how does a bass newb test a bass?

[cool-beans]

i'll admit it, i've never played a bass before.
only played an acoustic guitar for about 3 months before financial problems forced me to sell it off.
now that i've got a job and a stable income, i want to pick up the bass and has decided on purchasing yamaha's bb-414, but the problem is i've never played, or even touch, a bass before.

so can the pros here teach me how to go about trying out a bass before making the decision?

 

[Kwerty]

No offence but it made me laugh when I saw this thread.

Seriously? Just play whatever you can?

Ok no offence in anyway. It's like saying How I Should Eat This Plate of WanTon Mee?

Use your hands duh?

What to play? Play whichever songs you've learnt?

What can we tell you? Please SLAP the bass and show some skills in the stall so that people won't laugh at you? Do you know how to slap through reading here then?

Seriously boss, don't bother so much, go down, rub the bass neck a little, adjust the volume a little, play 1 note by 1 note, settled. Hurhurhurhurhurhurhur.

Cheers~!

 

[rylche]

you could try asking some of your friends who play bass to come down and try out the bass too. remember, the bass is an extension of you, the player! thus the sound must be something you really dig. quoting one guitarist from soft which i just cant remember the name right now, " what you think is killer sound could be sonic sludge to others" if you like what you hear, barring any construction faults with the bass, buy it!

 

[thor666]

i think this is the kind of question which can't be sufficiently answered on the forums.

find a good bassist, ask him to try it out with you and teach you -in person-, and treat him coffee.

 

[RentaBass]

you could try asking some of your friends who play bass to come down and try out the bass too. remember, the bass is an extension of you, the player! thus the sound must be something you really dig. quoting one guitarist from soft which i just cant remember the name right now, " what you think is killer sound could be sonic sludge to others" if you like what you hear, barring any construction faults with the bass, buy it![/quotte]

Actually, that was my quote. :wink:

+1 to that. It helps to have someone with you too, especially someone who knows a thing or two about bass.

More often than not, new players are tempted to buy basses because they look good. When I was starting out, I didn't know what sounded half decent, and went around looking at stuff because it looked good.

A more experienced player can give you a better opinion of value, as you would want to get a bass that you can keep for a long time.

I regret that I didn't have anyone to turn to in the beginning, and have since sold off my first bass.

 

[rylche]

oops sorry! i thought i read that while scouring through the guitar forums

 

[Z3r0_G]

another thoing to note other than the sound is the feel. u must like how thick the neck is, whether it fits your hands nicely, if u lik the weight. but note, the lighter it is doesnt mean the better it is. in fact, its the other way around. the denser the wood is, the better, fuller tone u have.

and yea, i'd agree with rylche and rentabass, go grab a friend who plays bass, dun just treat him to kopi, get him a new set of strings or something. haha

j/k

 

[RentaBass]

+1 to what Z3r0_G said.

Equally important, if not more important than the tone, is the feel of the bass. The last thing you want to get is a bass that you'll struggle to play.

 

[exin]

another thoing to note other than the sound is the feel. u must like how thick the neck is, whether it fits your hands nicely, if u lik the weight. but note, the lighter it is doesnt mean the better it is. in fact, its the other way around. the denser the wood is, the better, fuller tone u have.

and yea, i'd agree with rylche and rentabass, go grab a friend who plays bass, dun just treat him to kopi, get him a new set of strings or something. haha

j/k

just a note ... don't have to take this to an extreme and start looking for the heaviest basses around ... view it in such a way .. denser woods tighen up your sound alot .. giving you a full and cutting sound ... while lighter woods tend to cause your tone to be warmer in that sense .. more resonance ..

 

[cool-beans]

thanks for all the suggestions guys.. sadly none of my friends play bass, heck, the only instruments they play is the recorder..

figured i'll memorise a simple song with a distinct bassline, like Are You Gonna Be My Girl, from reading tabs and then going to Luther's when there's not many people around...

 

[wraith]

Don't worry dude, when i first bought my bass, i knew nuts about bass playing too, so just go there, pick up a bass, give it a run, if it feels right to you, like it belongs, then get the bass. Alternatively, you could ask some of the guys from this forum to accompany you to luther and assist ya, hahaha, treat them to coffee of course.

 

[Guest]

figured i'll memorise a simple song with a distinct bassline, like Are You Gonna Be My Girl

i did that too...
the first song i learnt to play right after gittin my bass was are you gonna be my girl. trying the bass was so embarassing when u can only play so little. i memorized the tab then go in act cool. failed miserably. :lol:

 

[half-grown-idiot]

titus. u hinting at me on something is it.. you wan strings arh ? give you la ! wahaha. anyway just don be shy when trying your bass. it may sound easy but like what others said maybe learn some cool riffs and try it. remember dude. you play the bass don let the bass play you. play what you wan and woah la~

 

[Z3r0_G]

lol! hmm. instead of strings get me an aguilar obp-3 ok? =D

 

[sling]

To have a 'Superb' one for a start is not an easy task. Gotta do more on trial n error formula. As 'U' grow, taste n liking changes, might juz endded up liking funk or jazz in future. But for some, they still prefer on heavy n loud music. So it may varries. Like it or not...This Is an Expensive Hobby U talking here. All the best.

*'U' = skill, talent, knowledge...not u physically.