Are Expensive Basses Necessary?

[Fergie Fulton]

So you're saying that current cheap instruments are as good as a boutiques but that they are also harder to play?

Agree that hard work pays off. Fail to see how that relates to instrument price.

No not saying that at all, where do you read that i compare them to a boutique instrument.
Many of todays basses are made on CNC lathes, so the body and necks are engineered to a higher standard than say 45 years ago when i started playing, or to the standard when i started teaching 10 years ago. Finished Body and Necks are are great compared to budget lines of the past

But today the woods used increase the price not the playability, the materials used in the fittings increase the price, not the playability, the Pups and sound suites will increase the price not the playability...even country of manufacture will increase the price but not the playability.

So let me define work hard, that means working sustain and vibrato, using the hands, not the basses own ability to create it, learning how to create vibrato.
Overtones, learning how to control, and create overtones with the hands and techniques used....not just the bass having them.
Dampening and muting, again based in overtones, but a different approach, again learning how to use them.....if your bass does not create them then you cannot learn about them?

As for playability, learning to play is physical, so it is hard on any instrument, but having resistance in the strings is a great way to develop muscular finger skills for dexterity and stamina.

In all i have mentioned it becomes easier when using a bass that is more playable, more playable does not have to be more expensive, but i will say i have never played any expensive bass that's not easily playable, that is a given when you pay big bucks, but equally i have played cheaper bases that can do the same job.
But playability is in the hands of the player for the music they play, the better the hand techniques the less playability is an issue.
I meet a lot of players that buy a new bass because the specs are better, but over a short time their original issues come back....the instrument does not always cure what having good technique can do.

So a player may spend an extra £1000 to help over come a problem that paying for a few good lessons would address.
Again working a sound is not about ease of play or bad instruments, its about developing technique.

 

[RyanKW]

I was at a hotel for an event one night, and there were a couple bands playing. Towards the end of the night, a guy with an Alembic came up to sit in on a song. That bass sounded amazing. His lows were deep and rich, his mids were powerful and present, his highs were pleasant and singing. He cut though the mix like a hot knife through butter, he was clean and clear and audible throughout the room without stepping on or smothering out anybody else. All this happened with him just plugging into the regular bassist's amp and not changing anything.

So, do I think he needed that Alembic? No, all the other bassists played well and sounded good. But it did make him stand out, and his playing is one of the only memorable things from that night.

I don't play in a single project where my bass cutting through and being the most memorable thing of the evening would be a desirable effect.

 

[kodiakblair]

I happen to prefer flats and a foam mute on a P-bass,sometimes use a felt pick too.

Can't see me needing an expensive bass for my required thump.

 

[Frenchy-Lefty]

If you ever travel to Africa, you'll see some guys playing with the cheapest, most beat up basses ever but they will absolutely blow your mind.

 

[MeLikeBass]

Hmmm...10 pages of peoples take on this question so if you havent gotten the answer you were looking for I would be very surprised but since everyone has an opinion, me included, so since you asked...

I have everything from parts basses to middle of the road priced Fenders, MusicMan, Ibanez's and Peavey as well as more pricey Fender and Ibanez's and ALL OF THEM work for me. They all sound different, most just subtly sound different from another, and when I play them they all play alot alike because of setup and when in the mix, either at practice or at a gig, they all have what is needed. My bandmates can hear my bass, so can the crowd, and no one, except gear snobs, care what I'm playing.

My favorite(right now, lol) is a parts bass, Johnson body, AllParts neck, Fender hardware and '62 Fender Pbass pup. It plays really well and sounds just as good.

So no, you don't need expensive, just reliable and something that sounds good.

 

[Bassplayer315]

My Drake Custom was a bit higher than a MIA Fender but well worth it as I really like the 33" scale. I find it very easy to play and has great tone. The EMG P and J pickups cover all my tone needs.

 

[friskinator]

Is a thread on this topic every week necessary?

I've been suggesting that the mods do something about this. It's time for it to stop.

 

[iriegnome]

Yes. The plain and simple answer is yes. Unless you don't like the expensive basses, then you don't need them

 

[Honch]

Is there any reason to buy a more expensive bass or am I perfectly fine with what I already have?

You are perfectly fine with that bass you've already got! Don't rush things. And talking about "expensive" ones, what's cheap for one person is bloody expensive for another. Hunt down second hand basses, that USED to be expensive when new, but go down in price second hand. Do not change bass at least for another 2-3 years, play with what you've got. I would recommend spending dollars on amp and cabs instead. And strings...

You know, it took me at least 5-10 years of constant playing before I'd even bothered with intonation, dead spots on bass, or neck diving instruments, or hum and buzz through the pickups. Before I got anal about basses. I did HEAR it but did I care? No! I thought it was part and parcel, but then when everything slowly DAWNS on you you start to save up for a spiffed up instrument and versatility. These days, it's all ergonomics for me, and have resorted to headless instruments. Versatility isn't that important. A good solid bass sound without too much "niche" sound in it (Rics, Hofner et al) would suit me just fine.

 

[alangoldstein]

One of my best soundin and playing basses was 99 bux used. Washburn xb 102 pj

 

[mdogs]

I happen to prefer flats and a foam mute on a P-bass,sometimes use a felt pick too.

Can't see me needing an expensive bass for my required thump.

This I agree with, once you decide you are going to use flats, what you spend on a bass becomes almost completely irrelevant...

 

[Pizzabass]

Short answer to OP:

No. What you have is gig worthy. People who tell you otherwise are bloating themselves or goading you.

Longer Answer:

As an Electric Bassist, there is so much more you can do to enhance your sound electronically and the reality of a lot of things are that most basses (mass produced) can sound pretty terrible plugged directly into a speaker, completely unsaturated and raw. That's what defines a bass on it's own. Problem is, modern preamps do more to characterize the tone than the instrument itself so what you're left with is a mix of probably 65% line enhancements vs 35% raw sound. Which in turn, exponentially kills the benefit of paying extra dough for a primo bass. You'll hear a lot of people tell you, "play what you think sounds good, play what's within your price range and gets the job done, play what makes you feel good, etc." It's actually least probable to make a bad choice on a mid range Electric Bass than a good one.

As an Upright (or Double) Bassist, you take on a different perspective where people are almost dedicated to capturing the most of their natural timbre while enhancing specific sections or optimizing a 1:1 ratio of tone within all pitch ranges and getting into overtones. It's not uncommon to hear of an Upright player using multiple methods to capture sound or even an overlap of elements within those methods. Through this, I've always felt the ratio of line enhancement vs raw sound for Upright has always been around 80% raw and 20% line. Then of course an unplugged scenario is 100% raw and 100% the most expensive part for most players as they go through many strings, setups and the like.

This is all without getting into amps/preamps, aural enhancers or speakers as well and I'm merely glossing over things. I don't know the science of it all but I've "been around" and this is some of the more general stuff I consider. With all of that said, there is also one more fundamental comment that people point out:

"If you had to choose between a good bass (source of sound) with a bad amp (reproduction of sound) or vice versa, put your investment into a good bass. A good bass can still sound good through a bad amp but a bad bass will just sound worse through a good amp."

Outside of all of this you can get into versatility of the timbre of an instrument which typically turns into the cutting through a mix characteristic a Fender Jazz will have or the creamy, buttery blended goodness a Fender Precision offers. I've been one to say that within the world of Electric Basses there's so much you can do aurally with sound reproduction that bass selection isn't very important. Get something that plays comfortably then acquire aftermarket pickups if you wish to "upgrade" your sound. Now, you can't really reproduce the growl of high end basses but that growl isn't necessary. It's nice to have when you get it but the last thing I would call it is necessary.

Down to technique, I studied music in college then switched majors after 2 years. Was aiming to go to a school that offered you to major in Electric Bass as well as Double Bass but then I realized most of them aren't very well received within other communities and would have been a questionable decision. Just trying to say that I was successfully developing my technique for the bigger and better world of education. My opinion on Electric Basses themselves is that you must develop beyond the Bass and feel hindered before questioning to upgrade. I feel this is the big mistake a lot of instrumentalists make nowadays where they just want to "sound good" but don't focus on developing rudiment. The most overlooked factor (imho) is dynamic range when performing. I'm not impressed by people who can play 30 notes in .08 seconds. I'm impressed by someone who can play 30 notes in .08 seconds, volume maxed and yet can play just soft enough so you can barely hear it with no compensatory sound like string speak/slap and no aural enhancers outside of an amp and cab. That gives me goosebumps.

Master your instrument before you worry about how it would sound or could sound if you swapped it. Most Electric basses have at least 5 different characters you can produce with your right hand from placement up and down the bridge to the neck (or over it) and angle of attack. This is without adjusting your tone/eq. You cannot leave versatility down to design without overlooking technique and one should never overlook technique. There's actually a Youtube video I saw awhile back where a guy was commenting on this very thing "Do I need an expensive Bass?" The guy bought an F-Bass then discovered it was a let down.

Everything being discussed though is essentially a hierarchy of controls that begin with technique and end with a sound driver. While this is verbose, I felt it's all necessary when you begin to have these questions of "is this good enough?" I'd argue that the first question should always be, "Am I good enough?"

 

[songwriter21]

This type of thread...again?

 

[nostatic]

So let me define work hard, that means working sustain and vibrato, using the hands, not the basses own ability to create it, learning how to create vibrato.
Overtones, learning how to control, and create overtones with the hands and techniques used....not just the bass having them.
Dampening and muting, again based in overtones, but a different approach, again learning how to use them.....if your bass does not create them then you cannot learn about them?

As for playability, learning to play is physical, so it is hard on any instrument, but having resistance in the strings is a great way to develop muscular finger skills for dexterity and stamina.

In all i have mentioned it becomes easier when using a bass that is more playable, more playable does not have to be more expensive, but i will say i have never played any expensive bass that's not easily playable, that is a given when you pay big bucks, but equally i have played cheaper bases that can do the same job.
But playability is in the hands of the player for the music they play, the better the hand techniques the less playability is an issue.
I meet a lot of players that buy a new bass because the specs are better, but over a short time their original issues come back....the instrument does not always cure what having good technique can do.

So a player may spend an extra £1000 to help over come a problem that paying for a few good lessons would address.
Again working a sound is not about ease of play or bad instruments, its about developing technique.

You still seem to be making circular arguments. You want a cheaper bass because it is harder to play. But then say a cheap bass can be made more playable.

A bass does not "create vibrato." And I would argue that lots of instruments in fact don't have a lot of sustain or rich overtones, and as you say, you can't learn how to use them if you don't have them in the first place.

Mostly you seem to be arguing that beginning bass players shouldn't buy expensive instruments due to price.

I have no argument about lessons and learning good technique. And as I said, you don't need to spend a bunch of money to get a very playable instrument. But I fail to see why it is better to learn on a cheap bass and how "resistance in the strings" is good or bad, and based on price. Seems mostly like you're making a "you kids get off my lawn" argument, and learning or lousy bass players with expensive instruments are either spoiled kids or snobs.

 

[Oneud]

For me personally, if I played 4 strings, I would have absolutely no problem rocking a Squier J or P, or a MIM Fender or another low-budget bass. But I play 5ers, and I do feel that I need a low B that sounds great, and I've never found a cheap bass that had it. I'd imagine there are some out there, but I've never encountered one. So, for me, needing a great low B, I've found that I do need a nicer bass for that purpose...and it was worth paying the extra money for that quality. For most people, no, expensive basses are not necessary.

 

[DreadyDiggs]

It matters as much as you want it to. My basses are all sub $500 each. I get the job done with those. I've seen more expensive basses I like and of course played some expensive basses but I could never justify spending the extra dough.

I am a mechanic by day and I invest my money in tools that will make me more money than they cost me. Both an expensive bass and an inexpensive bass will make me money at gigs and, above dirt cheap, maintenance is not much of a factor plus I do a lot myself. So what advantages does a high price tag really offer me?

In my genre how you play gets you work, not what bass you play so the odds are stacked against expensive basses. My Spirits and Sound Gear sound great to me and to the listeners, are lightweight, stay in tune (Spirits way better than Ibanez) and are CHEAP.

 

[Marc61]

In the 80s I met Chuck Rainey. I'm sure most of us would agree he's a pretty darn good bassist. At the time, my bass teacher Ken Smith was trying to sell him on a 4K bass. I told him, hey you need one of those. He told me (at the time) he was using his very first bass. A Yamaha he paid $70 for. I'm aware today he uses boutique basses. Probably because he gets them for free but his quote then was (paraphrasing)"If you can't play on my bass, you can't play on Ken Smith's bass"

I think that pretty much sums it up.

 

[Maiden Bass]

But of course!!!

 

[Acoop]

Now that I can agree with. I will say that for myself, I think someone should buy whatever bass they need in order to play their best.

And how will you ever know your best if you can't commit to a decent enough instrument to bring out your best.

I think the whole "dollar store" mentality (wow, look at all this affordable crap) has really damaged new players from becoming better players. ... I walk into a Guitar Centre and I'm hard pressed to find one decent instrument that's worth taking home. And if I do, it is usually used and has had many upgrades. ... Ask any serious player what he plays and you'll get the truth, "You get what you pay for."

 

[Pimpernel Smith]

Jack Casady does well with his Epiphone bass. I own one, and have never found a bass, regardless of price, that I thought was better.