Expert advice: Why would you buy?

[scubaduba]

I'm in the market for a new instrument to supplement my Lakland 55-02. Love the Lakland. Punchy and versatile.

I need expert input here from all of you.
Why do people buy the bass they buy? I mean, certainly playing the instruments and making sure its the right "fit and feel" is important. But so much of which instruments we gravitate towards is influenced by peers, what we read, brand stereotypes, what our idols play etc.

So with that here's some questions.
1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon?

2) Why would you consider a brand like G&L or Fender?

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses?

I've owned Ken Smith, G&L, Warrior, Elrick, Tobias, Lakland, Peavey and others in my past. To date the Ken Smith, Elrick, and Lakland have done the most for me. But now I need something different than my Lakland and I'm shopping again.

[Bassdirty]

Well usually, its something I wanted, or needed....and then if the price is right.

Sometimes the price is so good you can't refuse.(usually not the case with me, as I'm poor.)

If I want a fender..I get one..if the price is right.(I have one..the price was right..and I wanted one.)

I would not pay hight $ for a boutique bass.(unless the price was right)
Now if I had too much money, and had to get rid of some...maybe, but I buy my basses to play..at gigs...so It would suck to buy suttin really expensive, and have suttin happen to it.
(then again, if $ was not an object, I wouldnt care..and all my basses would prolly be expensive)

[N.F.A.]

I have bought and sold lots of basses just to try them out. (Rics, Ibanez, Fender, Stingrays, Peaveys, Gibson, Lightwave, Clement etc.) Most of them weren't readily available in stores and I was curious. I would buy a few of them again, but most of them weren't my thing, for various reasons.

[tjclem]

It may help for you to check out what TB members are in your area, e-mail them see what they play and go check them out. Just a thought....t

[worxforme]

I still love a well set up USA G&L 2500. Strung through with the right strings and a great amp it kills and it is so inexpensive. All the tones I ask it for, it delivers.

Mileage will vary.

[BassChuck]

What I need and the price are the main thoughts for me.

Personally it would take a darn good reason to pay more than $800 for a bass..... a really darn good reason. IMHO most purchases of boutique basses have to do with things that are not necessarily part of music. I know owners will deny that, but that's what I think.

Currently I'm using a Sanatoga P-bass copy I got on eBay for $36.00. I put a fretless neck on it and Nordstrand pups and it plays and sounds great... I guess that's $250 total.

I also have a MIM P-bass that I like, I recall buying that new for about $350.

Someone would need to show me what I'd get for spending more.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by scubaduba

1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon?

A Zon instrument is pretty unique. If you have heard them and like the "Zon" sound, that would probably be the most compelling reason to buy one. They are of exceptional build quality. You should expect a level of quality much like the other top-end, high-dollar stuff.

I have played a few Zons and have a ridiculous fetish for Modulus basses. I have owned four. The composite neck does offer a unique feel and tone. It makes for an extremely stable instrument that is not nearly as fickle with a setup. They also tend to play very clearly all over the neck. The built quality and the nature of the design are such that you should expect a very long-lasting, work-horse type of bass.

Originally Posted by scubaduba

2) Why would you consider a brand like G&L or Fender?

I have always seen Fender, and to a lesser extent G&L, as the Chevy pickup of the bass world. They are dependable, predictable and expendable. IMO, the best thing about a Fender is that they are common. I have owned at least a dozen and never had the slightest worry about what happened to any of them. No matter what, there is another one out there. You always know what to expect and can be almost certainly guaranteed to be accepted in any circle with a bass like that. They work any time, all the time, for any thing.

Originally Posted by scubaduba

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses?

I think the best thing about these basses is the experience of buying and owning. I have never actually ordered one to personal specs, but I have owned two NYC Sadowskys, a Pedulla, a Roscoe and even had a short stint with a U.S. Lakland. I just received a Dingwall, and it holds its own in all areas of comparison with any of the others mentioned. The significant elevation in quality of craftsmanship and attention to detail is pretty obvious over the vast majority of production basses. That may or may not hold value for you.

If you go this route, you have the enjoyment of owning something unique. Depending on the specs you select, to some degree you have a one-off bass. Because there is so much hands-on craftsmanship, every bass is a unique animal. I always appreciated the fact that with these basses, someone truly considered and appreciated every nuance of it before it found my home.

Further the successful boutique shops all have the highest level of customer service and support after the sale. I know there are others, but when you deal with places like Sadowsky, Dingwall or Nordstrand, you actually communicate with the guy whose name is on the headstock. That's pretty impressive. The very thought of saying "Roger Sadowsky built this bass for me" is pretty cool.

The only real question is whether it is worth the significant expense. Only you can answer that. And as we all know, the extent to which it is "significant" is relative.

[zachoff]

1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon? No, they're too expensive and the two that I've played didn't blow my mind

2) Why would you consider a brand like Fender? Because everywhere you go sound guys and studio engineers will be able to dial you in with relative ease. G&L? Because of the phat toanz that come out of them.

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses? I wouldn't. I buy inexpensive basses and rock the crap out of them.

[baileyboy]

I love the tone of vintage Fenders. I suppose the current ones are good, too, however I have acquired some amazing basses- '73 J, '75 and '79 Ps over the years. They all have monster tone and never let me down, especially the '75. I have owned Vantage, Pevey, Hondo and Ric before, but none of them did much for me. I really dislike Rics- really well-crafted, but lack that bottom that the P has.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by BassChuck

. . . IMHO most purchases of boutique basses have to do with things that are not necessarily part of music. I know owners will deny that, but that's what I think. . . .

That is always going to be true to some extent. But, your statement is no different that saying that buying Car X has nothing to do with driving or buying Coat X has nothing to do with staying warm.

I don't need my air conditioned, leather seats, nav-equipped SUV to commute to work everyday, but it does improve the experience.

[lomo]

Like just about everything else we humans do, buying a bass is mostly irrational desire, mixed with a large dollop of rationalization. There is some logic based on filling a perceived need, but that's rarely the whole story.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by lomo

Like just about everything else we humans do, buying a bass is mostly irrational desire, mixed with a large dollop of rationalization. There is some logic based on filling a perceived need, but that's rarely the whole story.

About 6-7 years ago, I came this same conclusion, and since then I make no pretensions. I know from the beginning that the whole bass experience is a want.

Some guys want bass boats or Harleys. Some would rather smoke or drink it all away. Others just leave in the bank for the rainy day that may or may not come.

If a $100,000 bass makes ME happier when I play it than does a $800 bass, then it is part of the music -- my music.

[Coop Soup]

Originally Posted by scubaduba

I'm in the market for a new instrument to supplement my Lakland 55-02. Love the Lakland. Punchy and versatile.

I need expert input here from all of you.
Why do people buy the bass they buy? I mean, certainly playing the instruments and making sure its the right "fit and feel" is important. But so much of which instruments we gravitate towards is influenced by peers, what we read, brand stereotypes, what our idols play etc.

So with that here's some questions.
1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon?

2) Why would you consider a brand like G&L or Fender?

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses?

I've owned Ken Smith, G&L, Warrior, Elrick, Tobias, Lakland, Peavey and others in my past. To date the Ken Smith, Elrick, and Lakland have done the most for me. But now I need something different than my Lakland and I'm shopping again.

Honestly I think a Fender P would complement your Lakland a lot. You've already got modern tones covered with the Lakland and you could get some old school vibe with a Fender P. They are cheap, reliable and plentiful on the used market. The P might come in handy in the studio. Just my .02.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by scubaduba

...Why do people buy the bass they buy?...

1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon?

2) Why would you consider a brand like G&L or Fender?

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses?...

I buy basses that sound good or at least have a distinctive tonal character. A few examples:

I bought a 35" scale passive MM pickup MTD Kingston (the old 2-knob version) because I heard one and it had more growl than anything I had ever heard.

I bought a Sadowsky because it could make every sound I needed live or in the studio when I was getting paid.

I bought a used RW Jazz because I think they are the best sounding and feeling Jazz basses for the money ($675!)

I bought a Lakland 55-01D because I needed a 5er, it sounded better than a 55-02 (IMHO), and the B string was the best I'd heard.

I bought a Valenti because I needed a 5-string fretless for Jazz gigs I was doing a lot of at the time.

I bought a Dan Electro/Silvertone Dolphin Nose (1963, IIRC) because I am a sentimental fool—it was the first kind of bass I every played for more than a few minutes.

I bought a 1991 MIJ '51 RI P-bass because I wanted a single-coil for rock that was not my '55 and that looked like a bass I remember fondly.

The last two are the only ones that I think I bought for essentially non-musical reasons, and it shows. They rarely get played, but all the others are out all the time. My advice is to get something that is musically compelling to you, whatever that may be.

[Syco_bass]

#7 +1

Well said Chas.

I will add this. If you have the experience and the knowledge to build your own and want a "boutique" bass without the boutique price, I highly recommend using Warmoth parts. I've built two basses so far using their necks and bodies. Their customer service is great and their parts are even better. Just built a 5 string 72' Pbass with top quality hardware and a Nordstrand MM5.2 pickup that surpasses anything I've ever purchased off the shelf. Best yet, It's mine all mine. I dreamed it, I orderred it, I built it, I set it up and all for less that $800 total. I'll never buy anything off the shelf again. Unless it's a vintage fender peice that is so rediculously priced I just can't refuse.

With that said, if you can afford it, it never hurts to have a J bass and a P bass in the stall for your meat and potatoe gigs and studio work. They are the standards of this industry.

[lomo]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

About 6-7 years ago, I came this same conclusion, and since then I make no pretensions. I know from the beginning that the whole bass experience is a want.

Some guys want bass boats or Harleys. Some would rather smoke or drink it all away. Others just leave in the bank for the rainy day that may or may not come.

If a $100,000 bass makes ME happier when I play it than does a $800 bass, then it is part of the music -- my music.

+1

[Spleenface92]

I bought an Alembic because I wanted one.

[Bloodhammer]

Originally Posted by N.F.A.

I have bought and sold lots of basses just to try them out. (Rics, Ibanez, Fender, Stingrays, Peaveys, Gibson, Lightwave, Clement etc.) Most of them weren't readily available in stores and I was curious. I would buy a few of them again, but most of them weren't my thing, for various reasons.

How did that Lightwave bass sound? I've always been very very curious about those...

[Thunderthumbs73]

Originally Posted by scubaduba

I need expert input here from all of you.
Why do people buy the bass they buy? I mean, certainly playing the instruments and making sure its the right "fit and feel" is important. But so much of which instruments we gravitate towards is influenced by peers, what we read, brand stereotypes, what our idols play etc.

I think the assumption that which instrument we gravitate towards is influenced by peers, read, brand stereotypes, idols, and so on, is perhaps applicable for some. Not for all, however.

I bought two basses which I wanted to use specifically for a tribute band as a practical, business matter, but with the other six basses none of those assumptions you make are applicable to me. I bought a fretless Fender jazz bass, my first bass, a good six-eight months before I'd ever heard of Jaco Pastorius, (or even Weather Report) for example.

I have been, and still believe I am quite independent about my choices, and I DO still believe if it feels good in your hands, and sounds good to your ears, then those are far and away the most important things. I advocate these notions every time I can, and to anyone who will listen.

I practice what I claim. I regularly gig with a stock Harmony brand Precision Bass copy ($40), and a stock OLP Music Man ($99). I have no idea who uses those besides me. They weren't recommended to me. I haven't read anything about these, nor do I have any brand stereotype that lead me to them. I bought them because what I believe has been consistent thoughout my time as a bassist that 15 years ago when I bought the Harmony, and last year when I bought the OLP- the primacy of feeling good and sounding good was, and always will be far more important in judging what is right for me than anything anyone else will ever tell me. No matter what form of outside influence that may come in. And that makes it great for me, because I don't come to an instrument with a bias, and I'm completely open to an instrument and what it's potential may hold for me.

[t0t0m]

1) Why would you consider a brand like Zon?

Yes, why not..but better play it first before you decide to buy it.

2) Why would you consider a brand like G&L or Fender?

No, to many players playing them

3) Why would you pay high dollars for boutique basses?

if that boutique bass is the sound that I am looking for then I'll save up to get it.