What's the best way to buy a bass guitar? Find out what you need to know to make an educated choice and save a bunch of money in the process.
There's no reason to pay more than you need to.
Read on to find out a lot more about buying a bass guitar the smart way.
Buying a guitar is like buying a car - it's a choice you must consider very carefully because you'll be stuck with it for a long time, it will set you back a bit in terms of money, and it's very important that it suits your needs and preferences perfectly.
This applies to a bass guitar just as well.
Beginners who find themselves giving up often do it because they don't get a satisfying sound out of their guitars, when in fact the problem doesn't lie with the person playing, but with the instrument itself.
Walk into the store knowing what you want to buy - never leave your purchase in the hands of the salesperson! We've arranged for you six tips for buying a bass guitar, which should let you get the most value for your money, and hopefully you'll walk out a happy person with a purchase they actually enjoy in the end.
Bass guitars don't lose any quality from a lower grade of finish on the wood, due to the way they produce their sound.
No matter what anyone tells you, don't consider the finish on the wood so importantly and look at other factors instead; acoustic guitars are the ones that can benefit from a high-grade finish.
Pick the guitar's neck according to how big your hands are.
There are several neck shapes used in bass guitars, like an oval, round, asymmetrical, and flat-back.
It's crucial to ensure that you've tried how the neck fits in your hand and you're comfortable with it - this will make a huge difference in the comfort you'll have in playing.
Necks can be further divided into two categories which can affect the quality of the sound - bolt-on necks and a neck-through bass design.
With a bolt-on neck, the sound has a more concentrated, "punching" nature, while neck-through basses have a clear resolution between notes and can sustain much more efficiently.
There aren't many fans of bolt-on necks compared to neck-throughs, but don't let others make your decision for you and consider both types carefully.
Uncoated fingerboards provide a more natural sound with warmer tones to it - so needless to say, stick to those as much as you can in your search.
Unlike the finish on the wood, the specific wood type can affect the sound of your bass guitar severely, so you should spend some time experimenting with different guitars, and checking out how they affect the weight and the sound of the guitar.
If you're a fan of a crisp-sounding guitar, go for an Alder wood or something of similar consistency.
On the other hand, if you like your sound with a punch, swamp ash wood can make a good choice.
We can't really tell you what to pick here, we can only advise you to explore as much as possible before settling on something.
Buying a bass guitar, you should also ensure that you're getting a proper tuning machine along with it.
If you want to be able to hold pitch, and to fine-tune your bass guitar, you'll have to spend a little extra on the tuning machine.
Pick a design with provided machine heads so you'll get a better lifetime out of it.