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What should I consider when buying a bass

#42
I think the biggest criteria is get something you don't want to put down...make it so you can't walk past your bass without a quick 5 minute noodle...the more it's in your hands the more you will be accustomed to what you want/need...
A few of your concerns are easily remedied (action, neck dive)
I'd find something that suits you weight wise (if that's a huge hang up), that gets the juices flowing, and play the hell outta it
 
#43
This is what I consider -in order of importance- in a fretted electric bass guitar (barring obvious defects like an untrue neck, etc):

Number of strings
Scale
String spacing (at nut and bridge)
Aesthetics (mainly body and head stock shape)
Body construction (hollow, chambered, material, etc.)

Things I don't consider since they can be changed to suit:

Set-up (string height, neck relief and intonation)
Any hardware (tuners, pick-ups, electronics, pots, bridge, etc.)

Things other people obsess about that have not gotten on my radar so far:

Weight
Neck-dive
Number of frets
 
#44
kevin beovides casas said:
Hi, I know this is a generic question, but so far I have these in mind when I'm buying a bass:

1. Price (of course :)
2. Tone
3. Neck dive
4. Action
5 .Weight
6. Neck

What am I missing?

best regards
Click to expand...

For me:
1: Scale. I only play short or sub scales. I'll pick up a long scale and mess with it, but wouldn't consider buying one.
2: Neck. If the neck doesn't feel right or good it doesn't matter about the rest of the bass. The most important part of any bass.
3: Price. If I can justify paying for it. I only pay cash for basses so it has to be worth it.
4: Weight. Have a bad back so it can't weigh much. One of the unannounced benefits from my former job.
5: Looks. After the other things I have to like the way it looks.
6: Sound. For me this is further down the list. I can/have/do regularly change the pickups, electronics on a good number of my basses. I, more often than not, change the electronics to V/B/StellarTone as I like the sound I get out of it.
7: Action, intonation, replacing the 39¢ roundwound strings that come on pretty much all basses will always be done with a complete setup when I get the bass.

But it comes down to the neck. The neck has to feel and play good right from the start or it's a no go.
 
#45
I've gone on this lil' rant before, so I'll keep it brief. Here's my own, personal criteria;
  1. LOOKS: I was an art student and illustrator early on, so if it doesn't please me on a visual-level, I'm not interested.
  2. FEEL: Very important to me. There are so many options nowadays, so if it doesn't feel right, I move on to the next.
  3. SOUND: Since this is the easiest of the three to alter, through pickups and strings, it's the last thing I consider and is the criteria I will sometimes overlook. I mean, if it sound utterly wretched, it may not ever be salvageable. That would be a deal-breaker.
Things like COST and AVAILABILITY are factors, but if any of the "Big Three" aren't met to my satisfaction, then the last two are irrelevant.
 
#48
I guess everything has been said already but here is my take from the viewpoint of whether owning several basses or just one: -

If you have several it has to have something that the others do not - otherwise it or the alike basses are going to be not played...
 
#50
Over all feel (unplugged)---- don't worry about action---that can be adjusted.

Then plug it in--- how's it sound to you? Do you want a flat sound? or a very tweekable sound? No need to get a bridge PU if you're not going to us it.
 
#51
I like to think in terms of what I'll be doing with it...although almost any bass can play amost any style of music...look around at the basses your favorite bands use, if that's the type of sound your going for,use that as a starting point... Then play as many of that type,or similar ,to see what feels right,sounds good,and meets your price point...hopefully you like how it looks too because that's important also...some people will say it dosent carry much weight...but if like how it looks, you'll want to pick it up more often..have fun with the hunt too,when I'm looking for new gear I try to play as much stuff as possible...then,when you get that cold chill up your back....you've found it!!
 
#52
a) asking price (if used I wont pay more than 70%-75% of street value.

b) condition, is something broken? Original parts replaced/missing?

c) Number of strings, for me is 4 or 5 only.

d) Look: Color-shape, I suffer GAS, I like to buy gear I can easily sell or trade when it is needed.
 
#55
Killed_by_Death said:
Maintenance is a consideration.
How easy will it be to find parts?
What's customer support like?

I got to looking at the bridge on Epiphone/Gibson basses, and I was put off. I think they would be difficult to intonate.
It also scared me away from Rickenbacker 4003 series.
Click to expand...
That's funny, a guy who looks just like you got famous playing a triple pickup carved top 4003.
 
#56
No, Lemmy played a 4004LK.

ae36b69fecfb413a8ec960bd3a8d7e01.jpg


First of all, those are all humbuckers, and the 4003 uses single coils.
Secondly, the bridge is nothing like that of a 4003.

Here is my 4004.

Lemmy-Me.JPG
 
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#57
now that i know a lot more about basses I try to stick to the two or three neck profiles i really like and i don't buy basses that i would need to mod or do maintenance on right off the bat, because i've already got all of these mediocre bridges and jazz pickups that i don't know what the heck to do with
 
#58
Lots of good advice here--for me the most important thing is how it feels to hold--everything else could be perfect, but if it's uncomfortable to old--I am not buying it, because I wouldn't play it--some of this has been mentioned before--neck, balance, whether it's neck heavy, etc.)

but pickups & electronics can be changed, a truss rod can be tweaked, the action can be changed, etc.

But feel is first, then playability & price & sound come next--in some order.
Then everything else.
I'm not that hung up on appearance--if there are two bases that are otherwise equal I will take the one that looks better to me.
 

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