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WHEN YOU BUY A BASS (% question!)

#23
i dont think its about having the ultimate instrument... i think its about have the best for what instrument in your price range. if you dont like anything in that price range, you do save up and look again.

example... with guitars, i guess i'd love to have a custom prs or top of the line les paul, but i have found in my price range a guitar that i truely love, the hwy 1 tele texas special. its not the ultimate instrument but its what i would be happy fully satisfied with at the lowest cost possible.

still saving though.....
 
#24
dan.ablett said:
aesthetics 50%
feel 20%
tone 5%
weight 5%
Click to expand...

ADD - CONDITION: 20%

I'm not that worried about tone. I might have OVER-emphasized its importance by giving it 5%! Most of the basses I've bought, I've never played - and in many cases, I'd never heard one of them played before buying. I buy mostly on look, with feel and weight also being factors.

Thank god, I'm not one of those on a soul-searching quest for some elusive tone I'll never find. I like basses to sound different from each other, I expect that to happen, and I'm happy when it does. I know that when I put a good set of flatwounds on most basses, they'll sound good.

IMO "tone" is the single most over-rated, over-agonized, over-discussed characteristic of electric basses. Buy what you want, set it up the way you want, and if you don't like the sound, the fault is probably in your expectations, not in the bass. :hiding:

I bought a used OLP two weeks ago mainly because it was a great deal, I liked its look (it was metallic blue), and it was in excellent condition. I'd never heard one played, but I plugged it in and noodled around on it, and by god - it sounded just like a bass....so I bought it. :D

But I don't like relics or beat-up basses. When I buy one used, I don't want scratches, chips, dings or any other damage on it. If the previous owner didn't respect the instrument enough to keep it in excellent shape, I don't want his/her castoffs. If you respect an instrument, you will keep it on good shape, prevent damage to the greatest extent possible, and I'll be able to see that care immediately when I look at it.

Price isn't an issue because if I can't afford it, I don't look at it. And my definition of "affordable" is almost always under $300. And YES, there are very nice, playable, super-sounding new and used basses in that price range.
 
#26
asthetics 40%
feel 33%
tone 25%
weight 2%

i wont buy something that looks like ****, but then again if its unplayable theres no point in buying it unless it can be modded to feel better, tone can usually be changed by mods. and weight isnt that important unless its ridiculously heavy.

however i doent mean in line up of basses im gonna go for the best looking, if it plays **** and sounds **** its only 40% of the bass i want, whereas a bass that feels and sounds great is 58% match.
 
#31
aesthetics ...10%

Doesn't matter what the bass looks like, it plays how it plays regardless. 'Sides, I'm not afraid to dig in and change the look of a bass myself, so if I really don't like it I'll fix it so I do.

feel ...75%

Here's the important one. Me and the instrument have to click or I'm not buying it, plain and simple.

tone ...5%

Whenever I buy a bass, I already know beforehand that I'm yanking the electronics and putting in new stuff to suit my needs.

weight ...10%

I'm too big and too heavy myself to be worrying about weight, though I don't like playing light basses, they feel too much like toys to me.
 
#32
aesthetics 50% - If I don't like the way it looks, I ain't gonna want it
feel 25% - I can do SOME things to change feel, but the neck profile, width and string spacing pretty much are what they are
tone 20% - I've never bought a bass with what thought was bad tone once the strings were changed, even the cheap stuff sounds reasonable
weight 5% - I have a GUITAR that weighs 12 lbs
 
#33
My last bass feels pretty much the same as my starter, so I'm considering returning it, might've made a bad choice (American Standard Jazz).

aesthetics 20 %
feel 40 %
tone 40 %
weight 0 %

Edit: Removed weight completely and bumped up feel, as it felt a hell of a lot better than the Bongo I was considering.
 
#35
feel 50%
tone 20%
Aesthetics 10%
Cost 15%
Weight 5%

I had to put costs in because that does affect my decision. My expectations from a $200 bass is alot different than from a $2000 bass. Ultimately, the feel of the instrument is the biggest contributor. If the instrument has the right selections of woods, you can modify the tone to get what you want.
 
#40
aesthetics 10%
feel 30%
tone 40%
weight 20%

I like pretty basses, but looks can't make up for feel and tone. As a matter of fact, to my eye all basses are essentially ugly, and making one out of exotic woods or putting wild finishes on them is like tarting up Miss Piggy. Underneath the lipstick and Gucci dress, she's still a pig.:D

I'll tolerate a bass that doesn't have the feel if the tone's there.

The tone is the deal-breaker. If it doesn't sound good, it goes back on the rack. I wouldn't buy a bass with great looks, feel and weight (for example) if it didn't sound right.

The weight is more important than the appearance, but it's really a make-or-break issue: if a bass is very heavy, I don't consider it. Around here we do four-hour gigs, and you gotta be stoopid to put too much weight on your shoulder over that length of time.

So: what did I buy with these values? A blue agave fretless Jazz (nice looking finish, excellent feel, cool J tone, light weight); a butterscotch '51 Precision Reissue (dreadful color, good feel, terrific tone, medium weight); a fiesta red Classic '50s Precision (another, and even worse, dreadful color -- fiesta red, Ensenada edition --killer tone, light weight); and a natural ash Standard FSR Precision (great looks, great feel, great tone, light weight).

I gig with the '51 and the Classic '50s, practice with the J, and record with the fretless P, because the tone of those two Ps inspires me when we're playing live, the fretless P is a little dicey for me at this point to gig with (unlined maple fingerboard), and all three have a sound the J doesn't have.
 

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