What do you play if you're trying a bass in a music shop?

[Merton]

On the very rare occasions I go into a shop and pick up a bass, I play basslines wot I play in my bands.

But I haven't tried a bass in a shop for years, the only one I ever actually got from a shop was my first one back in '93...

[artisan]

i can't slap to save my life but i can't stand that style anyway (no offence to anybody intended) so thats a no no,but i've noticed all the shop assistants in the world think they're slap masters.so i'll play pretty much whatever comes to mind,altough i nearly always play "Phantom of the Opera" at some point.
when i tried my deluxe p bass i lost a whole hour,i've no idea what i was playing but i walked out of the shop a grand lighter but with the best bass i ever played.

Edited January 24, 2009 by artisan

[4000]

Arguably the most important thing for me is how a bass plays, so I'll generally razz around as much as I can, throwing in a few of my own lines and maybe a couple of my faves for good measure. If I can play things on it that I can't play on other basses, then great.

I don't always buy a bass to play in my current band (e.g. both my Alembic and Sei) and at home play a lot of fusion-esque widdly stuff (a million miles from what my band is) so playing the stuff in play in my band isn't always relevant. I also look towards new basses to inspire me in a new direction, but then I'm primarily a writer and have never been a hired gun in my life. I don't give a damn what anyone in the shop thinks, I'm the one trying the bass out and I'll play what I like.

[OutToPlayJazz]

Obviously I check the sustain with long notes, chords & harmonics, but I do have a "blast" as well, in order to see how fast & comfortable the neck is. Also, I always keep in mind that manufacturers nearly always put heavy guage strings on basses as standard, but if I can play freely & fast on a stock bass with stock strings, it's going to be even better with the much thinner strings I'd be using.

Method to the madness!

Rich.

Edited January 24, 2009 by OutToPlayJazz

[Delberthot]

I have to impress everyone in the store with my awsomeness as I am truely 'the man'. I just give them what they want, a blazingly fast slap solo that goes something like:

giggedy giggedy giggedy giggidy paparap paprap diddly biddly widdly hiddly shmoo.


No wait, I'm getting mixed up with everyone else that seems to frequent every music store I've ever been to.


Personally, after checking that it's in tune I do the neck speed test which is a faster version of the intro to Chinatown by Thin Lizzy beginning on the E of the G string. If I can play that then I'll continue, If not then back it goes.

I do a lot of octaves as well - something like 'Everybody Dance' by Chic is a good one.

I don't slap ever as I don't play that way live so that would be a waste of my time and the other visitor's hearing.



One thing though - why does everyone have to be so loud when they are testing gear? I've left music shops many a time because of this.

[Golchen]

I always feel really conspicuous in shops so I tend to play with headphones on. I take my old pandora to plug into and also take a mini mp3 player that I plug in as well so that I can play along to a bunch of my favourite tracks.

[PJ Phillips]

[quote name='molan' post='389192' date='Jan 23 2009, 12:30 AM']I was in a bass shop recently & trying a few different basses and going through some very simple patterns from songs I play in my functions band to try and hear how a bass might fit into my personal live gigging situation plus a few riffs I sometimes stumble over to get a good 'feel' for playability of each bass.

Then a, much younger, bass player came in and chose a relatively stock Fender to try. He then proceeded to slap, pop & tap non-stop for about 15 minutes.

He obviously had talent but most of what he was playing would never be used in a band situation. I don't have a problem with anyone giving something a good work out but the thing that surprised me was that he then said he was going to buy the only bass he'd tried purely on the basis of his widdle-fest.

Am I alone in trying to play simple practical stuff I actually use when trying a bass in a shop environment?[/quote]


I was guilty of that myself when I first started playing. Thirty years this year!!!
I went int the Bass Place (later The Bass Centre) in Wapping for weeks trying the basses and then homing in on the one I wanted. So I imagine the young bass player you saw probably did the same?
It was the Status Series II for me. I would always go in and play THAT bass until I could afford it. Always relieved it was still there and then when I had the money changing my mind and having a custom one made (It took THREE MONTHS to be delivered).

I loved that shop although it must have been a nightmare for Barry (Moorhouse - The owner) in those days.
Poor Barry...
Ten 'Mark Kings' all at the same time. Especially Saturdays! You could hear it down the road ] I remember a sign being put up saying
No 'Love Games' or 'School Days' (The Stanley Classic) - But it was a great way to learn. If a good bass player came in for a coffee and bit of show boating, everyone would stop and gather around and ask questions. This was before the bass school upstairs and was priceless for me. I never shopped anywhere else.
I wisely grew out of the 'triplet fest' style of playing and people started employing me.

I still love going into shops and hearing young players, head down 'rat-a-slap-tat' but still checking to see if anyones listening :0)

It's all part of the learning curve.
Thanks for the posting, brought back some very happy memories...

Cheers
PJ

[PJ Phillips]

[quote name='artisan' post='389495' date='Jan 23 2009, 12:27 PM']i can't slap to save my life but i can't stand that style anyway (no offence to anybody intended) so thats a no no,but i've noticed all the shop assistants in the world think they're slap masters.so i'll play pretty much whatever comes to mind,altough i nearly always play "Phantom of the Opera" at some point.
when i tried my deluxe p bass i lost a whole hour,i've no idea what i was playing but i walked out of the shop a grand lighter but with the best bass i ever played.[/quote]


hehehehehe

Maybe you were hypnotised by 'slap bass' or the assistant saying "look into my eyes, not around the eyes...."

I did the same thing when I bought my POD XT Live.... Lost an hour and walked out with a cardboard box under my arm and feeling slightly bewildered.

They put something in the coffee :0)
I love the POD though so it was money well spent.

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='PJ Phillips' post='390380' date='Jan 24 2009, 02:05 PM']I remember a sign being put up saying
No 'Love Games' or 'School Days' (The Stanley Classic)[/quote]

In Scheerers in Leeds they used to have a blackboard with a huge list of songs on it, and if you played any of them while trying out a guitar they fined you 10p. Sort-of like a swear box.

[kingforaday]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='389255' date='Jan 23 2009, 07:59 AM']I usually check the thing first then play the intro to Journey to the End of East Bay - Rancid, it uses all the strings with a pick (the way I play) there is a chord, pull offs, hammer ons and it goes up and down the neck.

Goes like if you fancy a go, it's fun to play.[/quote]

ah great memories! pretty much every young punk band i've ever been on the same bill as or seen play live, the bassist always seems to soundcheck with that one!

i used to always follow it by playing the solo in maxwell murder (or something resembling it), but i've grown up (a little bit...) since then and now realise that showing off and trying to upstage 14 year old kids who are just starting out isn't cool!

[molan]

[quote name='PJ Phillips' post='390380' date='Jan 24 2009, 02:05 PM']If a good bass player came in for a coffee and bit of show boating, everyone would stop and gather around and ask questions.[/quote]

Happened to me once there - I was trying out an Octave pedal and was playing Wherever I Lay my Hat. Just basic sing structure stuff & then I heard someone soloing over the top of me on a proper fretless & thought, bloody hell, he's a bit good.

Stood up to look over the stack of amps in the shop & it was Pino Palladino!

He gave me a little smile & a wave and I completely lost my place in the song and went all over the place, lol.

He strolled over to say hello & to look at the amp I was using as he was quite impressed with how it sounded (obviously not by my playing one of 'his' songs of course!). It was a first edition Trace BLX 80w. He then proceeded to play through it & sounded brilliant.

It sounded so good that, once he'd left the shop, I promptly bought one - never again sounded the way it did when he was playing through it though


[quote name='Golchen' post='390247' date='Jan 24 2009, 10:34 AM']I always feel really conspicuous in shops so I tend to play with headphones on. I take my old pandora to plug into and also take a mini mp3 player that I plug in as well so that I can play along to a bunch of my favourite tracks.[/quote]

What a great idea - I've never thought of doing that!

Edited January 24, 2009 by molan

[mrcrow]

[quote name='7string' post='389196' date='Jan 23 2009, 12:43 AM']Nope.

I'm more interested in how the bass feels, is it in tune, are the controls working, is the hardware OK and is the amp set flat.

I used to be concerned about what the staff in the shop think about what I'm playing, but as the older I've got the less I've cared about that [/quote]


yes ...me too and i usually try out a series of arpeggii right up the neck with jumps in octaves
for me this tells me if the neck is friendly
the rest is close inspection of paint and build

[Chop]

For what its worth, first I play Zep's Moby Dick not plugged in and then plugged in. Covers a fair part of the neck and open string sound.

[slapmonsta]

Who the hell cares what you play or don't play as long as it's relevant to [b]you[/b]?It doesn't matter if it's a fifteen minute slap solo or the two-note bassline from White Lines...if it's you that's playing it,you that's trying it then buying it then I say don't give a tuppeny toss about what some muso-fascist may or may not think is "too much" or "too little."

Just play what [b]YOU[/b] like!!

[Buzz]

[quote name='slapmonsta' post='390559' date='Jan 24 2009, 06:14 PM']Who the hell cares what you play or don't play as long as it's relevant to [b]you[/b]?It doesn't matter if it's a fifteen minute slap solo or the two-note bassline from White Lines...if it's you that's playing it,you that's trying it then buying it then I say don't give a tuppeny toss about what some muso-fascist may or may not think is "too much" or "too little."

Just play what [b]YOU[/b] like!! [/quote]

Calm down, grab a Tango, it's hardly a vast philosophical question demanding strong answers and emotions.


I occasionally plan "Cant Stop" by the chillies, the intro bass riffage is quite nice as per a normal Flea line.

[Jarhead]

I just sit down, stick my mp3 player on, then just play along to a few tracks, usually blink 182 or something.
Zach

[Golchen]

[quote name='molan' post='390430' date='Jan 24 2009, 03:08 PM']................ Stood up to look over the stack of amps in the shop & it was Pino Palladino![/quote]


Great story!

[slapmonsta]

[quote name='Buzz' post='390587' date='Jan 24 2009, 06:54 PM'][b]Calm down, grab a Tango, it's hardly a vast philosophical question demanding strong answers and emotions.
[/b]

I occasionally plan "Cant Stop" by the chillies, the intro bass riffage is quite nice as per a normal Flea line.[/quote]




Sorry Dad.

[Jarhead]

Actually, The Chilli Peppers are known to come up in my bass trying set. Higher Ground and Around the World are my favourites. Flashy, but not too flashy.
Zach

[leschirons]

After the initial pick it up, balance and weight thing and feel of the neck, I check for dead spots (notorious on Jazz basses) then any dodgy fretwork, then controls. Then, for some strange reason, I always play "Good times" by Chic?? That seems to tell me if it's the one for me.

[aceuggy]

I've never walked into a shop and played any basses, I would feel too intimidated with my lack of ability, so I've bought both the basses I have owned on line. The advantage of doing this is you generally have much more stock to choose from, but the obvious disadvantage is the fact that you can't play it before you have bought it. I've been lucky so far and have been pleased with both purchases.

[agoulding]

i always seem to play american life by primus and cygnus x-1 by rush or just random scales.

sometimes i will play crap people wouldnt have any interest in like a golden earing bassline just so people wont watch me

[Guest]

[quote name='PJ Phillips' post='390380' date='Jan 24 2009, 02:05 PM']I went int the Bass Place (later The Bass Centre) in Wapping for weeks trying the basses and then homing in on the one I wanted.
I loved that shop
PJ[/quote]

So did I they were so friendly, back in 91 i developed an unhealthy Jeff Ament fixation so imagine my delight when the bass centre staff let play the hammer 8 and 12 strings they had in stock and put up with my badly fretted renditions of 'jeremy' .That trip brings back a lo of memories as well, my brother and i had traveled up to London with my bass and a wad of cash in my back pocket hopefully to trade up. Unfortunately our mate who we were going to stay with was out so i ended blowing all the cash in the west end, awesome night out!!!!....happy days

If i am trying out a bass in a shop first thing i do is stick my ear on the upper horn to get an idea how it resonates then play it acoustically for a while, for some reason this seems to confuse shop staff who invariably rush over and ask if you want to plug it in. This usually rules out a lot of basses, if i do plug it in i usually just play simple scales enough to check out the tone options and whole neck and maybe if i feel brave a few of my standard songs, can't slap my own ass so don't do anything impressive/embarrassing

[acidbass]

LMAO at that Billy Sheehan video above! He really is mindblowing - one of the few bass virtuosos I actually can listen to!

Normally if I'm testing a bass in a shop, I play Won't Get Fooled Again - great fun to play and covers most of the neck. Plus a little bit of popping!

[molan]

[quote name='steve-norris' post='391728' date='Jan 26 2009, 01:36 PM']So did I they were so friendly, back in 91 i developed an unhealthy Jeff Ament fixation so imagine my delight when the bass centre staff let play the hammer 8 and 12 strings they had in stock and put up with my badly fretted renditions of 'jeremy' .That trip brings back a lo of memories as well, my brother and i had traveled up to London with my bass and a wad of cash in my back pocket hopefully to trade up. Unfortunately our mate who we were going to stay with was out so i ended blowing all the cash in the west end, awesome night out!!!!....happy days [/quote]

You've just reminded me of another story from sunny Wapping.

I bought a GK MB150 from them and it blew the transformer. I strolled in months later carrying the GK and as soon as I walked through the door one of the assistants (I think his name was Chris) looked up and said - "hello Barrie mate, how are you, i've got good news & bad news for you".

Bear in mind that I'd only met him once and it was at least 6 months earlier.

I said I was amazed he remembered my name and that I didn't see how he could have ANY news for me?

He said he pretty much remembered every customer who'd ever been in the shop and that the good news was he had a spare amp to loan me if I needed one for a gig & the bad news was that my GK would take 3-4 weeks to get back from the repair shop. At this point I hadn't even told him anything was wrong with it!

He claimed he could tell from my vaguely gloomy face that there was a problem with the amp as I wouldn't have bought it with me if it wasn't broken

You don't get service like that every day!


Although I was in the Gallery last week & Martin remembered my name (including surname) and I reckon I haven't been there for at least a couple of years