Have ya ever

[Chris cook]

I can't fathom buying a bass,
especially a used big money bass , I'm talkin a 1, 2, 3, 4, $5.000 and up used bass without holding it in my hands , plugging it in and playing it first.
I dunno ?
it just doesn't make sense , to me anyway. .

U would ?
U did ?
or hellck no
No hatred here
Just curious.

 

[GreyBeard]

Probably not but, I'm into newer lighter basses.

 

[Bright Midnight]

Won't ever do that, unless it's a deal I can't let pass. But normally it's try out first before buying.

 

[chris_b]

I have played high-end basses that haven't hit the spot, so I definitely need to play a bass before buying. Ordering a custom bass wouldn't be for me. An example - I have a Mike Lull PJ5 which I love. I like everything about it. A friend also has a Mike Lull PJ5 that he loves, and I don't like at all!

I have bought used basses without hearing them but the price difference in a used bass, even an expensive one, makes it possible to move on without losing my shirt.

 

[coy garcia]

I like cheap basses but as I've gotten old some of mine have become that valuable. I recently spent 600 restoring and upgrading a 50 dollar bass but it's fun to play.

 

[steveinohio]

Yeah. Pretty much the way I buy all the time. Not a big deal in the least. If you don’t like it you can return it or sell it.

 

[JC BASS 91]

I spent a lot of time drooling over old Ric 4001 basses on Reverb. My intent was to eventually purchase one of said basses, but just never did it. Had I done it, I would have made sure the seller had a high rating...no less than 100% with a good return policy.

However, the issue became totally moot when I stumbled across mine in a local pawn shop.

 

[Stranger Danger]

I can't fathom buying a bass,
especially a used big money bass , I'm talkin a 1, 2, 3, 4, $5.000 and up used bass without holding it in my hands , plugging it in and playing it first.
I dunno ?
it just doesn't make sense , to me anyway. .

U would ?
U did ?
or hellck no
No hatred here
Just curious.

If everyone did that, talkbass would not exist

 

[Smooth_bass88]

I bought my used US Lakland 4460/osborn right here in the classifieds, obviously sight unseen, for nearly two grand. It's my number one favorite bass I've ever or played. that was over ten years ago. just sayin'

 

[el murdoque]

I've driven more than four hours to hold a bass for less than 30 seconds before buying it, then drove back nearly six hours (heavy traffic), so spent ten hours in the car to avoid buying a $$$$$ bass without checking it out.

I've also driven 150 miles to hold a bass for less than ten seconds and then driven back without having bought said bass. It was a second hand model in the $4k range (which was a steal at that moment). I touched it and nothing happened. Magic sparks did not jump. It was a great bass in every aspect, but it did not resonate with me.

 

[Discount Bassy]

I did, twice, and was not disappointed in the least either time. Technically, the second was a commissioned build by the maker of the first. I would do it again.

 

[J-Bass RMR]

Yes - at every price point except $5K.
The Q & A doesn't mean much without more context.
Those purchases had some degree of "purchase protection" / return policy.

 

[CletusMarley]

I haven't dropped that much on a bass site unseen, but I have with other electric guitars.

 

[J Wilson]

I ordered a five string Alembic Elan in the price range you mention, having never seen or played one. I owned another Alembic five at the time, had a sense of how they do things, and I can read a spec sheet.

When I got it, it was 90 per cent as expected, and the other 10 per cent was even better than I'd hoped for.

I've been at this for a long time, can read a spec sheet, plus I'm not one of those guys that a different string spacing or tone or weight really wrecks my day. If I like a bass, I'll coach it up to do what I want. So once I've got a solid picture in my mind of what this bass is going to be like, I can order one and never be surprised to the point of returning it since it was nothing like I expected, it just doesn't happen.

 

[ebo]

I bought a barely used G&L LB100 here on TB recently. At the bottom of your price range but up there for me to buy sight unseen. I too read the spec sheet, saw the pics and was comfortable with what I was getting. Not disappointed at all. The older the bass, the more worried I would be. This was a 2022.

 

[jimmydean]

It would depend on who you are buying it from , must have excellent return policy and making payment through PayPal only .

 

[Thumpin6string]

I honestly don't see why it being used would make a difference. You could just as well buy a new high dollar bass and not know if you'll like it until you get it.

 

[bassicmike]

I've never bought a bass I haven't held in my hands first.


They're all different.

 

[Koog]

If you know your specifications, ask detailed questions, and have an honest seller, it can be a good experience. I know the specs that suit me, I ask a lot of questions if detail is not provided, and, on TalkBass nearly all sellers can be trusted so it has worked out well for me. I have not bought a bass with a prior hands on experience since 2010.

Koog

 

[FullumMusic]

I bought my first sight-unseen bass at about 17, back in the 90s. Got a custom Carvin 6 string because i was pretty sure i needed a 6 string (Thanks Les Claypool and Anthony Jackson and Bass Player Magazine.) And i was amazed at what you could get for around $1K. Saved up my money from my crappy minimum wage job and bought one. I still have it. If i had played it first when i was 17 i might have thought twice about it, but i probably would have written off the weird things i don't like as "things i have to learn on a 6 string." If it was today and i played it first, i probably would have gotten a different bass because i'm (hopefully) smarter now, and have a lot more experience behind me, and have the experience of buying the Carvin behind me, and now knowing all the things i thought i wanted vs all the things i really want.

Fast forward to today. I have a deposit on a new Maruszczyk Frog fretless, sight unseen. Feel more confident in the decision because, again, i have decades more experience and bass wisdom behind me, and i know exactly what i want from a bass, not what i think i want.

I ordered a custom Olinto P bass too. So technically i haven't played the one they're making for me because it's not built yet. But i ordered it because i fell head-over-heels in love with the Olinto P they had on the wall of their shop. So, i have played one first, just not mine specifically.

Used? No. I wouldn't buy a used instrument sight-unseen unless it was cheap enough that i wouldn't care if i had to put some money into fixing it up to how i want it. But, chances are, if i'm buying used, sight-unseen, it's gonna be something i'm specifically buying to not worry about modding. I don't even care if Reverb.com et al have buyer protections and i can send it back. I don't even want the hassle of finding out, filing a claim, and shipping it back.

Otherwise, it would have to be sight-unseen from someone i absolutely know and trust. I can think of a very small handful of people i would, and one of them lives close enough to see the bass in person.