Yes machines can replicate very well. However, play a hand made Pedulla Neck against a cnc neck, then ask yourself if there is a difference. (you are the only one it will matter to in the end).
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are we being ripped off by expensive manufactured basses?
- Thread starter zazin
- Start date
Yes machines can replicate very well. However, play a hand made Pedulla Neck against a cnc neck, then ask yourself if there is a difference. (you are the only one it will matter to in the end).
I am sure they are valid for some people but given what I do I am not sure I'd want to take an expensive bass into the venue without chaining it to my wrist first and that would make visiting the bathroom really tricky. For the likes of Victor Wooten and so on it makes sense as he's a great player and he probably has a guy to watch his gear if not someone to pee for him.
Rickenbacker has posted some very cool videos of their manufacturing process, over the past few years.
BTW, I have a PRS Custom 24, it is flawless!
Don't kid yourself.....we'll all live as long as the poopie we leave behind on the interweb.
Had money in my pocket, went to his shop, got treated like **** - took my money and spent it elsewhere.
Isn't he the same guy that started producing Greg Curbow's designs after Greg died - without paying for the design?
Dan
Isn't he the same guy that started producing Greg Curbow's designs after Greg died - without paying for the design?
Dan
I've played on $200 basses that I've loved, and I've played on $5000 basses that I've loved. I've never played an Alembic, nor have I played a Fedora. Honestly, I would only try one on pure curiosity with absolutely no intention to buy it.
The fact of the matter is this; Bass guitars are simply made by brands, weather big or small, cheap or inexpensive (There IS a difference), or lavish and expensive, whatever! All these companies are in competition for our money. It's like going to the store for a jar of salsa. Pace is a big brand for that part of the market, but when I reach for a good salsa, I choose a particular store brand. There's nothing wrong with Pace. It's good! But the Kroger Private Selection that I buy tastes better and costs less. Of course that's only my opinion, but taste is always subjective and can't be quantified. The same is often true in musical instruments.
In the end, in many cases, consumers are simply paying for a name, plain and simple, and in big names come cost. I understand that wood, hardware, and components cost money, as does labour. We're paying for all of this and more when we buy an instrument. It doesn't matter if something was "hand crafted" or "Machine crafted". They're ALL machine crafted! All those power tools? Yep. Thought so.
We're paying people's paychecks when we buy a bass, weather it be the CEO, someone in production, marketing, or whatever. We're paying for materials, we're paying for power to run equipment and lights. Seriously, how much do YOU think it costs to run Fender? Their marketing costs alone is staggering! They easily pay more annually for marketing than most people make in a year! But we're also paying for staplers, computers, toilet paper, maintenance, etc.
Now I'm not saying that companies like Fedora or Alembic don't over price for what you get. I'm sure they're fine instruments, but personally, I think buying $10,000 instruments is completely ridiculous, but hey...to each their own. Again, you're paying for a NAME. If someone wants to pay their prices, great! More power to them! Do I think that the customer is "ripped off"? Absolutely not. In the end, it comes down to what someone wants. It comes down to a question of "How much is owning this brand worth to ME?".
The fact of the matter is this; Bass guitars are simply made by brands, weather big or small, cheap or inexpensive (There IS a difference), or lavish and expensive, whatever! All these companies are in competition for our money. It's like going to the store for a jar of salsa. Pace is a big brand for that part of the market, but when I reach for a good salsa, I choose a particular store brand. There's nothing wrong with Pace. It's good! But the Kroger Private Selection that I buy tastes better and costs less. Of course that's only my opinion, but taste is always subjective and can't be quantified. The same is often true in musical instruments.
In the end, in many cases, consumers are simply paying for a name, plain and simple, and in big names come cost. I understand that wood, hardware, and components cost money, as does labour. We're paying for all of this and more when we buy an instrument. It doesn't matter if something was "hand crafted" or "Machine crafted". They're ALL machine crafted! All those power tools? Yep. Thought so.
We're paying people's paychecks when we buy a bass, weather it be the CEO, someone in production, marketing, or whatever. We're paying for materials, we're paying for power to run equipment and lights. Seriously, how much do YOU think it costs to run Fender? Their marketing costs alone is staggering! They easily pay more annually for marketing than most people make in a year! But we're also paying for staplers, computers, toilet paper, maintenance, etc.
Now I'm not saying that companies like Fedora or Alembic don't over price for what you get. I'm sure they're fine instruments, but personally, I think buying $10,000 instruments is completely ridiculous, but hey...to each their own. Again, you're paying for a NAME. If someone wants to pay their prices, great! More power to them! Do I think that the customer is "ripped off"? Absolutely not. In the end, it comes down to what someone wants. It comes down to a question of "How much is owning this brand worth to ME?".
Last edited:
okcrum
in your chest
Yes. According to a recent TB polll, 57% felt that all EBs should be street priced at $129, with gig bag.
Funny, that!Yes. According to a recent TB polll, 57% felt that all EBs should be street priced at $129, with gig bag.
Thanks!!
where do I sign?
I don't feel like my musicman basses are overpriced. They are worth every penny! amazing build quality. Id say some brands might be overpriced. like ones lacking in quality control. I'm not going to name anyone but I can think of 2 that release basses that probably aren't worth what they sell for...
I disagree with that .. Not sure about the number or the notion that there is "not much" difference betyween a Squire and a custom bass.. Custom by definition means that it is made to order and that in and of itself, whether in watches, cars, motorcycles or guitars is going to change the pricepoint considerably.
This true to an extent... but IMO correct wiring, good wood, as in not warped or scarred and "decent" pups are the standard that any bass would be expected to have.
A $300 Squire today is much better than any bass you could get for $75 in 1984. In fact I would dare to say that a $300 Squire today is better than any $300 bass you could get in 1984.
So as to the original question... I agree 100% with FretNoMore and dougazbass ... it is only a rip off if you think it is and if you are forced to buy it. I will never spend 10K on a bass.. but if someone else wants to and can.. that is their business and as long as they are happy with what they buy the notion of a rip off is moot. I doubt I will ever spend more than 3K on a bass unless I hit the lottery or something like that but I can see the difference between all my recent (by recent I mean say from 2000 to the present) basses in relation to their original price point and the quality of the build..
There are those that know the price of something, but not the value.
Yep. He stated many times that PRS were the finest guitars you could possibly get....then after they quit dealing with him they were all of a sudden junk.
Stick_Player
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Very true. Price is one thing, value another, and it's an individual thing. You pay the asking price if what you get is worth it to you, and then, of course, you do get your money's worth. It's only a ripoff if you were led to believe that you would get something better for your money than you actually got.
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It supposedly had to do with the trees which were growing during the little ice age, slow growth = denser wood. According to NatGeo at least
There is, in fact, significant evidence that violinists actually prefer top quality modern violins when double blind tested against top quality historic instruments.
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Exactly. But the romantic notion of magical ancient craftsman dies hard. Sure, maybe up until the 1970's there was no better violin that a Stradivarius. Then the newer ones got better and better but it was hard to accept, or at least admit. Today, they are made better than ever.
I guess if you own a million dollar strad you may want to admit that you can get a better violin for $10,000, just like if you own a custom built bass, you may not want to admit that the $500 Ibanez sounds better. But the proof's in the pudding. Players after both playing and hearing the new instruments prefer them.
With electric guitars, the "hand craftmanship" is far less of an issue. Putting pickups in a routed hole is not brain surgery. The biggest factor between cheap guitars and good ones have always been the necks. They aren't hand carving the necks. In fact, today, with the way the machines cut the wood, you have a better chance of getting a good neck on a $500 bass than you did on a top of the line model in 1980.
