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How to know which "high end" bass is for you?

T

tobo

Nov 22, 2005
60
4
#1
Well there was a thread dedicated to "exclusive" basses- stuff your not going to find in 99.9% of all music shops..

So.. how do you know its the bass for you? Given that you would be able to test it?


Take warwick for example- I know they arent all that hard to find to test, but if you wanted one, chances are you wouldnt be able to compare the tones of a vampyre, dolphin, streamer etc, to find the perfect warwick for you
 
#2
Depends on where you live when it comes to testing. If you live places like New York, LA, Miami, etc., there are plenty of places and fellow bassists to try out expensive basses. Now, when you get someone like me where the closest "bass only" shop is in Nashville, things get tough.

Some places offer a trial, maybe 5 days to a week to try the bass. If its not you, you send it back and only pay shipping and possibly a small trial fee.
 
#3
tobo said:
So.. how do you know its the bass for you? Given that you would be able to test it?
Click to expand...

Simply put, you basically need to have played virtually anything you can get your hands on then figure out what options you like and dislike. Then you need to know how to communicate that with a builder. Still, there's always a certain degree of the unknown since you'll probably find that a lot of us are building things that simply don't exist.
 
#6
tobo said:
surely there must be an easier way of telling whether you would be more suited to say, a musicman stingray, or a bongo?
Click to expand...

Nice basses, but not what most would consider "high end". No real science to say what you might like other than trial and error. If a local shop doesn't have these, try to order one from a reputable dealer, make sure there's a decent return policy, and just play it to see if you like it.
 
#7
J. Crawford said:
Depends on where you live when it comes to testing. If you live places like New York, LA, Miami, etc., there are plenty of places and fellow bassists to try out expensive basses. Now, when you get someone like me where the closest "bass only" shop is in Nashville, things get tough.

Some places offer a trial, maybe 5 days to a week to try the bass. If its not you, you send it back and only pay shipping and possibly a small trial fee.
Click to expand...

+1. It's tough when you live "out in the sticks" to try out many of the high end instruments. IMO it's very important to get to play an instrument on a gig (or two) to see if it will work for you.

If you're in these circumstances, a retailer who offers the buyer a 5 to 7 day trial period is a must.
 
#8
You don't..Start with a beginner banger,.It'll make you appreciate anything better once you tranpose what it is you want in an exclusive boutique, also listen to as many youtube clips of the different wood combinations, chances are you'll settle on the types of tone that you're looking for.

Then there's just good old plain old blind faith.
Either way Good Luck.
 
#9
Rapisme said:
You don't..Start with a beginner banger,.It'll make you appreciate anything better once you tranpose what it is you want in an exclusive boutique, also listen to as many youtube clips of the different wood combonations, chances are you'll settle on the types of tone that you're looking for.

Then there's just good old plain old blind faith.
Either way Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Exactly!
 
#10
Rapisme said:
You don't..Start with a beginner banger,.It'll make you appreciate anything better once you tranpose what it is you want in an exclusive boutique, also listen to as many youtube clips of the different wood combinations, chances are you'll settle on the types of tone that you're looking for.

Then there's just good old plain old blind faith.
Either way Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks :)

Ok maybe the term "high end" was unnecessary, but I am looking to upgrade to a more professional bass, but i will have no way of testing them out myself..
though i have been scouring youtube, and a marcus miller signature does seem right up my alley..
 
#11
tobo said:
Thanks :)

Ok maybe the term "high end" was unnecessary, but I am looking to upgrade to a more professional bass, but i will have no way of testing them out myself..
though i have been scouring youtube, and a marcus miller signature does seem right up my alley..
Click to expand...

No offense to youtube clips, but I wouldn't base decisions on what you hear on youtube. Between their rig, technique,how it was recorded, compression, and your computer speakers, there's a lot of variability.
 
#12
tobo said:
Thanks :)

Ok maybe the term "high end" was unnecessary, but I am looking to upgrade to a more professional bass, but i will have no way of testing them out myself..
though i have been scouring youtube, and a marcus miller signature does seem right up my alley..
Click to expand...

It is difficult. I don't think I've been able to play a base that I've purchased in over 20 years. It's just the way it is for these more expensive basses that have very low distribution. And, even if you can try one, unless you buy that exact one, ordering one (even spec'd the same) can still result in quite a different instrument due to individual pieces of wood, etc., etc.

If you find that you are interested in a sort of '70's ash/maple single coil' type tone, then you can start perusing Talkbass for reviews and clips of Fender J's and, for example, Lakland Skylines or Sadowsky Metro's, etc., etc. and determine which of all these models speak to you (i.e., do you want a bass that sounds great passive, or will you always use a preamp, does 'single coil hum' bother you more than the postives of the single coil tone?, is the width of the string spacing at the nut important?, if you are going for a 5 string, is the bridge string spacing important? Are you sensitive to different scale lengths or weight).

Whew.... if you can try some different basses at Guitar Center that vary on these types of things, you can at least develop a template for what you like.

For example, at this point I only am interested in playing basses with 34" scale and single coil J pickups, with full spacing for 5 strings (19mm), and a 1 7/8"s nut width, a non compound relatively low radius board (or at least a gentle compound radius)... and the bass must have a relatively transparent preamp with a passive/active switch. So, that narrows things down quite a bit. That doesn't mean I'll dig every bass with that spec, but I'm pretty sure I will not dig any bass that is not of that spec.

This took about 20 years for me:D
 
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#14
You are going to have to gamble. There are many of us that have made a purchase that just wasn't quite what we wanted, and turned around and sold it to someone else that thought it was perfect. Talkbass has made it extremely easy to try many different basses, and know that I can recoup most if not all of my investment. Do some research so you can try to make an "educated" gamble.
 
#18
Pal up with you local music store.... ask if you can tag along to NAMM at your own expense. Amazing opportunities to see everything that's up and coming. I saw a couple of comments about higher end, boutique, etc..... here's a great rule. ...... buy the best you can afford. Better made basses play better and sound better, they do not make up for talent, but they will definitely enhance your playing.

Steve
 
#20
Honestly all you can do is guess if you can't play something as to whether you'd like it. Playing is the only real way to know what fingerboard radius/neck width/thickness, way it hangs on a strap, active/passive, weight, tone you prefer. Listening to something online won't tell you much. So many variables come into play. Get-togethers are great places to try out things you might otherwise never be able to do, especially if they're hand-built basses by particular luthiers that aren't readily available.
 

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