Go for next bass up or save for great one

Jezz8me · #1 12-16-2007, 06:49 AM

I was wondering, i wan't a new bass but i do not desperately need one asap so should i bother upgrading my entry levelish sx PJ to say a $600-$800 bass or should i just save up until i can afford a bass for $1400 or something so i get a good gigging bass.

I get about $100 a week so i can live with waiting and being over age i save basicaly all my money

HomeBrewTJ · #2 12-16-2007, 07:02 AM

Go play different ones, whether it be friends' or at the store, and save up for the one you like.

Jezz8me · #3 12-16-2007, 07:08 AM

so you are saying do not settle for one in a lower price range if it realy does not give me the same/ as good/ better sound and feel as one that is a little more expensive. go for the sound not the price. Of course over $2000 is a no go zone

phat daddy · #4 12-16-2007, 07:25 AM

Definately save up for the best bass you can. I did that a few years ago, and I've never regretted it for a minute.

Joey3313 · #5 12-16-2007, 11:34 AM

IMO, upgrade your amp first.

Your profile says you have an SX bass and 15 Watt amp. If you are seriously gonna be gigging, the SX bass could potentially be good enough (there are enough people here who gig with SXs), but the amp won't cut it. A cheaper bass through a decent amp is gonna sound a lot better than an amazing bass through a shite amp.

Jezz8me · #6 12-17-2007, 01:57 AM

i have upgraded my amp just not my profile i have a behringer ultrabass bx1200 which i like alot. I have upgraded everything but my bass although i will probably get a setup done before i get a new one just to see the most i can get out of this bass

Alexander · #7 12-17-2007, 07:00 AM

If you go used, you can get a great long term gigging bass in the $600-800 range. Anything from Fender Jazz\Precision to G&L or Stingrays...

Phalex · #8 12-17-2007, 07:25 AM

I bought my Ric 15 or 16 years ago, and the love affair continues to this day. Go out and look for "the one". When it presents itself, buy it at any price and hold onto her forever.

FuturePrimitive · #9 12-17-2007, 07:48 AM

Save your money up as long as you can stand it, then test basses WITHOUT looking at any price tags. You'll probably end up with a nice pile of cash left over because the best sounding bass (to your ear) is rarely the most expensive one. I saved about $1000 this way and got IMO was the best sounding bass in the store.

In other words, ignore the price. Set a budget but the price should not be a factor in your decision.

Mark Latimour · #10 12-17-2007, 07:54 AM

I would say, save up and get the best bass you can afford, with the emphasis being on "you can afford". Now, what I say "you can afford", I don't mean on credit, I don't mean to the sacrifice of all your other obligations, I mean the one "you can afford". If you are just starting out, don't earn a huge income, haven't got a car or paid off your debts or something, you CANNOT afford an expensive bass. You need to be reaslistic about what the bass holds for your in the future. If its going to be your primary source of income, then maybe invest a little bit more. But, if its just a hobby, you should not be putting money into a bass that is going to make other more important aspects of your life suffer just to say you have an expensive bass. I would be looking at used Fenders, perhaps a used Geddy Lee or Marcus MIller jazz bass, which are both excellent well made basses from Japan that are likely to be miles better than your SX, but are not going to break the bank. They will be the sort of quality you should have no trouble gigging or recording with and they fit in with just about any situation. At around $500-700 used, you can probably afford one.

Deacon_Blues · #11 12-17-2007, 10:35 AM

+1 to Mark's post. Just wanted to add one more point of view:

Are you 100% sure of what sound you want? I ask this because when I started out, I fell in love with a Warwick Corvette (costed me €1200) and bought that one with my savings. I sold that one last summer because I didn't like the sound of it anymore. It had started to sound too "high-tech" to my ears. I was a beginner on bass when I bought it, but now when I have been playing for 6 years I have another view on what sound I want. I bought a CIJ Fender JB ´62 reissue to replace the Warwick. I'm still not 100% sure it is "my" bass yet, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.

The value on the Warwick had dropped to 600 € when I sold it. I had replaced the pups and it was in great condition overall so that kept the price a bit higher than the average for similar second-hand Warwicks. Anyway, if I had known I would have wanted a Fender JB sound when I started out instead of a Warwick, I would have saved 900 € (the Fender was 300 € cheaper than the Warwick).

Just my 0,02 €...

Jezz8me · #12 12-18-2007, 03:41 AM

thats good advice so yes save up to get a good bass but i shouldn't waste my money on something to expensive because it may not last, i will start looking for some nice used basses.

anyone know a good place that sells them in AUS?

IanStephenson · #13 12-18-2007, 08:08 AM

Get the bass you WANT. Saves you a fortune in the long run. When I was dabbling on guitar I bought a whole bunch of low/mid range instruments, simply because I could afford them - I'd see them in the shop, think they were cool, and just get one becasue I could afford them. Not really a problem, but I still don't have a GREAT guitar.

When I started playing bass seriously I knew which bass I wanted. It was a LOT of money to me at the time, but I picked up the bass I wanted used, for a price I could JUST afford.

It was a huge spend at the time, but it was my main gig bass for 10 years. It saved me a fortune, as every time I walked round a shop I'd look at the basses and not even be tempted to pick them up - if I did, they were happily put back, knowing I had something better at home.

In retrospect the expensive bass I could barely afford was a great buy. It's not gone up in value, but I've had so much use out of it, and it's stopped me spending so much on other basses.

Totally hold out for THE bass you want, and get it.

Ian

T-steve · #14 12-18-2007, 08:47 AM

Don't make the assumption that the more a bass costs, the better it will be. That's not always the case. I see my bass as an instrument; a means towards an end (the music). I don't see it as a status symbol or eye candy. But that's just me....

For my musical needs, a Fender Precision bass fills the bill perfectly. I also have an older, MIM Jazz bass that I wouldn't trade for any Sadowsky or Lakeland.

All I'm trying to say is that it's possible to play a top quality instrument without breaking the bank. The most important instrument is between the ears, not in your hands.