Hi, This is Jim Lee the author of Quickbeat, Funkychops & other instructional bass products. Many people have asked me about how to select a bass guitar... so, here's my opinion. The bass guitar is just an instrument... a tool, like a hammer. It's the person that uses the instrument that makes it do the job it was designed to do. Meaning, a great bass player can probably make a piece-of-junk bass sound awesome... and conversely, a million-dollar bass won't make someone who stinks sound any groovier.

With this being said, there is an importance in selecting the right instrument. You wouldn't select a chainsaw to cut a steak would you? Ok, below I'll give my suggestions on how I'd select a bass guitar:

1. What sound are you going after? If you can answer this question, than you probably know. If not, listen closely to recordings & live performances of bass sounds you like... try to identify what qualities of that bass guitar sound you like. You may or may not want to think in terms of bright, snappy, smooth, etc.. It doesn't matter if you're a pro or a total beginner, if you really concentrate - you'll eventually have a feeling of what you like and not. If you have no opinion whatsoever, or if you'd just like to keep your horizon open, perhaps you should select an instrument based on versitility... so you'll have more options.
2. What is your budget? Like it or not, money is a factor in the options you'll have. More money = more selection. Don't worry though, as I mentioned above, no-one will judge you on your instrument... you'll be judged on your ability. Nothing is more lame than a stinky bass player with a top-of-the-line bass.
3. What situation(s) will you be using this bass in? On stage live, studio, for practice? Even if you''re just learning or jamming with a garage band, do you want to lug-around a 20 pound bass? If this bass is going to be shared with other musicians, do you really want someone spilling a drink on your $1000 instrument. You'll be happier if you select a bass that complements the types of situations where you plan to use it. For instance, you may want a Porsche because it's fast... but, if you live in New York City with stand-still traffic, you really won't be going anywhere quickly.
4. Bass considerations. Now that you've thought about the above, you'll have some perspective on some of the common options on bass guitars available:
• Fretted or Fretless? Fretless will give you more of that retro-upright bass tone, whereas fretted will be more modern. Fretless may be a little harder at first, but you'll develop a better ear & fingering. Most people start with fretted and then learn fretless. I think that I'd been better off if I started with fretless.
• Active or Passive? This refers to if the bass uses an additional powered circuitry or not. An active bass will have pickups powered by a battery...which allows for more tonal variety. You can boost the EQ more than with a passive bass. An active sound is generally considered more modern. A pain is that you have to change the battery & the sound will actually sound worse if you're using a old battery. Passive pickups give a little more retro tones and are slightly limited in range, but they don't require that battery. I like passive basses... I like simplicity & less options over more.
• Pickup Style? There are a variety of options: single coil, double, big humbuckers, etc.. For reference, let's look at Fender Jazz & Precision bass. The Jazz bass has 2 single-coils, whereas the Precision has 1 set of humbucking pickups. The Jazz set-up give more of an even sound, whereas the Precision has a little more mid-range growl. One sound isn't better than the other, just different. An advantage of the 2 pickup configuration is that you can mix the volume of each pickup to give more tones... which leads me to my next statement: the pickup position has an effect on the bass tone too. Generally, the closer the pickup is to the neck, the warmer & bassier the tone. Pickups closer to the bridge give more definition and articulation. If I had to choose, I'd probably pick a Precision over a Jazz.
• Material? As you probably know, bass bodies & necks come in different materials. Wood, acrylic, graphite, even metal. The most  common material is wood. Which generally gives a warmer tone than the other materials. There are many types of wood & combinations too... maple, rosewood, ash, etc.. Generally speaking, harder woods such as maple will give more articulation & highs than softer woods such as rosewood. I have a Ernie Ball bass that has an ash body with a maple neck... I like it for slapping. I also have a Fender bass with a mahogany body & rosewood fretboard... it's really light & versatile.
• Shape & Weight? This has to do with your comfort & accessibilty. The shape & balance of the body-n-neck really do make a difference in your playing pleasure. Just go to your local guitar store and see... there will be shapes & weights that just feel better. It's like a chair, some may feel more comfortable & fit you better than others. This is important, because it affects how useable this bass will be for you. How useful would a nice-shaped car seat be if it was too high for you to touch the gas pedal?
• Looks? This is the least important... of course, you don't wan't to be playing something that is super ugly. Or, maybe you do?

Ok, that's a lot to think about... don't worry - you can handle it - you're a bass player. It's really not that difficult. You don't even have to think about it at all... just select any bass that isn't broken. I'm also a firm believer that a good set-up can do a ton for a bass.... conversely, you could have a five-thousand-dollar bass that plays like junk because of a poor set-up. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you should give your bass a good set-up. Perhaps I'll describe my set-up procedure sometime in the future. Also the bass amp and speaker cabinet will make a difference in your sound too... but that's another story.

Hope this helps! I have some bass products you may dig: FUNKYCHOPS slap bass, DOUBLETHUMP video, QUICKBEAT human drummer & more.

Jim Lee

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