bass question

[Flashburn]

hello

I'm new around here,, picked up rocksmith and a cheap used ibanez after more than 20 year since i dabbled with bass as a teenager and I'm having alot of fun but im interested in upgrading to a better bass but I was wondering at what price range would the increased performance per dollar begin to diminish

[logans59]

A lot of the lower-end basses vary in quality. There are some Squier VM Jazz basses that are way better than there Mexican counterparts (and some will say they are better than some Americans). SX (Essex) basses are the same. More than anything you should just try and play as many as you can before you make a purchase. IME price is not an absolute indicator of quality. Play what you like and feels good in your hands

[bassbully]

If I am new I would look no further than the CV series of Squiers. Best bang for buck bass out there and a perfectly good giging bass right out of the box...well after a string change and setup that is all for less than $400.00.

[mystic38]

which cheap used ibanez do you have?.. there are a huge bunch of great basses from Ibanez that are <= $300 used... and tbh to get a substantially better bass than some of them puts you up in the $600-$1000 category

[Flashburn]

Originally Posted by mystic38

which cheap used ibanez do you have?.. there are a huge bunch of great basses from Ibanez that are <= $300 used... and tbh to get a substantially better bass than some of them puts you up in the $600-$1000 category

Ibanez gio soundgear

[MonkeyBass]

Yeah the Gios are kinda wonky sometimes. Ibanez make great bang-for-the-buck basses. Look into the 500 to 900 series. Those are decent instruments and you'll be happy with one.

[Diesel Kilgore]

I dont know which Gio you have. But I have a GSR200 and I really like it. They are good basses and IMO on par with VM Squier's. The bridge is a better design. The tuners are cheap looking but hold tune better than my Jag. The tone is great and the active bass boost is a nice feature.

I bought mine for $90 used. If it broke or got stolen I would buy another.

However you can't go wrong with a VM or CV Squier either. Alot of budget basses these days are of great quality. Maybe not the budget Deans or Rogues. But if I were to go budget it would be SX, Squier VM/CV or Ibanez (not starter pack Gio).

[mystic38]

Anything 500 and above...

SR500 ..bartolini pickups...light body
SRA500..bigger body, emg pickups (i have this)
SRX500..biggerer body, chunky soap bar pickups..sheer weighty bass sound..

SR line is most popular.. and used a great buy

Originally Posted by Flashburn

Ibanez gio soundgear

[khutch]

Personally I think the bang for buck peaks at around $300-$500 dollars. Above that more money definitely buys you more bass but a $1000 bass isn't twice the instrument that a $500 bass is. I think that above about $2500 the bang/buck ratio drops off quite a bit, at least in terms of performance. Above that range you tend to get exotic materials and exquisite craftsmanship. Works of art in other words. Now it would be wrong to dismiss those items as worthless. It is just that most people who ask this question are more interested in performance and most of the performance you will ever get can be had for $2500 or less. When it comes to spending my own money I have so far always gone for basses priced a bit above the peak bang/buck point because I appreciate the extras in spite of the price. Every bass I own was in the $600-$1000 range when new. Of course two of them were purchased used and cost less than that. Used basses upset the apple cart and are quite the bargain if they are in good condition.

Ken

[Baird6869]

I think 700-900 (used) is the best range to start looking at pro series guitars.

A Fender American Standard P or J, a Stingray and an Ibanez SR1405 Premium are all in this range and are all gig worthy and top quality pro basses.

You can pay over $2k for a Fender Deluxe, SR Family Reserve or an Ibanez Prestige.... But you are paying for aesthetics at that point mainly.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Flashburn

hello
I was wondering at what price range would the increased performance per dollar begin to diminish

Almost immediately.

Seriously.

And "price range" is ENTIRELY dictated by your shopping ability.

I don't know what you mean by "performance," but quality is largely a matter of pure chance, clear up to custom shop gear.

Sorry, but that's the plain, factual truth -- not opinion.

There are no shortcuts. You have to shop hard and go through a lot of crappy basses, at any price point.

Whatever you get, excellent setup is the key to a great playing instrument.

[Flashburn]

Originally Posted by khutch

Personally I think the bang for buck peaks at around $300-$500 dollars. Above that more money definitely buys you more bass but a $1000 bass isn't twice the instrument that a $500 bass is. I think that above about $2500 the bang/buck ratio drops off quite a bit, at least in terms of performance. Above that range you tend to get exotic materials and exquisite craftsmanship. Works of art in other words. Now it would be wrong to dismiss those items as worthless. It is just that most people who ask this question are more interested in performance and most of the performance you will ever get can be had for $2500 or less. When it comes to spending my own money I have so far always gone for basses priced a bit above the peak bang/buck point because I appreciate the extras in spite of the price. Every bass I own was in the $600-$1000 range when new. Of course two of them were purchased used and cost less than that. Used basses upset the apple cart and are quite the bargain if they are in good condition.

Ken

Thanks that's exactly what I was wanting to know.

[hrodbert696]

There's no real way to quantify "quality," by definition, but I use a rule of thumb that basically every time you double the price you get a 10% increase in quality. A $400 bass would be 10% better than a $200 one, an $800 10% better than that, a $1600 one 10% better than that... etc.

Another way to think of it is that beginner basses are $100-300, medium-range hobbyist basses are $300-800, working pro basses are $800-1600, and premium/boutique basses run $1600 and up.

But really, just go to a store, start trying stuff out, maybe find a TB get-together (GTG) in your area, and see what you like that you can afford.

[ejaggers]

I'm truly surprised that no one has mentioned the best bang for the buck. At the moment, USA Peavey’s are the highest quality bass for very little money. People are beginning the figure this out, and I’ve noticed prices are creeping up a bit. I bought a ’97 Axcelerator for $160 with a 2 Tek bridge. These were $900 new. I’m not an active bass kindda guy, but this was a steal, and I had $$$ left over for a few mods (vintage knobs, and custom PG)



057912

[That Sustain]

You're best bet is to skip the whole bang for buck struggle..and buy a used U.S. Fender. A good Precision can do any gig, from metal to country. That's a good investment.

[hotsauce n eggs]

In my time, I've owned a decent range of instruments(from some uber cheap noname copycats all the way up to a wicked sweet Fender American Jazz, never could justify the price tags of a Ric or Modulus though). IMHO, as long as you get a bass with a good solid construction, you can upgrade everything else if you feel the need. You can always swap out pickups, pots, tuners, bridges, or any other piece of bolt on equipment if you feel that something is lacking on your bass, and it will probably be cheaper than buying a completely brand new axe at the price range in question.

Also don't forget that you can do a lot to get a desired sound out of an instrument, I've seen people do things on basses that most folks will say you "can't" do on them. With the right strings, hardware, EQ settings, and effects pedals, you can do just about anything with a decently constructed bass.

I think a lot of people who think that you have to spend a thousand bucks on a gigworthy bass do so out of a sort of placebo effect. Cal-tech did a study where they gave a bunch of subjects different glasses of wine, despite two different glasses containing the same wine, the subjects were told that one glass contained more expensive wine than the other, and the "more expensive" glass of wine was consistently regarded as better tasting by the subjects.

If you go online and look up reviews of different instruments(less well known and more midrange ones, not any that sell in the multi-thousand dollar range) chances are, there will not be a standard consensus on whether the sound of the bass is good or not, some will claim that it is too dull, or quiet, others say that it cuts right through, some will say that it's alright but not their best bass, and others will compare it favorably to some really expensive bass already in their possession. After you get past basics like electrical crackling and humming and whatnot, the question of sound quality is largely that of taste and skill. There is only so much difference between a $2500 high end axe and a decently built $200 entry level bass.