are we being ripped off by expensive manufactured basses?

[awilkie84]

I'm usually wrong about most things, but I think maybe I know something you don't here. I believe a Gibson Thunderbird has a 9-laminate neck and a Classic-IV Pro has a 7-laminate neck. There may also be some minor differences in shape. I'm also pretty sure all of Gibson's bass runs are very low quantity, so I doubt that they spend more than a couple days a year cutting Thunderbird bodies. Given the low quantities and construction differences, I think it is fairly reasonable to believe that Gibson Thunderbirds are glued and cut in the United States.

Judging from the glue, sanding and finish work on my Gibson Thunderbird, I'm reasonably sure they only make Thunderbirds on Fridays after 3pm. Fortunately, they do fret work and set them up shortly after they hand out the bonus checks.

My Epi T-bird Classic IV Pro has the same 9 piece neck. The site says 7, but there's definitely 9 on it.

 

[wvbass]

My Epi T-bird Classic IV Pro has the same 9 piece neck. The site says 7, but there's definitely 9 on it.

Really! Mine is white, but I will have to see if I can see the laminations through the paint.

EDIT: Good thing I prefaced my post by saying that I am wrong a lot! I can only make out 5 laminations on my solid-color Epi, but pictures online clearly show the Epi is 9 laminates, just like the Gibson. That doesn't prove the bodies are made in the same factory, but it doesn't mean they aren't, either.

 

[JimmyM]

I put ketchup on hot dogs, and anyone who doesn't like it can bite my Oscar Mayer

 

[SteveC]

I put ketchup on hot dogs, and anyone who doesn't like it can bite my Oscar Mayer

Me, too. But I never put it on steak. That is unconscionable.

 

[Munjibunga]

Another way of putting it is, "You're not getting ripped off by them if you're not buying their basses."

 

[David Jayne]

I put ketchup on hot dogs, and anyone who doesn't like it can bite my Oscar Mayer

A pox upon you sir. A pox, I say.

 

[JimmyM]

A pox upon you sir. A pox, I say.

And I hate mustard, so take that!

 

[David Jayne]

And I hate mustard, so take that!

Pistols at dawn, sir.

 

[JimmyM]

You got it, David...just beware...mine is a double barrel:

 

[David Jayne]

Touche, James :-D
I'll have to catch your show sometime. Let me know when you're in the northeast. I'll buy you a hot dog.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Another way of putting it is, "You're not getting ripped off by them if you're not buying their basses."

I have to admit I jump in with the pitchforks and torches mobs sometimes, but this is really no different than the $1000 instrument cables IMO. The problem is when people start saying "Well of course you can't hear the difference, but I can." In my case, just like with the overpriced audio cable audiophiles, I just snicker and say "Well, I'm an amateur...guilty as charged"

 

[Munjibunga]

And I hate mustard, so take that!

I pour a quart of ketchup on it with a tiny dab of mustard so when some east-coaster asks me what I put on my hot dog, I'm not lying when I say, "mustard."

 

[Munjibunga]

I have to admit I jump in with the pitchforks and torches mobs sometimes, but this is really no different than the $1000 instrument cables IMO. The problem is when people start saying "Well of course you can't hear the difference, but I can." In my case, just like with the overpriced audio cable audiophiles, I just snicker and say "Well, I'm an amateur...guilty as charged"

My Fodera Viceroy doesn't sound better than my Fender Jazz bass. Different, but not better.

 

[RedHotFuzz]

I for one am glad we have the Bolshevik Party to define for us what constitutes "fair" and "unfair" pricing in the bass marketplace. Though I don't seem to have seen the official line of demarcation between the two. $500? $700?

 

[SRFSterling5]

My Fodera Viceroy doesn't sound better than my Fender Jazz bass. Different, but not better.

All this food speak is making me hungry. Could really go of a chili dog with onions & cheese. Never mind the mustard & ketchup.

 

[awilkie84]

You got it, David...just beware...mine is a double barrel:

I NEED THIS!!!!

 

[awilkie84]

My Fodera Viceroy doesn't sound better than my Fender Jazz bass. Different, but not better.

Try it with relish?

 

[Munjibunga]

Try it with relish?

Dill relish only.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

Frankly, I don't care a lick about Brand X. I play whatever I like, and you can do what you want.

What bass did Percy Jones play and was it expensive?

 

[Uncle Psychosis]

I tend to think that there's a certain price point beyond which you don't get any extra "quality", you just get more expensive features and exclusivity.

If you disagree, ask yourself which is "better" - a $20000 bass from a top custom builder or a $22000 bass from the same top builder? Or are they both brilliant instruments and you'd just need personal preference to choose between them? Now understand that the dividing line for many people is *way* short of $20k (but varied from person to person) which is why these arguments happen.

What some people at the inexpensive end of the argument don't understand is that some people value aesthetics, exclusivity, and expensive features even if these things don't necessarily "improve" the sound coming out of the speaker.

What some people at the expensive end of the argument don't realise is that some people aren't prepared to pay a premium for aesthetics, exclusivity, and expensive features because these things hold less value for them.

In short, once you get to a certain price "more expensive" doesn't correlate with "better", but at the same time "more expensive" also doesn't need to mean "rip off".