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Do you like cheap basses?

#21
Greywoulf said:
I do! (And I have several fairly high-end ones too; a Godin A4 fl and a Warwick...) I just can't seem to stay away from those cheapies tho; it's like an damned addiction!

Well, anyway, yesterday I was in Guitar Center and....
And, I said, stay out of the bass section; you're here to pickup some computer software, thas all... And besides, you're currently looking for a dbl bass too, so don't blow your $$...!
-But maybe just one look wouldn't hurt, right?
And so of course there it was; a cheap Chinese knock-off of a "Beetle-bass", with a 'Jay Turser' label onnit...
Don't try it, I said! (And so of course I did.) And of course the damn thing sounded pretty good, and I always wanted a lightweight violin-bass, and looky here this thing was used but looked brand new..! (Used? It hadn't a mark on it, and didn't even have the stick-um paper offa the PU's yet!) $189? -Give 'ya $140 I say (knowing they'll never go for it) but he say's $150, and I go hmmmmm....?? (Geez, I can prolly buy it and play it for a few months and then sell it for just what I paid, y'know?)
So I am now the proud owner of a $150 Jay Turser RTB-B2 "Beetle-bass"! And I like it; it has a nice mellow sound, is lightweight, shortscale (for a change), and has an excellent narrow well-fretted neck and fingerboard, and is finished beautifully in sunburst! (And maybe I might not sell it inna few months...) ;)

And I become aware that something about this bass is very familar to me; and then I remember the $500 Epiphone Rivioli I had around 6 years ago, and I look again at the fit and finish, the edging, the fretboard, the neck, the saddle and the bridge of this violin bass and sunnuvagun it's almost exactly the same as my old guitar-shaped f-hole Epi Rivioli...!
And y'know what? I'd be willing to bet that the Chinese factory that makes these "Jay Tursers" is prolly the same damn place that puts out Epiphone's Riviolis! It's just too similar to be that much of a coincidence, IMO!
Greywoulf :cool: :bassist:
Click to expand...

Oh yeh, you see that '63 Hofner on ebay for 75K. Darn, I can't go a penny over $74,950.00. Listed as the Holy Grail no less.

==============

"We are the people our parents warned us about." (Jimmy Buffett)
 
#23
luknfur said:
<SNIP>
By the way, that Jay Turser should go for close to $200 on ebay. I have a Rogue that I just put on ebay tonight. Fun little pieces but there's always that banjo sound coming thru no matter what you run it through. George Martin must have really tweaked some knobs for McCartney cause, from what I could produce, that bass design is about as one trick a pony as they come, old Beatle stuff - Hofner or not. You can push for some other stuff but it's not something you enjoy in the process. I love the light weight and ease of play tho.
Click to expand...

Yerah, I figured $150 was a good buy. Guitar Center doesn't carry them new, so maybe they aren't sure of the going value on 'em? But as far as being a limited bass, I don't know if your talking about the Rogue or the Turser here, but I find Turser's Beetle-bass to be the exact opposite... Banjo sound? Put on flats... Then you got a boomer! And then there's one vol control for each PU, turn one down the other up, big difference in tones right there... Also the upper PU has a treble on-off switch, and the lower has a bass on-off switch; hell, you start flicking those switches around and you get major tone changes fast!! Better than many a rig's tone knobs, IMO! (Plus you got alla tone knob changes you need on your amp, dontcha?)
One trick pony? Nah, not really. It's a fairly versitile cheapo bass, IMO.....
Greywoulf
 
#24
indieandrew11 said:
i bought some really terrible pawn shop brand basses which werent even worth the effort of throwing them away!(somehow i think i broke even though :D )...QUOTE]

This is funny.

Either they weren't worth the effort throwing them away BEFORE you bought them (likely) - an indictment of your judgment.

or

They weren't worth the effort throwing them away AFTER you got them. This would be an indictment of your repair and restoration skills (understandable)

:hmm:
Click to expand...
 
#34
The bass guy at the local Prosound was raving about the Peavy Millennium BXPs. He sells the 4 for $179 and the 5 for $199. He said that he sells all eight of them within a day every time he gets a shipment in.

Has anybody played one of these? What does a quilted basswood body with single coil J-pickups sound like anyway?
 
#35
Osobass said:
The bass guy at the local Prosound was raving about the Peavy Millennium BXPs. He sells the 4 for $179 and the 5 for $199. He said that he sells all eight of them within a day every time he gets a shipment in.

Has anybody played one of these? What does a quilted basswood body with single coil J-pickups sound like anyway?
Click to expand...

You might check out harmonycentral.com for reviews, under reviews.

But the sound will vary considerably depending on a myriad of factors incorporated in a bass other than pups and finish.
 
#37
Cheap Bass Yes! Whether you take the time to find a good new cheapie or wait for the deals on used stuff, their is no reason a player on a budget cannot have a good playing bass.
Not all my basses are cheapies, but here are a few:

79' Peavey T-40 (near mint): $250 Sounds simply awesome great in the studio. Recorded with it last month.

late 60's Crown Professional Viola bass: Free (worth 3-400 bucks) Looks like the Les Claypool EKO, sounds great, very warm and upright sounding, especially for "acoustic" gigs.

MIM P-bass: $380 including the Quarter Pounder and the Chromes I put on it. Got it new. Play out with this all the time.

'96 Engelhardt 3/4 double bass $250 Was practically new, Had never been setup by the owner, so I had to drop 600 bucks for complete setup, but under 9 bills for a good sounding upright is the definition of CHEAP! (engelhardts go for 1200 new if you get a good deal, and that is before being setup)

My brother dropped 150 for an essex blem '75 jazz and it is worlds ahead of any of the beginner basses I used to sell at GC for that price. (note: I still love GC)

Conclusion it is good to be cheap!
 
#39
Greywoulf said:
<SNIP> So I am now the proud owner of a $150 Jay Turser RTB-B2 "Beetle-bass"! And I like it; it has a nice mellow sound, is lightweight, shortscale (for a change), and has an excellent narrow well-fretted neck and fingerboard, and is finished beautifully in sunburst! (And maybe I might not sell it inna few months...) ;)
Click to expand...

And maybe I'm now gonna take it back to Guitar Center under their 30-day return policy... In my eagerness to buy this puppy I overlooked one little problem; the body is light (fine!), but the headstock is heavy! (Not so fine.) I've never had a bass that dove so much; one would have to give it a 10 in the olympics!
Well, I didn't change anything, and it's still in the same good shape I got it in, so there should be no trouble returning it.

I recently also tried a Fender Mustang (the new reissue, not the 60's one). Now there's a good sounding short-scale bass! Not really a cheapo tho; almost $500 new... But I wonder.......???
Greywoulf
(Trapped again?!)
 
#40
Greywoulf said:
And maybe I'm now gonna take it back to Guitar Center under their 30-day return policy... In my eagerness to buy this puppy I overlooked one little problem; the body is light (fine!), but the headstock is heavy! (Not so fine.) I've never had a bass that dove so much; one would have to give it a 10 in the olympics!
Well, I didn't change anything, and it's still in the same good shape I got it in, so there should be no trouble returning it.

I recently also tried a Fender Mustang (the new reissue, not the 60's one). Now there's a good sounding short-scale bass! Not really a cheapo tho; almost $500 new... But I wonder.......???
Greywoulf
(Trapped again?!)
Click to expand...

Yeh, there is no balance on a Beatle bass (ever notice where McCartney's bass is when it's hands free) which is another thing that's annoying about it but It's so light it's not like you have to hold the neck up when you play. To me the lightness more than compensates for lack of balance. But if you let her go- she goin down.
 

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