There's a long list of things I need to know before I get interested in buying or playing a bass, but the list of deal-breakers is much shorter:[list]
[*]Scale length
[*]String spacing at the bridge
[*]Weight
[/list]
I would never decide to buy a bass using just those three pieces of information, but I would certainly decide NOT to buy one.
I don't like 32" or 33" scale and in fact I prefer 35" if possible. I can't cope with 17mm string spacing, I like 19mm. I'm obsessed with light weight in basses, forget the boat anchors.
Yet most 'Technical Details' for a bass will only ever mention the first of these three. It's as if manufacturers and vendors seriously imagine that bass players won't notice or care about string spacing, or whether they get a hernia when they pick up their instrument.
Am I being precious, or is there really an issue here?