven. But I have done it, once an expensive old Fender from a very reputable shop and after talking with them and the tech extensively. Something like that I need to know ALOT of details and how it plays from someone there who is a bass player, and tech details from the tech who went over it. Another time it was a Japanese Sadowsky, and I talked extensively with the private seller. I'm not worried that a Sadowsky won't be a player, just feeling out the seller and the bass's history.

Luckily both basses turned out to be amazing, but I think there's an equal chance for disappointment so I'd still rather play before buying. The reality is, most high-end / specific stuff isn't likely to come through your local scene or stores as fast as you'd like.
 
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#50
Currently, my #1 is custom built and my #2 I ordered without playing first. The main thing to me is the neck, because all other things can be swapped, so I paid really close attention to the neck measurements (as well as listened to samples online, etc.)

When it came to the custom one, I knew I'd like the neck, all the wood and hardware were picked out, I listened to a ton of samples of the specific pups, and I talked with people who are or have used them, so I felt confident they'd be able to do the thing.

My #2 is a "not-for-export" CiJ Fender J bass. Played a ton of jazz basses and few different CiJ models before, and I generally liked them, so for me I just had to make sure the neck was something I'd vibe with (which it was). The only thing I didn't know was if I'd love a 12lb bass, but turns out that was no issue.

Doing research I guess is the main thing (particularly if you can't put your hands on a specific instrument.)
 
#51
Anyone who has a bass made for them is usually spending a substantial amount on a bass they never played. Anyone who prefers expensive, but hard to come by, boutique instruments, is usually not able to try them before playing them.
I've had 20 or so basses (currently have 4), and I've tried 2 of them before they came into my possession. The reality is that, unless you live in a major metropolitan area, you really have no choice, unless you are buy one of the standard production instruments... Fender, Ibanez, etc..
 
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#52
I only buy online from a real business:. They have return policies and other procedures in place for things to go well. I never buy from individuals unless it's local.

Generally I do lots of homework and have a fairly good idea of what's coming out of the box. I also do my own setups and am fairly certain I can reel most anything in to where it will work for me.

Past that, there will always be a little thing here or there that can be surprising, but the little mysteries of meeting a new axe are fun. I'm m not one of these 'got to be X mm string spacing guys'.

I bought it 'cause I liked it, and since I liked it, I'll make it work just fine for me.
 
#53
perfektspace6 said:
Whether purchasing from a seller in a distant part of the U.S. (or world) or ordering a custom made bass, many of us have had the experience of putting money on the table for a bass we have never played. Personally, I have purchased 4 basses in my lifetime that I did not play before buying. Two of them are no longer with me but were very good instruments. One was not what I expected and I quickly sold it. One bass is still in my possession and I will keep it forever. However, for the majority of the basses I have owned: I played the bass, determined I like it, and decided to buy with no reservations.

So my question(s) for the TB community is how you determine whether you will spend your hard earned money on an instrument that you have never played and, in some cases never heard, before purchase? What are some experiences, both positive and negative, that we can learn from to support a decision to commission a custom bass or buy a used bass without the benefit of playing it beforehand?
Click to expand...
The recognition that, like the business cards in American Psycho, there really isn't very much that's different about any bass. Unless you got a total stinker, it's probably going to be fine.
 
#54
perfektspace6 said:
Whether purchasing from a seller in a distant part of the U.S. (or world) or ordering a custom made bass, many of us have had the experience of putting money on the table for a bass we have never played. Personally, I have purchased 4 basses in my lifetime that I did not play before buying. Two of them are no longer with me but were very good instruments. One was not what I expected and I quickly sold it. One bass is still in my possession and I will keep it forever. However, for the majority of the basses I have owned: I played the bass, determined I like it, and decided to buy with no reservations.

So my question(s) for the TB community is how you determine whether you will spend your hard earned money on an instrument that you have never played and, in some cases never heard, before purchase? What are some experiences, both positive and negative, that we can learn from to support a decision to commission a custom bass or buy a used bass without the benefit of playing it beforehand?
Click to expand...
I've done it once the year before last (used bass), and it worked out really nicely. It's still my main bass. It was purchased from an individual, it arrived in expected condition and was/is my nicest playing bass.
 
#55
The bulk of my purchases have been online.
Seller reputation is important. I check feedback. (An occasional negative isn't necessarily a deal killer - especially if the person leaving it seems unreasonable and the seller has responded to it.)
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If anything seems remotely fishy, I pass.
What I have found after almost 50 purchases is that there is no way to know for sure whether an instrument will work out for you or not. You should be prepared to resell or trade up eventually if you just aren't bonding with a bass for whatever reason.
Curiously, trying something in person does not necessarily improve the odds for me. Of my 10 current "keepers", only two came from a local store. (And one of those might be on its way out soon!) More often than not, I find a bass can seem really cool in a showroom & amazing at home, then be kind of a dud on the actual gig. After all these years, I'm still not very good at predicting without really trying the thing out.
Happens with shoes, too...
 
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#56
Of all the basses I've bought, only one was through a local store where I could try it. One was a custom order. The rest were just not available locally or even within several hours drive. Unless you want a run of the mill Precision or Jazz or some low end models, there isn't much offered in this part of the world.

None of my unplayed purchases have been bad. Even those I have not kept, I liked them for a while so it would not have made a difference if I had played them first.
 
#57
I'm sure I'm not the only one posting something along these lines, but here are my thoughts:
Buying online is a pretty amazing option that made it so much easier to track down unique or rare instruments, while also giving us the advantage of being able to shop around at such a far larger pool of vendors for best price. That said, there are obvious drawbacks as well, the biggest being we don't get to see it first. So I would only ever buy from a communicative seller, who is happy to send along any photos I request and answer any questions I may have. The only exception might be if a foolproof no-questions-asked return policy is in place. Even in the case that I might be out return shipping, it's worth it to me when it's an instrument that I can't find locally. Finally, good vendor feedback is also a requirement.
 
#58
perfektspace6 said:
Whether purchasing from a seller in a distant part of the U.S. (or world) or ordering a custom made bass, many of us have had the experience of putting money on the table for a bass we have never played. Personally, I have purchased 4 basses in my lifetime that I did not play before buying. Two of them are no longer with me but were very good instruments. One was not what I expected and I quickly sold it. One bass is still in my possession and I will keep it forever. However, for the majority of the basses I have owned: I played the bass, determined I like it, and decided to buy with no reservations.

So my question(s) for the TB community is how you determine whether you will spend your hard earned money on an instrument that you have never played and, in some cases never heard, before purchase? What are some experiences, both positive and negative, that we can learn from to support a decision to commission a custom bass or buy a used bass without the benefit of playing it beforehand?
Click to expand...


As an owner of 5 Fodera basses...lol they're built from scratch for me. So i'm banking on Fodera's build quality, expertise, and experience.

Of My other basses I own, only one was purchased sight unseen. An Ibanez Gary Willis GWB1 (first gen signature model) I trusted in the fact that it was "Gary's bass"

At this point, any new basses I get will be Foderas
 
#59
Back in my day... (lol) we went to the local music store and bought whatever they had laying around. And we made it work for us. Nowadays we can go on the interwebs and choose precisely what kind of bass we want to have. We can listen to youtubes to determine how it sounds. We don't really have to play it before buying, because most stores will have a no questions asked money back guarantee period. So we can actually own the bass for a couple days, or weeks, play it as we want, and return it if we don't like it. Oh and, B-stock, anyone?
 

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