Ever felt you should've spent less $$$ on a DB?

longfinger · #1 10-03-2009, 05:20 PM

Hey all,

There have been a few posts here before about people buying a poorly made double bass for cheap then dumping more money on it for setup and then wishing they spent that money instead on a better bass in the first place.

I'm wondering if the reverse is true and if there are people who wish they hadn't spent so much money on a particular double bass, but rather wished they bought something for less money which better suited them and their needs.

Possible reasons could be Buyer later came across the same kind of bass for way cheaper than Buyer paid for it.
Or Buyer met a friend with a bass that sounded great and played great but paid way less than Buyer did.
Or maybe Buyer never played the bass much and sold it later for a huge loss.
Or Buyer 'upgraded' his old double bass to a new one that was supposed to be better and did cost a lot more, but once amplified and placed in a full band, they both sounded the same. (or the less expensive one sounded better)
Or Buyer paid a lot for a fragile bass and then had to keep spending on repairs and upkeep, while before Buyer had a less expensive but more durable bass and just kept busy playing music.
Or simply the extra money spent, never translated in extra joy or extra income.

Any stories?

Marcus Johnson · #2 10-03-2009, 05:31 PM

Nope.

JeffKissell · #3 10-03-2009, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

Nope.

+1

Jonyak · #4 10-03-2009, 06:06 PM

I recently bought a used menzel for about 800$... I now wish I had bought a better more expensive bass, as I have put about 600$ into it. and will probably put even more in.

hdiddy · #5 10-03-2009, 06:23 PM

You get what you pay for. If anything, I wish I spent more sooner.

drurb · #6 10-03-2009, 06:58 PM

Never.

Treyzer · #7 10-03-2009, 07:07 PM

Umm...Nope

tomshepp · #8 10-03-2009, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hdiddy

You get what you pay for. If anything, I wish I spent more sooner.

+1. Once I began practicing on the better bass, all I could think of was what was I waiting for.

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #9 10-03-2009, 10:22 PM

Nope. Every upgrade was easily worth it.

Phil Rowan · #10 10-03-2009, 10:33 PM

"You get what you pay for" may apply to both ends of the spectrum.

moles · #11 10-04-2009, 02:43 AM

Okay, I'll go first.

Spent waaay too much buying out a rental with a s****y fingerboard, a cracked, too-tall soundpost, a bridge that was cut lopsided, a too high nut, and a soft endpin block which has resulted in a widened hole/slanted endpin. Not to mention the constant struggle with the 44.5" mensur. It's a Strunal. A 50/4. I could have picked up a brand new 3/4 size Strunal 50/4 from another shop in town here (small hole-in-the-wall place that I only now know deal in basses), with a set up, minus the above problems, minus about a thousand bucks.

Mostly, I still love it. I'm happy to have a bass. I play it. I don't worry about the bs that comes with dealing with an instrument that already has "problems". I just get out the files/sandpaper/ tools and do what I can to make it better, without getting into the real heavy work that I might screw up and make things worse. Every once in awhile I get a bit irked that I could have gone to a couple more shops and saved myself the money and the hassle.

"You get what you pay for"? 99% of the time, yes. Beware the 1%.....

Paul Warburton · #12 10-04-2009, 06:57 AM

Me too. Never. Even. Always, also.

Marc Piane · #13 10-04-2009, 07:36 AM

HOORAY FOR DB!!!

hdiddy · #14 10-04-2009, 09:00 AM

I've done the upgrade thing.... IMO, spending $4000 on a good bass is better than spending $2000 on a not-as-good bass and adding $2000 worth of upgrades.

drurb · #15 10-04-2009, 10:14 AM

Thinking more about this, it seems that any such buyer's remorse would likely stem from a failure to do one's homework properly. Even then, the regret would seem to be most often the result of simply not getting what one paid for or simply choosing the wrong bass. Given the sample of folks here on TB, it's not surprising that this almost never occurs. Of course, the reason we harp on newbies to read the links, buy from reputable DB dealers, and try out a bunch of instruments is to avoid buyer's remorse. When the choice is made intelligently, I can't imagine upgrading ever being disappointing!

Gary Lynch · #16 10-04-2009, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Thinking more about this, it seems that any such buyer's remorse would likely stem from a failure to do one's homework properly. Even then, the regret would seem to be most often the result of simply not getting what one paid for or simply choosing the wrong bass. Given the sample of folks here on TB, it's not surprising that this almost never occurs. Of course, the reason we harp on newbies to read the links, buy from reputable DB dealers, and try out a bunch of instruments is to avoid buyer's remorse. When the choice is made intelligently, I can't imagine upgrading ever being disappointing!

+1

RustyAxe · #17 10-04-2009, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

When the choice is made intelligently, I can't imagine upgrading ever being disappointing!

I lurked and learned a lot here. I finally bought a Strunal 50/4 blond, strung with Obligatos, very nicely set up. I paid more for it than I've seen online, but haven't regretted it at all. Other bass players have commented on her tone, volume, and playability. When the bass becomes the limiting factor in what I play, I'll upgrade ... and again, I'll look to TBDB for valuable insights.

Harling · #18 10-04-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Given the sample of folks here on TB, it's not surprising that this almost never occurs.

You are probably right about a biased sample. However, I only started lurking on TB after I had bought a bass for my son. Sounds like a recipe for a disaster, but in fact we would have been hard pressed to get a better deal and have not the tiniest regret. Will post a separate thread about how we bought our bass.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #19 10-04-2009, 04:06 PM

Pardon me if this point has been made, but I have not read the entire thread. With any major purchase, it is important to be sure you can really afford it. If you also have credit card debt or a big car payment, it might be better to take care of that first.
To some degree, the practicality of a new bass must be considered. 'Just because I want it' can also be said about a new car, boat or whatever. Personally, I only regret dropping $9k on mine when I think about my personal debts. Once the music starts, I'm in love again. When musicians tell me how great I sound, I know there is also a financial plus in callbacks. A fine instrument is a tool that helps me do a job that I enjoy doing.
A nice bass has helped to improve my play as well, because it feels and sounds the way I imagine.
The bummer at this stage is that I can take the old plywood beater out, still enjoy playing it and get a good tone. I sometimes wonder if people notice an $8,000 difference.

In the end, shop, educate, budget and buy wisely.

p.s. I forgot about a kid in college needing $$$ this year.

Harling · #20 10-04-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clink

With any major purchase, it is important to be sure you can really afford it. If you also have credit card debt or a big car payment, it might be better to take care of that first. ...
To some degree, the practicality of a new bass must be considered. 'Just because I want it' can also be said about a new car, boat or whatever. Personally, I only regret dropping $9k on mine when I think about my personal debts. ...
In the end, shop, educate, budget and buy wisely.

Hey Clink, I could not agree more. But, sometimes if you don't jump on a good deal, you will regret it more than ever you would looking at the monthly statement from the bank, and long after the loan is paid down.

See my other recent thread about how we bought the DB - we got advice from one a very experienced bassist and that was all we really needed. When we bought a piano a couple of years, I sought advice from Pianoworld members for several months with the result that we got a far better piano than we should have been able to afford because we were knowledgeable and linked into a community of helpful people (one of whom put us onto the piano). In this instance, I did not know we were shopping until it was nearly purchased. Impulsive? Sort of, but I belong to the school of parent that says if two of Canada's best bass players says my son should get a DB, then my son gets a DB. Just happened awfully fast from their recommendation to full compliance.