Tips on finding a good quality 2nd hand bass

[polvo]

I came across this advert, and I'm trying to figure out if it's as good a deal as it sounds, or if the guy is just an amazing salesman.

 

To someone who doesn't know much about bass guitar specs, does the upgrades he's describing sound like they're really that great?

 

Any advice on what I should check for if I go and take a look at it, or any questions I should be asking? (Other than just seeing if I like the way it plays/sounds)

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by polvo

[Dan Dare]

Sounds like flannel to me. If the claimed "upgrades" can be verified (take out the pickups to check they are as they are claimed, etc), may be worth a look. I doubt you'll be able to do that - given that he states he won't reply to messages, I'd be highly suspicious and avoid.

[Doctor J]

Those pics don't show a bass with low action. I would walk away. Lots of jibba-jabba with no actual evidence of any of it.

[Cato]

There are pretty much no post market modifications you can make to a bass that will increase it's market value, regardless of how expensive they are.

 

As for the bass being suitable for any genre of music, that's true of any bass.

 

Having said that I can't tell what model Squier it is from the pictures, but £220 isn't an exorbitant price for a recent 2nd hand CV or VM model.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Cato

[Dad3353]

Be warned that the first picture (the one you've posted...) looks to be a 'lefty' bass, whereas the other pictures show it to be 'righty'. Why this inversion, just of this picture, I can't say, but it's not a lefty. Just sayin'; if you're local to Crystal Palace it might be worth dropping in and having a look, I suppose.

[SteveXFR]

Says super low action, photos show string a mile from the fretboard. 

All that talk of perfect setup is b*****s. One person's setup perfection is another person's setup hell. 

Plays any genre is my favourite bit. Everyone knows you need a jazz bass for jazz, a Dingwall for metal, a Rickenbacker for indie, a precision for funk and anything out of a skip for punk.

[TheGreek]

Squier Standard P bass. 

As we all know,  just because you spent £400 on upgrades doesn't mean it's worth £400 more. 

 

Look at what else you could get for the same money before diving in.

[SteveXFR]

I just bought quite a nice Mexican P bass for £400. I'd take that over this Squier any time and I have a similarly upgraded Squier P bass

[Frank Blank]

If you possibly can, buy from the Basschat marketplace. I wouldn't buy from anywhere else, it's a bunch of experts buying and selling second hand gear from other experts, so things that might be overpriced don't move or are commented on. My buying and selling experience on here has been 100% positive as has dealing with excellent people who know their stuff.

[Aidan63]

Where are you, what sort of music do you play/want to play ?

[Paolo85]

In my opinion, if you have time and interest, it is better to do it the other way around. Basschat is an amazing resource of information on cheap basses. There are a number of youtube channels  specialised in cheap basses (LowEndLobster, BassAdvisor, Bully Thakidd to mention some). I would spend some time reading and listening, and get a sense of which bass you want. There is a big difference between buying an Ibanez SR300 and P bass. They can both be good deals but maybe one is more suitable for you than the other.

I think there are a few things you probably want to make up your mind about (eg preferred string spacing, type of pickups - P, JJ... - , is weigh important for you, active/passive, do you want a slim neck?) before buying. A good tip in general is buying a bass that is kind of similar to the basses used by your favourite players.

Once you have a sense of what sort of bass you like (maube you identify 2 to 4 similar basses that you may like), then just keep an eye on the market until a good one pops up.

If I have to buy a second hand bass, ideally I like to buy from an active member of Basschat. Gives me more confidence than a total rendom guy.

There are a couple of things that are important for me and I often ask about: action, weigh, balance/neck dive. Two otherwise identical basses are likely to have a slightly or significantly different fretwork, and may have different weigh/balance.

The problem is that the definition of "low action" is subjective and also depends on string and touch so there is always a chance to be disappointed.

Another thing I always ask about is wether the truss rod is fully functional. I just do not want a bass that I cannot set up with different strings. Some sellers do not play with the truss rod so there is always a risk there.

Anyway, take it easy because the good thing of an used bass bought at a good price is that you can re-sell it at a similar price. Unless you get one with serious issues (truss rod not working, warped neck), in that case it would not be fair to re-sell as if they were ok

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Paolo85

[kodiakblair]

22 minutes ago, polvo said:

Are there any factual details that help give me an idea here? E.g. types of pickups, types of wood, etc.

I'd say sadly no there's no magic formula.

 

Bunch of SE lads got together a few years back and for a bit of fun did a double blind P-bass shoot-out, results saw an Encore and a Gear 4 Music model preferred over both a 57 and a 66 Fender.

 

Pickups are simple things, most reports of cheap crap pickups are from folk who never bothered to adjust the heights 😃 Going with a brand is often an exercise in name dropping, you'll see plenty of "I swapped the pickups for 'X' and it sounds great" ; rarely will you hear what was wrong with the stock pickups or what steps were taken to try and improve performance before chucking them.

 

I'm afraid finding the right bass is really just down to playing them. A wee tip you might find helpful, try and recreate a familiar situation. I would often play through a portable headphone amp, I'd also use the headphone amp when trying basses in shops. 

[polvo]

38 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

If you possibly can, buy from the Basschat marketplace. I wouldn't buy from anywhere else, it's a bunch of experts buying and selling second hand gear from other experts, so things that might be overpriced don't move or are commented on. My buying and selling experience on here has been 100% positive as has dealing with excellent people who know their stuff.

 

 

I've tried the basschat marketplace but I've found it really hard to use. Is there some way of filtering/sorting by location or price? Maybe I'm being stupid but I can't see any option to do that, which means that 99% of the posts are too far away or out of my price range.

 

[polvo]

35 minutes ago, Aidan63 said:

Where are you, what sort of music do you play/want to play ?

 

Based in London, and want to be able to play a bit of everything. My tanglewood with flats is pretty good for smooth and deep bass tones, so for contrast I'd like to find something with a bit more bite/growl. Not sure what that means in terms of pickups / hardware though...

[Paolo85]

15 minutes ago, kodiakblair said:

Pickups are simple things,

I would disagree  Yes, pickups are a simple technology, but different pickups clearly do sound different so any time something is different it can be subjectively ranked - and there tend to be collective patterns (not rules, just patterns).

Obviously, there is no rule stating that one should prefer the sound of a vintage Fender over an Encore, it is clear that a good setup makes a massive difference. Much like for wine, we may have different feelings about the same thing on different days and depending on the context. And not very many people would bet money on which wine is which in a blind test. And equally, concluding that all wines are the same just means not having an interest in wine. Which is fine

[polvo]

33 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

I think there are a few things you probably want to make up your mind about (eg preferred string spacing, type of pickups - P, JJ... - , is weigh important for you, active/passive, do you want a slim neck?) before buying.

 

Yeah I still don't really have a feel for this, cos I've only ever had my Tanglewood and playing on guitar shop basses for a few minutes at a time doesn't give me much sense of what's what. I'm kind of wondering if I should start picking up a few random cheap basses to try out and then resell.

 

[Paolo85]

20 minutes ago, polvo said:

 

Yeah I still don't really have a feel for this, cos I've only ever had my Tanglewood and playing on guitar shop basses for a few minutes at a time doesn't give me much sense of what's what. I'm kind of wondering if I should start picking up a few random cheap basses to try out and then resell.

 

Why not! That sounds like fun

However, it can be time consuming and expensive. Two of the most important factors in how a bass sounds and feel are strings and setup.

I personally think each bass should be given a good chance, which means a good set of strings and a good setup. If you sell without trying this you maybe age giving away a great bass for no good reason.

Strings cost, and setups do cost unless you do it yourself (which I strongly reccomend).

(Now, what a good set of string is  that's another rabbit hole. I have spent more money in trying different strings than in basses, and it was worth it from my point of view).

So at least I would not go 100% random and get a bass that you read very good things about from many people. Which likely means going for a "mainstream" name (maybe Yamaha, Ibanez, Sire have a reputation for making good cheap basses), which is not necessarily the best thing in general but a good heuristic if one does not want to do a lot of research. And I would really try to make a list of what are your favourite player's basses and see if you see a pattern there. If say it turns out the majority plays a P bass, then get a cheap P bass.

 

 

Edited November 4, 2022 by Paolo85

[pete.young]

Well I guess everything has increased in value during the current cost of living crisis, including firewood. But  a SquiER like this is still not a 400-500 quid bass. And this guy is not a salesman of any description , especially not amazing.

 

There is much better value to be had from the For Sale forums on this site, from Squier, VIntage, Mexican Fender, Yamaha, Sire, ...

[msb]

Best to simply play as many as you can get your mitts on. What’s perfection for one player will be misery for another , we all have unique preferences. A simple setup will completely alter the character of any instrument. 
I’d suggest learning how to set one up. It’s simply part of learning about your instrument.

That said , I prefer passive to active basses. I like the extra knobs on my amp rather than on the bass. I’m an amp nerd. I like four stringed instruments more than five stringed ones. I’ve come to prefer short scale instruments. I’m fussy about weight , so I’ll pass if it’s heavy. I like some basses because of how the single coil pickups sound , and others because they have humbuckers. I have neck through , set neck and bolt on instruments. Solid , chambered and hollow basses, so I pick up an instrument and check the weight , put it on my lap and noodle for a minute and get a sense of how it’s set up. I’ll try and be aware of balance. I’ll check the neck relief if the strings are high to see if a simple truss rod adjustment might be in order. I’ll plug it in and make sure everything works, and listen . Simple string choice has a huge impact on how things sound. 
I’ve picked up too many over the years , and have some problems selling them. And I have learned that I love different ones for different reasons. 
Simply play as many different ones as you can , and buy the ones you like.
You will also need an understanding partner.

 

[polvo]

5 minutes ago, Paolo85 said:

Strings cost

 

Might be a stupid question... but can't I just switch strings around between different basses instead of buying a new set for each bass? So if I find strings I like, test them out on different basses and then put the original strings back on if I want to sell it on?

[polvo]

2 minutes ago, pete.young said:

There is much better value to be had from the For Sale forums on this site, from Squier, VIntage, Mexican Fender, Yamaha, Sire, ...

 

Yeah that's what I've been hearing! Only problem is I can't figure out how to find anything on the basschat marketplace - is there any way to search/filter by price or location? I can't see any option for that and it means that 99% of the posts are too far away or well above my price range.

[SteveXFR]

6 minutes ago, polvo said:

 

Yeah that's what I've been hearing! Only problem is I can't figure out how to find anything on the basschat marketplace - is there any way to search/filter by price or location? I can't see any option for that and it means that 99% of the posts are too far away or well above my price range.

 

I think it's just a case of scrolling through. 

There's a lovely Sterling Ray34 in there for £500 😉

[Paolo85]

7 minutes ago, polvo said:

 

Might be a stupid question... but can't I just switch strings around between different basses instead of buying a new set for each bass? So if I find strings I like, test them out on different basses and then put the original strings back on if I want to sell it on?

Not stupid at all. Yes you can, I do it all the time, but they say there is a risk of deterioration.

 

 

 

[SteveXFR]

Different basses can have different string length, especially if they have different tuner layout. 

[OliverBlackman]

1 hour ago, polvo said:

 

Yeah I still don't really have a feel for this, cos I've only ever had my Tanglewood and playing on guitar shop basses for a few minutes at a time doesn't give me much sense of what's what. I'm kind of wondering if I should start picking up a few random cheap basses to try out and then resell.

 

I think you need to spend serious time in a shop trying different basses. It’s the only way to learn what works for you at the stage you’re at. It’s a shame Denmark Street isn’t what it was.