I'm Sorry, Sir...I Don't Play Bass..

[ZenG]

I don't know about anyone else's experiences but I find it rather odd that just about any store that I go into that sells basses where I live ( including chains) know almost nothing about them.

Seems like all the employees everywhere play guitar..and will be happy to give you their opinions on these.

And it doesn't matter which employee you talk to....be it the old longtime "salts" or the new shredder hotshot.

But step into the bass department and they disappear in droves.

All kinds of basses hanging on up on the walls....but start trying to talk to anybody about them and they mumble a few generic responses and then it's quickly off to serve another customer.

Talking about shortscales is a waste of time also...they know not of which you speak.

They give the cursory nod to basses by stocking a few sets of longscale strings in standard gauge...aaaand that's it.

Even my luthier/tech, who is one of THE best around and does excellent work, seems miffed when we start talking basses.
He knows the wiring and set up like the back of his hand and is very good....guitars he could talk about all day...but basses not so much.

I have never yet been to a store that sells basses in this area and found a bassplayer working there.

What's your experience?

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

Hence.....TalkBass.com.

 

[radioripster]

We're "just" bass players.

That is what I've figured out over many years.

heh.

I'm ok with that, but I know what you mean about going to guitar stores. Basses are rarely set up properly as well.

Even worse when you are shopping for a fretless.

It got to the point, especially with a fretless, that I request some tools to do a quick setup...doing it myself.

Usually, I'm turned down and I get some flapdo about letting their guy there a look at it..blah..blah.

I get it..they don't know me and so on.

I tell them sorry...you just missed a sale and I understand why, but they don't understand and mostly don't care about basses and that's how the whole situation originated

Every now and again, I get the go ahead to tweak one and a few times, they make a sale to me.

Yep..we're "just" bass players, but we know different.

 

[jbybj]

IME, bass players tend to be smarter than most musicians. As such we tend to avoid such horrific jobs like selling guitars.

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

More specifically....

While I generally am an informed shopper when it comes to any product I'm going to be spending decent money on, I generally know more about basses and bass gear than anyone in the store that I'm visiting (I haven't made it to a bass-specific store yet like Bass Central- that must be a nice change of pace).

It's actually better that you're running into guys that say they can't help you because they don't play bass- I've run into several employees that thought they knew what they were talking about because they played guitar and considered bass as a little brother offshoot of it even if they weren't actually players or at least up to snuff on bass gear.

 

[tedious1]

One of the guys at my local is a bass player, but quite honestly, it's not as refreshing as you would think. One of the guitar guys and a really long time employee is a much better hang if you want to chat basses or bass gear. I think we get spoiled here. And I know the clerk who plays bass is not on here, I've done due dilligence - I asked him what the best bass for metal is and he tried to give me a level answer... ...that wasn't a P bass...So obviously he's unwashed...

 

[Bryan R. Tyler]

One of the guys at my local is a bass player, but quite honestly, it's not as refreshing as you would think. One of the guitar guys and a really long time employee is a much better hang if you want to chat basses or bass gear. I think we get spoiled here. And I know the clerk who plays bass is not on here, I've done due dilligence - I asked him what the best bass for metal is and he tried to give me a level answer... ...that wasn't a P bass...So obviously he's unwashed...

I've actually been wondering when I'm going to run into a local bassist who mentions TalkBass and says "that place is run by a bunch of jerks"

 

[Wolfenstein666]

It doesn't even bother me, I actually think it's hilarious. A general lack of local knowledge / know how is why I've learned how to do all that stuff myself and why I love TB so much.

 

[Kristoff16]

There are very few employees around here that actually will give you honest advice about anything. I went into a local music store recently to buy a case for my bass. I told them I had a Yamaha bass. They said that they had a case that would fit perfectly. They came out with a case that would fit a triangle headstock and they told me that would fit my bass. The bass guitar I have has a rectangular head and there was no way I was buying that case. Most of the employees I have seen are complete idiots and know nothing about all the crap they are trying to sell. It's like seriously dude, go work at McDonalds or something.

 

[Gorn]

I wish the employees would disappear when I go to the bass section. I know more than them and don't want to be pitched to.

 

[Joedog]

Not a problem here. 3 stores, and they each have a bass player working there. All good guys.

 

[Gaolee]

The independent shop I like has a couple guys who are bass players. One is primarily a bass player. The luthier who works there has a thoroughly battered fretless Precision on the wall that's his main instrument. Life is pretty good.

 

[triode6L6a]

I guess I'm in the lucky minority. The manager of our local music store (not a chain) is a bass player and gear head. He's the one who introduced me to my first F bass. He typically has a great selection of basses and amps, and it's always fun to go in and see what's new.

 

[Korladis]

I don't know about anyone else's experiences but I find it rather odd that just about any store that I go into that sells basses where I live ( including chains) know almost nothing about them.

Seems like all the employees everywhere play guitar..and will be happy to give you their opinions on these.

And it doesn't matter which employee you talk to....be it the old longtime "salts" or the new shredder hotshot.

But step into the bass department and they disappear in droves.

All kinds of basses hanging on up on the walls....but start trying to talk to anybody about them and they mumble a few generic responses and then it's quickly off to serve another customer.

Talking about shortscales is a waste of time also...they know not of which you speak.

They give the cursory nod to basses by stocking a few sets of longscale strings in standard gauge...aaaand that's it.

Even my luthier/tech, who is one of THE best around and does excellent work, seems miffed when we start talking basses.
He knows the wiring and set up like the back of his hand and is very good....guitars he could talk about all day...but basses not so much.

I have never yet been to a store that sells basses in this area and found a bassplayer working there.

What's your experience?

My favorite shop for repairs is owned by a multi-instrumentalist whose main instrument is bass. We got into a conversation about G&Ls for like an hour one time. Great dude.

Guitar center I don't think has any bassists working there.

 

[Korladis]

More specifically....

While I generally am an informed shopper when it comes to any product I'm going to be spending decent money on, I generally know more about basses and bass gear than anyone in the store that I'm visiting (I haven't made it to a bass-specific store yet like Bass Central- that must be a nice change of pace).

It's actually better that you're running into guys that say they can't help you because they don't play bass- I've run into several employees that thought they knew what they were talking about because they played guitar and considered bass as a little brother offshoot of it even if they weren't actuallyplayers or at least up to snuff on bass gear.

Ugh, yeah. Dudes who play guitar and think they know something about bass when they quite obviously don't are the worst.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

I don't know about anyone else's experiences but I find it rather odd that just about any store that I go into that sells basses where I live ( including chains) know almost nothing about them.

Seems like all the employees everywhere play guitar..and will be happy to give you their opinions on these.

And it doesn't matter which employee you talk to....be it the old longtime "salts" or the new shredder hotshot.

But step into the bass department and they disappear in droves.

All kinds of basses hanging on up on the walls....but start trying to talk to anybody about them and they mumble a few generic responses and then it's quickly off to serve another customer.

Talking about shortscales is a waste of time also...they know not of which you speak.

They give the cursory nod to basses by stocking a few sets of longscale strings in standard gauge...aaaand that's it.

Even my luthier/tech, who is one of THE best around and does excellent work, seems miffed when we start talking basses.
He knows the wiring and set up like the back of his hand and is very good....guitars he could talk about all day...but basses not so much.

I have never yet been to a store that sells basses in this area and found a bassplayer working there.

What's your experience?

Because bass players have too much self respect to work at GUITAR **"***?

 

[Mvilmany]

IME, bass players tend to be smarter than most musicians. As such we tend to avoid such horrific jobs like selling guitars.

You beat me to this.

 

[jbybj]

I guess I'm in the lucky minority. The manager of our local music store (not a chain) is a bass player and gear head. He's the one who introduced me to my first F bass. He typically has a great selection of basses and amps, and it's always fun to go in and see what's new.

If that's the place on one of the main drags, in "downtown" Monterey, I've been there. 5-6 years ago they had this AMAZING Alembic 4 string signature bass they would let me play when I visited your beautiful city. If I had 10K in my pocket it would have been MINE.

 

[Skeezix]

Hah, at my local GC, they ignore everyone.
There will usually be 4 to 6 employees hanging around one cash register
and nobody talking to customers.

 

[Runnerman]

Harry's Guitars in Raleigh. PeeWee is the bass player for Nantucket. I sat down one time and just started playing a cover bass line that popped into my head...unamplified. He was standing at the desk, identified the song and said he liked that one. Has forgotten more about basses than I know. When I go to Guitar Center or Sam Ash I just can't stay in there very long....just long enough to look at the used gear and get the heck out the door again. Employee's are always there when you don't want them and never there when you do.