Want it, try it, don't like it

[grumpyguts]

I am sure that this has happened to us all. Convince yourself you want or need something, have the good sense to try it and find that it's not right.

Guitar Village in Farnham have an Ibanez SR755-NTF @ £568, off I go this morning to try it out. Well of course it's new - that is an unexpected problem. Not familiar looking down on a pristine bass, seems wrong for a chap of my limited abilities to be playing such a thing. It's the first 5 string I have played, the sting spacing seems a lot tighter than I expected, I know that this is a characteristic of the Ibanez range but didn't expect it to be so alien. Plus the neck pickup is closer to the neck than I like.

Spend a few mins farting around and leave happy not to have spent any money. Back to my beaten up Thunder 1A and OLP.

I brought my Hartke LH500 never having seen one, that turned out ok. To buy a bass unless it's something inexpensive, without having played it risks expensive disappointment.

[Coilte]

Yep !...try before you buy, where possible is always a good thing.

I'm curious about your LH500 as there is one going at a bargain price on a local forum.

[Phil Adams]

Three times on different occasions I have driven miles to buy (different) Gibson SGs only to be underwhelmed by having the thing on my knee, mind blank as to something impressive to play in a music shop, and have left feeling deflated but richer for the experience.
Must be my mood, but three times???

[NancyJohnson]

You should [b]never[/b] put yourself down along the lines of being limited and/or playing such a thing or assuming that playing any instrument is above you. Tut tut.

Here's a name; Adam Clayton. You might have heard of him. Never has a bass player gotten so far, with so much gear, with so little talent.

[scalpy]

Epiphone Jack Cassidy. Totally convinced it would be perfect hollow body territory, but for me it didn't do anything my regular bass can't. Looked cool in blue though.

[Nicko]

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1470656809' post='3107342']
Three times on different occasions I have driven miles to buy (different) Gibson SGs only to be underwhelmed by having the thing on my knee, mind blank as to something impressive to play in a music shop, and have left feeling deflated but richer for the experience.
Must be my mood, but three times???
[/quote]

You must really want one to have tried three times. I guess you ike the idea of one, but not the feel. Happened to me with Strats and Les Pauls. Dont liike either to play. I've now given up lusting after particular gear and tend to decide what kind of thing I want, and go to the shop with an open mind. If I dont bond with what I try the money says in my pocket.

[Oopsdabassist]

Walked into Guitar Guitar in Brum last week, fully intending to walk out with a Fender jaguar bass, spent 2 minutes with it, then another 25 trying out different Ibenez basses, with sounded SO much better, and were half the price. In the end head beat heart and I came out empty handed...mind you...

[url="http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/bass_guitars_detail.asp?stock=160209293870008"]http://www.guitargui...160209293870008[/url]

looks SO much nicer in the flesh....errrr...wood, too!


The whole time I was there I played nothing more than a couple of chromatic runs...over and over...and over, I want to hear how a bass sounds, with all the different tonal possibilities, not show off my (non existent) chops!!

Edited August 8, 2016 by Oopsdabassist

[paul_c2]

I hate trying things out in guitar shops, but accept its a necessary evil. I'd rather spend hours and hours researching reviews online, then go into a music shop and try it out as a "final check" before buying it.

[Geek99]

ignore me
Wrong topic

Edited August 8, 2016 by Geek99

[ivansc]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1470656854' post='3107344']
You should [b]never[/b] put yourself down along the lines of being limited and/or playing such a thing or assuming that playing any instrument is above you. Tut tut.

Here's a name; Adam Clayton. You might have heard of him. Never has a bass player gotten so far, with so much gear, with so little talent.
[/quote]

Wow! And he speaks so highly of you!

[NancyJohnson]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1470687752' post='3107721']
Wow! And he speaks so highly of you!


[/quote]

Muwahaha

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='Oopsdabassist' timestamp='1470658381' post='3107372']
Walked into Guitar Guitar in Brum last week, fully intending to walk out with a Fender jaguar bass, spent 2 minutes with it, then another 25 trying out different Ibenez basses, with sounded SO much better, and were half the price.
[/quote]

I had the opposite problem. Went in to wunjo to buy a jazz, tried them all and fell in love with the sound an playability of the Modern Player Jaguar, but was too shallow to buy it (hated the look then). Eventually decided I quite liked the look, played the American Standard Jaguar and it did nothing for me.


[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1470656809' post='3107342']
Three times on different occasions I have driven miles to buy (different) Gibson SGs only to be underwhelmed by having the thing on my knee
[/quote]

I have failed to be impressed by any Gibson SG that I have tried (and I have tried several), apart from the 1970s SG they had in Vintage and Modern (?) in bath, which was very ugly but lovely to play.
But I didn't want an SG.

I really wanted an Ibanez BTB. Bought a cheap one, glad it was cheap, hate the neck.

[Jacqueslemac]

I have a Variax and after much fiddling decided the best sound of all was the Rickenbacker one. So I tried a real one and decided I'll stick to the Variax. Didn't like the feel of the real one at all.

When I'm trying basses in a shop I take my own headphones and my AmPlug. That way I can make a reasonable comparison with how my own basses sound. Unless, of course, the shop has an Orange Bass Terror and a couple of Orange cabs. But if they did, I wouldn't dare turn the amp up to the level I would normally hear my bass at! The AmPlug may not be ideal, but I can play what I want without embarrassment and it's a like-for-like comparison, not coloured by whatever amp/cab the shop has.

[JapanAxe]

It can be quite a relief when you try the thing you were GASing for and find it isn't for you. Conversely I have been known to try something I knew I wouldn't like, just for comparison, and ended up buying it!

[BigRedX]

There is nothing wrong with finding you don't like a bass after you've tried it.

However IME trying before you buy is massively over-rated since there are so many important things that you can't really get a feel for in the shop or even at someone's house if you are buying something second hand.

For instance the last time I bought a bass having tried it first in the shop I ended up selling it after 3 months because it didn't hang comfortably on the strap and I couldn't get it to work sonically in the band mix, despite sounding perfectly adequate on its own.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1470732961' post='3107937']
However IME trying before you buy is massively over-rated since there are so many important things that you can't really get a feel for in the shop or even at someone's house if you are buying something second hand.
[/quote]

Agreed. The dingwall combustion had one of the nicest playing necks of any bass i have owned, and I was very happy with it when i tried it, but I just couldn't get 'my sound' out of it, whatever I did it was uninspiring.

[grumpyguts]

Perhaps it's a no win situation. I use light 40-90 strings, anything substantially heavier doesn't feel right. So it's possible to dismiss a bass simply due to the wrong strings. Should I spend + £500 on the chance that it would sound and play "right" when I change the strings?

[neepheid]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1470657330' post='3107350']
Epiphone Jack Cassidy. Totally convinced it would be perfect hollow body territory, but for me it didn't do anything my regular bass can't. Looked cool in blue though.
[/quote]

You didn't go close enough to your amp to do any cool feedback-y things then

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='grumpyguts' timestamp='1470746866' post='3108097']
Perhaps it's a no win situation. I use light 40-90 strings, anything substantially heavier doesn't feel right. So it's possible to dismiss a bass simply due to the wrong strings. Should I spend + £500 on the chance that it would sound and play "right" when I change the strings?
[/quote]

Surely they are guitar strings?

[grumpyguts]

How very dare you!

[stingrayPete1977]

Lol

[LITTLEWING]

Convinced Mrs Littlewing to buy me a Squier 5 string Vintage Modified Jazz without ever trying one anywhere one Xmas totally assuming it would be a magic thing in my hands being a new, shiny, perfect thing (never ever having a virgin guitar, always second hand stuff). I saw one via t'interweb at a well known retailer and it duly arrived. I really honestly tried to love it, I adjusted every possible piece that would move to make it play and sound sweet (especially the utterly bland rubber band sound of the B string even with Elixir nanos) and finally after admitting defeat that it was a complete and utter useless piece of firewood, wires and dog sh*te, I part ex'd a near pristine guitar for something else three years on.
ALWAYS try out your dream instrument in a few shops and find a nice one before parting with your cash and your heart.

[Delberthot]

I bought my Sterling without trying one as I couldn't find anywhere that had one. Luckily it's a fantastic instrument and really suits my playing style.

Alternatively I could never ever get on with Stingrays. I didn't like the feel of them and could never get the Stingray growl. Turns out I can from my Sterling.

[uk_lefty]

If only there was a well stocked left handed bass shop, like a more exclusive Ned Flanders leftorium... In near twenty years of playing I only ever tried my first bass (didn't even know how to play or what to listen out for) and my most recent purchase where I tried one in a shop but bought a similar one online. It's brutal out there for us kack-handers.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1470812507' post='3108557']
I bought my Sterling without trying one as I couldn't find anywhere that had one. Luckily it's a fantastic instrument and really suits my playing style.

Alternatively I could never ever get on with Stingrays. I didn't like the feel of them and could never get the Stingray growl. Turns out I can from my Sterling.
[/quote]

Similar for me, I bought a 'Ray after trying it several times, as I loved the solo tone and the playability/construction, but could never gel with it in a band environment.

However, both of my current basses were bought blind and luckily they work for me perfectly.