Why are we so special ?

milo · #1 01-17-2005, 05:53 AM

I am asking myself that for long time ?
Are bass players from other planet?
u are right i am talking bout money spend for equipment.
good or semi profesional bass -1000 $
good combo(u must feel the bas)for begining and first gig-1000$
strings-from 30$ up
and than if u are good than comes large gigs and u must buy professional equipment.
bass- 3000 $
rig-from 3000$ up
Now i know why many people plays guitar or drums or sing rather than play bass.

What u think am i right?

Thunder_Fingers · #2 01-17-2005, 05:59 AM

You dont Need an 3000 dollar bass... i could live long on an Fender P or an Fender J...
To get an Decent rig, guitarists often have to go up pretty expensive to.. to not talk about the drum.. if one skin break thats the price of 2 packs of bass strings right there...

and there are so few of us that they have to take that kinda costs to keep the buisness Running...

VinceLovesF · #3 01-17-2005, 06:01 AM

I don't think we are really different, I played with guitar players with a amp at 3000$, guitar the same or more....
But bass is bigger and perhaps harder to do??
Or an other reason I don't know!

Vince

RunngDog · #4 01-17-2005, 06:04 AM

I play mandolin as well as bass. A playable beginner's mandolin will cost $500+, a decent semi-professional instrument $3000+. Most professionals play $10,000+ instruments (and some play $100,000+ vintage instruments). But the strings are cheaper.

What Fender is in the bass world (i.e., the market's 800-pound gorilla), Gibson is in mandolins. Gibson's lowest-priced mandolin lists for $3000 (with a street price around $2500) and its most expensive model sells for a modest $20,000. These are not custom instruments. Custom mandolins from the top luthiers start around $20,000 -- with a 3-5 year waiting list.

And all that's nothing compared to the violin world, where a good bow might cost $1000+.

Joe Nerve · #5 01-17-2005, 06:06 AM

A bass player can actually get up and running for around $300. Can sound pretty good around $800. And be in the big leagues at around $1500.

No different from any guitar player... we don't EVER have to replace cracked cymbals, buy sticks or drum heads. Even a singer, if they want to be well equipped, needs to spend more than that on a decent mike, a stand, and PA. And they've got a lot more to lug around.

I think we've got a pretty ok deal.

Nickthebassist · #6 01-17-2005, 06:19 AM

I reckon you can get a decent bass for al ot less han $1000.

The Hammer · #7 01-17-2005, 06:19 AM

I don't think so. You can get up and going for alot less than $1000 and sound very good. Also in 24 years of playing I've only broken two bass strings. When I played guitar I could break that many in one practice. Also how often do you change bass strings. Even if they cost more I think they tend to sound better after they have been on the bass for a while.

Doug Parent · #8 01-17-2005, 06:22 AM

Having come from the days of refrigerator size speaker cabinets I can say with complete sinceritiy that we bass players have it almost easier than guitar players and especially keyboard players. Although having said that I can't beleive at my stage I'm spending so much on equipment not because I have to but because I want to. Its because there are so many damn good choices. Revel in these times, its never been so good.

jvbjr · #9 01-17-2005, 06:23 AM

You can buy a used Ibanez on ebay for $500 and go direct to the PA, what you spend is strictly your opinion on "needs", no basis is fact IMO.

Gord · #10 01-17-2005, 06:35 AM

we certainly the nicest guys in the band! (proven fact)

driver800 · #11 01-17-2005, 06:59 AM

try being a drummer:

A nice DW kit: $2k - $3k
High-end cymbals: $600-$1K
New heads all around: ~$200
Throne: $100+
Mic. setup: at least $200-$500
Cases and gig bags: at least $200-$500

so you'd spend somewhere between $3000 and $6000 (easily). And you need a car big enough to transport them. Then there's sticks, double-bass, misc. percussion items (mandatory cowbell, tamborine et al) .

or you could go with a pro digital set and you're looking at easily $5K and another $500-$1000 for a decent amp.

the singers are the ones that get off easy. cuz we don't require them to pay for the P.A.

vene-nemesis · #12 01-17-2005, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by driver800

try being a drummer:

A nice DW kit: $2k - $3k
High-end cymbals: $600-$1K
New heads all around: ~$200
Throne: $100+
Mic. setup: at least $200-$500
Cases and gig bags: at least $200-$500

so you'd spend somewhere between $3000 and $6000 (easily). And you need a car big enough to transport them. Then there's sticks, double-bass, misc. percussion items (mandatory cowbell, tamborine et al) .

or you could go with a pro digital set and you're looking at easily $5K and another $500-$1000 for a decent amp.

the singers are the ones that get off easy. cuz we don't require them to pay for the P.A.

+1 the drums are the most expensive instrument out there + the drumkit amplification thats usually very expensive.

Brad Johnson · #13 01-17-2005, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milo

I am asking myself that for long time ?
Are bass players from other planet?
u are right i am talking bout money spend for equipment.
good or semi profesional bass -1000 $
good combo(u must feel the bas)for begining and first gig-1000$
strings-from 30$ up
and than if u are good than comes large gigs and u must buy professional equipment.
bass- 3000 $
rig-from 3000$ up
Now i know why many people plays guitar or drums or sing rather than play bass.

What u think am i right?

Not even close

You "can" spend a lot of money on bass gear... or not. You "can" also spend lots of money on guitar, keyboards, drums, etc... easily as much or more than a bass. And if you're a vocalist you can spend tons of money on hair products.

Keyboard players are from another planet. Bass players are from right here on Earth... usually New Jersey or somewhere in the Tri-State area.

**HeavyDuty** · #14 01-17-2005, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milo

What u think am i right?

i think u posted in the wrong forum.

Moved.

Frank Martin · #15 01-17-2005, 08:09 AM

Hmm

Look at bowed instruments. There are cheap learning instruments, but if you want decent or good stuff, you have to shell out thousands for it.

Also there are brass instruments. I could hardly believe what some of them cost.

Figjam · #16 01-17-2005, 08:17 AM

I think in the end, all of the main band instruments kind of equal out. I think guitar might be the cheapest, persay, if you only buy one good guitar and say a halfstack. The thing is, with guitarists, many become like TBers, and buy many guitars.

Drums are pretty expensive. My drummer has spent the same amount of money on his kit as i have spent on bass gear in general. I now have a killer setup for the amunt of time ive been playing (few years, Musicman Sterling into Ashdown/Avatar half stack), and he has a Pearl kit with a completely decked out supply of cymbals; all top of the line sabian. (HHX stage hi hats, AAXplosion 18" crash, AA medium crash, AA 21" dry ride, 19" Paragon china, 8" paragon splash, 10" paragon splash, and a stack made of a zildjian splash and a sabian china splash).

Our guitarist has spent the least amount of money on gear. He currently has a Godin LG SP90 guitar (nice guitar, yet very affordable at around $500 or so) some pedals (wah, whammy ($200) ) and a fender 2x12 combo ($300). It just happens to work out that way, but not with everyone.

Sorry my post was long and pointless. Props if you read it all.

Passinwind · #17 01-17-2005, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

+1 the drums are the most expensive instrument out there + the drumkit amplification thats usually very expensive.

Ermmm, not really! Try posting to the Double Bass forum for a little sticker shock. None of my friends who are serious DB Players are in for much under $20K. Or, try pricing out a good grand piano...

BOOM_chucker · #18 01-17-2005, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milo

(edited)

good or semi profesional bass -1000 $
good combo(u must feel the bas)for begining and first gig-1000$
strings-from 30$ up
bass- 3000 $
rig-from 3000$ up...
[/b]

playing a funky groove and watchin' the audience move...
... priceless.

It's not about the cost, it's about the luuuuuv of what you do.

I'm getting back into playing after 12 years because I miss sending those deep, soul shakin' sounds out over the audience and having them luv it. If you can do that with inexpensive gear, great. If you spend a lot on your stuff, fine. Good on you if you can afford it.

Bassists ARE from another world, because we come from that special place that draws us to this instrument, and this sound, and what we can do with it.

And when I'm really into it, it's another beautiful day on planet bass...

Brendan · #19 01-17-2005, 12:52 PM

You don't have to get a "nice" drum kit that costs $2-3K. A decent kit can be had for much less than $1000, and cymbals are what you make of them. You don't need 8 of the buggers.

I'm getting into drums, and I think I'm going to get in the door with a pretty decent kit at around $600, including a double bass pedal, a new set of heads, and iffin my dimes are squeezed, a couple cymbals of the not-"included in the package" quality.

vene-nemesis · #20 01-17-2005, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Passinwind

Ermmm, not really! Try posting to the Double Bass forum for a little sticker shock. None of my friends who are serious DB Players are in for much under $20K. Or, try pricing out a good grand piano...

but thats because the DB is huge and it involves much more work to make it, and needs more wood + all the pieces that DB luthiers have to make that BG luthiers dont.