Squier CV P or J is great choice which still keep the fender look.
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Budget Electric Basses - Your Thoughts
- Thread starter Gabe Lamog
- Start date
If it sounds good to you…
…and it plays well in your hands…
…and you think it looks pretty damn cool…
…and the maintenance and upkeep don't make you wanna tear your hair out at the roots…
…and if you can achieve all that and more while still having fun playing it…
…then who gives one flamin', flyin' eff how much the damn thing cost?!
If you're of the mindset to look down your nose at someone's personal choice, jam it up yer nose, 'cuz there's probably someone out there who can play circles around you on an even lower-cost instrument.
On the flip-side of the coin, if your pride in your low-cost instrument leads you to think it pretentious or idiotic of someone to spend way, way more than you did on theirs, get thee bent too, 'cuz they may have bought it for a whole number of incredibly valid reasons.
Certainly, there are basic, objective reasons for buying what we buy, but once it goes past basic playability and reliability, everything else comes down to either subjective qualities (aesthetics, comfort, etc…) or pride turned ugly, and to that, I say…
…and it plays well in your hands…
…and you think it looks pretty damn cool…
…and the maintenance and upkeep don't make you wanna tear your hair out at the roots…
…and if you can achieve all that and more while still having fun playing it…
…then who gives one flamin', flyin' eff how much the damn thing cost?!
If you're of the mindset to look down your nose at someone's personal choice, jam it up yer nose, 'cuz there's probably someone out there who can play circles around you on an even lower-cost instrument.
On the flip-side of the coin, if your pride in your low-cost instrument leads you to think it pretentious or idiotic of someone to spend way, way more than you did on theirs, get thee bent too, 'cuz they may have bought it for a whole number of incredibly valid reasons.
Certainly, there are basic, objective reasons for buying what we buy, but once it goes past basic playability and reliability, everything else comes down to either subjective qualities (aesthetics, comfort, etc…) or pride turned ugly, and to that, I say…
If it sounds good to you…
…and it plays well in your hands…
…and you think it looks pretty damn cool…
…and the maintenance and upkeep don't make you wanna tear your hair out at the roots…
…and if you can achieve all that and more while still having fun playing it…
…then who gives one flamin', flyin' eff how much the damn thing cost?!
If you're of the mindset to look down your nose at someone's personal choice, jam it up yer nose, 'cuz there's probably someone out there who can play circles around you on an even lower-cost instrument.
On the flip-side of the coin, if your pride in your low-cost instrument leads you to think it pretentious or idiotic of someone to spend way, way more than you did on theirs, get thee bent too, 'cuz they may have bought it for a whole number of incredibly valid reasons.
Certainly, there are basic, objective reasons for buying what we buy, but once it goes past basic playability and reliability, everything else comes down to either subjective qualities (aesthetics, comfort, etc…) or pride turned ugly, and to that, I say…
It's comforting to know that there are less expensive alternatives out there. I, personally, use a MusicMan Stingray 5 as my primary bass,as it suits my needs in various styles of playing at different gigs (Rock,Big Band, Funk/R&B, Latin, Broadway Style Play Productions).
Over the years,I've noticed that various music stores have had changes regarding sales trends. These trends have leaned towards "economical" spending. A new line of imports have flooded the marketplace with various, more inexpensive wood types and hardwares. They,apparently, gotten to the point that these instruments, for the most part, are as durable as their more expensive counterparts. Not only that, but in some instances, have mass produced a more versatile instrument.
I have purchased such instruments made by Yamaha, Ibanez, Tobias, Schecter, and more recently, Sterling. And Wow, for the price, these are some of the MOST versatile basses I've ever played.
On the flip side, my Fender J and P, Alembic, Rickenbacker, Hofner, and MusicMan possess a sound personality like no other,which is the reason Ill never get rid of them, either. Every bass I use has its place in music, and I will always appreciate what it can bring to the table at a given gig.
Bass Player Forever........
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Nothing like an economic downturn or financial crisis to make people consider less-expensive options. Look what happened to the SUV market when a gallon of Unleaded-Regular gasoline hit $4+ in places where fuel costs are usually on the low side.
Exactly! For a while there, the world economy went into darkness for a time, making it more difficult to spend money more freely. And we may never recover fully, but it's gotten a little more manageable for some. So relieved that gas prices are down!Nothing like an economic downturn or financial crisis to make people consider less-expensive options. Look what happened to the SUV market when a gallon of Unleaded-Regular gasoline hit $4+ in places where fuel costs are usually on the low side.
Malik, my whole point for this post was to say that, in addition to beautifully crafted musical instruments that an individual is willing to spend the big bucks for, it's nice to know that there are less expensive alternatives for those who simply are looking for a nice sound, but prefers to spend less money, and the market has made that possible. I appreciate your response. Thanks, bass bro, and Rock On!!!
I'm still saving up for my favorite bass, the Rickenbacker 4003 black Jetglo!! Ha!
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Well said, good sir! Thank you, back at ya, and you're very welcome!
And as far as the Rick goes, keep it classy, my friend!
IMO most stuff we buy thats not needed for survival has an exponential decline on the return on investment as the price goes up. By stuff, I mean all the things we tend to buy just to have; things we can't (or shouldn't) eat, wear or live in. I'm sure there's a huge difference between a $300 entry level bass and a $10000 collectors item. I'm guessing the $300 knock off won't be the deciding factor for a young, budding artist or have much impact on the decision to dedicate his/her life to the study of music vs. switching over the playing the maracas.
To those with only the best high end gear, I say rock on and enjoy.
To those with bargain basement scratch and dent closeout gear, I say rock on and enjoy.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of your investment making it to the hands of some poor over-worked and under-paid sole who was unfortunate enough to be born into a nightmare of a life.
To those with only the best high end gear, I say rock on and enjoy.
To those with bargain basement scratch and dent closeout gear, I say rock on and enjoy.
I see absolutely nothing wrong with a bit of your investment making it to the hands of some poor over-worked and under-paid sole who was unfortunate enough to be born into a nightmare of a life.
my Epi Toby and Roland RX / 60XL amps cover all my bargain needs, plus Felix's Mountainous grind.
The money you save on the instrument can be re-routed toward a nice efficient cabinet with a wide frequency response!
The morale is that there is always another thing that you can blow money on.
The morale is that there is always another thing that you can blow money on.
My main basses are a G&L Tribute L2000 and JB-2, so not exactly budget, but in that price range, with some looking around and a good setup there's nothing missing compared to more expensive basses.
If it sounds good to you…
…and it plays well in your hands…
…and you think it looks pretty damn cool…
…and the maintenance and upkeep don't make you wanna tear your hair out at the roots…
…and if you can achieve all that and more while still having fun playing it…
…then who gives one flamin', flyin' eff how much the damn thing cost?!
Quick answer: Only some snooty musicians, you know, that <.5% of a typical listening audience.
The other 99.5%+ of the people in the world truly don't give a flyin' eff.
I gave up trying to please or impress other musicians a long time ago. Last couple of decades have been about pleasing audiences and myself. Wow, has music been fun the last couple of decades.
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We're all different.
I totally hate heavy basses even for sitting down with ...dont care what the name is..Wal, Smith, Dingwall, Alembic, Fender Custom Shop, if its heavy then to me its as good as a piece of junk...I play a very light Squier cause the body is made of junk Basswood..but, it sounds and plays pretty good and I bet the audience don't care anyhow.
I totally hate heavy basses even for sitting down with ...dont care what the name is..Wal, Smith, Dingwall, Alembic, Fender Custom Shop, if its heavy then to me its as good as a piece of junk...I play a very light Squier cause the body is made of junk Basswood..but, it sounds and plays pretty good and I bet the audience don't care anyhow.
If every company had players like that demoing their basses, there wouldn't be much left in stock for anybody!
If it sounds good to you…
If you're of the mindset to look down your nose at someone's personal choice, jam it up yer nose, 'cuz there's probably someone out there who can play circles around you on an even lower-cost instrument.
Agreed. Goes for virtually any instrument. That said, my mother had an old family upright piano that would go out of tune with in a week of being tuned. A good player could make that thing sound fair, but a week later no one could.
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IME it really depends on the individual bass. My old RBX260 played well enough from what I remember, but many others bemoaned it and the RBX270 for being hot garbage. And you used to NEVER get Squier, Epiphone, or Ibanez's sub-$100 basses unless you wanted to retune it 5 times an hour or spend three times as much swapping parts out (or if you were gonna smash it at the end of the show
I would agree that 20-30 years ago if you bought a really cheap bass you basically got un prepped firewood. I would say in the last 15 yrs or so we have seen a huge shift in the quality of the "CheapAss Bass"™. IMHO its because the sales numbers dipped way low because of the rep these manufacturers had. It is wholly one thing to buy a cheap guitar and expect to have to do minor things to make it a good platform its an entirely different animal to buy a cheap guitar and expect this only to find its a completely unsalvageable mess. All the low end manufacturers seem to have realized this and incorporated a lot of the updated manufacturing processes into their production. I mean there isn't any real difference in the body cutouts other than types of wood and if its a 3 piece vs a 1 piece. As far as necks go well maple is maple and its just a matter of refinement.
Again as you said. YMMV.
Too many strings for me or I would hahahah It's very nice looking and subtract that once string and it bet it would fall into my price point
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I love budget basses! My only bass at the moment is a $159 Ibanez GSR105EX. I haven't had a complaint about the sound yet. I've only gigged it twice but everything went great. I feel like with a budget bass, I don't have to handle it with kid gloves. Bassists overpay for their instruments far more often than people who play any other instrument.
Budget, expensive, It all sounds the same in the mix anyway///
Budget, expensive, It all sounds the same in the mix anyway///
Yep I took a little 1000 grit to the glossy neck of a couple of mine and they play soooo much easier. Just enough to give it that satin look.
My thoughts on the subject are what they always are:
- I buy what I want (which, being a lefty, isn't always easy);
- It costs what it costs; some are expensive, some not so much;
- They all make me happy.
- I buy what I want (which, being a lefty, isn't always easy);
- It costs what it costs; some are expensive, some not so much;
- They all make me happy.
