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Am I so shallow......

SteveC

SteveC

Supporting Member
Nov 12, 2004
31,665
46,803
60
NE ND
#1
I'm looking for a nice, active, 24 fret, 34" scale 5 string. Of course Sadowsky comes to mind, and other options like G&L. The local places have less expensive options - LTD, Schecter, etc.

I played an LTD B-205SM and thought it was very nice. Maybe not Sadowsky nice, but sounded good. The price is right - no tag on it but I think they are around $400.

So why can't I pull the trigger? I've used inexpensive basses before, no one ever complained. No one ever really complains about my tone no matter what amp or bass I'm using. In the back of my mind I'm always thinking that I should play the best bass I can afford.

Am I the only one with this hang up? logically, I know that if a bass plays good, sounds good land covers your gigs that's all that matters. Still, I have a hard time. People I play with generally have very nice stuff. DR drum, PRS guitars, Nord and Yamaha keys, etc. Part of me feels I should be using good stuff, too.

Any thoughts for my psychosis?
 
#2
i have a similar but opposite situation. i could have a closet full of alembic signatures, ritters,foderas, you name any expensive bass and i can fill the back of my pickup truck with them right now and my bank account will not even flinch. i guess i dont seem to think just cuz its more expensive it will sound better. ive tried them, they dont... a 5000$ bass does not sound 5x better than a 1000$ bass. not even twice as good. but i still have to resist, and try to control my drooling and hitting the buy it now on ebay. take your bass to a store and test it against a g&l and others thru the same amp and it will sort out your indecisions. i dont know how many times i have done it, and i still leave the store with my trusty inexpensive spector legend. johnny a. staind
 
#3
To each his own,I recon.Years ago though,I was taught by my Father-in-law,one of the greatest bassman I have ever known,that if I can't pick up a cheap bass and make it sound like a MILLION DOLLARS,I need to seriously find another instrument to play,because I'm not a bassman.Just my thoughts.
Tom
 
#4
Looks like you and I are in similar boats, Steve, lol. I've played and enjoyed plenty of cheap basses and I'm one of the first to come to their defense or recommend them to another player, new or veteran but ever since I got into more high end stuff, I haven't been able to go back. Obviously, the higher end stuff has an advantage in construction and general attention to detail but it's not as if the cheaper stuff sounds bad at all. I'm spoiled with my Clement and Brubaker, lol.
 
#5
I look at it this way...
It's gonna be MINE.
I'll buy what I LIKE. I'm the one playing it.
I look at:
If it sounds good to me
If it is comfortable to me
If it looks good to me.
If it "fits" me.

In this case... it's all about me. :D :cool:
I found it in SPECTOR basses.... you may not. :cool:

Make a list of what you like and don't like.
Find what matches the "I Like..." list and pick from it.
Pass on what what fits the "I don't like..." list.
Make it "all about YOU." ;)
You might be surprised at what you buy.
 
#6
Kwesi said:
... but ever since I got into more high end stuff, I haven't been able to go back.
Click to expand...

Yep. After Sadowsky, Modulus, Lakland, etc. it is hard to go down to an LTD - even if it does play and sound really nice.

There's nothing wrong with my 44-02, but I do want a 5 string again. I tried for over 6 months to do the 4 and mostly it's fine. But for church and some jazz gigs, a 5 would be nice. I'd like to keep both so that's why I'm looking to get an inexpensive 5.
 
#8
I've always thought a bass had to be playable and play in tune up and down the neck.To my mind,once you have playability and reliability then it's a good bass regardless of cost.Do looks,features and style matter? Sure,but they don't really make it good or bad in my opinion.
My first bass back in the early 70's was a Crestwood beatle bass copy that was junk.The neck was so bad that the strings were about 1" above the fingerboard by the 7th fret and when the open strings were in tune,it got way out of tune as you played further up the neck.It's long gone but I still don't think I could make it sound good today after playing for 40yrs.
I think there are junk basses being made that are not realistically playable and make it harder for the beginner to learn on and probably discourage many.Nobody "needs" a $5K bass but you have to have something that's playable.
 
#9
To me $$ mean nothing. You find instruments that fit you at all prices. Funny. I remember when I had a Teisco Checkmate guitar back in the...well the dawn of time. It was junk. It hurt to play it. Now, look at the price for those because they're considered "vintage".

I have a Gibson LP bass, a few Fender's (51 Reissue, J's and P's), a few Squier's, a Spector, a Grestch Thunderbird, an Epi Explorer, a Dean Metalman, a Dean Pace, a mid 50's Framus upright. Each one has it's job, it's sound and it's merit.

I just picked up an ESP Surveyor 414 for an unbelievable price (store was closing out to go to the new model). I set up the ESP and use it...a lot. It's a work horse that plays well and sounds good.

Do you get what you pay for? Yeah, kinda, sorta, maybe, but the sound is made by you. An instrument alone only plays "The Sound of Silence".
 
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#10
You are in the majority IMO. If you can overcome your preconceptions and fear of what other people's opinions and go with whatever instrument that pleases all of your senses you can save a lot of money. I am pleasantly amazed at how much bass one can buy these days for relatively little money. I have been guilty of 'wood snobbery' but am overcoming it. I actually bought a bass with an agathis body this year. Surprise - it sounds like a BASS. :hiding: It cost under $200. :hiding: I paid good money for a SQUIER?! :hiding: My tounge is planted firmly in cheek as I poke fun at myself, but I'm telling it true. One area that I don't think I'll go back on is cosmetic. I don't think I'll ever be into the whole 'relic' thing. I am not turned on by finish cracks, buckle rash, or 'mojo'. Neither will I ever pay a premium price just because said piece is rare or old no matter what it says on the headstock...
 
#11
I seem to be going in the opposite direction. I'm constantly searching for low cost, ultra high quality basses.

3 of my 5 basses are just that.
USA Peavey Foundation 5
Memphis P bass clone
Kawai FIIB

All three are superb at a fraction of the cost of their high end counterparts.

So many great basses out there, find what works for you, and be happy. :)
 
#12
TFM53 said:
To each his own,I recon.Years ago though,I was taught by my Father-in-law,one of the greatest bassman I have ever known,that if I can't pick up a cheap bass and make it sound like a MILLION DOLLARS,I need to seriously find another instrument to play,because I'm not a bassman.Just my thoughts.
Tom
Click to expand...

I don't think this is the point at all. The OP is not saying that he can't make the bass sound like a "MILLION DOLLARS." He never said that the bass sounds bad.

Kwesi said:
Looks like you and I are in similar boats, Steve, lol. I've played and enjoyed plenty of cheap basses and I'm one of the first to come to their defense or recommend them to another player, new or veteran but ever since I got into more high end stuff, I haven't been able to go back. Obviously, the higher end stuff has an advantage in construction and general attention to detail but it's not as if the cheaper stuff sounds bad at all. I'm spoiled with my Clement and Brubaker, lol.
Click to expand...

I agree with you. It is hard to go from a HIGH dollar to low dollar bass.

SteveC said:
Yep. After Sadowsky, Modulus, Lakland, etc. it is hard to go down to an LTD - even if it does play and sound really nice.
Click to expand...

Yep...

stflbn said:
First Spector arrives tomorrow (Rebop5 with EMG DC's). Very much looking forward to it, and curious to how it compares to my Big Al 5.
Click to expand...

It won't. :D

JoshuaTSP said:
So many great basses out there, find what works for you, and be happy. :)
Click to expand...

Good advice my friend.

Steve, if you don't like that LTD don't buy it. You'll only take a hit on the resale. Put your cash back and do some saving and when you find something really cool that you want, you'll have what you need.
 
#14
It's not that I don't like it. I want a good 5 and it is. I need to not spend $2,000+ on a bass, especially if I'm the only one who notices a difference. I have other things that need my money - kids, new computer, etc. I just wish sometimes I hadn't "tasted" the good stuff. It would be a lot easier.
 
#15
staindbass said:
i have a similar but opposite situation. i could have a closet full of alembic signatures, ritters,foderas, you name any expensive bass and i can fill the back of my pickup truck with them right now and my bank account will not even flinch.
Click to expand...

Oh I wish I could have the plight of Johnny A. :D

I have to decide between strings or a tank of gas most months lol.
 
#18
SteveC said:
It's not that I don't like it. I want a good 5 and it is. I need to not spend $2,000+ on a bass, especially if I'm the only one who notices a difference. I have other things that need my money - kids, new computer, etc. I just wish sometimes I hadn't "tasted" the good stuff. It would be a lot easier.
Click to expand...

That's understandable. I think sometimes we worry a little too much about the name on the headstock. :hmm: I'm a stickler for quality, but there are inexpensive options out there that are built well and sound great!

Not sure if you've heard of Phil X? He's a guitarist (a great one) and he uses Gibson, Fender, and LTD. He is an ESP endorser and two of the guitars that he uses most are LTD Viper's that he has fixed up to his own specs. He also uses a cheap Bad Monkey distortion pedal.

My point? He plays what he likes, whether it's inexpensive or really expensive.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#19
Look at my profile. At some point and time I have owned USA Music Man basses, USA Fender Jazz basses, etc etc.

The two I play sound and play the best out of any basses I have owned. I found the pickups I liked, bridge I like and neck size. To most they are worthless or cheapie basses. Until you pick them up, play them, and hear how they sound.

You can be like good old Minnie Pearl and wear that price tag on your hat everywhere or just be happy with playing with feels and sounds good.

I actually would think about the expensive basses getting walked away with at a gig, or getting them dinged up. Now I just play. No worries.
 

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