Could You Be Satisfied NEVER Owning An American Made Bass?

[nocontrols]

It seems to me that most bassists and guitarists start out with an inexpensive or relatively inexpensive foreign-made instrument but continue playing with an eye toward one day owning a pricier American-made model.

The quality of those imports is improving all the time, however, and we're now seeing a lot of guys gigging Squiers or other Korean, Indonesian and Chinese made basses without a problem or note-worthy sacrifice in quality.

At the same time, there are still a lot of bass players who adhere to the "you get what you pay for" mantra and insist that a gigging musician should play the absolute best and, for them, that often means a hand-built American-made bass. Some seem to need to own an American bass almost out of principle.

If you don't own an American bass, do you think you could be fine without one? If you do, could you replace it with something cheaper or is there no substitute? Do you think the issue is entirely pragmatic or is there also a psychological element at play?

[Tampabass]

A: yes. It's not about the bass, it's about the player.

[Goteky45]

^+1

still, there's nothing like an european bass

[nocontrols]

Another thing to consider is the economic climate here in the US and elsewhere. A lot of players might be forced to made do with cheaper gear than what they'd envisioned. Does it make a difference?

[waterboy]

I voted no simply because I really want (and I'm really close) to get a Rickenbacker. Other than that though, yeah I could live without any Made in the U.S.A. stuff.

[CTC564]

Satisfied?

Yes...

AS satisfied???

Not really

[PBnJBassist]

Yeah. MIA was never my preference to begin with; Made In Japan is!

[Raymeous]

The reality is that there are many nice instruments out there, and even a cheapy starter instrument can be gig worthy given the propper set up.

I have a $200 Squier P-Bass special with a satin walnut finish that is just too much fun to play. Flat wounds, and P+J pick ups give me a lot of different "classic" tones and fits nicely within the stereotypical "bass player" image. That being said, I also own a custom built Carvin (made 30 minutes from my home no less) that is a modern monster with 6 strings, dual EBMM style humbuckers, active/passive electronics, and all that jazz. Each has their place and function.

Are American made instruments worth the money? That all depends on who's paying for it, i.e. the musician. Is the American P-bass better built than the imported P's? Usually, but not always.

So in answer to your question; Yes I think the imports can be just as good and as viable as an American made bass for gigging, noodling, learning on, or just for the pure joy of being a musician playing some songs you love just for you.

That being said there is still a special place in my heart, patriotism if you will, that makes me happy to buy American where possible, and to help keep our business here alive and well, especially if its a small family business.

[DeliriumTremens]

This discounts things like Japanese made basses which can be as good as or exceed American basses... And cost as much.

[boynamedsuse]

In a gear-oriented group like this, I doubt that anyone would be satisfied with a compromise long term. (You've had to have seen it yourself. Someone announces "This XYZ bass I bought is the best bass I've ever owned and better than any ABC bass!!!!!" Then the coveted XYZ bass is for sale or trade in the classifieds in 6 months.) Now, whether the person believes the "best" bass is made in the U.S.A., Japan, or some other place--that's a different story.

[Shawn Luckman]

For me the deal of owning an American made bass was everything. After all the Bass Guitar was invented in America, plus my favorite bass is only made in America the Rickenbacker 4003.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by Goteky45

^+1

still, there's nothing like an european bass

I actually agree. As a whole, I prefer European basses but it seems pretty tough to get them over here unfortunately. There are many more European basses I'd rather own than American. That said my favorite bass brand is American... and is located not even an hour from my house, lol.

Concerning low-cost imports, I believe I could be happy with one but not as happy as I would with a custom instrument.

[dangnewt]

I own 4 American-made basses that cost me between $300-$600. I have owned Chinese and Japanese basses that cost me between $90-600.

My number 1 is a $500 US-made Peavey Millennium bought NOS 6 years ago (I'd be lucky to get $400 for it now, but it is not for sale). If I couldn't have it or if it didn't exist, I'd probably get the most similar bass to it I could - a Lakland Skyline 44-02 which would cost more and would certainly be more than enough bass to satisfy my simple needs.

[beggar98]

The poll assumes that a top of the line American made bass is better than a top of the line foreign made bass. I'll put my German-made Warwick up against any comparably priced American bass...

[bassman314]

I love my Korean-made Laklands.

[onosson]

I've been much happier with my MIJ Fenders than the MIA ones I've owned in the past... the only American bass I own is an EBMM.

Now, I just need to get a Godin fretless 5 so I can have a quality Canadian bass!

[Tegzsa]

I own 4 American made basses. To me, they are foreign. It really made no difference to me where they were made - they were what I wanted at the time. If I see something else I want, and have the cash, it won't really matter too much where it comes from.

[nocontrols]

Originally Posted by PBnJBassist

Yeah. MIA was never my preference to begin with; Made In Japan is!

Originally Posted by DeliriumTremens

This discounts things like Japanese made basses which can be as good as or exceed American basses... And cost as much.

Originally Posted by Kwesi

I actually agree. As a whole, I prefer European basses but it seems pretty tough to get them over here unfortunately. There are many more European basses I'd rather own than American.

Originally Posted by beggar98

The poll assumes that a top of the line American made bass is better than a top of the line foreign made bass. I'll put my German-made Warwick up against any comparably priced American bass...

True. There are European and Japanese basses, as well as basses from any number of countries that are as good and often as expensive as American made basses.

So then the country of origin is completely moot? That's what I'm getting from this poll. It's interesting because it's a topic that seems to come up a lot among guys buying instruments.

Another thing that crossed my mind: Would the results from this poll be different for guitarists?

[darthplagis]

not being american i dont see anything special with american made.

i do however have a status made in UK and a sandberg made in Germany, i also have 2 CIJ fenders and 2 probably Korean yamahas.

so i voted carrots

[CTC564]

My reply was based on European (Sandberg, Warwick) and Japanese (Yamaha)

I didn't consider imports of American companies...