Better today, a lot more to choose from..but for the same money kids are spending on starter basses today i bought a mint condition '64 P-bass when I started out ( $250 )and a couple of years later I got a '74 Jazz Bass for $300 so money wise there were better bargins back then in.... 1976.....
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A question for the the 'old-timers'...
- Thread starter terribilino
- Start date
When I started to play (late 70s) you could bought a new Fender P for U$300. An Alembic bass was more or less U$1000.
Late 70s Fender guitars were considered crap by older musicians.
Now when I show up to a concert or a recording session with my 78 P people look at it like it was ancient history and say: "wow, old Fenders are the best"!
Late 70s Fender guitars were considered crap by older musicians.
Now when I show up to a concert or a recording session with my 78 P people look at it like it was ancient history and say: "wow, old Fenders are the best"!
Engine207
Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
Basses today suck. 'They don't make 'em like they used to'...
I would never buy a bass that was made within the last 50 years.
No doubt the new stuff is of better quality than when it was when I started playing 35 yrs ago. My first bass was a Japanese copy of a Jazz bass, it was ok, but doesn't compare to the entry level basses of today. Also as mentioned before, the selection is vast compared to when I first started.
I'm somewhere around the 27 year mark of playing myself, and I agree with the general tenor of this thread.
Today's gear is on average better, more varied, and cheaper. It's a wonderful time to start playing.
That said, it's been a *long* time since we've seen something radically new get mass acceptance, like the Steinberger did in the 80s. There's a lot of good new ideas out there (fanned frets, etc.), but there does seem to be a much more conservative aesthetic overall these days.
Still, I think now > then gearwise!
GT
Today's gear is on average better, more varied, and cheaper. It's a wonderful time to start playing.
That said, it's been a *long* time since we've seen something radically new get mass acceptance, like the Steinberger did in the 80s. There's a lot of good new ideas out there (fanned frets, etc.), but there does seem to be a much more conservative aesthetic overall these days.
Still, I think now > then gearwise!
GT
Instruments and equipment are without a doubt way better today (I have been playing for 20+ years). Improvements in manufacturing, statistical control and electronics resulted in consistently better products.
However, some things of the past can't be found today. Items like Brazilian rosewood boards, machined bridges, lacquer finish or nickel compounds for frets are either too expensive or banned for use today. That is one of the many reasons why some old instruments sound so good (plus the wood aging)
However, some things of the past can't be found today. Items like Brazilian rosewood boards, machined bridges, lacquer finish or nickel compounds for frets are either too expensive or banned for use today. That is one of the many reasons why some old instruments sound so good (plus the wood aging)
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I started playing bass in 1968 on a Fender P bass that was old when I got it (I got a Tele bass a couple of years later). Back then, there was really nothing to compare anything to. You either got a Fender P or J (P was better for recording, J better live) or a cheap knock-off that didn't come close to Fender's quality, and there weren't a whole lot of them to choose from.
Right now? A bass player is in hog heaven, you can get superb gear for a very reasonable price from a number of different brands. Sure, you could get a Jazz in 1970 for $300, but some people were commonly making $1.00-$1.50 an hour then too.
It's better now, by far.
Right now? A bass player is in hog heaven, you can get superb gear for a very reasonable price from a number of different brands. Sure, you could get a Jazz in 1970 for $300, but some people were commonly making $1.00-$1.50 an hour then too.
It's better now, by far.
This question made me realize something.I guess my judgment/perception of today's entry-level to mid-priced basses are what I thought of them being back in the day (Late 70's to mid-80's),hideous and unplayable.OK.....I admit it.....I DO NOT EVEN acknowledge these basses when I walk into a store.Why????I just realized this.I'm thinking how they were made years ago.Which,was not good.Also,I guess I've been spoiled.Too spoiled to even recognize how well cheaper basses are made today.I guess the "cheapest" bass I've owned was a Fender Bullet Bass.Heck,my first bass (at age 11) was a late 60's-early 70's P-Bass!The majority of my basses I've owned since have been what we consider "elite" basses,IMHO.I guess I'll have to be a little bit more open minded.
I think basses made today are much better than what they were when I started playing in the mid 70's. Arguably, this was when Fender was going downhill and nobody wanted a new instrument. The 50's/60's guitars/basses were the ones to have. There really weren't the mid-level instruments like there are now. You can get so much more nowdays, quality-wise for the buck.
Just the shear volume of inventories improves ones odds in any price category. One does not have to search far to find a fine workable instrument.
Newer stuff is made better.
Made better does not mean that it sounds and/or feels better.
Playing since 1978.
Always played newer stuff until recently.
Now I favor early seventies basses from Fullerton, Ca.
I'm going to disagree with Ric.
In my humble opinion:
Vintage gear is only over-rated to those who
dont play vintage gear.
I've been playing bass since 1971. For the most part everything is better IMO, particularly amps.
You kids today,...why when I was a boy and starting out,...we only had barb wire for strings,..and we were grateful ! We had to walk uphill in the snow to rehearse,..and we were grateful,...and let me tell you, the kerosene powered ampegs sounded better than any fancy 'lectric amps you kids got today!!! Now,..get out of my yard!!!!
P.S. stuff today really is pretty nice,..thank God for lightweight amps so old geezers can still haul gear to low paying gigs!!!
P.S. stuff today really is pretty nice,..thank God for lightweight amps so old geezers can still haul gear to low paying gigs!!!
Does it matter?
Bought my first (no-name) bass in '61. Can now afford what I would have liked back then but it's only practice and gigging that improves my technique and sound. Every time I get excited by new technology I put on The Who - Live at Leeds.
The biggest breakthrough for the average bassist (and band) since I started has been the humble tuner!
Bought my first (no-name) bass in '61. Can now afford what I would have liked back then but it's only practice and gigging that improves my technique and sound. Every time I get excited by new technology I put on The Who - Live at Leeds.
The biggest breakthrough for the average bassist (and band) since I started has been the humble tuner!
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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- fEARful Kool-Aid dispensing liberal academic card-carrying union member Musicians Local 72-147
The shear variety of instruments styles, quality levels, string courses, electronics, etc., is unparalleled, and indeed unmatched by previous eras.
Since I love Fender-style instruments, I would state that IMHO good examples of pre-CBS Fender basses are not really matched by current Fender production, but they are getting close. The new American Standards are great, as are the new Road Worn basses.
Starter stuff is better, and after-market parts are just amazing!
Since I love Fender-style instruments, I would state that IMHO good examples of pre-CBS Fender basses are not really matched by current Fender production, but they are getting close. The new American Standards are great, as are the new Road Worn basses.
Starter stuff is better, and after-market parts are just amazing!
I think there's no question "the state of the bass" is far better today - from entry level to semi-pro to boutique. Basses, amps, strings, effects; We have so many more viable choices today compared to when I started. Frankly, it's laughable. The overall quality is better, too. I don't speculate on vintage gear or what will become vintage gear, other than this: A good vintage bass has to start out as a good new bass. And there's a lot more good new basses now than there's ever been. Trust us old farts when we say we played and owned some clunkers when clunkers were all most people could afford.
I am constantly blown away at the bang for the buck value we can get now. You can pluck down $200-$300 and have a serviceable instrument you can grow with. Try that when most of us "old-timers" started out.
We are blessed with variety, too. When I started out, the decent brands my local store carried (new) were: Fender, Gibson, Music Man (sometimes), and Peavey. Nothing to sneeze at, but how many more brands do we have at our fingertips now due to internet shopping? And boutique basses? You had Alembic, Carl Thompson, Ken Smith, Modulus...if you could find them! There's more custom bass builders than that within 150 miles of my home today - and trust me, I don't live in a metropolis.
I am constantly blown away at the bang for the buck value we can get now. You can pluck down $200-$300 and have a serviceable instrument you can grow with. Try that when most of us "old-timers" started out.
We are blessed with variety, too. When I started out, the decent brands my local store carried (new) were: Fender, Gibson, Music Man (sometimes), and Peavey. Nothing to sneeze at, but how many more brands do we have at our fingertips now due to internet shopping? And boutique basses? You had Alembic, Carl Thompson, Ken Smith, Modulus...if you could find them! There's more custom bass builders than that within 150 miles of my home today - and trust me, I don't live in a metropolis.
When I started to play (late 70s) you could bought a new Fender P for U$300. An Alembic bass was more or less U$1000.
Late 70s Fender guitars were considered crap by older musicians.
Now when I show up to a concert or a recording session with my 78 P people look at it like it was ancient history and say: "wow, old Fenders are the best"!
Are those prices adjusted for today? $300 back then was a lot more then $300 now. Though with the internet, ebay, and public forums like talkbass deals are harder to get as people can find the value of anything at the touch of their fingers.
Either way I believe instrument production is amazing now. There are many great vintage instruments out there, and those are the ones that were great from the start and withstood time. Imagine how many of these instruments will be with time.
