trading for less quality?

retitled · #1 09-15-2005, 10:54 PM

well... iv wanted a(n) (epiphone) thunderbird for sooo long but could never offord one...

recently i purchased an ibanes sr405 + hardshell case off of ebay for a total price of $314... what a great deal right? the bass alone would have run me arond $400 for a used one and the hardshell case another $80...

iv had this bass for about a week now and i cant quite feel a groove on it.. iv been playing my P bass for so long i cant groove on anything of a different scale(right terminology?)

the ibanez is just too small for me... im 100% sure that the ibanez is a better bass but if i cant feel the groove on it. is it worth having a great bass?

what would you guys do?

paintandsk8 · #2 09-15-2005, 11:49 PM

Well the quality or "status" of a bass shouldn't influence your decision about which bass is "home".

However, you should play the bass for a while longer. See how you feel about it after you really get adjusted to it. It could just be that your confusing "bad" with "different". It kinda reminds of a line by Brooks Williams - "Even a bad home is still the place that you know".

Oysterman · #3 09-15-2005, 11:50 PM

You've only had the bass for a week. I say you should try and get used to it better, and see what you think of it in a month or two. If you still don't like it as much any better, you could trade it for something else. Then it probably just isn't your thing.

Some pieces of equipment, while they may not have the instant "wow"-factor that one always looks for, can grow on you over time. When I was starting out, I wasn't all that happy with my MIM Jazz bass, my first own bass. I really didn't like it that much. Then I learned how to play it and make it sound good. Man, I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but it took years! I still haven't played a Jazz that I can produce equally good Jazz-type sounds with (and I've tried at least a dozen, some quite expensive) - I became so acquainted with it. I still have it, and still like it, even though it has some major flaws which prevent me from using it as a main bass.

Trevorus · #4 09-15-2005, 11:54 PM

I'd trade for the bass that speaks to you. The one that makes you smile just playing it. Pretty much all my current instruments do that, and for that I am very lucky.

retitled · #5 09-16-2005, 09:28 AM

well i play it pretty frequently and the quality of this bass is so much better then my Cort(my very first bass) and if i had to choose between my Cort thats worth maybe $30 if i wanted to sell it.. id still pic the cort... it just feels so much better to me..

if the body was a few inches longer i wouldnt mind.. i dont like small bassses..

i wonder if guitar center would HOLD my bass as collateral while i take the thunderbird home to play it before i pay for it

**cheezewiz** · #6 09-16-2005, 09:42 AM

Sell the Ibanez the same way you got it, and look into an MIM Pbass. I give more "prestige" to a MIM Fender than an Ibanez anyways, so don't worry about the "status" of the bass. Play what is comfortable and sounds good.

retitled · #7 09-16-2005, 12:53 PM

i sat down with the ibanez today to talk to him about me putting him up for adoption.. he cried to me and jumped on me and wouldnt let go... he cried for a second chance so im giving him another couple weeks to improve.. or else its off to the orfanige...

maverick · #8 09-16-2005, 01:09 PM

dunno if this helps but i went into the local music store this week to pick upsome reeds for my sons sax and while i was there this bass (which i can't remember who makes it) has grabbed me.... it feels like i should just have her..... when the money comes in ( and i hope it's soon) she will be mine!!! oh yes!!! she will be!!!!

steveksux · #9 09-16-2005, 01:19 PM

Make sure its set up well. If the strings are a lot higher than the bass you're used to, it'll feel clumsy to play.

Experiment with the strap length too, maybe the smaller body means the strings end up not quite positioned the place you're used to.

Randy

paintandsk8 · #10 09-16-2005, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oysterman

Some pieces of equipment, while they may not have the instant "wow"-factor that one always looks for, can grow on you over time. When I was starting out, I wasn't all that happy with my MIM Jazz bass, my first own bass. I really didn't like it that much. Then I learned how to play it and make it sound good. Man, I'm a bit embarrassed to say it, but it took years! I still haven't played a Jazz that I can produce equally good Jazz-type sounds with (and I've tried at least a dozen, some quite expensive) - I became so acquainted with it. I still have it, and still like it, even though it has some major flaws which prevent me from using it as a main bass.

I hear you there. The best bass player that I know plays and has always played an MIM Jazz. It' not that he can't afford something better (because he definetly can) it's just that that bass has his sound. I play it and it sounds awful, but he plays it and it just sings.

retitled · #11 09-16-2005, 06:43 PM

well iv been playing it all day, adjust teh bridge and teh trus rod and the strap length and iv just been playing and playing and it IS growing on me but i still want to just be able to play a thunderbird and NO music stores anyplace in my area have one.. and for them to order it they have to special order it wich requires a down payment.. and ofcoarse i am broke..

::sigh::