What to do when trying out a Bass

[slazman]

I'm a pretty average player. Got a good sense of rhythm, understand some theory and can learn average difficulty bass lines from tabs. Improvisation isn't really my thing. I don't have the time or application these days to go back to the basics and build from there - I just want to continue play live within the scope of may abilities.

I love looking at basses in shops but have a bit of a challenge when I want to try one out - I know I am the man paying the money, but feel a bit inadequate that I cannot just pick up an instrument and play something that sounds sufficiently impressive to make the seller think I am a player ... I worry that I don't come across as a serious buyer and am dismissed as a time waster.

Same applies when or trying out before buying off a fellow 'Chatter - I bought a Ric a couple of years ago and knew the seller was a top notch player (I had seen his clips on You Tube) ... after playing a few pentatonic runs I handed the bass to him to show me what it could do.

Anybody got any suggestions how I can address my concerns? Who knows - if I get more confident I may be a buyer for your bass one day!

[thepurpleblob]

I hear you... I try it sitting down and on a strap. I usually just play a few scales up and down the neck and some simple lines to songs that I actually play. Fourteen year olds playing manic slap aren't buying anyway.

Bitter experience has proved that it's a minefield anyway. You don't really find out until you get it home.

[waynepunkdude]

I just play a few songs I'm into at the time, no point in playing stuff you don't usually play or else you won't know if it works for you.

[derrenleepoole]

I'm by no means an expert myself, but I was given some good advice quite a few years ago. When trying out a bass I always try to play it acoustically first with no amp. Shop sellers know lots of tricks to big up the first impression of an instrument, when trying to get sales. This will include tried and tested chops and licks that sound impressive played through the best bass amp making unsuspecting buyers go wow!

Playing a bass acoustically if you can first gives you a reasonable measure of how it actually sounds without coloration from an amp. It's by no means fool proof, but I've found it very helpful in the past. Plus, asking a shop seller to go somewhere quiet to try out an instrument probably says more about your professionalism than any number of fancy chops you could play.

Shop owners/assistants are probably not bothered if you're a good a bad player, just whether you're a good or bad payer!

[Johngh]

I don't worry about playing any technical stuff at all initially. I like to play some simple stuff and listen to how the bass sounds and resonates across all the strings, mess about with the pup configurations and tone controls to hear the different tones available then take it from there.

I also like to play through a decent rig or combo if I can.

[karlfer]

I don't give a monkey's wang what somebody thinks when I'm trying out a bass as I'm just mediocre.
The most important thing for me is to slowly and accurately fret EVERY single note on the fretboard, form open E to highest D# (whaddya mean some basses have more than 4 strings and 20 frets )
This done both accoustically and amplified.
If that's ok, next I'll check the electrics.
If they are ok, I'll start to worry about tone and how it feels.
Karl.

[gary mac]

As others have already said, play it acoustically first. If it's a good un it will sing to you.

Then I play each of the open strings and let it ring/resonate. Then I play each and every note/fret on each string in turn. That way I'll know if there are any dead spots, or any issues with the frets.

I might then play a few licks but quite often not, once I'm back home it will get tunes played on it.

I know we are all different but I'm not the least bit worried about what the sales staff or a private seller might think of my playing. Some of them will be better players than me and some wont be.

[Lfalex v1.1]

To be honest, the first thing I do when confronted by a bass is [i]inspect[/i] it. All the usual stuff;
Sight a line down the neck- is it straight?
What's the fretwork like?
How well assembled is it?
What does it feel like under the hand?
Then I'll play every fret on every string acoustically- listening for rattles, buzzes and unwanted resonances
Then I'll check the intonation and action
and finally... Is it actually in tune?

Then plug it in...

Have you any self-written pieces? Even just basic riffs? If so, you'll be the best judge of how the bass in your hands is working in that context.
As regards amps, I seek out medium/smallish combos and turn off any widgets, setting the EQ flat. That ought to minimise any unwanted contributions.

[Jacqueslemac]

What is important to you when buying a bass? For me, a lot of it is about how it feels in the hands, so playing it unplugged is a really good first step. If it feels horrid, then does it really matter what it sounds like?

As others have pointed out, unless the shop has the exact model of amp and cab you use at home, there's little to gain from using one of their amps. You'd be testing their amp as much as the bass.

I take my Amplug along and plug it in, just like I do when I practice at home. Then I have something to compare it with at least.

[slazman]

Great feedback gentlemen

[RhysP]

I don't play anything at all.
I'll plug it in to make sure everything works as it should, I'll inspect it for damage and will play every note on every string to check for buzzing, choking etc.
If everything is OK then I'll buy it.

I'm buying a bass, not trying to pass an audition.

[neepheid]

What exactly are you afraid of? By getting over that hurdle of asking to try a bass you have already moved beyond those who go to the shop to browse but never do more than that. It's not an audition, it's not a gig. No-one is going to care, apart from the type of person mentioned before who is jealous of your ability to sit down in a shop full of people, pick up a bass and give it a shot. You don't have to impress the salesperson - you're the one with the money to spend.

The last time I tried an instrument in a shop it was in quite an open space and there were other people in the shop but to be honest they either just carried on with their business and I didn't even notice they were there when I was playing (a bit like a gig then )

If it helps, decide what songs/riffs you're going to play before you even go to the shop. When I finally got the confidence to ask to try a bass in a shop when buying my first bass I worked out a couple of bassy things (Peaches, Sunshine of Your Love, that sort of thing) on the bottom 4 strings of a guitar I had lying around before I went. That helped eliminate the "mind gone blank at the crucial moment" thing.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1329638632' post='1545029']
I just play a few songs I'm into at the time, no point in playing stuff you don't usually play or else you won't know if it works for you.
[/quote]

Very good advice. Regardless of setup - as most instruments are unlikely to be set up to your personal preference anyway - if when playing your fave songs the bass doesn`t sound right, that`s a good indicator.

Another is to play for at least 15 mins, and if your fretting hand hurts after this, the neck is different to your comfort zone. You can get used to this, but it depends if you want to or not.

[essexbasscat]

There's a lot to be gained by just picking bass after bass, of all prices, shapes and sizes, as and when you can. A good move would be to go to something like the London Bass show for this. Some of the suggestions above give good starting points for developing a checklist of things to consider.

A really useful thing to do is just read around the topic on BC over time, it's a valuable resource with some highly experienced people lurking around. Over time, it will all come together.

In some ways, going into a guitar / bass shop is no different to visiting a supermarket

[Prime_BASS]

I play a few songs I like playing on my current bass. I've also started running through the whole of Cee Lo Green - Forget you.
I also do the obligatory slap but this is form my own compositions I'm working on for my band.

Best thing to do is forget you are in a shop or anyone is looking at you, don't treat it as gig. If you go in and play on the bass something you will only play in the shop or to "impress" people you aren't getting the most out of teh bass for you.


Lozz196 is right with the hand thing, usually if I can't finmd a comfortable spot to play with my right hand then it's not for me.

[Blademan_98]

I just noodle tbh.

If there is anyone in the shop, I blank them and concentrate on the bass.

Having said that, I ended up jamming with an acoustic guitarist in PMT Oxford whilst trying out a bass!

[slazman]

I've put all the bits of advice together and got quite a list of things to look at .... all makes very good sense

[JTUK]

[quote name='slazman' timestamp='1329637768' post='1545025']
I'm a pretty average player. Got a good sense of rhythm, understand some theory and can learn average difficulty bass lines from tabs. Improvisation isn't really my thing. I don't have the time or application these days to go back to the basics and build from there - I just want to continue play live within the scope of may abilities.

I love looking at basses in shops but have a bit of a challenge when I want to try one out - I know I am the man paying the money, but feel a bit inadequate that I cannot just pick up an instrument and play something that sounds sufficiently impressive to make the seller think I am a player ... I worry that I don't come across as a serious buyer and am dismissed as a time waster.

Same applies when or trying out before buying off a fellow 'Chatter - I bought a Ric a couple of years ago and knew the seller was a top notch player (I had seen his clips on You Tube) ... after playing a few pentatonic runs I handed the bass to him to show me what it could do.

Anybody got any suggestions how I can address my concerns? Who knows - if I get more confident I may be a buyer for your bass one day!
[/quote]

Who are you trying to impress and why ..?
I thought you were trying to buy a bass..??

For me, I just like to see how the bass sounds across the range..I then KNOW I am going to have to set it up as I am very picky about this. Some basses, I know I can't play so why should I huff and puff to no end.
If they want to know what I can do..come see a gig or book a lesson or something. I have no interest in trying to impress in a shop or somewhere...I am more interested in seeing if the bass will work for me...

People who can blaze away in ashop mean not a whole lot. I have seen many who do this and really stink on a gig..it means nothing..!!

[noelk27]

Yea, checking out the fit and feel of the build quality first, then playing the instrument acoustically (after making sure it's in tune) is where I usually start. Thereafter, I'd get plugged in to the setup that's closest to what I own and set any EQ flat (as others have suggested). As for what I play, that's usually a series of figures that I'd use when practising, played in every position up and down the neck. I find playing figures I know back to front more revealing than playing every note along the length of a neck, string by string. If the purchase is time sensitive/inexpensive, then I might not have/take the opportunity to go the extra yardage, but, assuming I can/do, then I'd go back another day, with my own strap and a fresh set of strings of my choice, and get the bass restrung, setup tweaked, and try it out again, through the same setup as previously. Again, I'd play the same series of figures, before playing a few lines.

[EssentialTension]

There's lots of good advice here but it is quite simple really - you are testing the bass out, not the shop testing out your bassist skills.

Playing songs/tunes is the very last thing I'd do. Inspect the bass: finish, fretwork, tuners, etc. does it tune ok? Play every note on every string and listen to it acoustically, are there any dead spots? Does it intonate satisfactorily? If the bass passes so far then plug it in, an amp of your choice, with controls flat. Repeat the every note, every string trick. If you're still happy maybe play some tunes, in different styles, maybe adjusting the tone. Play with right hand near bridge, over pickup, near fretboard. Are you going to need different strings? That needs to be factored into the cost. Etc., etc.

[simon1964]

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1329655255' post='1545338']
There's lots of good advice here but it is quite simple really - you are testing the bass out, not the shop testing out your bassist skills.

Playing songs/tunes is the very last thing I'd do. Inspect the bass: finish, fretwork, tuners, etc. does it tune ok? Play every note on every string and listen to it acoustically, are there any dead spots? Does it intonate satisfactorily? If the bass passes so far then plug it in, an amp of your choice, with controls flat. Repeat the every note, every string trick. If you're still happy maybe play some tunes, in different styles, maybe adjusting the tone. Play with right hand near bridge, over pickup, near fretboard. Are you going to need different strings? That needs to be factored into the cost. Etc., etc.
[/quote]

Exactly this. You're not there to impress the saleman. But even if you were, if he knows his job, this is likely to impress him more than playing a load of technical flash stuff without actually checking out the basics.

[LawrenceH]

In theory, all this is true...but people can still feel self-conscious trying an instrument and that's fair enough really. You don't need to do anything flash, but no-one likes looking incompetent!

So better to keep it simple and also work on your finger technique for simple scales and exercises - that helps everything about your playing, including trying out a bass because if you are confident in control of the instrument you will be better placed to assess it. If I'm very nervous then I'd probably prefer a rather muddy indistinct tone that hides mistakes and fumbles rather than a bright, clear sound where good playing is rewarded but bad playing is exposed. With other instruments, notably brass/woodwind, it's accepted that there are 'student' instruments which are actually easier to get a passable sound out of than the really good ones.

[TheGreek]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1329642230' post='1545073']
To be honest, the first thing I do when confronted by a bass is [i]inspect[/i] it. All the usual stuff;
Sight a line down the neck- is it straight?
What's the fretwork like?
How well assembled is it?
What does it feel like under the hand?
Then I'll play every fret on every string acoustically- listening for rattles, buzzes and unwanted resonances
Then I'll check the intonation and action
and finally... Is it actually in tune?

Then plug it in...

Have you any self-written pieces? Even just basic riffs? If so, you'll be the best judge of how the bass in your hands is working in that context.
As regards amps, I seek out medium/smallish combos and turn off any widgets, setting the EQ flat. That ought to minimise any unwanted contributions.
[/quote]

Really good advice!!

[paul_c2]

Having played many brass and woodwind instruments, unfortunately I'd say the opposite is true. Very expensive instruments are easy to play and make sound nice, its the budget ones which don't sound too great unless you really concentrate on technique, and are likely to sound squeaky or make odd noises. I'd say a similar thing occurs with bass guitars too. A good instrument should feel natural and easy to play, and a few budget models sound yukky except when you really concetrate on it.

I'd agree with a lot of the above though - play it acoustically, make sure its in tune, and play every note on every string; but also play a wide variety of your kind of tunes you'd play, simply dive in and play the most challenging one you can - if you can do it as easy as your current guitar or it just feels natural, then thats good.

[uncle psychosis]

I once saw a great piece of advice on another forum. I actually think James (loosemoose) posts on here too. It's based on 6 strings but most of it makes sense on bass too.

[Quote=loosemoose]"Trying out a guitar in a shop"

Looking into buying a guitar and terrified of the thought of playing in public? Confused at how to tell a good 'un from a bad 'un?

The thing to remember when trying out a guitar is to get as many things as constant as possible. Think of it as a scientific experiment if it helps!

When I try a guitar, I always:

+ Go during the week if you can - Weekends can be bedlam and in most cases you will recieve better service when the shop is quieter

+ Before you play, take your COAT off. If your clothing has buttons/buckles etc. take it off before you play - it's courtesy and might stop your potential new guitar from getting all scratched up!

+ ALWAYS take (or ask to borrow) and electric tuner. Do NOT accept the sales-d00d taking the guitar off you and tuning it by ear. No good. Why? Because a common way of making guitars feel nicer and disguising problems with the neck/soundboard is to detune it. Unless you've got a VERY good ear, chances are you wouldn't know until it's too late. Borrow and tuner and keep it in tune.

+ Be honest. If you're not gonna buy today but will in the next year then SAY SO. The sales guys aren't gonna be impressed if you try to lie to them that you have the money for the '59 Burst or if you open your wallet to let the moths fly out. If you level with them, they WILL respect you for it and thus give you better service. Anyone who doesn't? Leave...

+ DON'T let yourself be patronised. Personally, I couldn't give a damn what the guitar sounds like with the shop's resident superstar playing through it. If you won't let me handle the guitar then I walk...

+ If trying out a guitar, select an amp similar to yours - DON'T go straight for the Purple-People-Eater-5000 sitting in the corner but pick something that is like your amp. Even if you plan to change it, for now it's the guitar you're testing. Likewise, if you're amp shopping, then take your own guitar (or pick a similar one from the shelf) - Do NOT accept the Tom D. Strat that they hand you if you're a PRS kinda guy.

+ If the guitar they give you has strings that feel like someone's recently been buried with them then ask to change the guitar - You CAN'T demo something like that. Don't stand for it.

+ Always be polite and ask to try Guitars - Keep the staff onside and you won't be pestered or scowled at for taking your time

Okay, so we've got you sat down and you're ready to show the world you're playing. But you're scared!

+ Ask for headphones if it makes you feel better, but be weary of how they influence the sound.

Don't try your latest 'Project' out on the guitar, stick with stuff you can play inside out - you won't be truly appraising the guitar if you're having to mentally picture your tab book or your Mum shouting out chords to you! Give it some scales and chords - don't bother with individual songs and NEVER 'jam' with anybody else trying their stuff (or your pals etc.) believe me, Rehersal rooms are expensive, do you want the shop to charge you by the hour?

Instead, I always start with plucking the open strings - do they ring freely? A common problem with new guitars is the nut slots not being cut right - this can manifest itself in one string sounding dull. Do they all ring clearly? If not, mention it to said sales-d00d.

Okay, open strings checked, then give it some 'E'. I always strum (fairly stridently) a open E and just move it around the neck. If it helps, you can play the Kinks 'Lola' like this...

Can you move around the neck comfortably? How is the string spacing? Do you feel cramped?

Okay, so we've given it a bit of a go - I then recommend (if the shop is quiet enough) doing the same with the guitar unplugged. Good electric tone ALWAYS builds on good acoustic tone so just try it, if the guitar sounds dead but another of the same type feels more alive i GUARANTEE that when they are plugged in this will be all the more apparent!

So, do you like the guitar? Yeah? Ace. But you're not gonna play Wembley Arena whilst sitting on top of a Marshall AVT50 are you? Ask to borrow (or even better take your own) guitar strap and play standing up - What's the weight like? Does the neck dive to the floor? Does the guitar fit your ribcage/beergut/boobs?

So by now we should have assesed if the guitar is right for you or not, but how can we tell if the guitar is a good 'un.

There's NO substitute for taking someone else along with you. It's all too easy to enjoy the buying experience and get caught up in the fun of it all - leaving with something that wasn't quite right! Take someone who you KNOW has their feet on the ground, they don't have to be a Guitarist but it helps. Don't forget, that there's two sets of ears to listen to the sale-dood as well. Although the industry has cleaned itself up a lot, there is STILL a fair amount of rubbish spoken in guitar shops. Anything a salesman tells you take with a pinch of salt - chances are most are morally decent enough not to lie, but you want to be sure...

Let's check the guitar out then:

1. Firstly, you've just played it - how does it feel? Is the action high enough to sleep under or buzz-city? If the action is very high this could be a sign of no set-up or even deliberate tinkering to hide poor fretting.

2. Stand the guitar on the floor (or your shoe if you don't want to smash it to the ground) and look from the headstock down the neck to the body. If you get your head at the right angle to the guitar the frets should just look like a nice, neat row of metal, is anything sticking up or odd-looking. Ask for it to be explained if not sure.

3. Depress the D or G string at the first and 16th frets at the same time. Look at the area near the 6th and 7th frets, is there much of a gap between string and fret? If there's a little gap, excellent - if it resembles a chasm then the guitar needs adjustment and if there's no gap then likewise. This is to asses the shape of the neck, ideally it should be just a little concave (hence the small gap) but any extreme in either direction is a bad thing.

4. Check all the electronics - move the switch and twist the controls. Hear any scratchy noises? Most 'demo' guitars sit in a shop for a while and pick up dust in the electrics - if this is going to be yours ask to have the electrics serviced before recieving (and check again before accepting it!).

5. Check the jack connection. Firm? Does it crackle when moved? Same as before, if all sounds well then it probably is - but any odd noises and something needs attention.

6. WITH THE ELECTRONIC TUNER. Give the guitar a tune (again) and feel how the machineheads work, do they feel sloppy or pretty good. Is there a 'PING' from the nut slots as you tune? If so this has uncovered a problem with the nut. Get it sorted as that is a first-class ticket to tuning troubles.

7. If the guitar features a Floyd or some other locking trem (or even a basic, non-locking one) make sure you try it - then check your tuning again - is it returning to pitch okay? If you use it and retune, use it and retune you will be able to tell what is new/shot strings and what is a poorly set up vibrato unit.

Finally. Be cheeky - If the strings are cruddy ASK FOR SOME FREE ONES. Also, make sure you're not entitled to a Hard Case/Gig bag included in the deal (some major retailers have been rapped on the knuckles for this in recent times). Get a plectrum thrown in if you don't have one etc...

So that about covers it, but there is one final thing to mention. Make sure that the guitar has either had a setup or is entitled to one. Ask about 6 months time, is another setup included in the price? What about parts guarantees if something should fail? Who does the setups, a trained technician or a saturday boy in between runs to the Bacon butty van?

Hope this all stands you in good stead, it's by no means comprehensive but hopefully should make you feel better equipped in the jungle that is the world of guitar retail!

Now GO BUY STUFF

Cheers,
James

[/quote]