You want to learn how to play the bass guitar in Australia, but buying one can be confusing. With all the different shapes, sizes, and designs, it’s hard to know what you need to buy when you’re new to playing this instrument. In addition, there are different types of guitars out there—acoustic, electric, classical—and each type has its distinctive sound that takes some getting used to.
While several factors go into choosing the best instrument for you, such as your price range and your music genre, there are also some general things you should look for when shopping around to ensure you get the best quality instrument at a good price point.
This article will tell you all about what you should be thinking about when you buy your first bass guitar, what makes each different kind special, and how to avoid getting ripped off by shady salespeople or online scammers who’d rather take your money than help you play music.
Does The Guitar Stay in Tune?
If you plan on playing live or recording, you need a bass guitar in Australia that stays in tune. The quality of tuners varies widely among both acoustic and electric guitars. There are expensive guitars with high-quality hardware and cheap guitars with terrible, impossible-to-tune hardware. You can spend several hundred dollars on a beginner’s guitar to find out that it won’t stay in tune after half an hour of use (I’ve seen it happen). If you’re not sure what to look for when buying a guitar, take your time. Play everything you can get your hands on in your price range before making a decision.
Is The Guitar Neck Straight?
This is probably one of the most important things to look for when buying a guitar. If your guitar neck has any dip or curve in it, you’re going to find playing difficult, particularly if you’re just learning how to play. It will also affect your tone, with sharp notes ringing out and bass notes sounding dull.
How High Is the Action at The Nut?
The action at the nut is how high or low a string sits from where it’s connected to a guitar. You must have a guitar with good action at the nut. If it’s too high, your fingertips will be tense, and it can hurt your technique and performance if you aren’t careful. If it’s too low, notes will buzz out of tune on some strings. You can fix both these problems with a quick turn of an Allen wrench.
How Far Are the Strings from The Fretboard?
One of my favourite things about playing the bass guitar is playing chords and notes both on and below (or above) each string. As such, you’ll want to make sure that there is enough space between each string and its respective fret, so there’s plenty of room for your fingers when you hit any note. For perfect spacing, you need to have enough distance between each string and its fret. The scale length doesn’t necessarily dictate how far apart frets are from one another, but it does impact how easy or difficult it will be to play certain chords on a particular instrument.
Can You Comfortably Reach the Entire Fretboard?
The fretboard is your home base when playing the guitar. It’s where you’ll hold it, rest your fingers, and press down on notes. That makes it important to find a model with a neck that fits you well. Some are thicker; some are thinner—you want one that feels natural in your hands. Also, look for an instrument with an action (the strings’ height from the fretboard) that suits you best. Look for easy access to higher frets: Having high frets allows you to easily reach higher notes when you need them.
