A Fender Precision in 1970 was $293.50. that would be interested today's money roughly $2450. so a Am Pro II is about 30% cheaper now then what it was in 1970.
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Bass prices today
- Thread starter Cory rich40
- Start date
A Fender Precision in 1970 was $293.50. that would be interested today's money roughly $2450. so a Am Pro II is about 30% cheaper now then what it was in 1970.
I bought a EBMM Stingray 5 HH (profile pic) brand new for $2,350 in 2019.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
I check replacement values for insurance every year and in 2007, I paid $749 for a Lakland 55-01 bass. That same instrument today runs around $1,200. In 2008, I paid around $1,200 for a Lakland 44-02 Deluxe. That bass now is pushing $2k. The world is a vastly different place now in terms of economics than it was in 2007, and where those instruments were made is now different as well... Korea vs. Indonesia. Lots of ingredients in the soup.
My double bass is a Chinese-made carved top that I bought in 2004. A 'Johannes Kohr' labeled instrument from a reputable shop here in NC that has been rock-solid for me for 21 years so far. I haven't had it appraised recently, but the last time I did, I was told its replacement value would be around $4-5k.
My double bass is a Chinese-made carved top that I bought in 2004. A 'Johannes Kohr' labeled instrument from a reputable shop here in NC that has been rock-solid for me for 21 years so far. I haven't had it appraised recently, but the last time I did, I was told its replacement value would be around $4-5k.
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To me it seems like bass prices shot up in the last few years but it may just be because time feels like it's going by faster.
I bought and sold an EBMM Stingray 5 here in about 2010 for $950. I feel like those are double that price now.
I sold an excellent Yamaha TRB5 in about '07 for $450. That was probably too little but I bet that exact same bass would sell for over $1500 now.
Seems like the cost of musical instruments has increased much more than inflation over the last 10-15 years.
I sold an excellent Yamaha TRB5 in about '07 for $450. That was probably too little but I bet that exact same bass would sell for over $1500 now.
Seems like the cost of musical instruments has increased much more than inflation over the last 10-15 years.
EBMM Stingrays have gotten really pricey for a stock build. That being said, they're some of the most well built basses around, so maybe that's why?
I played a show yesterday with my '81 Standard Precision that I bought new for $650. That's a little less than $2300 today. I've seen these basses going for $3k and more on the used market, which I think is crazy.
An American Professional II Precision costs about $1850 new and I believe them to be just as good as, if not better than, what I bought in 1981.
An American Professional II Precision costs about $1850 new and I believe them to be just as good as, if not better than, what I bought in 1981.
Player's grade is fine for me and most of the basses I've owned since my first in 1973 were just that.
Bass prices today are lower than bass prices in the future.
I almost bought Burnt Apple Stingray Special in December 2019 retail at $2099 then in August 2023 GC had an exclusive to them Burnt Apple[ had matching headstock not on 2019 version] I bought; retail was $2699; it is still 2699 now
To me the biggest price impact has been from what used basses were selling for pre-covid, compared to what sellers are asking nowadays. Unlike equating guitar prices from 40-60 years ago, compensated for inlfation, this latest price jump happened in just a couple years.
In what should be somewhat of a buyer's market now, sellers seem to believe it's still a seller's market like in 2021, and asking prices reflect that. With that, I see used basses for sale on Reverb, ebay, and here in the classifieds that simply aren't selling. I think buyers and sellers have reached an impasse, at least for now.
In what should be somewhat of a buyer's market now, sellers seem to believe it's still a seller's market like in 2021, and asking prices reflect that. With that, I see used basses for sale on Reverb, ebay, and here in the classifieds that simply aren't selling. I think buyers and sellers have reached an impasse, at least for now.
A few points to consider: We have to put instruments into the context of all consumer goods inflating in price. If we use 1960s Fender as a standard-bearer (seeing how the majority of musicians were playing them at the time): those basses when adjusted for inflation would be $2k-3k today. But back in those days, budget/import basses were often pretty poor quality, and not often considered "pro" instruments. So consider that everyone you saw playing a "pro" bass (Fender / Gibson / Rickenbacker) had spent well above what we think of as "budget instrument" prices for new instruments. But also, many probably players didn't have large collections (I say probably, because there were guys like John Entwistle to consider)
Today, budget/import basses are substantially better than they were decades ago, and many players use them as "pro" basses. We can acquire collections of many basses and have an array of great options on-hand, all without breaking the bank. But that often comes at the cost of cheap overseas labor with questionable wages and working conditions for the people building them. This isn't news for most of us, and it's something I digest with mixed emotions and moral conflict.
Knowing that, it makes $2k-$3k and above seem appropriate for an instrument made domestically, by crafters who are building high-quality professional tools and (hopefully) making justifiable living wages. For my own anecdotal contribution, my main bass is a Serek MW2 5-string, made to order at about $3.5k. It does what I need for 90% of my gigs and leaves me wanting little more, but for a few other mellower options. I'm an advocate for quality over quantity; while it's still very important to shop around and try different things, I think in many cases we still get what we pay for.
Today, budget/import basses are substantially better than they were decades ago, and many players use them as "pro" basses. We can acquire collections of many basses and have an array of great options on-hand, all without breaking the bank. But that often comes at the cost of cheap overseas labor with questionable wages and working conditions for the people building them. This isn't news for most of us, and it's something I digest with mixed emotions and moral conflict.
Knowing that, it makes $2k-$3k and above seem appropriate for an instrument made domestically, by crafters who are building high-quality professional tools and (hopefully) making justifiable living wages. For my own anecdotal contribution, my main bass is a Serek MW2 5-string, made to order at about $3.5k. It does what I need for 90% of my gigs and leaves me wanting little more, but for a few other mellower options. I'm an advocate for quality over quantity; while it's still very important to shop around and try different things, I think in many cases we still get what we pay for.
I just make an honest assessment of the musical projects I need a bass for as a tool , I probably have only 1 - 2 sentimental basses. If I have a bass instruction school or a well paying gig that requires new looking basses then I might be worried or look deeper into the pricing but all the musical projects I have are already fulfilled with a bass that I have and I can manipulate many of them to serve a wide range of projects. I am more concerned with the price of food, pet , home maintenance and vehicles. If needed for survival, I;ll sell the unmolested basses without much thought and I am quite sure if will not affect my ability to play bass and stay musical.
