Music Shop Anxiety

[PanRap]

Hello everybody,
i have a confession to make. I really don't enjoy checking any equipment at a shop. Either it is a bass, an amp or a pedal. When i sit down to play, i think most of what to play and how to play it correctly and give a very little space to judge the actual sound. Then i feel a little embarrassed, because usually some the employees there are real pro's or even other customers looking and hearing at me, makes me really uncomfortable. The point is at the end, after 5 minutes of playing i have no clue if i like the equipment i am testing.
On the other hand, if somebody else is playing, i could have my opinion after 10-15 notes. But i don't like asking somebody to do that, it feels like rich kids having a chauffeur.
My thought was to plan at home a routine and practice it, so when i am there to play things and think of it.Till now this plan hasn't work.

So, does anybody else have similar experiences? Do you have a routine when you go to the shop? How you focus more on the sound and less on the playing? Does anybody have a method to check instruments and rigs without torturing everybody in the shop?

cheers

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Quarter note scales will tell you all you need about feel and sound. No need to impress anyone with fancy or technical playing.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[Torrente Cro]

I agree, it takes me few days of noodling with any new stuff to get a objective opinion.
My ears are not so good to make verdict in few minutes.
Also, what sounds great in shop/bedroom will not sound good in band settings.
That's why I usually read a lot on internet forums, buy used and often sell after some time playing with it.

 

[blliB]

My advice:
Buy low- sell high

 

[Oddly]

I remember on another thread someone suggested getting one of those little Amplug headphone amps for testing a bass out when you don't have your own rig handy.
That might be worth looking into?
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Also, they're great to have anyway!

As suggested, playing a couple of scales or simple basslines that cover the whole neck should be enough, making sure knobs and pickups are doing what they should.

 

[gregoire1]

PanRap! I used to have this EXACT problem!

My solution was, I played ONLY basslines from original material while trying out gear. That way, I no longer have to worry about whether anyone else is judging me. (I know they don’t know if I’m playing it right or not).

It helped free my brain up from the performance-anxiety aspect of music store tryouts.

 

[TuneSalad666]

Honestly, no, I don't know the feeling.

I am not there to entertain the employees or the other customers, or to audition for the job providing background music for the shop, I am there to check out music equipment for myself.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Think of it this way. When you test drive a car, it's not a joy ride, and no one cares how you drive. You are checking how it feels, handles, etc. You are deciding whether or not to hand over your hard earned cash, not auditioning for a band.

Most people showing off chops in a store aren't there to buy.

 

[two fingers]

Hi,

Quarter note scales will tell you all you need about feel and sound. No need to impress anyone with fancy or technical playing.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

Yeah, if I'm trying out a bass this is me. In fact, I go chromatically up each string playing quarter notes all the way from end to end. I want to hear each note, listen for dead spots, listen for uneven frets, etc.

If I'm trying out gear I pick a familiar bass from the wall (in my case likely a P bass) and play a familiar bass line the soumd of which is firmly etched in my brain. I try to dial in "that sound" on the amp. If I can't get to that sound I can't use the amp. Simple as that.

I would do the same for pedals. If I'm looking at an overdrive, I'm looking for one to make a particular sound when included in my signal chain. So I would get a familiar bass, find a familiar amp setup, and try to get to "that sound" with the pedal playing a familiar bass line that has "that sound".

Now, if you are wanting to buy something to experiment with, pick somerthing you think will work and buy it. Sell it if it doesn't work.

But as far as nerves over playing by yourself in front of other musicians, forget it. I don't care if I make a mistake. I want to know if the gear sounds good even when I screw up.

 

[saabfender]

I have felt this way in the past. I have never had any real amount of stage fright - pretty much got over that in junior high. I don't know why but the guitar store feels different and until maybe ten years ago, I'd get quite anxious trying out stuff in stores - for all the reasons you mentioned.

You are there for you. Ignore everyone else. You are the only one in the world. That's easy for customers; what do they know anyway. I've found it necessary to politely but firmly back off the staff. Often, if they sense you are new to the music game or are new to sales themselves, they will hover. Tell them you've got it and wait for them to leave you alone.

As far as what to play, aside for sounding out possible weaknesses in the instrument or gear (as others have described), play what you'd normally play in your band. If your playing is mostly straight eighth notes, do that. If you do a lot of root and fifth action or mostly holding whole notes, do that. Play what you play.

I liked the car analogy (of course). If you are there to buy a minivan, it's pointless and idiotic to test drive it as a sports car.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I experience music store anxiety also, though it's not debilitating and I experience it for different reasons. I love to slap basses when I'm checking them out, and though some may find this hard to believe, I DON'T like getting people's attention. I'm not that crank the amp in the store guy that wants to show off. I'm more of the, "Please, can I be alone with this bass for 5 minutes," guy. I therefore generally turn the amp down real low and do short simple licks to see how the bass feels and sounds. I think @BassCliff nailed it in the second post. All you need do is play some simple 8th notes to see what a bass can do. No need to attempt anything fancy. Truth be told, if you're trying to impress - it will be obvious. Most musicians will be supportive of a player who knows what he/she is capable of, and look down upon a player trying to impress and falling short. Best to just practice being comfortable exactly where you're at as a player. Everyone has been there at one point or another.

That being said, if you continue to struggle and none of our suggestions help , truth be told - there's not a whole lot you're going to be able to tell about a bass hanging on a rack in a store anyhow. Whether it's you, or someone else playing it. You can get a general idea of what a bass is about by reading and watching lots of reviews. The only way you're going to REALLY know how a bass feels and sounds though is when you get it home, set it up to YOUR liking, plug it into YOUR amp, and play it in the style you're comfortable with, in YOUR band. I can't even begin to tell you how many basses I hated in stores, wound up buying anyhow (usually because of some insane deal I was able to get), and then fell head over heels in love with. About a year ago I picked up and plugged in a Mustang P/J. After about 60 seconds I laughed and hung it back up. The bass did less than nothing for me. A few months later I got a great deal on one, and now it's the only bass I've been playing since I picked it up. I'll add that it's not because I think I got a gem, and the store one was a lemon. It's because the store one had half dead strings and a crappy setup. It also sounded much different in the store than it does in both my bedroom, and in a band mix. The bass is smoking! I'd have never known that it store.

Had a similar experience with a Warwick Corvette. Bought one for $999 that felt and sounded like a $10,000 bass. Picked one up in a GC and was astounded. You couldn't have sold it to me for $150.

With the return policy available in most online stores, you can save yourself the anxiety and hassle of shopping in a GC. Research, buy, and return if you hate it. If you research carefully enough, you won't wind up hating it. Out of over 100 basses I've owned, I've only returned around 3. And that was honestly because it didn't really research them all that carefully.

 

[BooDoggie]

Hey, don't worry... If your talking GC most of those guys don't know the difference between a Fender and a Rickenbacker...

 

[FenderB]

I used to hate going into places where I knew people were going to be watching me, or at least in my mind they were. It's one of the few advantages of getting older, I'm pretty much over it now.

 

[Frank77]

I understand this. I'm by no means a virtuoso, but I'm a good player - and in a store I tend to freeze. I avoid playing in shops as much as possible : If I can rent a bass or amp for a few days, I do that instead. It's better to "live" with something to see if it's really right for you, bring it to rehearsal, and to hear it in a more controlled environment. It's not always a possibility though...remember it's a test for the gear you're trying, not of your abilities : Just pick a few basslines that are well within your skill level and play with the settings of whatever amp / bass / gizmo you're trying. If any of the staff is giving you a condescendant attitude, they don't deserve your business.

 

[hrodbert696]

I think that when you're trying out gear, there is one and only one thing to be thinking about - is this item worth spending the money on? You're not auditioning for a band, you're not performing. You're evaluating the gear, period, the end. I do have a couple of riffs I will play on an instrument just to see how it feels in my hands. But mostly I'm evaluating the weight, the balance, the neck profile, whether there's any scratchiness in the electronics, whether there are any dead frets, and generally whether I like the tone. If I'm checking out an amp, I'll try to play it with a bass that most resembles something I have at home; if I'm checking a bass, I'll play it through whatever amp they have that most resembles mine. And if I do buy it and then don't bond with it, I can always return it or sell it on to someone else.

Honestly, everybody complains about music-store wankers, and I personally despise the breed. If you need to practice, do it at home; if you want to show off your chops, go book a gig or visit an open mic. No one wants to hear you futz around for an hour in the store.

 

[RustyAxe]

Really, the shop is NOT an audition. It's not the place to show yer stuff, it's a place to BUY yer stuff. If others don't like what you do, tough. When I audition a piece of gear or an instrument I'm not playing songs or giving a concert. As to those guys who plop down and start shredding, well, most of us "in the know" just shake our heads and come back when we can hear ourselves think. We are not impressed.

 

[eekamike]

I used to get that feeling but now I'm over it. I've given up and just play scales and stuff so I can focus on sound and feel rather than actual lines.

That said, I hate music store wankers. RANT incoming, you can stop reading if you'd like. Last time I was at GC I couldn't even hear the bass I was playing because two dudes in the guitar room decided they wanted to have a volume war. Went to go try out a pedal, and another guitar wanker maxed his volume right next to me, after telling an employee that he's not going to buy anything as he's from out of town and just wanted to kill time. Not to mention all the slap wankery that goes on in the bass room. We're trying to shop here. Stop being an a-hole and disrupting everybody's shopping to stroke your ego.

 

[AngelCrusher]

Easiest solution ever - learn to groove over anything including dead air.

I was once handed a 1965 j bass to play on the spot in front of a bunch of music store employees and shoppers and I just worked it all over a D to C progression. Just focused on grooving it and grabbed a few fills now and then. You would have thought I was Jaco by the way people came over and looked, but I played nothing technical. I was just enjoying the sound of the bass and playing a simple flat 7 groove. Less is always more, especially when you feel pressured or uncomfortable.

I swear 90% of guys who demo basses play slap licks that go nowhere or random flurries of notes with no musicality at all. And they go play a gig at night which has none of that stuff. Just play a simple groove and see how the bass feels and resonates through the amp. It's more in line with what you would be doing anyway and it's musical. People will appreciate that and you will also become much more efficient at demoing basses.

 

[MattZilla]

I too suffer/cope with anxiety issues, especially in low-gravity situations. As a former guitar shop employee, I can say that I was never fully comfortable demoing instruments for customers, very much for the same reasons which you're uncomfortable demoing them for yourself, in addition to being paranoid about being perceived by the customer as showing off or by my boss as jacking off. It was a lot easier when the customer had been dealing with one of the other guys or the boss and they would holler over "Matt, come do some (one of five schticks that I have down way too pat) for this guy".

A few customers would ask for accompaniment when testing an amp or an acoustic, and those wound up being some pretty cool experiences by themselves. If I ever have a reason to be trying out pedals or a guitar amp, this is exactly what I'll do, and what I'd recommend if you can't bring a band mate/music buddy to have for familiar accompaniment, mostly because, unless you've either got an amazingly skilled ear or you're gearing up for solo performances, you can't easily judge any of that stuff outside of some kind of mix.

Learn, if you don't know already, a few every-shop-has-someone-who-knows-this-song songs like Brainstew/Jaded, Back in Black, Let's Stick Together, I've Got Friends in Low Places, etc.

 

[Carl Hillman]

My advice:
Buy low- sell high