basses whose price exceeds quality?

Most production basses because you can buy them used for incredible discount.

 

Oh man... I wouldn't pay street price for anything really, I have no problem buying used equipment as long as it's not beaten to death and works like it's supposed to.

I'm a bit hypocritical saying that though 'cause my main bass is one I bought new at GC.

Taking it in the context of basses I wouldn't even pay used price for, well... That's kind of a personal preference thing, isn't it? I wouldn't really consider anything Gibson, and most boutique basses are just plain too much or me.

 

Gibsons are i think the "Flagship" Expensive but not worth the Street Price Bass.

Appart from the older grabber/ripper and RD the newer Gibsons just aren't worth it, imo. Pick up a nice epi.

 

To be honest, what they charge for a Fodera is incredible.

I played a Imperial, and I determined:

For that kind of money, you could get a LOT more nicer features on your bass.

For 8G's upward, I shouldn't have to unscrew the lid to get to the battery. It should be in a smaller cavity with easy pull access. Etc. Etc.

But that won't stop me from owning one some day...

Andrew

 

I'm thinking the over/under is 3 pages before the Mods close this thread.

 

SX / OLP can be around $100 and fair quality. thats pretty damn good. in the higher price range, carvin is good bass for the buck, i think..

 

I'd say most custom basses take a much bigger haircut than production.

New Fender: $900
Used Fender: $600

New ______: $3,500
Used ______: $1,400

 

I think with the economy the way it is, ALL bass prices exceed their quality.

 

I'm waiting for the guys who'll say "Fender" and start a flame war. I love Fender designs (P-Bass, Jazz Bass...) and have no problem with their current production, BTW.

KO

 

Some that come to mind are: Carvin, Smith, Pedulla. . . Also, smaller luthiers that are not well-known or don't have a buzz going on.

The few brands that I see keeping value are Rickenbacker, Fodera, Carl Thompson, Ritter. . . those that are in great demand.

 

This is not me hating on any of the brands, in fact, I like most of the basses I'm going to name. That said, let me get the flame-proof suit...

Rickenbacker
Warwick
Modulus
Peavey
Gibson
Carvin
G&L

I know that's bound to get a few people upset, but with the exception of G&L, Warwick and Gibson, I have owned basses from each of the respective brands. Rick prices are astronomical because of supply and demand. While I maintain that the quality control is excellent, they are steadfast in not making simple design improvements such as shielding the electronics. For $2000.00, it should at the very least have some of that industrial paint they use in Korean basses.

I named Warwick, Carvin, G&L and especially Peavey because they simply get hammered on the used market. I've owned a few Carvin basses, two different Peavey basses and I know from experience, they do not retain their value well. Warwick basses are great (IMO) but again, I would not buy one retail. I love the Warwick tone by the way. Maybe not the weight, but that's different. G&L (American-made) seem to not demand much $$$ either. Perhaps its because the Tribute models are made so well?

Gibson basses are niche and simply cost too much! I liked an SG I played, but for around a grand, no way!

With Modulus... it simply is a matter of me preferring Zon > Modulus for the money.

 

Yes, they do. I excluded custom just because I assume people automatically pay an extra premium for a custom item, therefore production/custom are apples/oranges since the pricing is skewed from the get go.

 

Rickenbacker

Don't get me wrong, I think they are great basses. But the price.

 

Warwick.

 

MIA Fender basses.

 

Ricks seem to be increasing in price. Hopefully those two new CNC machines they bought will help speed up production.

 

As much as I love the fat tubby sound of a Hofner, there's no way in hell they're worth the coin they're charging for these. Hey Hofner, remember McCartney played one and put you on the map because it was CHEAP back then!

 

And that is simply a ridiculous way to judge the quality of an instrument, IMHO.

 

I would say anything Fender.