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$33,600... for a bass...

#25
SMASH said:
I didn't realize.

Are we to understand that's what the person paid for it then? I thought otherwise given a few comments in this thread stating, and it made sense, that if commissioning that bass to be built it'd cost a fraction (like JT's basses for example).
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No, like I said a few posts above:

If that was the actual out the door price, then John would have paid about seventy grand for his double neck, and I about 20K for my 8 string... I can tell you I paid nowhere near that much.
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#29
SMASH said:
Esthetically I like it.

I disagree with it having even 1/10th that in collector's value though. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the grand scheme of instruments Conklin is fairly unknown and not something that is widely, if at all, collected.

In many industries a manufacturer will make a product or several that are ridiculously priced just to draw attention to their line. Witness this thread.
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there's a high level of perception bias in the industry based on price, a bias that was actually hindering bill's business - folks were judging his instruments based on how much they cost, and so finding them to be somehow not up to the level of the more expensive instruments like alembics, which is ridiculous.

that being said, this instrument was built for a player and was built to order, not as some show-off piece. bill can't afford to build show-off pieces, and he has very little standing inventory of instruments.

i don't know about that "fairly unknown" bit - i think quite the opposite - bill's quite well known for his work. there are very few luthiers who have a mass produced line of instruments distributed and successful such as bill's groove tools, which all bear his name.

the collector thing is growing too - there are 3 other folks that i know of, other than me, who have more than 6 or 7 conklin instruments, with a few more folks rising in the ranks (hi prog) so the collector aspect is actually becoming more prevalent. i have folks email me regularly that i've never heard of asking about my basses specifically, folks from literally all around the world.
 
#31
john turner said:
i can say that that 6 string didn't cost the orginal order-placer 33k to have made. i can say that with impunity. prices reflect demand, and bill's completely busy right now, to the point of needing many months to catch up.
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Bingo! IME, when you special order a high end bass, "list" price and "paid" price are in two different ballparks. The first reaction of most folks who are accustomed to $600 basses is "Who the heck would ever pay that kinda money for a freakin' bass?" There are a lot of excellent $600 basses, so PLEASE refrain from the "furniture bass snob freak" retorts.

The point is, given the vast array of quality instruments available at fairly low prices, you'd think high end, high priced custom makers would be starving or lowering their prices big time.

But by all indications (ask people about their build times) Alembic, Benavente, Conklin, Fodera, and Sadowsky are not hurting for business. Most of those names I just mentioned are unknown to most people outside the bass playing community, so the idea that only collectors would pay that much starts to weaken. I've been dabbling at and/or playing bass for over 20 years and I hadn't even heard of Benavente, Conklin, or Fodera until I started frequenting TB and other bass oriented newsgroups.

Then there's the mid range ($1,000 - 3,000 customs) guys like Brubaker, FBB, Hanewinckel, & Stambaugh. Who would've ever heard of these guys if they weren't already bass players? Again, from what I can tell, they ain't hurtin' for business. I've heard a couple TBers quote ridiculous wait times for Stambaugh. Why? Because quality is comparable to the high enders but his prices are significantly lower. Result....he's got a ton of orders. From BASS PLAYERS . Bass players who could've bought an excellent $600 bass but wanted something different that they could PLAY and are willing to pay extra for it.


(okay, okay, I'll go take my medication now)

Peace,

James
 
#35
sorry to kinda hi-jack this thread....it is a fantasitc conklin and i admire the work that has gone into it......but £33k a lil on the pricey side....but ...hell if uve got the dosh..might as well blow it huh?.....

the points that malthumb pointed out were good ones....and well deserved...but once u moved out of the mass produced sector...things open up.. a lot of bass players never really explore the relms outside their standard gtr shop anyway..and dont for what we have here at TB is a very very small amount of the bass players in the world.....many still don't sadowsky . alembic etc etc...and most never wil...its only by chance at shows that we get to find these high end markers.. and for Bassist who make a living out of playing i still think spending £1500-2000 ($2000-4000) on ur chosen instrument of trade is justify'd with no arugments...!!!...

My GB cost me £1800 ($2700) and is still the best bass i have ever played...the best sounding bass i have ever played...and for me....i dont want anything else...just like JT and Progzilla...they are happy with their conklins.. and when u have something that not only is great but makes u smile everytime and u find urself still after playing so0o many other basses going bk to it...it tells sumthing....!!!

Bassically what i am tryin to woffle away at it is...who cares how much is costs....in then end a bass for me has to fill a few criteria..

A, Be a great comfy player that you play for hours
B, Have a sound that your totally happy with
c, Be build solidy...no0o point havin a blue tacked ferrari
D, Lo0oks great..i dont believe for a second some people by a bass that they think is butt ugly....or they din like...
E, Always pine for more...but always come back for more...


:)



and that ladies and gentlemen

MADe NO SENSE at all..!!!!
 
#36
Jared Morante said:
Ahh yes...the TB negativity I love so much. :)
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Not everybody likes everything.

That bass is a pure work of art. I would be honored to own that bass, sure 33k is expensive for a bass, but not only is expense relative I can think of worse things to blow money on. It should be recognized for the achievement that it is, and that includes being played on stage IMO. Bill C. should be mighty proud.
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While you surely can think of worse things, people are saying they can think of better things ITO.

I don't consider it negative that someone might prefer an Archangel over this bass... or that while they can appreciate the skill, they don't care for the results. Different strokes doesn't have to be a bad thing.

If someone actually would pay $33,600 they should do it knowing that the chance to recoup more than a fraction of that if they decided to resell is slim. That's the Alembic model... original owners willing to pay in excess of $20K for a new custom should expect that value to plummet (great news for secondhand buyers).

Just my opinion.
BTW where did this price come from?
 
#39
I got the price from Conklins site. That bass is one of the "Cherished Customs" at [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Each instrument has a "story" behind it, which includes its value. It has three instruments on there for every month. Look at January's, one of JT's basses is on there :cool:

So, no I didn't pull the number outta my butt, nor did I just "hear" that the price was that. It is written on the Conklin site.
 

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