I have already replied once and here we go again. In reading the preceding posts I found lots of good points and passionate arguments too. I can't say that I necessarily disagree with any of them in totality, but I can say this. I have a friend that is more collector than player. He can play, but rarely does. When pressed to play around others, he defers saying he hasn't prepared anything. That isn't to say he can't, as I have heard him play, he just expects perfection before playing before others. I digress, I can recall saying that I would never spend $X on an instrument because it isn't required as my $1/2X sounds/plays just as good. Now I have purchased 2 in that price range. I traded lesser cost instruments to help pay for the second. I feel like I got some GAS for the first nicer instrument. They had one at GC, which is unusual in some ways-- lots of mid to cheap basses on the wall, and I played it for about 2 hours one day and then bought it. It is certainly not the best bass one can buy, but its damn nice. It made me understand the difference between a mid priced instrument and one that is much more. It plays easily. I feel that I am a better player when I have it in my hands. It sounds better too. Has a wider range of tones. It has lots of things that I like. Some are important to tone and others are purely aesthetic. I like it a lot. When I returned one of the lower end instruments due to a defect I decided to trade the other because it was much harder to play and didn't sound as good as the new one I liked. I played several in the store. I played others that I wouldn't buy, just to get a feel for a particular shaped neck of one that I might order. Yes, I did have some criteria in terms of brands, number of strings, and frets, but was open to feel and tone. It became obvious that I could only meet 2 out of 3 criteria. Ultimately I chose based on the shape of the neck. I know that when I am picking up a bass to play, I grab my favorite because it is a joy to play. I feel like I will like the one I ordered because it should feel the same way and have good tone, different, but good.
Here is the point I am trying to make, sorry for the long way around the barn. If one likes the way a bass plays, they will play it more and thereby raise their skill at least to a level higher than where they are but not to exceed their gifts. If you handed me the most wonderfully crafted and beautifully toned bass ever made I will never play like "name your favorite virtuoso", but I will play like a better me. If only because I choose to play it more often and for longer periods of time. I will derive more enjoyment from the practice. Cost is relative to ones situation and mind set. For me, for awhile, that was instruments under a certain price point. Now it isn't. It is hard for me to imagine spending more than I did on the last 2, but I have said that before and never is a very long time. And most importantly, play the one/s you have. Play all the time. Play loud. Play soft. Have fun. Play music with others as often as possible. Laugh, live and dream. One day you will have the one you dream about-- whatever that price point may be.
Hope all that makes sense.
