Potential bass problems

[Kickin'Fruit]

I'm wondering what are all the potential problems with a new bass that people should look out for with what's acceptable and unacceptable, fixable and unfixable, mind helpin me out?

I'm new to bass and I like the Fender Standard Jazz MIM I bought but it's used and I'm wondering if I should look it over for problems that I'll end up noticing later on as I get more educated. Thanks.

 

[Marcus]

Well, you can check the aesthetic qualities.. dents, scratches, so on, so forth.

Next, you can check the frets on the fretboard and make sure they're not raising and that they're even. After... you could take a look to see if the neck is to your liking - if not, you need to make a truss rod adjustment. After that... um.. you could test the electronics to make sure each pickup works and is to your liking.

 

[vyse933]

hmm..i'll start off with a few obvious problems i can think of. cracks or any sort. the neck being warped. any sign of unusual stress anywhere on the instrement. knobs on the bass that don't do anything. loose pots, loose input jack. A nut that would need to be filed down. low quality tuners. any missing screws. bridge that can be in anyway screwed up. frets that are higher or lower than others. hell, maybe even a broken truss rod, haha..not that you will probebly find one new with a broken truss rod..unless you go to guitar center
the list goes on though. if you find a new bass..and you find that it has ANY problems with it..wether they be cosmetic or more serious...and are beyond just a set up...then the seller should give you a deal, or you should just not buy it unless you plan on fixing the problem.

 

[Kickin'Fruit]

I was thinking more like when buying a used bass, or a bass you question the quality of, how you would go about making sure these things are not an issue. But great responses so far.

 

[Marcus]

Ask the seller?

 

[Kickin'Fruit]

Ask the seller?

"I'm not very familiar with this item, I'm selling it for a friend"
"I'm not very familiar with this item, I work at Guitar Center"
"I'm not very familiar with this item, I'm an 87 year old woman at a garage sale"

"Plays like new!"
"This bass has been slightly modded."

I'm thinking horror stories here

 

[ehque]

im thinking the broken truss rod is the first thing i'd look out for. its a pain to replace, and probably not worth the trouble if the bass is a beater.

secondly i'd look out for scratches, dings, and (if its an expensive one) any sign of modding work done - screw holes hidden under pickguards, swimming pool routing on non-swimming pool basses, non-standard hardware...

everything else? pots can be changed, nuts can be filed, electronics can be replaced, a setup can be done, hardware can be changed. just need to factor in the cost, and if its a good buy, its still a good buy.

i guess the thing to look out for is the X-factor... the oompf factor. the "wow this is my feel" factor. thats the least you could change about any bass.

 

[Jeffrey A-Bomb]

I like to run my fingers up and down the neck to check for any sharp fretwire on the sides..

 

[RunngDog]

Well, I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but with a Fender in particular you want to check for dead spots. Just move up the frets on the G string, playing each note and letting it sustain as long as possible. Somewhere around the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th fret you're very likely to hit a dead spot, where the sustain will be noticably shorter. The issue then is how bad is the dead spot -- is the note decaying twice as quickly as the others, or is their no sustain at all? The former you can probably live with (I do), but the latter will drive you crazy sooner or later.

 

[Kickin'Fruit]

Well, I don't think anyone's mentioned it yet, but with a Fender in particular you want to check for dead spots. Just move up the frets on the G string, playing each note and letting it sustain as long as possible. Somewhere around the 4th, 5th, 6th or 7th fret you're very likely to hit a dead spot, where the sustain will be noticably shorter. The issue then is how bad is the dead spot -- is the note decaying twice as quickly as the others, or is their no sustain at all? The former you can probably live with (I do), but the latter will drive you crazy sooner or later.

This was the problem that got me thinking about this thread. I saw the topic in another post and how it was said that many people don't even know to check for dead spots. It got me thinking: "what else do people not know to check for? or how?"

 

[bongomania]

Put your face by the headstock and look straight down the fretboard as though you were using the strings as a gunsight. Does the fretboard appear to be warped even slightly, or does everything look dead straight?

Look at the side of the neck. Use one hand to press one of the strings down against the first fret, and use the other to press the same string down against the last fret. The string will be a straight line, but how bowed is the fretboard? How much space is there between the string and the 10th or 12th fret? A little bow (a couple mm space at the 12th fret) is normal, but if it is more than that, or if it is not bowed at all (string touching the 12th fret), then you want to ask questions about the truss rod. If you're at a shop, ask if they can or will adjust it. If you're at some geezer's house, ask if they ever adjusted the truss rod, or if they know of any issues with it. If they say something like "I tried to tighten it, but the nut won't turn" or "the nut just turns freely, doesn't seem to do anything" then be suspicious of a damaged trussrod.

Are there any gaps or cracks between the fretboard and the neck?

Are there any cracks (even the famous "hairline crack, very stable") in the headstock? A crack in the headstock can be anything from no big deal to a total disaster. Check especially for cracks around the tuning machines.

Plug it in. How does it sound? Turn the knobs a bunch and see if they crackle or are intermittant. Generally speaking, if they crackle just a little, they can be cleaned up; but if they crackle badly/harshly, they may need replacing. Solo each pickup (switch or vol. knob full on for one, full off for the other). Does each pickup work, sound good, and work across all of the strings? If there are no strings, you can use a small screwdriver or pocketknife to tap the pole pieces of the pickups to hear if they are working.

If you have the opportunity, open up the control cavity. Is there any rust, loose flying wires, obvious repair jobs, gobs of electrical tape, etc.?

That much will get you a long way I think.

 

[Kickin'Fruit]

Nice post Bongo. I was wondering, I have what look like scratches running along the side of my fretboard not very deep but I wonder if it's a sign of a bigger problem. Are these normal? Or just probably from the E string being pushed over the top of the neck? I should probably wait till I can post pics when I get home.