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What goes on in your head when purchasing a bass

#61
In order of importance
Can I afford it
Does it feel comfortable to me
Does it sound good to me
Do I like the appearance

I am a buy and keep person and do not purchase often, about every 12 years I get a new bass. My wife already agreed to a new bass at retirement.
 
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#62
What goes through my mind?
Will that bass make my butt look big?
(Not really)
C Stone said:
I've never needed a bass with "bells and whistles". Simple answer but true. Mostly what I think is I don't need another bass.
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I think I don't need another bass and am adamant about it... then another one shows up.

JeezyMcNuggles said:
What goes through my mind when I buy a bass is, what can I do to it.
Click to expand...
Me too!!

Price is a thing but really only because i have inexpensive basses that i have made into pretty good players and haven't dropped a bunch of $$ into.
Its only been a handful of years since I really started digging into modding basses and that started because i had "why" questions as far as pickups, pickup placement and wiring schemes go. Facts and figures are great.. but my eyes glaze over at times. Opinions are great but they really aren't answers. Digging in and doing a mod has answered a lot.
Soooo,
"Is it cheap enough to mod and does it have good enough bones to save" is a big one.
"Is it an Ibanez Ex?" (my first bass I really bonded with so i keep an eye open for them)
"Is it a ibanez roadstar 2?"...i just like them.
The 2nd thought with the Ibanez is "can i get it home for under $250?
 
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#64
I'm thinking why I wouldn't buy a used/new boutique bass…

When I last "purchased" a bass it was the following (just finished fitting the neck and filing the nut last night):

-Lindy Fralin Jazz Pickups (bridge 5% overwind)
-Surf Green Roasted Alder Warmoth Body
-Kelling Sound Harness
-Fender American Original 60s Jazz Neck & Pure Vintage Tuners
-All Nickel

I have three basses that I built in the same manner. The parts were all swapped more times than I care to think about (minus bodies). I sold parts that didn't do it for me. The collection of parts had to compliment La Bella and Pyramid flats along with my Marshall 50c and Ampeg PF-50t/115. These basses are it, for me. They are the sound I've chased during twenty five years of playing. Took me a long time to get the necks right (I went through 8).

I know some people don't think Fender style basses are cool, that they are boring, but there is no denying that you can dial these things in during real-world testing much like you would a hot-rod. Call me boring, but I know what I want, and I can't depend on a builder giving me a final product that can't be tweaked, fully, to suite my preferences. I see the $3000 used boutique and I see a bass someone didn't want. I want something specific, and a $3000 random isn't likely to be it, not for what I do. If I get into that kind of money, I'm looking at uprights.

My Hofner Verythin was purchased to fill that niche. The Gibson SG, as well. Both collect dust, but I refuse to sell them.
 
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#65
i just bought a brand new, cheap-as-dirt ax to mod/upgrade into a real player because it's fun for me to do that. i absolutely did not need it...and i'm not sure i even want it! :laugh: so i'll probably 'fix it up real nice' and give it to a friend who has always wanted a fretless EB. my over-arching thought was/is: "i'm glad it's not an expensive boutique bass or an overpriced FSO!" :D
 
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#66
I think of:

Functionality:
  • Does it have a sound I'm looking for? (Is is redundant with something I already have or am I filling an important vacancy in my lineup?)
  • Is the control layout something to my liking? (Too many knobs & switches can be a deal-killer.)
  • Do I have a project that can make use of this bass?
  • Is it likely to play well and respond sonically across all registers? (And if not, can I live with those limitations?)
Ergonomics:
  • Spacing (like 19-20mm but have stuff as narrow as 17mm)
  • Weight (hate to join the fussy crowd, but I am over 50 now)
Aesthetics:
  • The more $$$ I'm spending, the less I can abide a design that looks ugly to me.
  • A lot of exotic/small brands really suffer in the visual design department IMHO. (Not all, though - and the big brands have some stinkers, too.)
Finance:
  • I'm in the middle of the spectrum: l am discerning I also am frugal. So I tend to avoid budget axes and I tend to avoid "trophy" items. (With exceptions. Like my vintage Musicmaster on the low end and the Warwick Streamer Stage I on the high end.)
I seldom buy new. But if the local Guitar Center or some other store had something new on the wall that really, really spoke to me (increasingly unlikely) I can make an exception.

The common thread in my criteria seems to be that there are always exceptions! :smug:
 
#67
xxcody2gunsxx said:
I'm wonder the thoughts that one has when purchasing a bass these days? New or Used.
The reason I ask is that it seems that people will pass up a prestige like bass with all the bells and whistles ,handcrafted from a small time luthier company that costs a lot of man hours and $$ to make ,for a Well known name that doesn't hold a candle these days to the quality or craftsmanship of these small time luthiers .
I.E . I spent 5k on a well crafted bass from a small business owner .I sell/trade it for 3k "no bites" even offer it to a Rickenbacker 4003 for a trade and get blown off o_O
Yet when I throw out a name brand "fender with issues "or even a Pat Wilkins bass they come running .
Right Now I have very awesome deals to be had with a couple of Lower Groove Basses on the market Yet, Everyone is jumping on the brand wagon for a cracked Warwick I also have for sale .
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You kind of answered the question for me. There are hand-made/boutique basses that I would love to own. But... I play music as a hobby and not as a profession, so it's hard to justify dropping big money on an expensive bass, even if I have the money.
 
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#68
For me, first I judge by things I can see because that's easiest. I like more modern looks, so if it's got the giant Fender tuners that look like they belong on a string bass it's out. If it's got a tobacco burst it's out. If it's got tort it's out. Also if it looks like unfinished wood its out. If it's a hollow-body it's out, because I would constantly be worrying about feedback.

Next I look at comfort factors. The button strap on the top horn has to be near the 12th fret in order to avoid neck dive. Split coil pickups for me get in the way when I'm plucking (except the ones that are reversed, where the treble side is closer to the neck) so those are out. Weight is important too, so if it's too heavy I won't even play it.

Everything else is sound and feel. So I strap it on and see how comfortable it feels. I prefer a thin neck, but a thick one is ok if it still feels comfortable. Then I choose among the few remaining contenders based on sound (and budget).
 
#69
I simply can't afford to buy a $3000 bass. My new Lakland 55-02 was a stretch. What went through my head? I think you can probably guess. Aside from the obvious though, I wanted a 5 string with a 35" scale and 19mm spacing at the bridge, and "I haven't tried a MM+J config before." where my two other 5 strings are 34" with 18mm spacing. Every other instrument I've owned has not exceeded $900 with my lowest cost instrument retailing at $550.. and while the 55-02 felt good enough that I haven't picked any of them up lately? I didn't exactly need the 55-02. I spoiled myself a little bit. For now I'm done shopping for basses, unless somehow playing music earns me enough for perhaps a USA made 55-94 or the custom bass of my dreams.

PXL_20210618_190859336.jpg
 
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#72
Let me also add things that there are things that don't matter to me *at all*. These are things that might affect sound, but if they do I'll judge them by how they sound. Such as brand. We all know a Fender will probably sound better than a Toby, but if I had to pick between them I would play them both and decide alone on which one sounds better, not on the name brand. Other things that don't matter to me at all:

-"vintage" to me, the fact that it's old just means something is going to need replacing soon
-"lots of switches" like active/passive switches, single/humbucker switches etc. Frankly, I'm going to find the setting that sounds best to me and just leave it there 95% of the time. So having those switches adds little value to me
-"handcrafted" don't mean squat if it don't sound better. If the machine crafted one sounds better I'll take that one.

And one last thing, each bass is going to sound different. So I want to hear the one that I'm going to buy and I will judge it on how that one sounds.
 
#73
xxcody2gunsxx said:
I'm wonder the thoughts that one has when purchasing a bass these days? New or Used.
The reason I ask is that it seems that people will pass up a prestige like bass with all the bells and whistles ,handcrafted from a small time luthier company that costs a lot of man hours and $$ to make ,for a Well known name that doesn't hold a candle these days to the quality or craftsmanship of these small time luthiers .
I.E . I spent 5k on a well crafted bass from a small business owner .I sell/trade it for 3k "no bites" even offer it to a Rickenbacker 4003 for a trade and get blown off o_O
Yet when I throw out a name brand "fender with issues "or even a Pat Wilkins bass they come running .
Right Now I have very awesome deals to be had with a couple of Lower Groove Basses on the market Yet, Everyone is jumping on the brand wagon for a cracked Warwick I also have for sale .
Click to expand...
Okay. Usually its what void is it gonna fill in my collection,as in I dont have a good smooth, jazzy type bass or something that is really agressive. yes, Money is a consideration,but thats a given. And It coincides with what is trending at the moment too, ie. Short scale bassesor a new technology or process that gets a lot of attention, ie. roasted woods!I almost always consider why i want/need it to fill any holes I have in the collection,along with how it could expand my playing!or improve my tone.
 
#76
For me its a feel thing. If I am looking for an instrument, it is usually because I want it to be well-suited for a thing I want to do - a technique, or style, or piece, or tuning, or whatever is in my head - and I don't already have an instrument that works for that. I research instruments that I think might work, then I try to hunt them down to play in the wild. I haven't had a lot of trouble deciding after that, it's usually pretty obvious as soon as I touch the actual instrument if it is what I am looking for or not. If it clicks with what I have in my head, then that's just my instrument for the next 10 years or so.
 
#77
xxcody2gunsxx said:
I'm wonder the thoughts that one has when purchasing a bass these days? New or Used.
The reason I ask is that it seems that people will pass up a prestige like bass with all the bells and whistles ,handcrafted from a small time luthier company that costs a lot of man hours and $$ to make ,for a Well known name that doesn't hold a candle these days to the quality or craftsmanship of these small time luthiers .
I.E . I spent 5k on a well crafted bass from a small business owner .I sell/trade it for 3k "no bites" even offer it to a Rickenbacker 4003 for a trade and get blown off o_O
Yet when I throw out a name brand "fender with issues "or even a Pat Wilkins bass they come running .
Right Now I have very awesome deals to be had with a couple of Lower Groove Basses on the market Yet, Everyone is jumping on the brand wagon for a cracked Warwick I also have for sale .
Click to expand...
Yep, there are certain brands that ROI/resale is better than others, just a fact. While ROI does not matter to some people, I think it plays a factor in "many" peoples purchases, so boutique instruments (minus a couple big brands) are less likely to hold value. Even "Warwicks" as you mentioned costing close to 5K new might only fetch $1500 used, or less. The last Warwick Thumb 5 I had was $4500 new, and I only payed $900 for it. This is why I always buy used and at the lowest price-point possible, otherwise it feels like I am throwing away money. Requires some patience to find the right deal on the right instrument, but worth it for me. Fortunately, my current setup has eliminated GAS for the last couple years, so no more concern over trades and purchases, it is quite nice.
 
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#78
My thoughts are pretty much always: "so, I've got this new project. I need a particular kind of bass for this project. What can I get for between $500 and $1000 and sell quickly when the project folds?"

Right now I'm considering a T-bird type bass. I had a used Gibson I was considering but it sold before I could snag it. Considering a new Epiphone.
 

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