Are higher priced basses really worth it?

[Muddslide]

No, they wont, nobody cares what your bass looks like, or what name is on the headstock, except other bass nerds.

I pretty much agree, if you are talkikng about a live gig situation.

The percentage pf people who will notice (or give a crap) about the looks of an instrument in a band onstage is fairly small.

The percentage of people who notice (or give a crap) about the brand name is even smaller.

The people who notice (or would give a crap) about any negligible differences in tone is next to nil.

It's fun to be geeky about this stuff. I'm a bass geek myself.

But the fact is, unless you are some hot-as-blazes player like Wooten who is known in the bass geek circle, nobody is at your gig to check out your bass or your tone. It's gonna be loud. People are drinking and hitting on each other. People wanna hear some good music and have a good time.

The looks of your bass and how much it cost isn't ever going to enter the mind of 99% of an audience. Any "tonal" qualities are going to be given even less notice.

As long as a bass can be made to have decent action and it will intonate and keep tune, what else do you need?

 

[benthughes]

I find that cost vs. quality quickly declines past the $1500 mark is you take into account used prices.

I think that if you need something specifically tailored to your playing style to optimize what you've got going on then paying more may be worth it. For most people higher priced basses aren't worth it. You can get excellent tone, playability in a bass that will last a lifetime for around $1000.

I find the problem to be information in general, people saying "bass 'a' is the best thing I've ever touched!" and others thinking this applies to them, I've fallen victim to this several times. One of my all time favorite basses is a G&L L-2500 that I paid $999 for brand new. There are other basses I've played that are as good or better in terms of quality and playability but none that work as well for me. You may GAS for a $5000 Wal but the chances are, when you get your hands on it, it is gonna leave you wanting.

Ion the other hand I absolutely love my USA Spector NS5 with Buckeye top... worth every penny IMO. It didn't sound $2000 better than My Czech Spector but it sure does make me happy.

If a $500 bass makes you happy, great! If a $5000 Wal makes you happy, great!.

 

[LanOsb133]

My dad has been playing guitar since he was 8 years old (so almost 50 years now) we've been filthy rich and super poor. One thing stayed the same though and that was the guitars my dad played. He had multiple Fenders and Gibsons, Most of his fenders were old 57-70's and his gibsons are were the same. Long story short, You get what you pay for. The bass could be $1000 and never break, it could be $100 and break the next day. Each bass is priced the way it is for a reason (or so i like to think) but when you go and look for a bass, look for something that plays well, can hold your tuning and can actually play. Nothing sucks more then a high action-ed bass that goes out of tuning every 30 minutes...

So yes i belive higher priced basses are worth the money because your also buying how they are put together, the hardware and everything else. (things like electronics dont matter much IMO because you can always buy new pickups and what not.)

 

[Muddslide]

The bass could be $1000 and never break, it could be $100 and break the next day.

Can you name any brand of bass that typically "breaks the next day" at any price point?

Each bass is priced the way it is for a reason (or so i like to think) but when you go and look for a bass, look for something that plays well, can hold your tuning and can actually play. Nothing sucks more then a high action-ed bass that goes out of tuning every 30 minutes...

ANY bass at any price point might be prone to staying out of tune or having high action.

I do believe that very cheap mass-produced instruments may be more inclined to having these problems, but...

So yes i belive higher priced basses are worth the money because your also buying how they are put together, the hardware and everything else. (things like electronics dont matter much IMO because you can always buy new pickups and what not.)

CNC machines really go far towards producing consistently decent instruents, regardless of where they are produced and what their retail cost is.

The el-cheapos of today are light years ahead of the cheapos of a couple of decades ago.

Obviously you can pay whatever you want for a bass that is made by hand to your exact specifications, but even then there's no guarantee that everything will be perfect.

I do believe instruments in the sub-$500 range tend to be made with lower quality electronics and hardware, but those components can be replaced cheaply and easily.

 

[eth4nc]

Yes!

Not only they are enjoyable to look at (due to exotic woods), they generally have better 'feel'. With these 2 factors, there will be a tendency for you to play more, hence improving as a musician. At least IME

It is true most audience would not be able to tell the difference between the various brands. But so what? The most important thing is that YOU feel good the entire session.

Basically, if you can afford it, why not?

 

[klejst]

Now I am sure you would like to think the phrase "you get what you pay for," however I have seen basses that cost $300-400 sound just as good and hold up better than some of the $700-1000+ dollar basses. My MIM Fender Precision and Jazz Standard basses hold up and do awesome for me and I paid less than $350 each.

 

[aikidorat]

I've just crossed the line from the "less expensive" bass to the "more expensive bass", having picked up a used Wilkins PJ from the forums here (just came in yesterday).

My first bass (and I still own it) is a MIM Fender Jazz 4, that I traded a saxophone for. I got lucky - that bass has great tone, and plays great. I've swapped pups for Nordys, and put an Audere preamp in it (though I may swap that back to passive), and generally have loved playing that bass. The neck is true, and fast.. I've tried other MIMs and they werent as good... so I got lucky

only problem is, it is a boat anchor at around 10 lbs, and having suffered a few separated/dislocated shoulders, I feel the weight after awhile. It's still been my main go to bass, but I was looking for something lighter.

I then tried an MTD Heir 5, then a MTD Kingston Saratoga 5, but sold both - 5 string wasnt for me, and though they cost a few hundred dollars more than the fender, didnt feel / play that much better. Fit and finish were similar, necks were comparable, but overall, the $2-300 more that those cost wasnt a big change from the MIM Fender.

I then decided I wanted to try something in the $1k-$1.5k range, and could either get new or used. The Wilkins came up used at a good price, so I thought I would try it.

For this bass, I can tell the difference in the finish, hardware, tone and playability.. and it is very light! So, used, it was a great deal. New, I'm not so sure - it sure plays better/faster, is lighter, is great to look at, and has great tone. I'm not sure what it would cost new (at least $3k, probably more due to the wood choices and top), but for my skill level and current gig situation (praise band player), a bass this nice new would not be somethign I could justify.

But used, easy! very glad I picked this over a new MIA Fender PJ, say, for about the same cost.

dave

 

[cnltb]

Do you need a good bass? err I mean Expensive Bass?

Given that expensive does not necessarily equate good and good doesn't necessarily equate expensive i'd say:
yesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnoyesnomaybennomaybenoyesyesyesmaybeyesmaybenoyesnomaybenoyesmaybeperhapsprobablynoyes.