I have a couple melodic basslines I use to demo a guitar or amp that I'm comfortable with. And I always remember, I may not be that good, but I'm probably better than someone in there lol
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
It's natural to feel on-the-spot in music stores. It can feel like a mini-performance, because it sort of is. Not that anybody there actually cares, but you are playing in front of strangers, and if you're not used to that, it can definitely be nerve wracking.
A few ideas that might help:
• Warm up before you go! You'll be more relaxed and confident when you get there
• Decide in advance what you're going to play to audition the instrument. Knowing what you're going to play really helps.
• Choose passages that will demo the gear in a way that reveals what you want to know about it
And realize that the guys that work there hear novice players all. day. long. It's not like you'll stand out as somehow as extra bad. Tons of people who come in and try stuff are just beginners. As long as you don't play shaky beginner stuff super freaking loud, nobody really cares or notices. That's been my experience at least.
Good luck!
A few ideas that might help:
• Warm up before you go! You'll be more relaxed and confident when you get there
• Decide in advance what you're going to play to audition the instrument. Knowing what you're going to play really helps.
• Choose passages that will demo the gear in a way that reveals what you want to know about it
And realize that the guys that work there hear novice players all. day. long. It's not like you'll stand out as somehow as extra bad. Tons of people who come in and try stuff are just beginners. As long as you don't play shaky beginner stuff super freaking loud, nobody really cares or notices. That's been my experience at least.
Good luck!
I definitely have licks and basslines that I use to test equipment. Some covers, some from original songs. They are songs that I have played a lot, and have a pretty concrete idea of how I want them to sound and feel. So I can get a handle on the tone. Grooving out for 3 or 4 minutes helps get a handle on the feel. Then pushing something faster more solo-like for just a few seconds also helps get another aspect of the feel of the gear. Focus on your purchase, what you want, be selfish with your attention. That might help. The music store guys have seen and heard it all, so you're not going to impress or distress them in any way. The other customers - meh - just forget about them.
I don't even notice other customers if I find a bass I want. I'm too eager to check it out and play it. I don't crank it through the amp, volume is usually just loud enough to test the electronics. I sight down the neck and inspect the whole instrument for any defects before plugging it in. This includes any sharp edges, missing bridge saddle screws, etc. When it comes time to put it through the paces, I start chromatically from the lowest to highest notes on each string and listen for any problem spots. This done, I usually play a few jazzy lines with double stops in the upper register to see how they sound compared to the lower notes. (This is a crucial part of the demonstration, because uniformity of tone is what makes or breaks a deal sometimes.) That is what I'd normally play, so it isn't showing off, it's a test drive. Next might be a few bars of a slow blues or a ballad to check on the attack and decay. This is more for getting a feel for the bass than for the actual results, because store set ups and strings get changed as soon as the bass arrives at its new home. If the bass in question is a fretless model, there are a few glissandi runs needed to satisfy. This is not done to garner attention, its sole purpose is to evaluate the instrument you intend to purchase. Wankers should be flogged.
I work in a music store and see all variations of behavior when it comes to trying out instruments. I'd much rather help someone who might have some anxiety with the process than someone who has no etiquette and makes it difficult for anyone else who happens to be in the store.
As far as trying out basses myself, I usually don't actually ask to plug them in unless I really like the way the feel and play "acoustically." Basically, if I don't like the neck, it isn't worth plugging it in to see what it sounds like. I might try a few this way and go back to one or two I like and plug them in. By that point you should have settled in to something that you have worked through on all of them. It's a bit of a warm up, if nothing else.
But, really, don't worry about it. If you look like a serious customer, a good shop will have your interests as a player at heart. It's not an audition, where you get to shop on certain racks based on their assessment of your play. They get people who come in all day and shred on gear they have no intention of purchasing. Come in and ask intelligent questions of them. Ask questions you already know the answer to sometimes and see how they do on them. That can be enlightening, too.
But my main suggestion for getting over the initial anxiety in a store is to play without an amp until you are really sure you like how an instrument feels. For all they know, you could be Jaco as you sit their playing inaudibly.
As far as trying out basses myself, I usually don't actually ask to plug them in unless I really like the way the feel and play "acoustically." Basically, if I don't like the neck, it isn't worth plugging it in to see what it sounds like. I might try a few this way and go back to one or two I like and plug them in. By that point you should have settled in to something that you have worked through on all of them. It's a bit of a warm up, if nothing else.
But, really, don't worry about it. If you look like a serious customer, a good shop will have your interests as a player at heart. It's not an audition, where you get to shop on certain racks based on their assessment of your play. They get people who come in all day and shred on gear they have no intention of purchasing. Come in and ask intelligent questions of them. Ask questions you already know the answer to sometimes and see how they do on them. That can be enlightening, too.
But my main suggestion for getting over the initial anxiety in a store is to play without an amp until you are really sure you like how an instrument feels. For all they know, you could be Jaco as you sit their playing inaudibly.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Dude ... guitar store salesmen and customers are not worth impressing ...
Remember the salesman are there to sell you stuff and not judge you ... and who cares what other customers think ... you will never see them again.
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 the opposite 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.
I’m with joe on a number of points here.
If I’m gonna try an instrument in a store I’m probably gonna wear it out for a little bit. I’m not doing it to impress anyone else, I’m trying to see if the bass impresses me. I will crank the volume but only for a short amount of time, maybe a minute or two just to hear the electronics, then everything else is done at a reasonable and typically quiet volume.
That said, I judge everyone in a music shop. I don’t put ppl on blast that suck and if there’s someone really good it’s a great chance to network or learn. At the end of the day though, if you are a musician, and playing anything anywhere that is a public forum there will be people judging you on a myriad of credentials. That to me has just always been part of the deal. Most of what people will judge you on in an instrument store is your etiquette not you ability though.
Many times I just play open strings (GDAE)....if that keeps me interested I have a go to riff that I have know clue of its origin. That usually tells me all I need to need know for basses or amps. Pedals I usually watch as many reviews as possible and don't try them out in the store. On any given day in any music store someone is playing Stairway to Heaven on guitar or YYZ on drums so don't sweat it.
I’m with you. I would much rather either see it in action, or play one with my gear and with the band I’m likely going to be using it with if at all possible. I’m not a guy that blows through a lot of gear, with my sound at this point in life, pretty much nailed. Honestly, I’ve made a few mistakes buying off the showroom floor, and it sounds like you are on the right path.
There's always going to be that one young punk whippersnapper kid trying out instruments by running up and down the frets in wild abandonment showing off the riffs they memorized to be played in music stores. But put him in a band setting with other players and asked to follow a beat, most times he couldn't hold his own. I remember walking into a local music store when considering getting back into bass. I picked up a Fender bass and while I was looking it over a salesman, or should I say saleskid, came over to assist me. He grabbed the bass out of my hands and proceeded to wail on the thing before giving it back to me to try. I was so intimidated I walked out. He lost the sale. my 2 cents 
I had a similar incident with a different ending: Sales'kid' at GC took it and wanked out an unbelievably horrendous attempt at Higher Ground... still didn't get it right after the 3rd attemptThere's always going to be that one young punk whippersnapper kid trying out instruments by running up and down the frets in wild abandonment showing off the riffs they memorized to be played in music stores. But put him in a band setting with other players and asked to follow a beat, most times he couldn't hold his own. I remember walking into a local music store when considering getting back into bass. I picked up a Fender bass and while I was looking it over a salesman, or should I say saleskid, came over to assist me. He grabbed the bass out of my hands and proceeded to wail on the thing before giving it back to me to try. I was so intimidated I walked out. He lost the sale. my 2 cents
Definitely at least made me feel like less of a lesser player. He wasn't seen anymore in the weeks that followed.
I hate playing in music stores. My brain just farts out, and I can't remember, or think of even simple lines.
I've developed a 'music store medley' that works for me-essentially every r&b, and soul part ever written
strung together. Midnight hour/I feel good/can't help myself/ the Letter etc.etc....
I've developed a 'music store medley' that works for me-essentially every r&b, and soul part ever written
strung together. Midnight hour/I feel good/can't help myself/ the Letter etc.etc....
I guess if you tell them you never played bass before and this will be your 1st purchase... then anything you play will impress the sales staff.
