How to test a Bass Guitar?

[viper_chad]

Hi,

I am totally new to this Forum but have been playing basic guitar for a long time. I surrender playing guitar and will move on to bass.

I am looking forward to buy a bass guitar soon. I have read the Bass FAQ which is very informative but would like to ask the BassSofties how do I test a bass guitar?

Of course, as a beginner, I am not familiar and cannot identify what good or bad bass guitar. What are the characteristics or defects of a bass guitar that should be a avoided?

Hope you could help me with these as well as other beginners that are planning to play bass. Thank you.

[cherns]

I normally look out for 3 things

1) Tone - does it sound good? This is obviously subjective, so whatever sounds good to you, sounds good.

2) Playability - does it feel good? i.e. Does the neck feel comfortable? Is the action (how high the strings are from the fretboard) high or low? Is the bass too heavy? Does the bass balance well?

3) Construction - Is the bass put together well? Do the parts look flimsy/cheap? Is the finishing good/poor?

That's about it! Most important is how it feels and sounds to you. If that's good, then it's all good.

[5stringwonder]

just to add to Cherns post which pretty much covers most of the essentials. if you are looking to buy a bass, try to get a more seasoned bassist to follow you. never hurts to have a second opinion.

also, take your time to try as many as you can before deciding on your purchase.

good luck in the bass hunt!

[shinobi]

remember to test it acoustic

[e4t3n]

if ur unsure, can get a friend who is more experienced to accompany you..

[AvonRellets]

Originally Posted by viper_chad

I am totally new to this Forum but have been playing basic guitar for a long time. I surrender playing guitar and will move on to bass.

Congrats! You have answered a higher calling indeed!

Originally Posted by viper_chad

I am looking forward to buy a bass guitar soon. I have read the Bass FAQ which is very informative but would like to ask the BassSofties how do I test a bass guitar?

If you're looking at getting a NEW bass, here's some factors to consider, expanding on the above points by cherns

Tone - what kind of tone do you like would correspond to what kind of bass pickup configuration you would choose. The main types of pickup configuration are jazz, precision and humbucker. A good gauge is to listen to a bass player or bass line you enjoy and see what that bass player uses. For example I like bass sounds with lots of ZING! so I prefer jazz basses. If you can't decide, a good pickup configuation to start with is a P/J pickup config. Precision split coil type in the neck and a Jazz single coil at the bridge.

Playability - like a guitar, the neck feel is the most important. Jazz bass necks are narrower that precision bass necks. Ibanez necks are the slimmest I've tried. For me I have small hands but phat fingers so jazz necks are the most comfortable for me. This is akin to comparing les paul necks to strat necks to tele necks. Or even comparing acoustic to classical guitar necks.

Construction - what cherns said pretty much covers it. With new instruments its usually very hard to tell. I've found that cheap basses only show their defects over time.

Originally Posted by viper_chad

Of course, as a beginner, I am not familiar and cannot identify what good or bad bass guitar. What are the characteristics or defects of a bass guitar that should be a avoided?

Hope you could help me with these as well as other beginners that are planning to play bass. Thank you.

We move on now to what look out for when buying a USED bass guitar

1) Neck warp
2) Cracks anywhere on the body, especially on the headstock and neck joint areas
3) Electronics. Any crackling sounds when turning knobs or when flipping the pickup selectors?
4) Dead spots on the fretboard

I'll let other posters fill in the 2nd hand bass guitar buying tips!

[viper_chad]

We move on now to what look out for when buying a USED bass guitar

1) Neck warp
2) Cracks anywhere on the body, especially on the headstock and neck joint areas
3) Electronics. Any crackling sounds when turning knobs or when flipping the pickup selectors?
4) Dead spots on the fretboard

I'll let other posters fill in the 2nd hand bass guitar buying tips!

err. sorry, i don't know such terms (though i can google). what are neckwarp? and what does deads spots mean?

[FourSling]

Viper, as you can see there's plenty to consider.

I'm going to mess it up more and add a couple of more things:
- be very mindful that that dream bass of yours sounds in Swee Lee or wherever you buy it or test it may not sound the same when you take it home, or to the club or jamming studio... which brings me to another thing you may need to consider buying with your bass...

- Bass amps, bro, n that's another story

Take your time, Google stuff, and best advice here from the posts is to bring a seasoned bassist with you who can give you inputs.

[Resetti]

I would put comfortability in playing more important than the sound Of course sound is important definitely, but to me comfortable feel is more important.

If you're buying a acoustic instrument then of course sound is more important, but this is electric instrument, sound can be modified later, but comfortability is harder to modify.

Buy the bass guitar first, for how comfortable it is to you to play. Do you like the feel of it? If it feels shiok, then you'll play better!

Sound and tone can always be EQ'd and adjusted with tone shaper pre-amps and amplifiers.

[spartacusx]

yah, i think if u wanna go buy a bass, u shud go wif sumone who play bass. . . if dun noe anyone who plays bass, maybe one of the guys in this thread can help u out!!! hehehehe. . .