How best to buy a bass?

Play'em, have somebody (luthier, teacher, experienced friend) look at them to assess condition and worth. But the bottom line is always how does it sound. And then condition, and then price. It doesn't matter where, who, how, when it was made, you're buying it to PLAY. DONOSAUR's favorite bass turned out to be a Hungarian "gypsy" bass made in the late 20th century; he bought because it SOUNDED great and the price was right.

As far as how to find a bass; tell EVERYBODY that you know that you're looking for a bass. Consider taking a trip to one of the big bass shops (Hammond Ashley, Steve Kosica's joint, Gage, Kolstein, Cincinnatti, etc.) so that you can play 80 basses if you want (and who wouldn't want?).

 

I would not buy a used bass unless I could be assured by a well-respected bass luthier (Nnick, Arnold, Jeff, Upton, there are many others) that it had no structural issues. If it sounds just too good to be a $4,000 instrument, maybe it's a $6,000 instrument in disguise (in other words, needs 2k in repairs). A bass can sound great and have a crack all the way through the endpin block... or a poorly set neck... or old repairs done badly with linen and rubber cement, heck I dunno it could be almost anything.

Using your ears is not enough when looking at pre-owned instruments.

 

T, ya gotta do more than just skim. Remember the second part of the first sentence? No one is suggesting that "using your ears" is "enough".

Case in point, check out the WEIRD JUZEK thread. If Fred had been going by his eyes and not his ears, he woulda passed on that bass. But by LISTENING and then (PART TWO OF THE FIRST SENTENCE) he got a great sounding bass, that is now also a very healthy bass.

depending on the chunk of change you're getting ready to drop on the bass itself, you can specify repairs or adjustments to be done or get the purchase price lowered significantly in order to cover that cost. ESPECIALLY when get in the K$B range of old wood.

 

I was looking at your profile and it says you have a "linear" bass. I've not heard of that before. What is missing in that bass that you want from another bass?

 

Andy, you've put effort into trying to making the bass sound the best as possible too? I know you messed around with strings since I bought an old set of obli's from you. But there's other things that can be done too... MPM tailpiece, more strings, another setup specific to how you play, soundpost adjustments, tailgut cord, new end-pin, new bridge to better fit the bass bar, amps, cabs? And playing alot of arco just helps the bass open up, of course. Probably all of this stuff is still cheaper than getting a new bass.

I was GAS'ing for another bass a while back, but after getting an RS, lopping off the excess length on the end-pin, and switching to Velvet Anima's, I'm happy camper. Especially now that I discovered that I like the sound with high string heights I've kinda stopped looking. Not to mention that I'm a clutz so I dont' mind if I ding my bass - having a hybrid gives me piece of mind. Same reason I don't mind the lacquer finish anymore. A slight bit of protection than other finishes.

My only complaint is that I'd like to keep the same sound but make her easier to play, but I haven't let the strings fully stretch out yet either (it's only been 2 weeks). I'd only buy another bass if one happens to fall into my lap and sounds good for a decent price but I think I've stopped lusting for now.

I'm sure you looked into summa this stuff but just wanted to remind you that lots of stuff can still be tweaked before you give up and get a new bass. But considering all that and if it still ain't the sound in your head, well then I guess there's nothing that can be done other than getting a new axe.

EDIT: And if you're after a particular sound, then IMO buying sight-unseen is rather silly. In that case, the only answer is to try every bass you can get your hands on and not stop until you find one that beckons to you and keeping in mind that no two basses sound exactly alike either.

 

With little experience, but watching my luthier in action, the best thing to do is try them out with someone you trust.

I was at the shop (home) of my luthier and he had a customer (professor from a local university) that wanted a new bass for a 2 week gig he was going to start in a week or so. I watched as he tried out bass after bass. He would play, rap on the body parts, and discuss the pros and cons of each instrument. With a little bit of haggling, he settled on an instrument which the luthier would set up for him to test out again the next day. (bridge adjustments and different strings)

My luthier only sells for local pickup. He wants the customer to play the instrument and be sure what they are buying. He even lets a customer take a bass home to try out.

Once you start looking to buy a bass that is not coming out of a box, you should take the time to test out several options before settling. That is, of course, if you are lucky enough to have a trustworthy luthier with an inventory of basses within driving distance.