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Are higher priced basses really worth it?

#22
Probably echoing what everyone else has said so far. I've owned around 40 basses in my life. Some inexpensive, some cost more than my car. Did I like the expensive ones - some yes, some no (one was a custom Zon that felt absolutely wrong. Not bagging Zon's, just not for me).
In the wash of Spector, US Fender, MIM Fender, Warwick, Japanese ESP, Cort, Warmoth, Ibanez Prestige etc. etc. I have found my two absolute favourite basses that fit me perfectly and sound they way I want a bass to sound are a late 90's Japanese made Yamaha TRB5 and a Squire Active Jazz Deluxe that I modded with Bart pickups/preamp and Hipshot Ultralite tuners.

I think my point is in the end it boils down to the individual. I play rock and metal. For me even if I loved a Ritter for example I cant justify the $, and having said that the two basses I mentioned suit me perfectly so I'm no longer really interested in higher end basses.

Now there's way more than my 2c worth!
 
#26
After researching Rickenbacker bass guitars, I can tell you that, if nothing else, these definitely hold their value, and after finally deciding on a new one, I can say that, IMHO, they are worth the money, for me.
On the other side of the coin, the SX I have is a good gigging bass which I like a lot too.
 
#28
Brad Johnson said:
It is a common question and it would seem that common sense would answer it in most cases... but it doesn't. "need" has little to do with most people and their basses.

I don't need to the majority of basses I own. I like having low B strings but I'm sure I could make an inexpensive four string work if that's all I had.

Here's a somewhat related question that most people probably don't know the answer to... do you have to pay a lot of money for an expensive bass?

Nope. People generally see an expensive bass and assume that it was expensive for the current owner. It's almost amazing how often they're wrong. That goes for many other items people consider expensive.
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+1, "Need" has no place, when it comes to price.

Here's the need comes into play:
4 or more strings: Check.
Functional pickups: Check.
Does it do the job?: Check.

Anything else (unless I missed something) is "Want".......
 
#29
Brad Johnson said:
It is a common question and it would seem that common sense would answer it in most cases... but it doesn't. "need" has little to do with most people and their basses.

I don't need to the majority of basses I own. I like having low B strings but I'm sure I could make an inexpensive four string work if that's all I had.

Here's a somewhat related question that most people probably don't know the answer to... do you have to pay a lot of money for an expensive bass?

Nope. People generally see an expensive bass and assume that it was expensive for the current owner. It's almost amazing how often they're wrong. That goes for many other items people consider expensive.
Click to expand...

Similar to what Brad said, I have found that by learning what constitutes quality gear, I have been able to constantly find very well made instruments for little money. If you are not stuck on particular brand names, this can lead to some great deals.

Some brands just have poor resale value no matter how well they are made, play, and sound. I currently have two Yamahas that were originally near top of the line basses when they were new, and together they both cost me less than $1,100. If I tried to buy new basses with a similar level of quality, I would have had to pay at least $3,000.
 
#32
It's the Indian, not the arrow.

Christian McBride plays a beat up no-name German upright made in the '20s he got for a song. His electrics on the other hand are custom-made fretless jobbies that cost thousands.
 
#34
More important than the cost is the type of bass. A Rickenbacker is not worth it to me because I have interest in playing one. The same is true for a Stanley Clarke style Alembic or a Nash relic job.

I could easily see me shell out the bucks for a MTD 535 or 635 or a Brubakers like Brad has. The same would be true for a A-C or Celinder like the one's that KJung has owned.
 
#35
I can vouch for the statement that more expensive basses are worth it - up to a point. Beyond $1500-2000 or so, you are paying for exotic wood and hand attention to detail that is hard pressed to feel.

Now, I have been really lucky and found a MIM Jazz used for $300 that is just fantastic, but it is not the norm. If someone put a gun to my head and told me to pick just ONE of my basses forever, it would probably be my '08 USA P. I have put this in the hands of non-bass players and they can feel and hear the difference between this and a lesser bass. Same with my Cirrus.

One of the most important details in any guitar or bass is the leveling, rounding and fitting of the frets. It is just not possible to do this consistently in low-cost basses and IMHO, the most important difference between cheap and more costly basses. This gives you an EASE of playing that you can't get in cheaper instruments.
 
#36
Higher price and really worth it are very relative expressions so by combining them you've essentially asked the impossible, lol. I can only say pay for what 1) you can afford and 2) makes you the happiest. Thing will work themselves out if you go by how much you like your basses as opposed to it being better than the ones around it.

Personally, I think difference in quality becomes negligible around the $2000 mark but the difference in sound is entirely subjective and up to you. There are plenty of guys here who would take a Fender P Bass over a custom Fodera any day and plenty who would do the opposite. They key for you is finding what you like and how much you are willing to shell out for it.
 
#37
Kwesi said:
Higher price and really worth it are very relative expressions so by combining them you've essentially asked the impossible, lol. I can only say pay for what 1) you can afford and 2) makes you the happiest. Thing will work themselves out if you go by how much you like your basses as opposed to it being better than the ones around it.

Personally, I think difference in quality becomes negligible around the $2000 mark but the difference in sound is entirely subjective and up to you. There are plenty of guys here who would take a Fender P Bass over a custom Fodera any day and plenty who would do the opposite. They key for you is finding what you like and how much you are willing to shell out for it.
Click to expand...

Dang! I wish I had been as mature as you are at 19!:)
 

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