What influences brand consideration?

[fish slapper]

Hi there:

Another poll from the MBA student. This one is what influences to even consider a brand of bass.

[T. Alan Smith]

None of the above.
Consistency -only.

[BurningSkies]

Sound, feel and look.

Builders or companies that have an engineering philosophy that dovetails with my desires and beliefs.

[fish slapper]

Originally Posted by T. Alan Smith

None of the above.
Consistency -only.

Yeah, but I'm talking about before it's even in your hands. If you consider a particular brand "consistant." How do you know that. How was that communicated to you.

[SoonerMatt]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

Sound, feel and look.

Builders or companies that have an engineering philosophy that dovetails with my desires and beliefs.

/thread. Picking a bass for any other reason is superfluous and I'm sure we've all made that mistake in the past.

[Grateful]

None of the above.

Feel x tone x budget = purchase. Don't care who makes it or who plays it.

[domestique]

None of the above. I chose Dingwall because of the technology behind the fanned fret and 37" B string.

There are no other makers out there that off the features I want.

If I had to pick one it would be "history of the brand" as I am including "research and development" into the history.

[KingRazor]

Carrots.

I try out a variety of basses at music stores and generally develop my brand biases based on how their instruments performed off the shelf.

However, I continue to play instruments even by brands I thought negatively of to get a better opinion of them.

Through this method I came to like Ibanez the best when it comes to mass-produced instruments. Their quality has been very consistent. I know that I can go into nearly any guitar shop and pick up an SR505 and know that it will play well and so far this has always been true.

In my experience, another brand that has been consistently high quality is Fender, but only in regards to their MIA models. Their MIM models have been all over the place, from unplayable to even better than MIA at times. Squier has been far more consistent than MIM Fenders in my experience, but only in regard to their CV and VM lines.

EBMM has been pretty consistent as well. 4 out of 5 EBMM Sterlings are perfectly playable off the wall despite the number of teenagers who have handled them.

I can't speak for USA G&L basses, but their tribute series I'd compare to MIM Fenders. Some are amazing, but some are nothing to write home about. However, I'd put them on a level above MIM Fenders because even the worst ones are still playable.

Other brands I've played too few of to have a solid opinion about.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by domestique

None of the above. I chose Dingwall because of the technology behind the fanned fret and 37" B string.

There are no other makers out there that off the features I want.

Before buying a Dingwall, I knew about the bass up and down, in and out. I did my research, to make sure it would be in the ballpark of the sound I wanted. Sheldon's build philosophy and engineering echoed my sentiment about what I believe to be true about the physics and engineering of an instrument, and his end conclusions matched what I was wanting to feel and hear. All anecdotal evidence supported that (first hand accounts of players, industry reviews).

[DigitalMan]

I think at a certain point it becomes the nebulous word "experience". This comes in all shapes and forms. Learning from success and failure both personally and vicariously. There is also the relatively new phenomenon of group-sourcing through TB and other forums. One used to have to spend hours everyday at the music store to gather a fraction of the perspective that you can get on TB in a few minutes. Then again, even with TB it's experience. Getting to know the tendencies of certain posters to find the ones that have similar tastes and values to your own takes time.

Having said that, brands in music don't change as quickly as it might seem. They all face the same decisions when it comes to cost versus quality. Generally speaking, people vote with their dollars and you get what you pay for. I think it's far more common these days to find surprisingly good at lower price points as opposed to overpriced crap. The market doesn't tolerate overpriced crap as much as it used to.

Just my two cents.

[sevdog]

Originally Posted by Grateful

None of the above.

Feel x tone x budget = purchase. Don't care who makes it or who plays it.

Feel x tone x budget

I would agree that these 3 things come into play before brand but brand comes into the equation.

Don't care who makes it or who plays it.

Don't care who plays it. Who makes it though does come into play. I don't buy meat from companies that mistreat illegal immigrants and small farmers and I buy bass amps from Larry Hartke...and tons of other scenarios in between.

[jwj1701]

I'm going to say brand history because that' kind if the way I am. My televisions are both Panasonic, my cameras have always been nikon. I've had Wasburn, Peavey, Ibanez and Fender basses. Fender is where ive settled. When I find something I like and it works for me, I'm pretty loyal. Kind of like people.

[KingRazor]

I re-read your original question and realized you're asking what makes us consider a brand.

I'll stick to my original post if you are asking what makes me consider purchasing a brand.

However, if you're simply talking about trying a particular brand, than recommendations from other players is one reason.

The biggest reason, however, for me is the aesthetics of the brand's instruments.

[ghostdog93]

I wish I had the Interwebs around when I was doing my master's degree coursework.

[bassgod0dmw]

None of the above

Does company 'X' make what I want? If yes I consider them, if no I move along.

[darkstorm]

None of the choices given has any real influence on me for deciding if I like a bass or not. Thats based on playability, sound, and looks. Rather then the artificial, not thinking for oneself choices your poll gives. Your previous post on the subject was better approach imo.

[fish slapper]

Originally Posted by KingRazor

I re-read your original question and realized you're asking what makes us consider a brand.

Yeah, you've hit it head on. I am interested in the FIRST consideration. Why even give a brand a chance.

Yes, none of us would buy a bass without trying it and getting to the experiential part of the process. This is before that.

Thanks,

Mark

[topcat2069]

After I narrowed down the brands.. it was all about the weight...

I went with Lakland over G&L

[VanillaThundah]

It's kind of hard, because anybody with half a brain is open to a good bass no matter what the brand is. Now tone can be assessed in MANY different ways, but I generally hear someone else play a bass and if I like their tone, I further consider the brand and pursue trying them for myself...I research until I am able to get my hands on it.

Great example...Wal and Fodera. Both are quite well-made instruments and both are played by bassists I know and admire a great deal (Justin Chancellor and Victor Wooten). After watching a video of Victor Wooten playing, I have to say that I wasn't very impressed with the tone of Fodera for my needs as a bassist. Hearing Justin Chancellor's tone from Tool albums and then later seeing others playing Wal basses on youtube showed that there is a signature sound to Wal basses that sits well with me. If some random dude on the street was rocking a Wal, I believe I would like the sound of it regardless of who is playing it.

The question you are asking is understandable, but most of us would agree that hearing and liking the tone is what makes us consider a brand. Prior to hearing it, it's just that...a brand on a headstock. I have a hard time answering this because other than playing it myself, the only other way I am exposed to a bass is by another bassist playing it or me seeing it played in a sound clip/video on the web. Word of mouth does little for me, as taste in tone is like taste in women...very subjective lol


**EDIT - I ended up voting for "recommendation of other players" because I do utilize Talkbass a LOT when I want to inquire about anything. It can be subjective, but I usually filter the opinions. If someone is really talking up G&L's or Warwicks, I will definitely look into them.

[domestique]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

Before buying a Dingwall, I knew about the bass up and down, in and out. I did my research, to make sure it would be in the ballpark of the sound I wanted. Sheldon's build philosophy and engineering echoed my sentiment about what I believe to be true about the physics and engineering of an instrument, and his end conclusions matched what I was wanting to feel and hear. All anecdotal evidence supported that (first hand accounts of players, industry reviews).

I hope yo udon't think I was saying anything bad about Dingwalls.... I agree with your comments.

I actually first heard of Dingwall from your Rasta bass when I was in the market for a 5 string. After much research on Sheldon's build techniques and the science behind fanned frets and the 37" B I bought my ABI sight unseen.

I now have an order for a Z3 coming this May