What do you get for a more expensive bass?

[C.Linton]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

We got here even quicker than usual. Next post will be from someone that will put his Squier up against any Fodera.

And if someone says they like their Squier better, who is anyone to tell them they're wrong? Surely the Fodera on paper is a better bass, but if the sound and feel of a Fodera isn't as well liked to someone as their much cheaper bass, that's all that matters. To them, the Fodera is not as good, and in that case, as I said, they are not wrong. Try not to be so dismissive of other people's tastes.

[pklima]

Y'know, I wonder what would happen if I used a Fodera for one set and a Squier for another. then polled the audience about which bass they think cost more money.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

We got here even quicker than usual. Next post will be from someone that will put his Squier up against any Fodera.

I bet if it was Joey Bagadonuts on the Fodera and Victor Wooten on the Squire, its would be very hard to tell which bass was which.

Players matter and the tipping point for a elite player is going to be way different than the tipping point of the average Joe or less than average Joe. That's why its so personal to each player.

[kevteop]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

We got here even quicker than usual. Next post will be from someone that will put his Squier up against any Fodera.

I'm all for concise quoting to save space but on this occasion you took my sentence out of context so you could make a cynical complaint about it.

My point was that you shouldn't give too much credence to other peoples' opinions of gear because if you can't tell the difference yourself then the difference is not worth your money.

[phillybass101]

lets say you walk into an exclusive restaurant and then Michael Jordan walks into the same restaurant. You both order the same meal. When it comes time to pay, who do you think pays more? In the end you both have the same meal, but it just costs one of you more. As an unkown you can have what the famous players have but you may end up paying more than they did for the same axe. I say play what you can afford. It's your money not mine. When it comes to a choice of axe I pay attention to what people say but I make that decision myself.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by phillybass101

lets say you walk into an exclusive restaurant and then Michael Jordan walks into the same restaurant. You both order the same meal. When it comes time to pay, who do you think pays more? In the end you both have the same meal, but it just costs one of you more. As an unkown you can have what the famous players have but you may end up paying more than they did for the same axe. I say play what you can afford. It's your money not mine. When it comes to a choice of axe I pay attention to what people say but I make that decision myself.

This "example" makes no sense except for the last line.

[scottfeldstein]

Higher quality materials and craftsmanship translate into more durability, better sound and superior feel. Usually. But there is a point of diminishing returns, where you pay more but only get slightly more value. I think the sweet spot, where you get the most bang per buck, is between $600 and $1500. After that, you can get better bases for more money--but they often aren't that much better.

[Bassmunnky]

Research where the information means something. Music Man and Roger Sadowsky both do things with the necks...well..you look

Music Man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_oXBvr8AhU

Sadowsky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSJtt41VLKo

[klokker]

I have an old Ibanez Roadgear bass that I bought for $375 new. It plays just as well as my more expensive G&L and Fender USA models.

But it just looks cheaper, and sounds a bit "thinner"....can't quite describe it. After a few years the input jack started popping and a wire came unsoldered somewhere in the pre-amp that took a while to find an fix.

I've thought about modding it with better electronics.....but it plays great.

[RoeyHaviv]

A Hyundai will get you from point a to point b just as well as a Mercedes, but which one would you rather drive?

[BassSurfer]

Cheaper basses of lesser quality SOMETIMES are great basses and are proven gems but when I first purchased my first "real" bass I INSTANTLY felt, heard, and gelled with the differences right away. But don't let this take away from the fact that some basses in the lower price ranges are still VERY good and can be used for recording, jamming, and gigs. My motto (which is a very common one on here) is buy the best bass you can afford whether it be used, or new (although I PERSONALLY recommend used on TB )

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by C.Linton

To them, the Fodera is not as good, and in that case, as I said, they are not wrong. Try not to be so dismissive of other people's tastes.

We can argue about what "better" means, but I can't think of any objective criteria where a Squier would be better than a Fodera. I didn't say anything about people's tastes. I drove an old Ford Bronco that I liked better than my brother's mercedes, but that didn't make it a better vehicle, I just liked it better.

Originally Posted by pklima

Y'know, I wonder what would happen if I used a Fodera for one set and a Squier for another. then polled the audience about which bass they think cost more money.

Nobody would know, but the point of the thread is about the bass, not the player. All this tells me is that if you are as good a Victor, play anything you want. The rest of us need all the help we can get.

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

I bet if it was Joey Bagadonuts on the Fodera and Victor Wooten on the Squire, its would be very hard to tell which bass was which.

Again, who is playing the bass is not relevant to the value of the bass, just what it is worth to that person. I wouldn't trade any of my basses for a top of the line Alembic, but that doesn't mean that they are more valuable or better than the Alembic, just that I like them better.

Finally, I'm not busting on anybody's choice of bass, but just because someone likes and prefers their inexpensive bass, it doesn't make it better than a high end bass.

EDIT

I've read enough of these threads to know that if someone thinks their Squier is better than a Boutique bass, no one will convince them otherwise.

[DwaynieAD]

I can speak to comparing squiers to MIM fenders to MIA fenders:

when upgrading from squier to MIM you get the bragging rights of it saying "Fender" on the headstock
When Upgrading from MIM to MIA it looks much much prettier

all three sound great and play well

I can also speak of Musicman SUB, Musicman Stingray, Sterling Ray34 and Sterling SUB:

same deal, the more expensive they get the prettier they are still all sounding great and playing well

any other companies I haven't invested the play time to comment on.

[DiabolusInMusic]

Originally Posted by tastybasslines

I bet if it was Joey Bagadonuts on the Fodera and Victor Wooten on the Squire, its would be very hard to tell which bass was which.

Players matter and the tipping point for a elite player is going to be way different than the tipping point of the average Joe or less than average Joe. That's why its so personal to each player.

You as a listener might not be able to tell the difference between the two, but I assure the two guys actually playing them with their hands will feel a world of difference. I haven't played a Fodera but I have played a PILE of Squiers, I have yet to see one even compete on MIM level let alone MIA level, so I have a hard time believing anybody would pick them over a Fodera for anything more than financial reasons. I have never seen a Squier with even good fretwork let alone great fretwork.

I personally think you can be paying for quality features and woods up to around $2500, up to around $4000 you are paying for an actual person to work on your bass, beyond that you are paying for rare woods and I got what you can't factor. I think there is a world of difference between basses under $800 and those priced $801-$1500. Mostly having to do with the quality of work put into the bass.

[cchorney]

I think beyond a certain point ($1000-ish?) you are buying prestige. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've played some killer Squiers, Fenders MIMs and MIJs, Washburns, Epiphones, G+L, Warwick, etc, and none of them cost over $1000 new.

Yes, more money will move you into a bass with higher end electronics and pricier woods, and maybe with better hardware (or maybe not), but fit and finish on most mid-priced mass produced basses these days is excellent. And will your hands or ears notice the difference? Maybe. Will it make you happier having it (vs having the money saved)? Maybe.

[tastybasslines]

Originally Posted by DiabolusInMusic

You as a listener might not be able to tell the difference between the two, but I assure the two guys actually playing them with their hands will feel a world of difference. I haven't played a Fodera but I have played a PILE of Squiers, I have yet to see one even compete on MIM level let alone MIA level, so I have a hard time believing anybody would pick them over a Fodera for anything more than financial reasons. I have never seen a Squier with even good fretwork let alone great fretwork.

I personally think you can be paying for quality features and woods up to around $2500, up to around $4000 you are paying for an actual person to work on your bass, beyond that you are paying for rare woods and I got what you can't factor. I think there is a world of difference between basses under $800 and those priced $801-$1500. Mostly having to do with the quality of work put into the bass.

I agree - I just think that someone who can really play will find allot more value in a high end bass whereas an average player cannot appreciate it in the same way. This is why I feel that the baseline of quality/value for the median player will be on average, a lower price point than Fodera players and the like.

[thlayli]

Originally Posted by DiabolusInMusic

You as a listener might not be able to tell the difference between the two, but I assure the two guys actually playing them with their hands will feel a world of difference. I haven't played a Fodera but I have played a PILE of Squiers, I have yet to see one even compete on MIM level let alone MIA level, so I have a hard time believing anybody would pick them over a Fodera for anything more than financial reasons. I have never seen a Squier with even good fretwork let alone great fretwork.

I personally think you can be paying for quality features and woods up to around $2500, up to around $4000 you are paying for an actual person to work on your bass, beyond that you are paying for rare woods and I got what you can't factor. I think there is a world of difference between basses under $800 and those priced $801-$1500. Mostly having to do with the quality of work put into the bass.

I think you've got it. I've played Foderas, and own a Pedulla. I would settle for a Squier... they don't suck... but there's no comparison at all. There's a serious difference in price points between the more affordable, the high-end, and the boutique basses, and the differences in workmanship, quality of materials, and the whole je ne sais quois of the instruments are very noticeable to someone who's knowledgeable about instruments.

[El-Bob]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Higher quality materials and craftsmanship translate into more durability, better sound and superior feel. Usually. But there is a point of diminishing returns, where you pay more but only get slightly more value. I think the sweet spot, where you get the most bang per buck, is between $600 and $1500. After that, you can get better bases for more money--but they often aren't that much better.

+1, I absolutely agree with this, even with your range of diminishing returns. (I say this having paid $2000 for my main bass, on a pretty serious sale). There's a point to which improvements are objective and obvious in terms of quality, sound, and feel... then past the diminishing returns it becomes more about personal preference and finding exactly what you want in a bass.

[pklima]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

Nobody would know, but the point of the thread is about the bass, not the player. All this tells me is that if you are as good a Victor, play anything you want. The rest of us need all the help we can get.

OK, I shouldn't have mentioned playing, should have just said something about them sitting on stands before the show. I'm just idly wondering whether either one looks more expensive than the other. I think that would be a fun experiment.

Originally Posted by cchorney

I think beyond a certain point ($1000-ish?) you are buying prestige.

Prestige is a good thing. Even the Squier logo carries a bit of prestige, at least in poorer countries. The unfortunate part is that it's almost entirely prestige that only other musicians will "get". I'm not sure if that's worth it.

[ffutterman]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Higher quality materials and craftsmanship translate into more durability, better sound and superior feel. Usually. But there is a point of diminishing returns, where you pay more but only get slightly more value. I think the sweet spot, where you get the most bang per buck, is between $600 and $1500. After that, you can get better bases for more money--but they often aren't that much better.

+1, I Agree 100%

The difference between cheap and expensive basses is a lot like the difference between thrift store and designer clothes. The pants from K-Mart will have buttons that are slightly askew, fabric that's not too comfortable, and make that "swish" sound every time you walk. Designer clothes would be more comfortable, look better, and have fewer quirks. That said, you could make the argument that they both cover what needs to be covered and everything else is irrelevant.