Anyone else feel like expensive basses are arbitrarily priced?

[Ramleg85]

Yea honestly I could never spend that kind of money on an instrument unless I was famous or rich but thats just priorities and you get what you pay for.

I just dropped 1700 on a bass recently but everytime I pick it up its totally justifiable in my mind. Yea some of the foderas are crazy expensive but there's a reason that they can charge that much for them, people obviously are paying the money so they must be doing something right. Let it be said I have never actually played a fodera before.

My best friend recently went to a big guitar shop in Nyc, I forget the name. But they had tons of vintage instruments and plenty other guitar/basses. Well he's primarily a jazz guitar player and has a super sexy 60's Gibson es 335.

He went to the second floor and played on a Jim hall signature sadowsky. He's never played a sadowsky before but told me it was the nicest jazz box he's. Ever played and it put his 335 to shame.

He said when it was in his hands the planets just alighted and could see why it was around 5 grand and felt it was totally worth it. He didn't end up buying it he dosent have that kind of money now, know it's a guitar story but think it still apply.

 

[AudioDwebe]

The op's question could be asked of anything: Watches, stereos, cars, paintings, dolls, jackests, shoes, meals, and yes, even Fedora hats.

And the answer's been stated numerous times.

 

[Jeff Scott]

And by instruments I mean guitars and basses. I know symphonic stuff is a whole other thing.

Why such discrimination? How are symphonic instruments not subject to your query? How is it they are less valid as musical instruments than a guitar or bass is?

 

[loveandbass]

Wooten tax

 

[FlatwoundFunk]

You do have some good points that I question myself.

Like one builder who shows you that most of the work is cnc machined on youtube, but charges what the hand builders are charging. And I understand the dollar exchange dilemma but come on dudes. I remember when one of their offerings was 2100 for the 4 and 2300 for the 5. Now they are more than double that 6+ years later?
FF

 

[Old Blastard]

I have two Drakes and Andrew is building one for me. The workmanship is stunning, they play beautifully and sound great. The time and effort he puts into them and the skill he has makes them worth it to me. His prices, I believe, are more than fair. They cost more than an off the shelf Fender Am std but less than a custom shop and they play better, in my opinion. Hers the one he's building

 

[FlatwoundFunk]

I have two Drakes and Andrew is building one for me. The workmanship is stunning, they play beautifully and sound great. The time and effort he puts into them and the skill he has makes them worth it to me. His prices, I believe, are more than fair. They cost more than an off the shelf Fender Am std but less than a custom shop and they play better, in my opinion. Hers the one he's building

Pretty good looking bass.
FF

 

[spade2you]

Wooten tax

There's a bit of that out there. I'm currently playing a lot of acoustic guitar these days. Once a famous guy or two starts playing a brand, the price tag can double or triple. Olson guitars used to be competitively priced until James Taylor started playing them.

 

[Old Blastard]

The second one show it in the process of finishing. He's inlaid mom's name in mop.

 

[FlatwoundFunk]

There's a bit of that out there. I'm currently playing a lot of acoustic guitar these days. Once a famous guy or two starts playing a brand, the price tag can double or triple. Olson guitars used to be competitively priced until James Taylor started playing them.

Reminds me of the Fender MM and GL. Especially the MM. I remember when they first put them on the hangers at GC and how much it cost. Then every time he put out a new album, the price increased 100-200 bucks. In showing this to some bass buddy's, I joked that you better get one before they get over a grand (they where in the 700's at the time). Low and behold..... LOL
FF

 

[Deleted member 269102]

Since the answer has been given many times over, does anyone but me ponder the flip side? I am amazed at the quality and value you can find in the budget bass lines. Squier, SUB Rays, and some of the Ibbys. How can they possibly make a profit on some models boggles the mind.

Hmmm, maybe this is where some of the arbitrary pricing on the flagship models comes in....

/random thoughts

 

[raventepes]

In many cases, think of if this way, especially in the way of smaller shop luthiers. You're paying a price of materials, You're paying a price for them to keep their lights on, and food on his family's table. Most small shop luthiers get so many custom builds a year, and they have to make their living off of it. Sure, there's always going to be quality discrepancies, hopefully with the luthier having the better quality than a "machine made" instrument. But basically, you're paying for a name. A prestige, sometimes, in the cases of Fedora or Wal, or Alembic, or Carl Thompson.

 

[asahisuperdry]

Because you're buying into an illusion that that butterfly on the head stock means anything. Also certain exotic 'tone woods' which add nothing but a pretty wood grain.

 

[Neon Blues]

Use your heads guy. Stop shaging buying them and the prices will drop. Lets collectively not buy any Foderas for 2 years then all order one at the same time.

 

[Baird6869]

Because you're buying into an illusion that that butterfly on the head stock means anything. Also certain exotic 'tone woods' which add nothing but a pretty wood grain.

Is this based on your extensive research comparing different tone woods in a controlled environment and personal gigging and recording experience with Foderas?

 

[asahisuperdry]

Is this based on your extensive research comparing different tone woods in a controlled environment and personal gigging and recording experience with Foderas?

Naturally. In fact, I'm comparing a Fodera with a Sadowsky and a Warwick custom shop as we speak in my sound proofed sound lab.

 

[Kmonk]

Every product we buy is arbitrarily priced. I used to work in the after market auto parts industry. We had list price, retail price and wholesale prices. List price was an arbitrary number which meant nothing. Retail prices are based on several factors. Cost of product, willingness of the consumer to pay a certain price and desired profit margin on the part of the wholesaler and retailer. Most "hard goods" such as guitars, computers, televisions, etc are marked up at about 25 to 35%, sometimes more. In many cases, manufacturers control pricing and retailers must sell for the price the manufacturer demands. This is why you rarley see a difference in price between retailers and why sales at places like Guitar Center always exclude major brands such as Fender, Gibson, Ampeg and so on.

 

[Baird6869]

Naturally. In fact, I'm comparing a Fodera with a Sadowsky and a Warwick custom shop as we speak in my sound proofed sound lab.

Yup. I bet.

At least your posts are backed up with lots of real world experience.

 

[asahisuperdry]

Yup. I bet.

At least your posts are backed up with lots of real world experience.

Real world as in playing gigs in podunk dive bars and community theatres with terrible sound systems? But no, you're playing with a big name, that's why you have an ask the artist section here. Amps matter, playing skill matters, sound systems matter. IF that eight of an inch of flamed maple makes a difference in tone, it's buried live under a wall of guitars, vocals and drums. Possibly horns and even keys. In a studio, if the producer is a total dolt you're getting buried anyway if it's not hard rock or metal where you can't hear the bass anyway as a rule.

 

[blowinblue]

These 'looking down our noses at expensive basses' threads seem to come up on a regular basis. My suggestion is this. Purchase one of these 'expensive' basses with a favorable return policy. Try it out. If you don't connect with it, if you don't 'get it'...return the instrument. You are only out shipping both ways. This is assuming that you can afford an 'expensive' bass. If more folks did this we would see less of these threads. I'm trying my best to recall the last time a Fodera owner started a thread bemoaning the existence of high priced instruments. I can't come up with one. Please point me in the right direction. No, I don't own (nor can afford) a Fodera.

M. M.