A Story About Buying Your First Electric Bass

You have gathered information and are finally ready to buy a bass. If you are planning to purchase from an online store, just wait with excitement. As far as I know, if you buy from a retailer with a physical store, the instrument will be properly inspected and adjusted regardless of the price, so you will be fine. It is reassuring if there are photos of the actual item, but if not, it is a surprise to see what kind of neck and body grain you will get.

Now, for purchasing at a physical store. Even if you are a beginner, you should try playing it. I once tried to play a budget model, and the staff member was confused because no sound came out. I had a hunch and asked, 'Is it an active bass? Maybe the battery is missing?' and it turned out that was exactly it. While it is true that leaving batteries in instruments you don't use for a long time can cause leakage, it was my first time experiencing an instrument on display at a music store without a battery. Well, things that are obvious if you have the knowledge can be a problem for a beginner. Even if you cannot play, it is important to try playing it or at least get some sound out of it to prevent trouble.
So, what should you do if you can't play yet?
1. First, try playing single notes on the thinnest string (the 1st string) from about the 3rd fret to the 9th fret. Guitars and basses inevitably have 'dead spots' (positions where the vibration cancels out, causing the sound to decay quickly instead of sustaining like a normal 'booooon' sound). If this happens on the 1st string at the 5th or 9th fret, I might be a bit hesitant... The reason is that if a note you use relatively often for long tones doesn't work, it can be quite difficult...
2. Twiddle the controls. On a Jazz Bass, these are the front volume, rear volume, and tone, but when it comes to active basses, there are sometimes controls that even I don't understand. Also, the tone knob might be loose, so ask the staff about how to use them. (Actually, sometimes the staff might be guessing and you might find out later by researching it yourself that they were wrong!)
3. Ask them, 'I'm a beginner, could you lower the string action for me?' and have them adjust it on the spot. Generally, instruments hanging on display are either set with slightly higher action so they don't have to be adjusted for every change in condition, or they come from the factory that way. In any case, there are many times when even an experienced player like me finds them hard to play. If you ask for it to be 'as low as possible,' it might buzz easily due to the neck condition, so just ask for it to be 'on the lower side' or 'a bit low.'
* String action is determined by three factors: neck relief, bridge saddles, and nut height. If it is adjusted and sounds clear, any buzzing later on should be due to the neck relief. I think it is difficult to adjust it yourself at first.
* You might see people online who seem obsessed with string action. While there are guidelines, some instruments can handle even lower action, while others cannot be lowered at all. I dislike buzzing—which people sometimes call 'buzz' to make it sound better—so I adjust it to the limit where it doesn't buzz. Depending on the instrument, the action might be higher on the higher frets. What I mean to say is, if you don't find it difficult to play, there is absolutely no problem.
4. If the instrument has control knobs mounted on the pickguard (like a Precision Bass), ask them, 'Could you peel off the plastic film on the pickguard?' Recent Music Man basses and others have addressed this, but in traditional models, the pots are installed over the protective film on the pickguard. This means if you try to peel the film off yourself, you have to loosen the volume pots and so on, which carries a risk of disconnection in some cases.

I won't mention sound or body balance. If possible, having an experienced friend accompany you is great because you can hear their advice, and since many store staff are experienced guitar/bass players themselves, they shouldn't tell you anything nonsensical if you ask for their advice. In any case, you won't improve if you don't play the instrument, so just get one that you like and start playing!