When purchasing a bass guitar, there are many things to consider before even starting the selection process. Assessing what style of music you are going to play (along with what sort of approach or technique you want to utilize) will help steer you in the right direction. It’s also important to consider whether or not you think you will be using the instrument primarily in the recording studio or in a live environment. And acknowledging what skill level you currently play it can also make things clearer for the purchaser. Above all, remember that this is an instrument that you are going to be using for quite some time, so be sure to give yourself an opportunity to test out different models hands-on before making your purchase. In the meantime, we’ve outlined some key concepts to keep in mind before shopping for a bass guitar.
Large, bold sections require a general overview of a particular feature and how it fits into the instruments overall functionality. Subsections have been included for additional information where applicable.
Body Style
Solid Body
As the name might imply, a solid body bass guitar is comprised of one solid piece of wood. It is the most common bass guitar body type, and is exemplified by some of the most popular models used today. Depending on the type of wood and electronic pick-up configuration, solid body bass guitars can pretty much be used for any genre or style of music. When not plugged in, these bass guitars barely make any sound at all.
Hollow Body
Hollow body bass guitars are more typically used for styles like jazz and folk. In contrast to solid body instruments, they are hollowed out by design and produce a warmer tone and deeper low-end range. They are lighter, but also don’t produce as strong an output signal as solid body bass guitars.
Neck Type
Bolt-on Neck
The neck is attached to the body of the bass guitar with four screws. This setup makes the bass guitar’s neck extremely accessible for repair. The configuration of a bolt-on neck doesn’t have much of an effect on the sound produced by the instrument, as long as the connection between the neck and body is tight enough to ensure enhanced sustain and vibration.
Neck-Through-Body
The neck extends throughout the length of the entire bass guitar. This configuration generally results in a greater amount of sustain and typically signifies that the bass guitar’s wood is of extremely high quality. This in turn increases the value of the instrument.
Strings
4-String
The more traditional configuration is the 4-string bass (E-A-D-G). Because this option offers the fewest amount of strings, 4-string basses tend to have smaller necks and are easier to handle, making them an ideal bass guitar for those who are just learning how to play.
5-String
The 5-string bass adds a low B string to the mix (B-E-A-D-G); this type of bass guitar provides more low-end, and is often preferred by bassists playing in genres such as jazz, hard rock, and metal. They also tend to be a little more difficult to play.
6-String
6-string basses add an additional higher string (B-E-A-D-G-C), resulting in the widest neck of all bass guitars. Though these are understandably even more difficult to handle, they provide great space for bassists who often solo and are seeking a wide range of notes to be able to play in their performances.
Fret and Fretless Bass
Fret
Standard instruments have metal frets that partition the neck into half-step increments, much like any other type of guitar. This makes it easier to find the notes and positioning on the neck, making it an ideal bass guitar for beginners.
Fretless
These guitars offer a neck without any of the fret markings, similar to how an upright bass or violin is designed.
Many bassists prefer the sound that a fretless bass provides, citing added warmth and a smoother sound that has a unique character that cannot be achieved by standard bass guitars. However, this design also makes it more challenging to find the frets on the neck, making it a poor choice for beginning bassists.
Once bass players have built their skills on standard instruments and have excellent ears as well as muscle memory, they may find that they have an easier time handling a fretless bass.
Passive vs. Active Pickups
Passive
Passive bass guitars are generally easy to spot – they usually only offer a few knobs for volume, tone, and a blend knob that mixes the signal if the instrument has two pick-ups. The sound that a passive system bass guitar offers is relatively straightforward and simple to adjust.
Although it can be looked at as considerably lo-fi when compared to an active system, its biggest benefit is that it is not battery-powered; worrying about power supply is one extra thing to have to think about when onstage or in the studio.
Active
Active bass guitars, on the other hand, provide far greater control for players to shape their tone. Extensive EQ manipulation is available, and players can often rely on contour switches that instantly reset the EQ settings, meaning that you can spend as little (or as much) time as you’d like tweaking the perfect tone. These bass guitars depend on an on-board battery in order to stay powered.
Scale Length
Bass scale length refers to the distance between the bridge and the nut on a bass guitar. This distance can determine both the tone and pitch of an instrument. Bass guitars with longer necks (35-inch scale) offer more clarity for lower notes; these are typically found in 5 or 6-string bass guitars. The standard length for most bass guitars is 34 inches.
Smaller scale length options also exist; these options usually measure up to be around 30 inches, and are more ideal for beginners or players with smaller hands. This configuration is ideal for children, but not exclusive to younger players – during his time in the Beatles, Paul McCartney played a short scale bass.
Tonewoods
Ash/Alder
Both ash and alder are quite similar as they both provide a balanced and even tone to the bass guitar’s output. Many manufacturers also tend to favor ash because of its smooth-looking grain finish.
Agathis
Agathis is the go-to choice for beginner/low-budget bass guitars, as the material is generally less expensive. The sound that agathis bass guitars produce generally tends to lean more towards low-end frequencies, providing what is considered to be a very rich tone.
Mahogany
Mahogany bass guitars have a rich and fuller sound than the aforementioned tonewood types. Because of the dense nature of the material, these guitars are generally heavier – something to keep in mind if you’re going to be holding the instrument around your neck for long periods of time.
Basswood
Basswood is a preferable type of tonewood for styles of playing that rely on more complex and limber playing techniques, due mainly to the fact that the material tends to have a shorter sustain. It is a softer wood that also does not resonate as much as some of its other counterparts.
Maple
Maple wood bass guitars are similar to mahogany wood bass guitars, except for the fact that they tend to yield a brighter, more high-end tone. This gives it a significant advantage for studio recording.
Fender Precision vs. Jazz Basses
Precision
The Precision bass guitar debuted in 1951 and models its body shape after the classic Fender Stratocaster electric guitar, with sculpted grooves in the top and bottom of the instrument, which make it easier to hold.
The Precision’s neck maintains a consistent thickness, tapering off only slightly when approaching the nut of the instrument. As far as pick-ups are concerned, the Precision offers a classic split-coil configuration that has been praised for its solid and bass-driven tone.
Jazz
The Jazz bass guitar premiered nearly a decade after the Precision first hit stores, and there are some marked differences in all of the aforementioned instrument attributes between the two. Basing its body shape more along the lines of the Fender Jazzmaster electric guitar, the Jazz bass offers a body shape that is pushed more forward, freeing up space around the player’s right arm.
The Jazz neck is distinctly different from the Precision, in that there is a much more narrower spacing around the nut; many bass guitarists feel that this provides for easier fingering on the fretboard. And finally, the pick-ups that are typically featured in Jazz basses are dual 8-pole humbuckers – these allow for far greater tone control and manipulation, as well as a sound that many players believe to be clearer.