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what's wrong with my bass?

Discussion in 'Basses [BG]' started by straycat, Dec 15, 2007.

  1. Dec 15, 2007 #1
    straycat

    straycat Guest

    Dec 15, 2007
    hello,

    I recently bought a bass, wanting to start playing an instrument, and i was wondering if it's working well or if I've been scammed.

    First of all i got from a guy I know's brother for about 90 $$. I also got a box of strings with the thickest one missing.

    the problems:

    -the body of the bass is extremely tiny. I thought it was just the design, but a friend who's been playing bass for a couple years says it might be a kid's bass.

    -My friend says the distance between the strings and the bass itself is unnatural. In fact it's very difficult to hold down the strings with any finger except the index and the middle one. I thought it was my lack of practice, but I've played another friend's bass and I didn't have this problem.

    -It doesn't sound right. I've just started playing it so I don't know, but a friend tried it with a good amp after adjusting the strings and he says it still doesn't sound well.

    I'm going to upload some photos in a couple of hours. thanks in advance
     
  2. Dec 15, 2007 #2
    i_got_a_mohawk

    i_got_a_mohawk Guest

    Feb 9, 2005
    Edinburgh & Dundee, Scotland
    You bought a crap sounding cheap bass, which has a crap action :p
     
  3. Dec 15, 2007 #3
    DeliriumTremens

    DeliriumTremens

    Nov 9, 2006
    Phoenix, AZ
    yeah sounds like you just got a POS
     
  4. Dec 15, 2007 #4
    RickenBoogie

    RickenBoogie

    Jul 22, 2007
    Dallas, TX
    Shoulda checked with the geeks on this forum before laying out your money. Sorry for you, maybe you could sell it to a small kid?
     
  5. Dec 15, 2007 #5
    straycat

    straycat Guest

    Dec 15, 2007
    i saw this coming.

    yeah, i should have been smarter and actually tried it before buying.

    is the strings-too-far-from-the-bass problem repairable? i can live with the crappy sound.
     
  6. Dec 15, 2007 #6
    Daniel Trolie

    Daniel Trolie

    Dec 29, 2005
    Trondheim, Norway
    You bought a guitar?
     
  7. Dec 15, 2007 #7
    maxiegrant

    maxiegrant Bassist in Transition

    Nov 26, 2007
    Sellersburg, IN
    Well your neck might be bowed too far in. I would take it to a shop to adjust the truss rod. It's not something I care to do even after having played for 25 years. Or you could see if your bridge saddles are adjustable, and have been adjusted to be too high off the board.

    As for it being small -- it could be a short-scale bass. You should post a pic. A large number of questions can be answered with a pic.
     
  8. Dec 16, 2007 #8
    arai

    arai Inactive

    Jul 16, 2007
    yeah it may just need a set up ,and may be sweet...pics
     
  9. Dec 16, 2007 #9
    Joe Nerve

    Joe Nerve Supporting Member

    Oct 7, 2000
    New York City
    Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
    I wanna see pics. :)
     
  10. Dec 16, 2007 #10
    straycat

    straycat Guest

    Dec 15, 2007
    my sister went out and took the camera with her so i couldn't take any pictures yesterday. sorry it took so long to repy.

    here are the pics. tell me if you need a close up photo of some other part

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Dec 16, 2007 #11
    DeliriumTremens

    DeliriumTremens

    Nov 9, 2006
    Phoenix, AZ
    wow the action is sky high. the neck might be warped
     
  12. Dec 16, 2007 #12
    JeffSki

    JeffSki Guest

    Apr 18, 2007
    Looks like your action is just too high. You can try lowering the bridge saddles to try and get the strings low enough to play easily. If you lower the saddles all the way and the strings are still too high, take it to a guitar shop to have a professional set it up as the truss rod probably needs to be adjusted or the neck might need to be shimmed.
     
  13. Dec 16, 2007 #13
    Doctor J

    Doctor J

    Dec 23, 2005
    Just do a search for some setup guides on google or its ilk. There doesn't seem to be anything obviously wrong with with it that a good setup shouldn't be able to sort out.
     
  14. Dec 16, 2007 #14
    straycat

    straycat Guest

    Dec 15, 2007
    ok. thanks.

    I really cant believe i was stupid enough to fall for this s**t. The f***er who sold me this must have laughed his ass off when his brother told him he'd found someone who wanted to buy it. It freaking destroys my self esteem.
     
  15. Dec 16, 2007 #15
    cdef

    cdef

    Jul 18, 2003
    Not as bad as I was expecting. For one thing, it's a regular bass, and looks like a pretty fair buy at the price. The action is way high, but unless the neck is really warped it can be adjusted and made very playable at little cost. Take it to a guitar tech for appraisal, he'll know what to do. You may have the last laugh yet!
     
  16. Dec 16, 2007 #16
    Doctor J

    Doctor J

    Dec 23, 2005
    Actually, it looks like a decent deal, provided it can be set up.
     
  17. Dec 16, 2007 #17
    2lim

    2lim

    Feb 25, 2007
    I am with everyone else. You can hardly get anything for 90$ these days, and the fact that you got a bass that JUST needs a setup is pretty good. Just have it tweaked by a local tech and get to it!!

    Simon
     
  18. Dec 16, 2007 #18
    mikeswals

    mikeswals Supporting Member

    Nov 18, 2002
    Seattle / Tacoma
    $90 dollars really doesn't get you much these days, I'd say you seemed to do okay.

    The bow in the neck should be able to be adjusted out with the truss rod. The truss rod is inside the neck and the adjustment nut can be accessed by removing that triangle shaped plastic panel in the headstock.