American made basses

[Albibass]

If you want a Fender I wouldn't place my bets on a American Standard.
For every good one I played, there were 2 bad ones...
Find a used CS or Vintage RI.

 

[JohnnyB53]

EB music Man!! No equal IMO as far as build quality/sound quality & longevity for a mass produced bass. The EBMM Sterling- w/ the 3 way switch & 3 Band EQ-as does the Singray 5, or the HS models!! Superb basses.

I agree with just about everything you have to say about the EB Music Man basses. Superb designs, materials, and craftsmanship, but I think there are some equals including G&L, which has the same roots. If I were looking for a $1500 Jazz bass, I would take a serious look at the G&L JB:

Link Removed

And if I wanted one bass to cover a wide variety of sounds, the L2000 would be on the short list too (as well as a Stingray). I'd probably order it with the #8 neck (1.5" nut, 12" radius). The pic, however is with the standard neck with 1.75" nut.

 

[jimmyb]

Love this thread!
I'm a "made in usa" guy myself and there is nothing wrong with keeping your hard earned dollars here to stimulate an economy that can use all the help it can get.
Depending on the sound you're looking for, and based on resale. I would look to Musicman, Fender or G&L, wonderful basses with high QC.
We're all bassist here, with a common bond of the groove. Let's try to help th OP out with knowledge and our opinions, while trying not to be so sensitive about an opinion you may not share.

 

[ljazz]

I have 3 MIA G&L's, and 2 MIA Fenders..... and they all kill.

Don't believe the crap about the MIA Fenders being hit or miss. I've played nearly 20 MIA J's and P's over the last year and a half at a local shop, and they've all been beautiful players. The 08+ MIA's from Fender really have it together. My '08 MIA P has become my primary player.... stellar axe.... well made, beautiful fret work, light as heck, incredibly resonant, and plays like a dream. I thought the pups were a bit tame for my taste, but the right strings have the pup opened up perfectly (for me).

Another consideration would be to hunt around for a couple of early G&L's. For 1500 bucks, you could land a couple of killer Leo era basses. My '87 SB1 is an absolutely incredible bass.

 

[Gibenbackerbass]

In the next month or two I will be buying a high quality fairly high priced bass (~$1500).

Whatever I buy I want it to be American made. I've gravitated towards fenders during my first year and half of playing, so the American P/Jazz standards are first on my list for consideration.

I want to make sure when I buy this bass, it's the last bass I buy for a long time so I don't want to go into the purchase with blinders on.

What other brands/models are made in the good ole USA?

Seeing how you have asked, allow me to share my suggestion...

(1) A Gibson Thunberbird Bass with Dean Markley Blue Steel or Roto Sound 66 stings will give you a terrific sound. The construction and quality arefirst rate. The neck through mahogany construction really resonates and the tapered thin neck is crafted perfection. It plays like butter. I love it!

(2) A Rickenbacker 4003 bass with original strings also provides a wonderful tone and you can't beat the variety of tones you can get from that push/pull bridge tone pot. Again, the construction and quality are first rate. The neck through maple construction really resonates well. The non-tapered neck is on the heafty side (Jan 09) but I like it. It plays like butter. I love it!

Each bass provides something different. That's why it's great to have one of each if possable.

I've been playing Ricks (4001 & 4003) and Gibson T-Birds ('64, '76, '04) for years. You get a lot of value for your money from either instrument.

I've also played/owned Frenders (Percision, Jazz, and yes, even a Coroado II). Each were/are quality instruments. I prefer the Gibson & Rickenbackers for thier tone and vib. The vib you get from an instrument is personal. That's why so many are passonite about what they own and play.

Good luck with your search!! There's no better time than the present to buy, what with all the sales that are going on. You can get something really great for your money.

 

[Dr Stankface]

MusicMan. Done.

 

[reedo35]

+1 on the Carvins, they are surprisingly good quality, and for that price you could customize any way you wanted.

 

[gjbassist]

Carvin would be my first choice as well. You can get a killer custom bass for well under $1500. Check out the new SB series!
After that I would say a used USA Spector then G&L and Fender.

 

[raymondl3]

If you read the first few posts, it's pretty clear that the OP's reasoning apparently had nothing to do with "pride" or "buy local," as you're assuming. It had to do with the assumption that American basses would necessarily be of higher quality, by virtue of being American. Many people don't necessarily agree with that presumption and question the basis on which it was made. That's all it is.

I think there is a perception that a bass made in the US will be of a higher quality because of higher quality machines, methods, and perhaps better trained workers. (I'm not saying this is necessarily true). To the extent that that is the case, it is not a bad reason to want to purchase something in the US, not to mention (if you are a US citizen) supporting a local industry that pays a living wage. An instrument cannot be "American" anyway.

 

[raymondl3]

Wow, this is getting heated fast.
Now, an *excellent* reason to not want to buy Asian is the eco factor. I specifically bought UK build amp and cab relatively recently (even though it meant buying the amp second had) because the UK is doing a *lot* more to control the crap it spews than most Asian manufacturing centres *or* the US.

But that's an important fact for me; not necessarily for everyone on this forum.

 

[lindseyp]

...


I dig the Carvin's but I am hesitant to purchase something I can't play first. I did see that the Carvin's have a 10 day return policy so that's good but not sure if that's enough to sell me.

... .

Carvin user since '95, including three guitars, one bass (LB75), one bass amp, two speakers. I always include Carvin in my recommendations. Also check out Carvin's "In-stock" page. Carvin's 10-day return policy works for all instruments.

 

[lindseyp]

... . Just because something is made overseas does not mean the quality is subpar.

For instance: I A/B'd a Fender MIA '62 RI J and a Squier CV J. Ok, the '62 sounded better, but the Squier far outstripped it in terms of playability, and I thought it was better put together than the '62 J, which I felt played like total ass.

And who's to say that MTD Kingstons, Lakland Skylines, and other instruments are crap? I understand you want to own something American, but leave the country of origin behind and pick a bass that's right for you. If it's another Korean instrument, so be it.

I read that and thought:
1. How do pickups and preamps made in other places stack up to U.S. products? That could be a separate thread, but I have had issues with pickups from other countries. And;
2. If the OP bought a decent feeling but less expensive off-shore OR U.S.-made bass and changed the pickups and/or preamp to a U.S.-made brand (which a lot of us do) would he have a better bass for far less than $1500? Something to consider.
Use the money left over for strings, a strap and a cable.
and dinner with your date.

 

[MNAirHead]

85-95 peavey is still the bargain quality usa bargain.. PM me if you want to discuss models and values.

I own basses that will blow my USA fenders out of the water... I don't hate my fenders.. they're just not as good.

T.

 

[groooooove]

carvin

 

[Brad Johnson]

I think there is a perception that a bass made in the US will be of a higher quality because of higher quality machines, methods, and perhaps better trained workers. (I'm not saying this is necessarily true). To the extent that that is the case, it is not a bad reason to want to purchase something in the US, not to mention (if you are a US citizen) supporting a local industry that pays a living wage. An instrument cannot be "American" anyway.

I think you're correct that that is the belief and I also feel Richard is correct in pointing out what a fallacy that can be.

In the OP's price range he's better off going used... that price range really limits what you'll find new.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I read that and thought:
1. How do pickups and preamps made in other places stack up to U.S. products? That could be a separate thread, but I have had issues with pickups from other countries. And;
2. If the OP bought a decent feeling but less expensive off-shore OR U.S.-made bass and changed the pickups and/or preamp to a U.S.-made brand (which a lot of us do) would he have a better bass for far less than $1500? Something to consider.
Use the money left over for strings, a strap and a cable.
and dinner with your date.

They can stack up very welll.. if that's what you like. And as far as "upgrading", my stance based on my experience is save your money and find a bass that floats your boat from jump. Yes, the other bass might end up better than it was before upgrades but there are some levels of sound and playability that can't be matched no matter how many upgrades you throw at a bass. By the same token, if that upgraded bass suits your desires, cool.

I've seen what's possible and it's tough to step back from that if you don't have to.


Why settle for decent feeling when you can get great?

 

[Brad Johnson]

Carvin would be my first choice as well. You can get a killer custom bass for well under $1500. Check out the new SB series!
After that I would say a used USA Spector then G&L and Fender.

I spec'd out a Carvin SB bass. Try it and see where it lands pricewise. And the bass being a killer should be based on experience... maybe you've tried one. I haven't seen on yet. Looks nice.


Lots of very good deals on Carvins on the used market.

 

[J-Building]

Love this thread!
I'm a "made in usa" guy myself and there is nothing wrong with keeping your hard earned dollars here to stimulate an economy that can use all the help it can get.
Depending on the sound you're looking for, and based on resale. I would look to Musicman, Fender or G&L, wonderful basses with high QC.
We're all bassist here, with a common bond of the groove. Let's try to help th OP out with knowledge and our opinions, while trying not to be so sensitive about an opinion you may not share.

Yes, but because we live in a capitalist society, where the free market dictates who survives and who doesn't, the profit should naturally go to those companies who continue to offer better quality and price than their competitors. If we promote "keeping our dollars here," we're going to keep getting crap in the future for higher and higher prices, regardless of inflation or the economic state.

 

[bhunt1]

I have been less impressed with the MIM Fender and Indonesian made Schecter I had than the USA made G&L, Carvin, and MM I now have. Doesn't mean all foreign made are bad (those foreign made I had were cheaper of course), but you can't go wrong with those 3 USA made brands imo.

 

[stoolpigeon]

Ernie Ball Music Man - best bass value there is out there (IMO)