$100 bass vs $10,000 bass

[Saratogacv60]

Nothing wrong with someone playing a $10K instrument (although I don't have any near that price). If a taxi driver can justify a $20,000 tool to do his job, I think $10K is pretty reasonable for someone that makes real art (or is a patron supporting someone making a nice looking piece of art. If I add up all my basses, I get to most of that figure, and I realized recently that all my basses put together cost about as much as... 1 cheap imported upright piano. Or half a pretty good bassoon.

Yo Yo Ma has a cello that's...OK, I don't know it's worth exactly, but I know that even he (the most successful cellist on the planet) can't afford it - some really rich people bought it for him to use, because they figured that instrument should be in his hands.

Then again, Jaco made some pretty spectacular art on a beat up old Fender, which, I bet in my hands, wouldn't sound so great.

I dont think its purely altruistic for the rich guy to loan out the instrument, it gains value because it was played by him.

 

[Saratogacv60]

I loved this kid a few years ago when he first started doing videos. He was young, talented, and creative.
I think the Youtube fame got the best of him and went to his head.
It's a shame that it happened because now he's become a gimmick. His shtick is overshadowing his talent.

Gotta pay the bills

 

[Son of Wobble]

I dont think its purely altruistic for the rich guy to loan out the instrument, it gains value because it was played by him.

Cynic!


(You are of course correct. And also there is the benefit of simple bragging rights for the instrument's owner).

 

[Saratogacv60]

Cynic!


(You are of course correct. And also there is the benefit of simple bragging rights for the instrument's owner).

Yup, never underestimate bragging right amungst rich people.

 

[Zonked]

Yeah but a hammer is a hammer. If it works it doesnt get any better.

Agree.

At the end of the day a bass is simply a tool. With today's modern manufacturing techniques and equipment, it is not very difficult to create a durable, ergonomic, fully professional, quality instrument for reasonable $$. Above that is prestige, looks, exclusivity. Some will pay big $$$$ for the latter. That's fine. It is their money.


As a seller I would love the buyer who believes " you get what you pay for" mentality.

As the more I charge for the the bass, the happier and more satisfied the customer will be because he believes he got a "better bass" Win win right?

Where is my next customer? Caching !!! $$$$$$$

It has been said that many pros don't preoccupy themselves with getting expensive or exotic basses. I think that for those pros they see the bass as a tool. They are not preoccupied with the tool itself; they are more concerned with what they create with that tool. That's what got them there.

Take a hammer for example. If you are carpenter, you will want a good quality hammer that is well designed (ergonomic, well balanced, durable etc). It is not to difficult to make a good solid quality hammer these days.

Now, you could also buy a hammer with a rare and exotic carved wood handle. Maybe you can have some cool inlays, and a special wood stain. The hammer head could be made of an expensive and exquisite looking metal alloy. This hammer is made with special care and attention do detail.

If you have the money you can choose either hammer for a job, but having a more a expensive hammer will not improve your hammering skills or help you build a better house.

Same with basses. Once the you reach a certain practical level of quality, comfort, durability and tone( which can be had for pretty reasonable prices now), any more money you want to spend is up to you and ok by me. I have both "cheap" bass and a custom build, and they both work on stage equally for me. As long as I am making good music the audience doesn't notice or care.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

If you see his other videos he plays figit spinner style, plays chili pepper (literal chili pepper) style, tool (literally plays with hammers ect) style ect. But he also plays lots of diiferent styles of muic.

using those doesn't change the actual music played.

 

[OldCityBassman]

Next time you watch an NFL game look at the camera lenses of the photographers on the sidelines. Those lenses run around $20K, not including the price of the camera body. So a top tier pro with a 10K bass is extremely reasonable if that's what he/she wants.

 

[WalterBush]

Yeah but a hammer is a hammer. If it works it doesnt get any better.

I would respectfully dispute this; a hammer that is better balanced for the hand using it and can thus be used longer makes the wielder more productive. A heavier hammer will drive larger nails in harder wood. A hammer that is well-suited to framing will not do as well driving furniture tacks or banging on iron. In other words, not all hammers are equal. A hammer that costs $8 at Harbor Freight may be fine for driving 8ds in flooring but will likely disintegrate or at least be incredibly uncomfortable to the point of not performing if asked to say, frame a house or drive railroad spikes. I'd say the analogy carries over into the bass world. YMMV

 

[Flaked Beans]

The people who are saying the fodera sounded better have been placeboed.

I can plug in a $50 craigslist bass as long as it works and has strings, into a berhinger PA with a parametric eq and get as good a bass sound as anything.

BTW, I had a german Warwick, and played the chinese version. Again, in blind tests, no one would be able to tell.

In blind tests, you'd be saying something else. You may think yourself immune to human psychology, but it happens every time there is a blind test. The fact that the prices of the basses were listed is a huge confirmation bias.

Only if in blind tests.

 

[nostatic]

A hammer that costs $8 at Harbor Freight may be fine for driving 8ds in flooring but will likely disintegrate or at least be incredibly uncomfortable to the point of not performing if asked to say, frame a house or drive railroad spikes. I'd say the analogy carries over into the bass world. YMMV

Anybody who calls a hammer a hammer has never had to use a hammer to make their living.

Pretty much the same with basses (with some exceptions).

And the people that talk about "blind tests" have likely never done an IRB application and ran a study.

 

[gln1955]

And the people that talk about "blind tests" have likely never done an IRB application and ran a study.

But then again, some of us have

 

[honeyiscool]

I would respectfully dispute this; a hammer that is better balanced for the hand using it and can thus be used longer makes the wielder more productive. A heavier hammer will drive larger nails in harder wood. A hammer that is well-suited to framing will not do as well driving furniture tacks or banging on iron. In other words, not all hammers are equal. A hammer that costs $8 at Harbor Freight may be fine for driving 8ds in flooring but will likely disintegrate or at least be incredibly uncomfortable to the point of not performing if asked to say, frame a house or drive railroad spikes. I'd say the analogy carries over into the bass world. YMMV

I don't know that a $4000 Custom Shop Fender bass is more durable or even more inherently capable than a $800 Classic Series Fender bass...

You could buy a perfectly good Beretta 92FS for, what, $600? But you can also buy a 92FS Limited Edition for $4000. Will the engravings help you hit a target any better? No, not really. Are cops, mercs, and soldiers carrying around engraved art pieces? No, not really. So does that mean there's no point to the more expensive product, then? Actually... you can't say that either. The more expensive gun is clearly a product that is more limited, made with more love and care, and involves more people hours and hence has more value. But we should also just acknowledge that the added dollar value doesn't actually necessarily help you perform the job any better.

 

[Spirit of Ox]

Gotta pay the bills

Yeah I remember when he first started doing videos all he had was an MIM Fender Jazz and a Flea bass.
He still uses that Jazz bass a lot though. I give him props for that.
I'm surprised he's not a member on this forum.

 

[Spirit of Ox]

I would respectfully dispute this; a hammer that is better balanced for the hand using it and can thus be used longer makes the wielder more productive. A heavier hammer will drive larger nails in harder wood. A hammer that is well-suited to framing will not do as well driving furniture tacks or banging on iron. In other words, not all hammers are equal. A hammer that costs $8 at Harbor Freight may be fine for driving 8ds in flooring but will likely disintegrate or at least be incredibly uncomfortable to the point of not performing if asked to say, frame a house or drive railroad spikes. I'd say the analogy carries over into the bass world. YMMV

As a carpenter by trade, I can vouch for that.

 

[nostatic]

But then again, some of us have

Indeed, some have. I avoid the IRB like the plague.

I always come to the same conclusion. Making music isn't (or imho shouldn't) be a math exercise. It is about a conversation between humans, and those humans are using instruments and the language of music for their communication. Since humans are at the core of it, and humans all have bias that cannot be eliminated, at the end of the day all of the "blind studies" are pretty much moot. If a person believes that unobtanium improves their playing, then it does and data is unlikely to convince them otherwise. Such are humans.

The "double blind" listening tests are especially useless. The act of making music involves a chain of devices, both human and electromechanical. The resulting sound is but one aspect of the process of making music. What it feels like to the musician matters, as that will color how it sounds to the listener in some way.

Not everything has to boil down to a math problem...and context matters.

 

[B-line]

ome

I don't know that a $4000 Custom Shop Fender bass is more durable or even more inherently capable than a $800 Classic Series Fender bass...

You could buy a perfectly good Beretta 92FS for, what, $600? But you can also buy a 92FS Limited Edition for $4000. Will the engravings help you hit a target any better? No, not really. Are cops, mercs, and soldiers carrying around engraved art pieces? No, not really. So does that mean there's no point to the more expensive product, then? Actually... you can't say that either. The more expensive gun is clearly a product that is more limited, made with more love and care, and involves more people hours and hence has more value. But we should also just acknowledge that the added dollar value doesn't actually necessarily help you perform the job any better.

Guns! Hammers! Cars! This thread has wheels!

A 4K FCS may not be more durable or capable than your run-of-the mill, so to speak, Fender Bass, but it WILL
probably have better selected woods (they're into that in Corona-weight, grain, etc) and I believe will be built to a higher level with more attention to details. So say I from my experience with my (former) FCS.

OTOH, I have a "off-the-shelf" ('cept for the restoration I've done on it) '69 P-Bass which I can describe as the perfect hammer, or car, or gun. or bass.

I say buy/play what moves you! Into a 20K Alembic? Yeh, Man! How's about one of them Ritters? Yikes! they are purty.
What's that you say? Only Roger Sadowsky can build the ultimate Fender? Well, Maybe so!
Or does your $300 Squire KILL it on the bandstand, leaving you with all that extra money to place in a hedge fund or something!
Cool.

 

[Two-Spirit]

I've played $300 basses, they suck

 

[B-line]

I've played $300 basses, they suck

I totally get that. and for the most part agree. (I have some pretty expensive basses, not 10K but in the 2.5-5K price range.) And they are superb machines and a joy to play
But... I did buy a Dano 63 for about $350 once, and I tweaked it a little, put my favored Bass Boomers 40-100 on it and - Damn! It was a really GOOD sounding bass.
Something about the masonite w/ the lipstick pup- Those things have ballz! I liked that bass a lot.

But I might add; That I had a Jerry Jones Shorthorn that cost quite a bit more, and it exceeded the Danelectro build by 1 million percent, and had a more solid tone too.

Wish I still had them both (especially the JJ- they are getting valuable I think)

 

[Zonked]

Next time you watch an NFL game look at the camera lenses of the photographers on the sidelines. Those lenses run around $20K, not including the price of the camera body. So a top tier pro with a 10K bass is extremely reasonable if that's what he/she wants.

let's take it further.... What does a modern commercial jumbo jet go for?

yeah, a 10K bass is an absolute steal !!!

 

[Flaked Beans]

I've played $300 basses, they suck

Hahaha I tried a $300 ibanez at GC and it didn't suck that much but I like your post anyway! Lol.