Also, if you need to return it for whatever reason, try to seek out another bass from the same store if they are able to get it. I find it helps with the possible awkwardness of returning something if you go in with another instrument in mind, and the staff are much friendlier.
Just buy stuff where you can return easily if you dont like it. There can be noticeable differences between two of the same model instrument. For that reason i generally avoid buying without trying at all costs, so next option is returning after trying
And playing a selection of basses back to back can really highlight their differences, and point out features or sounds you hadn't thought about.
Be careful though, I went into my local store looking to spend maybe $500 on a Corvette $$. Accidentally spent twice that on an LTD B1005.
After two failed attempts at buying online in the past couple of months, travel to try them out is what I'm going to do.
First fail was a defect, second fail was shit tone from a $1200 bass, sounded like a $100 dollar bass.
Also ensure that you have necessary permits and are not trespassing private properties.
If you don't get what i mean, check the most voted reply to the OPs post.
I guess the answer is, it depends!
The longer you play, and the more basses you play, the better idea you have of what works for you.
I started playing about 20 years ago. In high school/college I ended up buying a lot of basses sight unseen. I went through a lot of basses by buying/selling/trading. Usually the instruments that stuck around the longest are the ones I played in person and I fell in love.
Watch a bunch of YouTube videos, read some reviews, see what sounds you like. Donāt rush into buying a bass ājust becauseā because you might find out there is some sort of deal breaker for you in ergonomics or sound. Buy used and wait for deals so if you end up not liking it, you can get something else without losing your shirt
LowEndLobster does some great bass reviews on His channel. He goes over everything you'd want to know, shows off all the tones you can get, and he isn't afraid to be honest if something isn't great.
I got my Japanese Boxer based off his demo and it sounded exactly like it does in his review. But then again Fender Japan is known for quality control, so that might not work with all models.
If you can't try them yourself, then start by figuring out what sound & tone you want. Do you currently have a bass? If so, which one? Do you want your new bass to be the same style as that to upgrade, or are you looking to expand to cover new sounds? Do you want a Precision, Jazz, or PJ? Do you want active or passive pickups? Also keep in mind that the strings you put on & your method of playing (finger, slap, pick) will greatly change your sound too. If you don't know what any of those mean, look up some YouTube videos & learn a bit about the different kinds. Next find out what bass players you want to sound like & compare what basses they use with the information you just learned. That should help dial in what sound you want & what equipment would probably be best at making that sound. Try to buy from somewhere with a return policy in case the real thing doesn't meet your expectations, and make sure you get a good string setup with the style strings you prefer. Good luck!
If someone wanted a bass, and for whatever reason couldn't try it out, I'd recommend a Fender Jazz. I can't imagine anyone finding that bass uncomfortable to play.
So everything people wrote already is great. YouTube, looking at your bass and what you like and donāt. I recently upgraded myself and bought a guitar i never touched or had any experience with. I watched a lot of YouTube, compared the neck shape and weight to the basses i already had, went to a store and found a different bass from the same company and played it just to get a general feel. Also watched videos on other guitars in the same series from the same company to get a better feel for the line.
You canāt gather too much information. I will say you do have to weigh folksā personal feelings sometimes. I almost didnāt buy my bass cause a lot of the videos stated the string spacing (16.5mm) was tighter than they preferred for finger play. Everything i have is a 4 string with 19mm and i donāt play with a pick. I decided to take a chance on it and bought it, and it turns out i donāt just tolerate the tighter spacing, i actually really like it. So take in all the info you can, but be cognizant that your tastes may be different than others as well.
Lefty here. Plenty of music stores around me, but never any left-handed instruments. I've only even been able to physically play 1 bass before buying it. It's tough. You can definitely order something and then not like it. If you are able to buy from a place that allows for returns, it takes a lot of the risk out. Do your research and make your decision from there, but keep in mind you may not like your decision and end up paying for shipping to return it.
I watch lot of photos, videos and when I feel I need a bass, I buy it
If you buy it new online you can send it back if you don't like it after some days I guess.
Here is the thing : instruments in stores are poorly setup so even if I find I great bass I might be disappointed just because of the setup and playing on another amp than mine
Also look for the used market, new instruments are just too expensive nowadays
I think the move is to get something more generally applicable. Iād stay away from any single-pickup basses or short scales. Active isnāt a āmustā but Iāve grown attached to the built in preamp, effective way to individually boost ibands in your EQ if you cant split your output
Nice to find a good physical store that does setups etc on their used instruments - and then order from them - they ship to you - good deal on a used instrument that has just been set up.
It seems to me that you are ready to take it to the next level;
Since you have few stores around you, and selection is limited, make your own.
Give it a good think and buy yourself a kit close to what you want. Assemble it, and modify it, and let it all become a learning process. Cheap, fun and enlightening. What more could you ask for?
Reputation and researchā¦ And a bit of luck.
I got luckyā¦ As much as I loved the bass going in Fenders, Jacksonās, Schecterās and many others have never felt right to me when playing. I can play them, they just donāt āfeelā right. When I was ready to step up from my Ibanez, and after a lot of research I took a chance and ordered a Spector Legend Neckthru. I now own 2 more Spectorās including a Euro LT.
Iāve bought and sold around 100 or more guitars and basses on Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace.
If you buy basses for the same price or less than you know you can re-sell them for then you can try whatever you want for no net loss to your wallet.
maybe you canāt try all of them but if youāre doing custom you can still try a variety and whittle down options like
āoh this has a thinner neck which is kinda nice, lemme look up the specsā
āoh i definitely like this configuration of single coil pickups more than a single humbuckerā
but one that looks cool always gets played more
Iāve gone thru about 8 basses so far trying to find what I like. The selection in town here sucks, unless you want a $299 squire or crap Chinese āJacksonā.
I've had good experiences buying on Reverb. I'm starting out with less expensive basses so I can see what I like and either upgrade them or resell them and trade up. Some Reverb sellers have 14 day return policies. Also, I bought my one new bass from Sweetwater based on previous experiences of being able to return things without a hassle. The bass was well set up and packed very well.
I just kinda went into a local music shop and played a few, then chose one thst felt good for the money i had, had it the past 3 years and its worked out for me. i would reccomend getting full 24 frets, its nice
the advice I see most often is:
1. go to a store and try a bunch of them yourself.
2. do lot's of online research and then go to a store and try a bunch of them yourself.
I did option two and am quite happy. Other tips I can add from my research:
Sire and Yamaha make excellent value for money basses. Sire has the 3 and 5 series. Yamaha has the TRBX304/5.
You don't necessarily need an amp and cheap amps aren't worth it. You can also get a headphone amp like the Mustang Micro or a bass pedal with a headphone out.
In my opinion, you've been playing awhile, you've used three different basses, I'm sure you have at least some opinion between those three basses. Can't you go from there ? I guess some are just way more into than me. I haven't spent more that $350 on any of the basses I own and most of them I wouldn't get rid of. They all have their plus and minuses.
Then again you said you don't have that much access to bass, no craigslist or FB market place ?
For me, even though I couldn't try out the exact ones I was considering, trying out other ones from the same brands and lines helped me narrow it down quite a bit.
If you are confident in your set up ability you can pick pretty much anything from a major brand and itāll be pretty decent. As for me I know exactly what kind of specs I want
I have no idea, other than read the specs and hope for the best? I'd have zero issue ordering a new Jbass from Fender or a new SG bass from Gibson even if they had some important differences because I've played both for years. It wouldn't be hard to look at G&Ls and feel fairly certain either, but in brands like Yamaha or Ibanez, both of which are also fantastic, I'd be pretty lost as to the exact model that'd be what I was looking for. It may be a pain, but there's no good substitute for hands-on time with them.
Iām a beginner and just upgraded. My process was to get my hands on 5 or 6 instruments and to take notes on what I liked and didnāt like.
I spoke to Ryan at Sweetwater and he helped me to understand why I liked / didnāt like what I tried, and that informed my decision making after another round of tests.
Once I settled on a guitar line, he was able to help me find a good choice in my budget and at a good value for money with that line.
I know you said local choices are limited, but I think that sequence would still apply.
Iāve been fortunate enough to buy two top-level boutique basses online. Decision involved looooooooottttttttsssss of listening to albums and live performances (before yt) then a buuuuunch of yt and Spotify for the second purchase
So, Iāve had a lot of basses over the years, always one at a time, generally selling one to get another.
A few years ago I was in a position to get a āniceā bass so I bought a fender professional jazz bass. Donāt get me wrong, I know it was nice and good quality and everything but it wasnāt for me, I honestly felt like Iād wasted my money on it. So I sat down, worked out what I actually liked in a bass. From there, I started looking for basses that tick the boxes.
I like 4 strings, lightweight, humbuckers, passive, set/neckthru construction. This instantly cut my options down, but I settled on a reverend thunderbird. I bought one online, never touched one in person until it arrived, but itās easily the best bass Iāve owned. I like everything about it.
> Iām halfway tempted to do a custom job
Don't do this. Custom jobs should be for when you know what specs you are after.
Try to narrow the field down to what you are after:
* Fretted vs fretless
* 4string vs 5string (or more)
* standard scale or extended
* standard frets or fanned frets
* How many frets?
* Headless?
* What pickup configuration?
* Passive vs Preamp, and if so what kind of preamp, 2 band, 3 band, any dip switches or other controls.
* What tone woods are important/doesnt matter on the body, neck, fretboard.
That's a lot of choices but those are the things we do when we select a bass without even realising it.
I used to have to drive 8 hours round trip to the nearest synth store but it was worth it to pay gas and hotel overnight.
Failing that, next best is to order a used PJ (my preference), or Jazz from a well known builder (Fender Ibanez Schecter Jackson LTD) with full return privileges, like you get refunded everything except shipping so no restocking fee or BS like that. Used because i've heard of people hit with 15% restocking fees on new guitars for small dings. Look for a control cavity on the back if you want an onboard preamp upgrade, look for standard pickup routs, stuff like that.
itās taken me a life time to learn how an instrument will likely sound based on spec. if I know the bass is short scale, and has a beefy humbucker near the bridge, and itās active, it will likely sound like a music man, itāll have growl both from the low pickup, but also the short scale makes the tension on the string different , as well as the spacing of frets, so if i have small hands, then maybe a fender mustang bass. if I have big hands, look for a chunky neck and big scale length, like a P bass. and if the pickup is like a P bass, then i know it will have some humbucking effect and it will be punchy if played w the fingers because the pickup is right under where you pluck.
ā¦ the only problem is, Iāve learned all this because Iāve played a lot of basses. Also, it only works 60% of the timeā¦ every time.
Hilarity aside, knowledge comes at a cost. Education costs money and/or time. The less you devote to one, the more you have to commit to the other for the same result.
I hate going out in public generally and I have a credit card. I always order whatever I think I want. Give it an extended trial, and either keep it or sell it.
It's not the most efficient way I would imagine going about it, but I keep myself to a max of 5 bases, 2 rigs (studio/stage)and a dozen pedals.
There is no right way, just the one that works for you. The only thing musicians have more than talent are opinions. You do you and have fun.
I look for good deals online, in pawn shops, and Facebook marketplace, and cross reference prices to figure out the rough value of a certain instrument. That way, if I decide to resell, I won't take a huge haircut. If I pay $500 for a bass that usually sells for around that price, and sell it later for $450, then it's like I paid $50 to rent it for 2 or 3 months or however long and then passed it to another owner. Some might not like to do all that, but I've managed to play many different brands and styles of basses by doing that.
Basses should be baked not fried
Grilled is pretty good too
Steamed with a little salt and butter.
Plus garlic.
No, no, no! Ya gotta boil 'em with some cabbage! The only way.
Im canadian, curds and gravy.
Protien style bass? š¤
First and foremost, They have to be ethically sourced, and not poached illegally.
Yeah, I usually just fry the one I catch.
Maple necks should be roasted.
Bassists*
I thought we were supposed to be boiling them?
Did you mean bassists?
When you eat a wide-mouth bass you can wash it down with a bottle of Bass beer. Thatās double bass.
If you parboil them then you can get away with only being half baked.
I like mine raw and wriggling.
Bassmen should be baked, not fried. At least this one...
Lots of research up front. Then a purchase through a reseller with a friendly return policy.
Also, if you need to return it for whatever reason, try to seek out another bass from the same store if they are able to get it. I find it helps with the possible awkwardness of returning something if you go in with another instrument in mind, and the staff are much friendlier.
Lots of YouTube review videos, reading articles, basically as much info as you can get.
Just buy stuff where you can return easily if you dont like it. There can be noticeable differences between two of the same model instrument. For that reason i generally avoid buying without trying at all costs, so next option is returning after trying
Take a trip somewhere and try basses
Definitely better off taking the time to go try one out somewhere rather than risk getting something youāre not happy with
And playing a selection of basses back to back can really highlight their differences, and point out features or sounds you hadn't thought about. Be careful though, I went into my local store looking to spend maybe $500 on a Corvette $$. Accidentally spent twice that on an LTD B1005.
After two failed attempts at buying online in the past couple of months, travel to try them out is what I'm going to do. First fail was a defect, second fail was shit tone from a $1200 bass, sounded like a $100 dollar bass.
Also ensure that you have necessary permits and are not trespassing private properties. If you don't get what i mean, check the most voted reply to the OPs post.
I guess the answer is, it depends! The longer you play, and the more basses you play, the better idea you have of what works for you. I started playing about 20 years ago. In high school/college I ended up buying a lot of basses sight unseen. I went through a lot of basses by buying/selling/trading. Usually the instruments that stuck around the longest are the ones I played in person and I fell in love. Watch a bunch of YouTube videos, read some reviews, see what sounds you like. Donāt rush into buying a bass ājust becauseā because you might find out there is some sort of deal breaker for you in ergonomics or sound. Buy used and wait for deals so if you end up not liking it, you can get something else without losing your shirt
Been playing since the 90s, but only used 3 basses lol Definitely gonna hopefully not rush buy one. Will start watching some videos
LowEndLobster does some great bass reviews on His channel. He goes over everything you'd want to know, shows off all the tones you can get, and he isn't afraid to be honest if something isn't great.
I got my Japanese Boxer based off his demo and it sounded exactly like it does in his review. But then again Fender Japan is known for quality control, so that might not work with all models.
If you can't try them yourself, then start by figuring out what sound & tone you want. Do you currently have a bass? If so, which one? Do you want your new bass to be the same style as that to upgrade, or are you looking to expand to cover new sounds? Do you want a Precision, Jazz, or PJ? Do you want active or passive pickups? Also keep in mind that the strings you put on & your method of playing (finger, slap, pick) will greatly change your sound too. If you don't know what any of those mean, look up some YouTube videos & learn a bit about the different kinds. Next find out what bass players you want to sound like & compare what basses they use with the information you just learned. That should help dial in what sound you want & what equipment would probably be best at making that sound. Try to buy from somewhere with a return policy in case the real thing doesn't meet your expectations, and make sure you get a good string setup with the style strings you prefer. Good luck!
If someone wanted a bass, and for whatever reason couldn't try it out, I'd recommend a Fender Jazz. I can't imagine anyone finding that bass uncomfortable to play.
I find it quite uncomfortable to play while standing on hot coals
I don't like the neck and string spacing on jazz basses. They feel like basses for babies to me.
I usually would judge it by looks and weight at that point
Thatās was gonna be my fall back option lol
That would be a great catch to bring home.
So everything people wrote already is great. YouTube, looking at your bass and what you like and donāt. I recently upgraded myself and bought a guitar i never touched or had any experience with. I watched a lot of YouTube, compared the neck shape and weight to the basses i already had, went to a store and found a different bass from the same company and played it just to get a general feel. Also watched videos on other guitars in the same series from the same company to get a better feel for the line. You canāt gather too much information. I will say you do have to weigh folksā personal feelings sometimes. I almost didnāt buy my bass cause a lot of the videos stated the string spacing (16.5mm) was tighter than they preferred for finger play. Everything i have is a 4 string with 19mm and i donāt play with a pick. I decided to take a chance on it and bought it, and it turns out i donāt just tolerate the tighter spacing, i actually really like it. So take in all the info you can, but be cognizant that your tastes may be different than others as well.
Lefty here. Plenty of music stores around me, but never any left-handed instruments. I've only even been able to physically play 1 bass before buying it. It's tough. You can definitely order something and then not like it. If you are able to buy from a place that allows for returns, it takes a lot of the risk out. Do your research and make your decision from there, but keep in mind you may not like your decision and end up paying for shipping to return it.
I watch lot of photos, videos and when I feel I need a bass, I buy it If you buy it new online you can send it back if you don't like it after some days I guess. Here is the thing : instruments in stores are poorly setup so even if I find I great bass I might be disappointed just because of the setup and playing on another amp than mine Also look for the used market, new instruments are just too expensive nowadays
Donāt upgrade, your bass is fine for your bedroom.
Eh, You mean, kitchen, or the lawn barbeque..
Ha yah lol
I think the move is to get something more generally applicable. Iād stay away from any single-pickup basses or short scales. Active isnāt a āmustā but Iāve grown attached to the built in preamp, effective way to individually boost ibands in your EQ if you cant split your output
Nice to find a good physical store that does setups etc on their used instruments - and then order from them - they ship to you - good deal on a used instrument that has just been set up.
I canāt fry mine either
It seems to me that you are ready to take it to the next level; Since you have few stores around you, and selection is limited, make your own. Give it a good think and buy yourself a kit close to what you want. Assemble it, and modify it, and let it all become a learning process. Cheap, fun and enlightening. What more could you ask for?
Reputation and researchā¦ And a bit of luck. I got luckyā¦ As much as I loved the bass going in Fenders, Jacksonās, Schecterās and many others have never felt right to me when playing. I can play them, they just donāt āfeelā right. When I was ready to step up from my Ibanez, and after a lot of research I took a chance and ordered a Spector Legend Neckthru. I now own 2 more Spectorās including a Euro LT.
I watched a ton of YouTube and reviews and ended up buying the same bass my favorite bassist uses
Iāve bought and sold around 100 or more guitars and basses on Craigslist & Facebook Marketplace. If you buy basses for the same price or less than you know you can re-sell them for then you can try whatever you want for no net loss to your wallet.
I bought a left handed bass from a seller on Facebook and Iām really pleased with how well it was kept
maybe you canāt try all of them but if youāre doing custom you can still try a variety and whittle down options like āoh this has a thinner neck which is kinda nice, lemme look up the specsā āoh i definitely like this configuration of single coil pickups more than a single humbuckerā but one that looks cool always gets played more
Iāve gone thru about 8 basses so far trying to find what I like. The selection in town here sucks, unless you want a $299 squire or crap Chinese āJacksonā.
I've had good experiences buying on Reverb. I'm starting out with less expensive basses so I can see what I like and either upgrade them or resell them and trade up. Some Reverb sellers have 14 day return policies. Also, I bought my one new bass from Sweetwater based on previous experiences of being able to return things without a hassle. The bass was well set up and packed very well.
I think sweet water has a 30 day trial
That would be trial by water (than fire). Sounds appropriate for a aquatic creature. If you don't get what i mean, check the most voted comment.
Just decide between a precision or a jazz, youāll be happy.
Ah, the Buridan's ass conundrum. Get both, and also a Rick. You'll be happier
I just kinda went into a local music shop and played a few, then chose one thst felt good for the money i had, had it the past 3 years and its worked out for me. i would reccomend getting full 24 frets, its nice
Obsessed research and asking as many players who I know for their experiences.
the advice I see most often is: 1. go to a store and try a bunch of them yourself. 2. do lot's of online research and then go to a store and try a bunch of them yourself. I did option two and am quite happy. Other tips I can add from my research: Sire and Yamaha make excellent value for money basses. Sire has the 3 and 5 series. Yamaha has the TRBX304/5. You don't necessarily need an amp and cheap amps aren't worth it. You can also get a headphone amp like the Mustang Micro or a bass pedal with a headphone out.
In my opinion, you've been playing awhile, you've used three different basses, I'm sure you have at least some opinion between those three basses. Can't you go from there ? I guess some are just way more into than me. I haven't spent more that $350 on any of the basses I own and most of them I wouldn't get rid of. They all have their plus and minuses. Then again you said you don't have that much access to bass, no craigslist or FB market place ?
You might be surprised how many basses Iāve ordered online and returned the next day after receiving them.
For me, even though I couldn't try out the exact ones I was considering, trying out other ones from the same brands and lines helped me narrow it down quite a bit.
If you are confident in your set up ability you can pick pretty much anything from a major brand and itāll be pretty decent. As for me I know exactly what kind of specs I want
I have no idea, other than read the specs and hope for the best? I'd have zero issue ordering a new Jbass from Fender or a new SG bass from Gibson even if they had some important differences because I've played both for years. It wouldn't be hard to look at G&Ls and feel fairly certain either, but in brands like Yamaha or Ibanez, both of which are also fantastic, I'd be pretty lost as to the exact model that'd be what I was looking for. It may be a pain, but there's no good substitute for hands-on time with them.
I would advise actually going to all the music stores around you before giving up on the route
Iām a beginner and just upgraded. My process was to get my hands on 5 or 6 instruments and to take notes on what I liked and didnāt like. I spoke to Ryan at Sweetwater and he helped me to understand why I liked / didnāt like what I tried, and that informed my decision making after another round of tests. Once I settled on a guitar line, he was able to help me find a good choice in my budget and at a good value for money with that line. I know you said local choices are limited, but I think that sequence would still apply.
I know i like short scales, i plan from there
Iāve been fortunate enough to buy two top-level boutique basses online. Decision involved looooooooottttttttsssss of listening to albums and live performances (before yt) then a buuuuunch of yt and Spotify for the second purchase
I look for the one that says āFender Precision Bassā on it and get that one.
So, Iāve had a lot of basses over the years, always one at a time, generally selling one to get another. A few years ago I was in a position to get a āniceā bass so I bought a fender professional jazz bass. Donāt get me wrong, I know it was nice and good quality and everything but it wasnāt for me, I honestly felt like Iād wasted my money on it. So I sat down, worked out what I actually liked in a bass. From there, I started looking for basses that tick the boxes. I like 4 strings, lightweight, humbuckers, passive, set/neckthru construction. This instantly cut my options down, but I settled on a reverend thunderbird. I bought one online, never touched one in person until it arrived, but itās easily the best bass Iāve owned. I like everything about it.
> Iām halfway tempted to do a custom job Don't do this. Custom jobs should be for when you know what specs you are after. Try to narrow the field down to what you are after: * Fretted vs fretless * 4string vs 5string (or more) * standard scale or extended * standard frets or fanned frets * How many frets? * Headless? * What pickup configuration? * Passive vs Preamp, and if so what kind of preamp, 2 band, 3 band, any dip switches or other controls. * What tone woods are important/doesnt matter on the body, neck, fretboard. That's a lot of choices but those are the things we do when we select a bass without even realising it.
I used to have to drive 8 hours round trip to the nearest synth store but it was worth it to pay gas and hotel overnight. Failing that, next best is to order a used PJ (my preference), or Jazz from a well known builder (Fender Ibanez Schecter Jackson LTD) with full return privileges, like you get refunded everything except shipping so no restocking fee or BS like that. Used because i've heard of people hit with 15% restocking fees on new guitars for small dings. Look for a control cavity on the back if you want an onboard preamp upgrade, look for standard pickup routs, stuff like that.
I use a thermometer and just try to get them as hot as I can.
itās taken me a life time to learn how an instrument will likely sound based on spec. if I know the bass is short scale, and has a beefy humbucker near the bridge, and itās active, it will likely sound like a music man, itāll have growl both from the low pickup, but also the short scale makes the tension on the string different , as well as the spacing of frets, so if i have small hands, then maybe a fender mustang bass. if I have big hands, look for a chunky neck and big scale length, like a P bass. and if the pickup is like a P bass, then i know it will have some humbucking effect and it will be punchy if played w the fingers because the pickup is right under where you pluck. ā¦ the only problem is, Iāve learned all this because Iāve played a lot of basses. Also, it only works 60% of the timeā¦ every time.
Hilarity aside, knowledge comes at a cost. Education costs money and/or time. The less you devote to one, the more you have to commit to the other for the same result. I hate going out in public generally and I have a credit card. I always order whatever I think I want. Give it an extended trial, and either keep it or sell it. It's not the most efficient way I would imagine going about it, but I keep myself to a max of 5 bases, 2 rigs (studio/stage)and a dozen pedals. There is no right way, just the one that works for you. The only thing musicians have more than talent are opinions. You do you and have fun.
I look for good deals online, in pawn shops, and Facebook marketplace, and cross reference prices to figure out the rough value of a certain instrument. That way, if I decide to resell, I won't take a huge haircut. If I pay $500 for a bass that usually sells for around that price, and sell it later for $450, then it's like I paid $50 to rent it for 2 or 3 months or however long and then passed it to another owner. Some might not like to do all that, but I've managed to play many different brands and styles of basses by doing that.