Would you buy a bass without trying it out due to it impossible to try?

[Sergius Durante]

Checking the return policy, and if liberal, yes, I have done it. Some I have kept, some I have returned.

checked and apparently they have a 2 week no questions return policy. This excites me

 

[dalahorse]

Yes. But it’d half to come from Wildwood. That being said, Wildwood is also less than an hour drive from my house. So I guess no. Because I wouldn’t trust any other shop.

 

[Seashore]

The only one I've bought without playing first was my current Ibanez six string, but I knew what I was getting into - I've been playing one of their 5s for years, have played similar 6s at a store, have owned a 6 in the past. I would be likely to do it again if I'm ever in the position to afford another. I know that for me, a big part of the instrument "speaking to me" and "feeling right in my hands" and so forth is based on setup, and another big part of it is the process of me getting used to it by playing it a lot, and I like a challenge, so I cut instruments a good bit of slack.

 

[singlemalt]

My first Dingwall was a leap of faith. The next five or six Dingwalls, no problem. The Stambaughs I’ve played were all excellent.

If the bass you want isn’t available to try, buying it is how you try it. I live in the sticks, there isn’t any trying anything except at TB GTG’s.

Get a decent price and if you don’t bond with it after a good long honeymoon, sell it. Buy used.

I wouldn’t go and spec a new custom, that’s a money loser for sure. But used basses of a make and model sell in a range, usually 30-50% below retail for new. It’s fairly risk free to try out a used bass for as long as you want. Try different strings, set up.....

Go for it!

 

[Stevorebob]

Yes. Many times.

 

[matti777]

Yes but mostly used except from a Sterling Ray34.

 

[packhowitzer]

The basses I've bought without trying them:

1983 G&L L-2000 Never could get a sound I liked, sold it*
2007 Ernie Ball Stingray HH - Loved it. Sold it because I needed the money
2008 Fender CIJ Geddy Lee Jazz - Loved it once I changed the pickups
2009 Fender Highway One P bass - Love it, still have it
2011 Fender CIJ 70s Classic P bass - Love it, still have it
2012 SX Ursa 3 PJ - Love isn't the right word, but it's way better than I expected, still have it
2014 NS Design CR-5 - Love it, still have it
2016 NS Design CR-5 Fretless - Love it, it's my main bass
2019 Palatino EUB - Really like it, still have it.

So out of 9 basses bought without trying, only 2 have I sold and only 1 of those was I disappointed with.
I've had overwhelmingly positive experiences with ordering basses.

*the G&L was bought used in 2007. I think G&Ls are fantastic. The example I bought was not my cup o' tea. I would buy another again in a heartbeat if the situation was right.

Basses I've bought after trying them:
1992 Samick P bass - It was pretty crummy, but it was my first bass, sold it
1994 Samick Saturn 5 PJ - Enjoyed it once I changed the pickups and hardware, sold it
1995 Washburn Bantam XB400 - Ehh, it was better than the Samick, sold it
1998 EB Stingray - Loved it, still have it

So as you can see, in my case, I've kept more of the basses I bought without trying than the ones I actually got to try. However, I understand my sample is skewed because the basses I tried were of a decidedly lower caliber than the basses I bought later without trying. But anyway, there's my $.02
ymmv

 

[barginkov]

I have bought over 60 basses in my 40 years of playing . 50 % of them were without ever playing them first . If I didnt like it or bond with it I just sold a year or 2 later. I found out that playing a bass for 20 minutes in a store didn't mean I was going to still like it 3 months later after playing it in different situations.

 

[bassbully]

Only if it’s cheap. I have bought a few online that I knew were cheap (cost wise) and if I didn’t like them could resale and get most of my money back.

 

[Kmonk]

I've done it three times. The first time was an ebay purchase about 15 years ago. When I purchased a 78 Jazz Bass. When I received it, I immediately noticed that it wasn't as advertised and the seller refused to take it back. To make matters worse, my credit card was charged twice and it took 6 months before I received a refund for the second charge. I ended up trading the bass. The second time was from Musician's Friend. I returned the bass the same week. The third time was when I traded an 80s GK 800RB for a MIJ Precision. The bass played well and had a nice sound but I didn't really like enough to keep it so I sold ended up selling it.

 

[Tazziedevil]

Got G.A.S (it physically hurts lol) but a trouble for me is not so much getting over it, but the fact if I wanted to try a bass out, it is impossible. Why? It's a headless, so that already narrows it down, 2) It's a Strandberg bass, so not only would it be uncommon, but to be able to try it out would mean you'd have to find someone or some store selling it (which would not be possible since Strandberg does not have a physical store you can just walk into, ask for their $2k bass, and try it out)

But my question to you TB'ers is, would you ever buy a bass without trying? Would you look into it heavily, research everything about it, perhaps even see if their are any artists related to the genre you play who use it, and have that be your decision? Does G.A.S plague you, if so how did you psych-yourself out of it?

If you can't return it, no way would I buy it without playing it!

 

[Bassist30]

You have to be able to return it. There are many online stores you can find what you want and abled to return it.

 

[Heroinsheep]

I bought my 2nd (and last, to date) bass, an AVRI 63 P without trying it... It was an out of production color (red) at a decent price so I was like hell...
When I got it it was supposedly 2 years old but the damn thing was so Mint it sounded like it just came out the factory. Smelled brand new... Not in a good way... A virgin... Original owner barely touched it. And I honestly didn't like it so much... But I didn't return it cuz I believed in it.
And sure enough a year later and like 40 or so gigs on it... It started shining.

My bottom line is - don't judge every guitar you get immediately when you get it... It takes a while to understand the instrument and for the instrument to age a bit... So I think every instrument you play 40 gigs on you'll understand how to make it shine... So yeah why not buy without trying? But only one that looks good, of course.

 

[IamGroot]

Basses and brides can be ordered through the mail.

Some will win,
Some will lose,
And some are going to play the blues.

Carbon fiber necks are usually sonically consistent. Other than that, its caveat bassus emptor. Or caviar empty.

 

[Gizmot]

Buying an instrument without trying it first is a roll of the dice. “Are you feeling lucky?” I’ve bought one or two instruments that I didn’t try -and the worked out okay. But - I bought brands and models I was familiar with. Do as I say, not as I do — try before you buy, or at least buy and get a liberal return policy, so you’ve got an out if you’re not happy.

 

[KohanMike]

Yes, mainly because I only play 21" to 24" scale bass which are not readily available, and also because I convert short scale guitars to bass, which I choose for their look.

 

[socialleper]

It is very hard for me to do. Especially with big purchases. There are so many things that can throw off what should be the perfect bass. Weight distribution, neck profile, how it sounds through my gear.
I've been burned by blind purchases before. It isn't the money or hassle as much as the disappointment. I want something to be what I expect of it. It happens so rarely. It makes me not want to try.

 

[rtav]

I have four times - only a problem once.

 

[Riff Ranger]

I've loved and kept literally every bass I bought without trying first; some I had a pretty good idea what to expect, some I just guessed (correctly) that they would suit me. Every bass I've sold or traded away, I had a chance to try before buying. Trying before buying sure seems to make a lot of sense logically, but personally I have had far better luck just ordering something that seemed right. I also haven't spent more than 500 USD on an instrument, ever. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Kerem Koseoglu]

Here is a simple risk formula:

(Chance to win x Expected gain) - (Chance to lose x Expected loss)

If this formula is positive, you can go for it.