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Top 3 bass shop tryout riffs - they're looking at you and waiting!


lowdowner
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Picture the scene... you've walked into your favourite bass shop and you've asked to try out a tasty little number you've had your beadies on for a while now. The shop keeper, a scruffy and overly cool looking dude who in your imagination is probably an ex bassist of an 80's supergroup and possibly too cool to be in a bass shop, hands it to you and plugs you into a big, and very loud, rig. Probably under a spot light.

He looks at you expectantly.

The rest of the shop is stuffed full with loads of obvious expert shredders, just lounging around looking for the next axe for their upcoming sell-out world tour.

They now too turn towards you, again all expectantly...

What top three riffs have you chosen to help you 'try out' the beautiful bass that is clearly too good for your measly efforts?

OK, this is a bit extreme, but it's usually how *I* feel, that's for sure. So do you have common songs, riffs, or snippets of stuff you like to noodle away at when trying out a new bass in a shop. Or do you just 'jam' in a confident sort of way?

Just wonderin'

Edited by lowdowner
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I barely try out basses in shops anymore (I generally feel bad wasting their time) but I generally just play a few sections of my own bands songs. They're the only songs I actually play and where the basses sound would matter the most for me.

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[quote name='lowdowner' timestamp='1429563077' post='2752722']
Picture the scene... you've walked into your favourite bass shop and you've asked to try out a tasty little number you've had your beadies on for a while now. The shop keeper, a scruffy and overly cool looking dude who in your imagination is probably an ex bassist of an 80's supergroup and possibly too cool to be in a bass shop, hands it to you and plugs you into a big, and very loud, rig. Probably under a spot light.

He looks at you expectantly.

The rest of the shop is stuffed full with loads of obvious expert shredders, just lounging around looking for the next axe for their upcoming sell-out world tour.

They now too turn towards you, again all expectantly...

What top three riffs have you chosen to help you 'try out' the beautiful bass that is clearly too good for your measly efforts?

OK, this is a bit extreme, but it's usually how *I* feel, that's for sure. So do you have common songs, riffs, or snippets of stuff you like to noodle away at when trying out a new bass in a shop. Or do you just 'jam' in a confident sort of way?

Just wonderin'
[/quote]You must have travelled if you had been in a shop that had basses that you would want to try out

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1429567157' post='2752780']
It's not a gig, you know... :D
[/quote]

I know but as the OP more than hints, you've got all these people watching and listening so you don't want to play some random lame Am7 riff, which is what happens otherwise. Anyway what better test of the bass than to try out the stuff you're going to end up playing on it live!?

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[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1429567410' post='2752784']
Anyway what better test of the bass than to try out the stuff you're going to end up playing on it live!?
[/quote]

Well I suppose so, but hadn't you better take the rest of the band along with you too in that case..? :P ;)

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The main riff from black night, and a few of the other parts.
Some 8th note pumping, and some scales.

Luckily the last time I tried out a bass it was only the shop owner and I basically was just checking how the neck felt and the pickup position felt for resting on.

About a month later I've changed the pup to a delano cause the old one was weedy.

Going into a bigger music shop to try anything scares me pretty bad, Till I can actually pull better stuff out of nowhere haha.

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Why would you play anyone's bass lines at all..??
I just noodle with things that I've come up with and I'll be trying to the bass to sound
like it could handle the sounds within the styles that I hear and play.
I kind of laugh when I hear someone playing a standard bassline, tbh..

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I tend to slap an open E and A a couple of times, do the various harmonics to see how they sound, play a couple of chords both strummed and plucked then launch into a bit of "Showstopper" by Jamaaladeen, followed by a few riffs of my own followed by wild noodling until the shop owner comes up and says "Are you going to buy that $%£&*^! bass or not?"

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[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1429600416' post='2752928']
Ahh, so that's you, is it? Stop it at once!
[/quote]

My bass demoing technique is nothing compared to my guitar try out routine...I clear a space in the shop by moving the other guitars to one side and play bendy rock solos on my knees with the amp on max volume and cathedral reverb setting... sometimes I cry through the sheer beauty of what I'm playing and let the tears roll down my face...

Edited by CamdenRob
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