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Are Expensive Basses Necessary?

#261
You don't need expensive gear, but you should have serious gear if you want to be serious about playing bass. You can get a used US P bass and a 5 string Stingray any day in the classifieds for under $2k. A pro amp can be had for another $1k. With that setup, a strap and a cable, you can do just about any gig from bar room to large stage and not risk getting turned down for a gig because of your gear. $3k is not expensive when you compare to what other instruments pay and you don't need to buy it all at once either. Bass gear is fairly cheap.
 
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#262
Templar said:
I'm going to agree with nostatic that there may be a slight language barrier here. But just to put things in perspective, I don't think you need to "explain" to anyone on this board how the mechanics of vibrato are applied. Most folks understand that their fingers are connected to their hands, which are connected to their wrists, which are connected to their forearms, and so on. Very simple. Not like trying to understand the dynamics of a golf swing. ;)
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No probs and yes the written word can be not always cross over as intended, as for the vibrato point since it was questioned it is worth mentioning, if just to remind new members to the form that read these posts that such techniques exist, Full arm vibrato, Forearm vibrato and Finger vibrato are options to explore.
 
#268
Stratro said:
No matter how good you are on bass, owning an expensive bass in a town/country with no quality/well paid gigs happening all the time is like owning a Ferrari F1 car while your house is surrounded by ice and snow.
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By that logic, the only people owning expensive sports cars would be professional race car drivers. And yet I see people driving them around town town once in a while. Presumably, they do so for their own enjoyment and not because they are getting paid.

If I had to justify the number and quality of my basses by the frequency of gigs... Well, lucky for me that I don't!
 
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#269
Of course that a Ferrari F1 car should be owned by a pro drivers only.
They can drive them properly, improve them and earn money while driving them on a pro race track.

Regular drivers can pay a fortune to own them but they`ll end up only looking at them, rev them up in their garage and maybe crash them in the first corner if they try to drive them.
 
#270
Stratro said:
Of course that a Ferrari F1 car should be owned by a pro drivers only.
They can drive them properly, improve them and earn money while driving them on a pro race track.

Regular drivers can pay a fortune to own them but they`ll end up only looking at them, rev them up in their garage and maybe crash them in the first corner if they try to drive them.
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And this is somehow comparable to owning an expensive bass?
 
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#271
Since i own a couple of basses costing from 100$ up to 2500$, what i wrote above is just my own opinion that not everyone has to agree with.

So...if you can afford a couple of Fodera basses just to decorate your living room, that`s fine by me...just don`t forget that Jaco recorded all the albums playing mostly on a simple road worn jazz bass with his frets torn out..:D

Jokes aside and back on topic , my initial point was that owning an expensive bass is not necessary for you to become a better bass player. Never was, never will be.

..but practice is.;)
 
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#272
What you need is a bass that is comfortable to you, has a tone that pleases you and fits your playing situations, stays in tune, holds it's setup, and is quiet electronically in most all places. This combination is not exclusive to very expensive instruments but is the minimum you must have regardless of the buy-in price.

A bass that won't stay in tune, has to have it's setup adjusted constantly, and hums or buzzes thru the amp at the drop of a hat is worthless, and will catch you out at the WORST times and cost you gigs, and generally paint you as a doofuss. Don't be that guy ! There's nothing more depressing and aggravating than an axe you are constantly fighting.
 
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#273
Are expensive Anything necessary?
What is expensive?


Stratro said:
So...if you can afford a couple of Fodera basses just to decorate your living room, that`s fine by me...just don`t forget that Jaco recorded all the albums playing mostly on a simple road worn jazz bass with his frets torn out..:D
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Mark King, Larry Graham, Phil Lesh, Les Claypool, John Entwhistle, Flea, Allen Woody, Victor Wooten....

Yeah, your example is maybe the exception that confirm the opposite. :)
 
#275
BoogieZK said:
Are expensive Anything necessary?
What is expensive?




Mark King, Larry Graham, Phil Lesh, Les Claypool, John Entwhistle, Flea, Allen Woody, Victor Wooten....

Yeah, your example is maybe the exception that confirm the opposite. :)
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"When people mention Flea & Les Claypool in a same sentence with Jaco".:D
giphy.gif
 
#276
BrendonK said:
Are Expensive Basses Necessary?
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Nothing is necessary, Brendon. Neither you nor I, nor the air we breathe is necessary. Basses of any kind certainly are not either.

If one million years from now the planet Earth remains intact, and there are human-type beings alive on it, none of them will know that bass guitars ever existed.

Enjoy your TRBX 505 while you can!
 
#277
mdogs said:
Sorry, I don't see this as a rule of thumb. I see this as a tired old line that people, who feel the need to rationalize their purchases of cheap instruments, use.

As I always say, if you are unable to tell the difference between a cheap bass and a quality bass, you should buy the cheap bass. But, please stop telling us that your MIM Fender is as good as your Sadowsky, it just makes you look silly...
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An expensive custom name brand doesn't always guarantee better...I've played expensive basses that sounded like garbage but felt great and I've owned cheaper instruments that sound just as good as the supposed top level axes.I once owned a $230 Mexican Fender Squire jazz that sounded as good as any bass I've ever owned(I currently own 3 really good U.S. Lakland basses and it was as good if not better) Sometimes a lil extra love can be put into one of those cheap models on any given day at the factory and it turns out better than usual I guess.I've yet to actually play a Sadowsky that I loved but,all my buddies' Sadowskys sound and play great.At that price they should ALL sound and play great but that not always the case.I've even played $6000+ Fodera basses that should've been the best instrument on the planet at that price and it sounded horrible...felt better than ANY bass I'd ever played but sounded a mess! Not sure why but,it just did.

I'm currently playing a couple of cheap Sire jazz basses that I'd put up against just about ANY jazz bass instrument as far as rock-solid tone and decent playability is concerned...

As for the rule of thumb,it is a fact that the player has a direct effect on how good (or bad) an instrument sounds...I've had people sit in on my gigs and play my bass with the same exact settings and my bass(a U.S. Lakland 55-94 thru an EBS amp and cabs) didn't sound good in their hands.I'll never pay over $1500-2000 for a bass again...It's not necessary to get the job done.It's cool to be able to afford what you love to play but,it's not necessary for great sound.
 
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