Trying out basses in shops

[PaulWarning]

I can never decide whether a bass is any good till I play it with my band, a bass can sound awsome when played on it's own and then gets buried in the mix when played with a band, and to complicate things even more I'm a lefty, so I finish up buying second hand off ebay then reselling at hopefully the same price when I decide it's not for me.

Edited September 7, 2009 by PaulWarning

[AndyTravis]

I've worked in a store as their bass specialist for 7 years.

The truth is, a hell of a lot of great bassists get 'red light fever', it's time to play, and they forget EVERYTHING, so they play like total tossers, as if they are totally new.

On the other side of that, a lot of terrible bassists try anything as loud as possible, thinking they are gods gift, the next Mark King.

The guys in the better shops (like mine) should ask you what Amp you use at home, or live so they can best match to suit your needs - A point i always use when training other staff.

I've had people bring their own cabs, and own heads, and own basses, whatever suits. As long as you're serious, they assistant should be serious too. You wouldn't believe some of the things we do - It could be written as a sitcom.

I still buy secondhand from other places, and i am shocked by the gulf in levels of service. Some 'Independants' deserve to go bust, others just need a bit of help.

As for how basses play, i used to set them all up 'super low action' like 'how easy is this to play' then i realised to leave the gear as it is, and adjust if required, as they all usually come set up to a certain extent. I usually keep rapport by offering a free tweak within a month or so.

But ultimately, sometimes, you just won't get on with a bit of gear. Thats why i wouldn't try in store and then buy eleswhere.