I'm looking to buy an acoustic bass; I've only ever played electric
before.  I stopped at a guitar store and found one that I really
liked, but if I played a note on the first few frets of the E string,
there was a rather annoying fret buzz.  This was the only trouble
spot.

I asked the salesman about this, who claimed that fret buzz comes with
the territory, especially with lower-end instruments, and he tried to
sell me a more expensive model.  But I wasn't prepared to pay more,
and except for the buzz, I really liked the one I picked out.

My question is, can anything be done about acoustic bass fret buzz, or
do I actually have to learn to live with it?

I know that with acoustic guitars, fret buzz means that there is
something wrong with the action and that it needs some minor repair. 
With guitars, any repair shops should be able to fix that problem for
little cost.  The architecture of an acoustic bass is similar to a
guitar so one could assume that it could be fixed by adjusting the
action or maybe filing the frets down a little.

Hey,

The salesman is right in a sense, you get what you pay for. Less care
is put into making instruments sold at a lower price. However you
don't (and shouldn't!) neccessarily have to pay more to have an
instrument that doesn't buzz. Fret buzz occurs if the string is too
close to the neck (usually at the first fret as you noticed). The
height of the string is (usually) adjustable at two places, at the
bridge and at the 'nut'. The point where the string comes in contact
with the guitar is (again usually) detachable if you remove the
strings, you can file it down to move the string closer to the neck or
add a slim taper (or carve a new one) to move the string away from the
neck. To stop buzzing, you would need to raise the string slightly at
the 'nut' end. It is a fine balance to get it right thought, it's all
too easy to move the string too far away or towards the neck
(especially towards since it's harder to raise the string once it's
lowered). If you feel comfortable enough doing this yourself then buy
the guitar and fix the action yourself, just be careful though!
Alternatively you could get somebody more experienced to do it, it
varies how much they could charge you though.

Ask away if you've any questions

Jim

There could be several different reasons that you are having
difficulties with Fret Buzz.  Here are several scenarios:

SYMPTOM
	String buzzes when played open, stops when fretted

POSSIBLE CAUSE
	Slots in nut are too deep, strings are too close to the frets.

REMEDY
	Replace nut or shim to add height.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMPTOM
	Buzzes at one particular fret but disappears once you move to another

POSSIBLE CAUSE
	Frets are not level.  Loose or sprung fret.  Hump in fingerboard.

REMEDY
	Secure all loose frets, level and dress.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMPTOM
	Buzzing occurs when strumming or picking aggressively, can be
silenced when playing lightly.

POSSIBLE CAUSE
	Insufficient relief in the neck.  Action set too low for your style. 
Extra light gauge strings (low tension=larger vibration pattern).

REMEDY
	Adjust truss rod.  Use heavier strings.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMPTOM
	Buzzes nearly everywhere even though it is set up properly, will
often disappear if string is fretted hard and plucked softly.

POSSIBLE CAUSE
	Frets may be worn out or too low. Repeated fret leveling will
eventually render the frets so short that the string no longer breaks
over the fret properly.

REMEDY
	Replace frets.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SYMPTOM
	Buzzes nearly everywhere all the time, strings touching frets in the
center of the fingerboard.

POSSIBLE CAUSE
	Could be a back bowed neck, truss rod may be way too tight.

REMEDY
	Adjust truss rod.

And there are countless other causes that can create a buzzing like
sound which are not fret related. Tuners that rattle, loose braces, a
loose truss rod nut, a truss rod vibrating inside the neck, pickup
wiring and the dreaded buzz that is set off when a particular
frequency is played.

Information gathered from
http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/Repairs2.htm#buzz

Bear in mind, that when you change the action or setup of a bass, it
changes its 'feel' when playing it. So if you fork out for the buzz,
and change the action to combat it, you may not feel the same about
the bass.

The other comments outline the symptoms, but read this article about
your situation:

Epinions: "Avoid Fretbuzz When You Buy" [
http://www.epinions.com/inst-review-75BF-A4D9F54-39E147E5-prod1 ].

Epinions article "Eliminating bass fret buzz (and beyond)." [
http://www.epinions.com/content_6697029252 ], gives some detailed
explanations of fret buzz.

Or for specifics, try [ http://www.epinions.com/inst-fretbuzz ] to
find a solution.

i personally, would save for a warwick: http://www.warwickbass.com :)

I've wondered the same thing. I've got an AXL Acoustic and had a
Johnson.  They're both bargain-basement jobs.  They both buzz.  It may
be that acoustic basses in general tend to amplify noises more, but I
don't know for sure.