I've just got to ask: how do/did you pay for your bass?

**Basschair** · #1 11-02-2006, 08:14 PM

I know, it's a bit of a personal question, but I'm curious. This is somewhat of a "part 2" to my previous thread on back up basses, as I'm thinking about a second one.

I could probably afford to pay outright for a chinese-type of bass, but am wondering if it wouldn't be worth it to secure a loan and pick up a bass of higher quality. Not necessarily "high" quality, just higher than the basic chinese.

Has anyone done this before, or did you just pay with cash? Some other approach?

musicman5string · #2 11-02-2006, 08:36 PM

I don't know if I understand your question entirely. First I thought you meant something like "Where do you find a bass for sale"? But now I see it differently, hence I'm editing my post.
I paid cash for mine.

fourstringdrums · #3 11-02-2006, 09:20 PM

I've always paid cash...well, technically on credit card, but once the balance shows up I pay it off. My thinking of buying basses as with anything on credit is, if you can't pay it off right now, don't buy. Especially when it comes to basses because you may buy something and then a year down the road you may not care for it and want something else. Well you may still be paying off the loan or credit card bill. Yeah you could sell the bass, but depending on your interest rate and how much you still owe you may not be able to get enough from the sale to pay it off. Also if it gets stolen or lost somehow and it's not insured, then what?

LM Bass · #4 11-02-2006, 09:30 PM

I think it's a double bass he's asking about -much more dough!

Personally, I borrowed from a life insurance policy, then played a musical or two. Still want another bass, but it will have to wait!
LM

Chasarms · #5 11-02-2006, 09:38 PM

The beauty of a double bass is that they don't really depreciate if you buy the right one and take care of it.

So, you want a really nice sounding, carved bass suitable for something beyond the average tinkerer?

Buy a respectable ply that is set up well ($1,500-2000) If you have to, work with a local shop that rents and applies the rent to the sale of the instrument. Many of these shops also give full price paid in trade if you continue to do business with them.

So, you play that bass. Continue to study and tuck away $100 a month or whatever you can scrape together and put in the "my bass" jar.

In a year or two, if you have taken care of it, you should be able to get your $1500-2000 back out of your ply, throw in the $2k or so from your jar, and you have pretty nice hybrid or a carved that needs some TLC. Start over with the jar.

It'll take few years, but it's important to you, you can grow your bass along with your skills.

fourstringdrums · #6 11-02-2006, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LM Bass

I think it's a double bass he's asking about -much more dough!

Personally, I borrowed from a life insurance policy, then played a musical or two. Still want another bass, but it will have to wait!
LM

Wow, my bad. Didn't see what forum this was in

RareBear · #7 11-02-2006, 10:05 PM

Do whatever you have to to squeeze out a bass you're sure you'll play. It's all pennies in the long run if you're quibbling over a few hundred lousy dollars between a chinese bass and a mex/korean/indonesian/ or low end nippon. I've put guitar on charge and paid 'em off. It was a priveledge. You'll get over it if you have something that you can't wait to play.

Jazzdogg · #8 11-02-2006, 10:21 PM

I put a percentage of my gig earnings in an equipment account that I use for repairs and maintenance, strings, new gear, etc.

The only time I've ever spent more than I had in my music account was when I bought my upright - it was simply too good a deal to pass up, so I dipped into my savings.

Indebtedness is something I prefer to avoid at all cost.

Cory Palmer · #9 11-02-2006, 10:39 PM

When I bought my bass, or rather my mom bought my bass for me. The person we bought it from let us pay them monthly since we didn't have that much money up front. I was planning on getting a bass a year later than I did but we knew the person selling the bass well so he knew we were good for the money. We paid so much down before he gave me the bass then after that we paid him in monthly installments.

larry · #10 11-03-2006, 07:10 AM

My first bass was an old German plywood. I was working in a music store and my boss let me have it for $500. Sold it 5 years later for $1500. My second bass was a hybrid for $2500. I refinanced my car to get the cash at the time. Made a car payment for an extra year to pay it off, basically. Played it for almost 15 years. Sold it for $2000, though I gave someone a really good deal on it.

My current bass is a hybrid LaScala. I was able to pay cash because I had been saving some gig money for the last few years, and I had expected to pay much more for a good bass. I was preparing to spend around $10k. Thankfully, I did not have to.

.matthew e wengerd. · #11 11-03-2006, 07:27 AM

two words:

student. loans.

Bruce Lindfield · #12 11-03-2006, 07:29 AM

Interest-Free Credit!!

kurtsnyder · #13 11-03-2006, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by larry

I refinanced my car to get the cash at the time. Made a car payment for an extra year to pay it off, basically.

I'm glad to hear someone did that. I have been renting for about 6 months and have decided that I'm gonna stick with this. So, I found the bass I want and wanted to do that.

I like the no interest credit card thing too.

musicman5string · #14 11-03-2006, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

I remember doing a gig one saturday night (1970s) with some weekenders and never liked their attitudes. The guitar player drives up in a new $10,000 car and pulls out a $200 guitar. I drove a $400 used car and pulled out a $10,000 Italian Bass.

At least he wasn't wearing a $10,000 Italian suit with $400 Italian shoes. As far as the guitar, good thing Italians don't make those!

**Basschair** · #15 11-03-2006, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

The guitar player drives up in a new $10,000 car and pulls out a $200 guitar. I drove a $400 used car and pulled out a $10,000 Italian Bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

Symphony players take out loans for Basses just like familys do for houses. Often, they have a house as collateral

This is actually what I was thinking about, and figured I wasn't that much of an innovator (ie., someone had to have done it before I thought about it

)

After re-reading my original post, I figured I should probably elaborate. I've got a good bass now: custom Wilfer made for me in '99, and it's a fantastic bass. I am by no means in need of a beginner bass to start off as a beginner

. Rather, I've been giving thought to a second bass that I can leave at work (school), so that I don't have to move the Wilfer back-and-forth, and I don't have to leave it at work being that it's worth a pretty good chunk of money. In this case, a chinese, ply, or other bass in the $2k and under would be a good bet.

Then I began wondering what it would take to get another well-made German in the $5k to $8k range, and started thinking about financing it (rather than credit card, which would end up being worse for interest). Of course, then I started wondering if anyone here had ever financed a larger amount ($15k to $35k for something in the new Pollmann range).

So, that's where I was coming from with my question. I know, I was a bit vague. Thanks for your replies so far...I hope I get a few more

Bass · #16 11-03-2006, 08:36 AM

I stopped drinking, smoking and generally wasting money on an unhealthy lifestyle for a few months. I was blowing upwards of a thousand bucks each month... no kidding! I had a few jars full of coins that I used to empty my pockets into at the end of the evening. I rolled these up and returned my empty bottles. The extra dollars added up very quickly.

And my Upton Laminate Hawkes will be here next week. Thanks Upton Bass!

BTW, I'm not a financial advisor (and obviously not too wise with money) but I don't think it's a good idea to finance the full value of an expensive instrument.

drurb · #17 11-03-2006, 08:37 AM

I think the message here is you gotta do what you gotta do. My personal philosophy is right in line with that of Chasarms. It is the case, however, that different folks have different constraints, different requirements, vastly differing means, and are at different stations in life. The solutions are as varied as are the individuals.

The young prodigy going off to the conservatory might just have to think about loans or depend upon supportive parents. The dedicated working musician early in his career who understands the benefits of and desires to have a fine instrument may have to also rely on loans (as KSB did). Assuming the necessary success and a dose of good fortune, loans etc., may leave the picture years down the road.

As for me, my first bass was a Kay C-1 that my parents bought in 1967. My next bass was a hybrid, purchased with the proceeds from the sale of a car. The Kay and the hybrid plus some $$$ were thrown together in a trade for a fully carved. I have no need for anything better right now nor do I have the desire given what it would cost to upgrade. If I do get the itch, I'll be paying cash or equivalent (e.g., credit card with balance paid off fully so I can get the rebate or airline miles

).

drurb · #18 11-03-2006, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass

I stopped drinking, smoking and generally wasting money on an unhealthy lifestyle for a few months...

and now?

Just some guy · #19 11-03-2006, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basschair

This is actually what I was thinking about, and figured I wasn't that much of an innovator (ie., someone had to have done it before I thought about it

)

After re-reading my original post, I figured I should probably elaborate. I've got a good bass now: custom Wilfer made for me in '99, and it's a fantastic bass. I am by no means in need of a beginner bass to start off as a beginner

. Rather, I've been giving thought to a second bass that I can leave at work (school), so that I don't have to move the Wilfer back-and-forth, and I don't have to leave it at work being that it's worth a pretty good chunk of money. In this case, a chinese, ply, or other bass in the $2k and under would be a good bet.

Then I began wondering what it would take to get another well-made German in the $5k to $8k range, and started thinking about financing it (rather than credit card, which would end up being worse for interest). Of course, then I started wondering if anyone here had ever financed a larger amount ($15k to $35k for something in the new Pollmann range).

So, that's where I was coming from with my question. I know, I was a bit vague. Thanks for your replies so far...I hope I get a few more

For one of these bigger loans (25k+) you might consider contacting one of the several musicians federal credit unions in the U.S. I know there is one in Houston that will do loans out of state using the instrument as colateral. There's a big credit union for musicians in L.A. This is one good way to take out a big loan for an instrument if you don't own a house or other substantial colateral.

**Basschair** · #20 11-03-2006, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just some guy

For one of these bigger loans (25k+) you might consider contacting one of the several musicians federal credit unions in the U.S. I know there is one in Houston that will do loans out of state using the instrument as colateral. There's a big credit union for musicians in L.A. This is one good way to take out a big loan for an instrument if you don't own a house or other substantial colateral.

Thanks for that info! Of course, my wife would probably shoot me for doing it, so that may be out. I am a homeowner: in that case, would you suggest an alternate route?