Yeah, it's always been that way - poor bass selection compared to guitars.
Remember the flip side though - remember how easy it was to get in bands when we were first starting out? When I started, none of us could really play worth anything, but there were hardly any other bassists around, so I got playing opportunities that the guitar attempters didn't.
Just use the MF catalog for reading material when otherwise occupied, use the website for actually looking at what they have to sell. Or better yet, if you're lucky enough to live within 200 miles of a bass-specialty store (like Bass Emporium in Austin, but there's others), it's worth the drive to talk to the knowledgeable people there and actually be able to put your hands on what you're considering buying. MF and Sweetwater are both good at what they do, but there's nothing like a hands-on test with any type of music gear to know if you really like it or not.
I laughed when they began putting the basses *after* the miscellaneous other string instruments like mandolins and ukeleles. We're the riff-raff of the music world!
Remember the flip side though - remember how easy it was to get in bands when we were first starting out? When I started, none of us could really play worth anything, but there were hardly any other bassists around, so I got playing opportunities that the guitar attempters didn't.
Just use the MF catalog for reading material when otherwise occupied, use the website for actually looking at what they have to sell. Or better yet, if you're lucky enough to live within 200 miles of a bass-specialty store (like Bass Emporium in Austin, but there's others), it's worth the drive to talk to the knowledgeable people there and actually be able to put your hands on what you're considering buying. MF and Sweetwater are both good at what they do, but there's nothing like a hands-on test with any type of music gear to know if you really like it or not.
I laughed when they began putting the basses *after* the miscellaneous other string instruments like mandolins and ukeleles. We're the riff-raff of the music world!
