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Things that you do and dont worry about with basses

#22
I'm with you pretty much right down the line, with the exception that I probably put a little more value in appearance. And I would add balance. My tribute L-2500 has neck dive that makes it kind of a pain in the butt to play for long periods.

With regard to neck profile and action I'm surprised how picky people are about this. I've got 5 bass guitars, all with different necks. It takes me exactly zero seconds to adjust to any of them when I start playing. None of them are "faster" or more "comfortable" or feel like butter.
 
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#25
When I first read the thread heading I assumed it meant things you did with the bass that you did/didn't worry about. Throwing your bass up in the air and (hopefully) catching it, using it as a pry bar to open the lift gate of the pickup truck after a gig or as an emergency substitute badminton racquet... Relieved to have misunderstood. Anyhoo, aside from the obvious pitfall avoidance regarding hopelessly warped or bowed necks, frozen truss rods, butchered/hacked "mods" and other horrors, first priorities include playability and comfort. Without that you won't get to the point of letting the bass become a musical conduit instead of an appliance. That includes neck size, profile and finish. Next is the resonance, sustain and lack of any dead spots. Again, can't do much with those, either. Third consideration is sound. "What? On a musical instrument? How can that be?" you may ask. Mods. You can always get a comfy instrument to sound good but you can't always get a great sounding instrument to feel comfortable. Next would be aesthetics. If it's hideous, I'm not attracted to it; if I'm not attracted to it, I can't play my best on it; if I can't play my best on it, I don't want it. What's the point? Things that don't matter is the name on the headstock, the overall condition (within reason, see above), cleanliness (a little dust and rust never hurt nobody), year and country of manufacture. This is especially true with newer instruments. In the '60's some of the firewood imported here masquerading as basses was awful. By the '70's it got better, today you have to actually read where it was made to know.
 
#29
Must have:
Clean, hifi tone (can dirty up clean tone, can't clean up dirty/muddy tone)
5 or 6 strings (4 feels awkward now)
low action (with minimal buzzing)
>17mm spacing (pref 18-19)
Minimal dead spots
No neck dive
<11lbs

Prefer:
Active electronics (with passive switching)
Gloss or hard lacquer finish (withstands wear better)
Reputable brand (easier resale if I choose)
Graphite reinforced neck
Flat(ter) radius
<10lbs

Little/no care:
Scale length (as long as low B is tight)
Bolt-on vs. neck-through
Color (except no hot pink, bright green, or flashy graphics)
"Tonewood"
Age of bass (as long as good/excellent condition)
"Vintage" or not
 
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#30
Worry about? Nothing.

Care about? Do I like it. I never understood putting all these restrictions on a bass. Pick it up, does it feel good, sound good? I’ve played active, passive, 4,5,6 stringers, 34” scale, 35” scale as my main basses over the years. I played what I liked and never gave a thought to the rest.
 
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#31
Care about:
Neck feel
Balance
Good acoustic tone
Good looks
Good machinery (tuners, bridge, stable neck)
Grain matching if transparent finish

Don’t care about:
Stock pickups unless they’re really good
Stock pots and cap unless they’re really good
Strings
Sunburst
Fretboard wood species (see Good looks above)
Year or country of manufacture

Actively don’t want:
Active electronics
Short scale
 
#32
My bass is passive so I don't worry about the battery going dead in the middle of a gig. My bass is headless so I don't worry about neck dive. My bass weighs about 7lbs so I don't worry about neck and shoulder discomfort. My fingers love the smooth stainless steel flats so I don't worry about blisters. When I play, I can enjoy with no worries.:D
 
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#33
Care about:
Tone
Feel/comfort/playability
Neck profile & nut width
Aesthetics (looks)

Prefer:
Single coils (not active)
Four strings (not five)
Stainless roundwounds

Don't care about:
Weight

I DO care about how a bass looks - it's color, the hardware - all of it. Of course I would not buy a bass if it looked good but played and/or sounded like crap. But I also will not do the opposite and settle for less than what I want. If a bass sounds and feels great, but the look is not good, I'll continue shopping until I find one that has all of the above.
 
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#35
IamGroot said:
Care a lot about:
Tone
Intonation
No noise

Prefer:
Active electronics or hot pups
Easy access to high neck
Rotosounds

Dont care too much about (within reason)
Color
Pickguard
Weight
Action
Neck profile
Nut width

I've played a lot of bass over the years and look at a bass as a tool. I try to grab the right one for the job.
Click to expand...

Pretty much on board with the exception of round wound brand, preferring DR low riders, and being ambivalent on a bass being active or passive. Other than that, either it’s a good tool that does the job or not.
 
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#37
My number one main concern is reliability. A bass, any bass, is worthless if you can't hear it. Nothing else matters if you can't hear it. Some of the other concerns are stability in varying weather conditions, weight, balance, appearance, ergonomics, passive only, nut width and adjustability.

I think about the only things I left out were the things that can be easily changed or altered. None of the hardware or electronics matters. Action and intonation are easily adjusted (see the above for adjustability). If I wanted to get super particular I can have the neck pleked, but I've never had a guitar (4, 5 or 6 string) that I was unhappy with the factory fret job. The 7th fret on my Aerodyne may be a tiny bit high under the E string but I can live with it.
 
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#40
My biggest concern is can I get the action low without excessive buzzing. After that, is the neck in decent shape, truss rod ok, is it balanced correctly, does it resonate, are there pronounced dead spots.

I'm nowhere near as picky about necks as I once was, although I still find some that are awkward enough to be deal breakers. I dislike neck dive, but I can work with it. If it's quiet, I don't care, as long as it has good tone and the electronics and jack are in good shape. Active, passive, whatever, as long as it's done properly. So, this is all just stuff that may or may not matter or with which I can usually work or cope.

Buzzing doesn't matter much to me. It bugs sound guys and engineers, so I try to record with certain instruments and equipment which I've found are less prone to it.
 
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