• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

do you think 2000 is alot for a bass?

Depends on your personal financial situation, experience, and the bass. When I was a youngin' I would have killed for a MIM Fender, and I think I recall that a Marcus Miller in natural ash was an unobtainable dream.

Ten years later I am in a comfortable financial situation as a software developer and, depending on the bass, dropping $2,000 would hardly make me blink. I bought a StingRay 5 Classic with a bad-ass birdseye maple board in mint green without really thinking much about it. As long as I'm putting money into savings, paying my bills on time, and slashing student loans as quickly as possible, I have no problem spending some disposable income now and again. Although I probably won't be able to say the same thing in five years when there's a woman watching the bank account! ;)
 
Depends on your personal financial situation, experience, and the bass. When I was a youngin' I would have killed for a MIM Fender, and I think I recall that a Marcus Miller in natural ash was an unobtainable dream.

Ten years later I am in a comfortable financial situation as a software developer and, depending on the bass, dropping $2,000 would hardly make me blink. I bought a StingRay 5 Classic with a bad-ass birdseye maple board in mint green without really thinking much about it. As long as I'm putting money into savings, paying my bills on time, and slashing student loans as quickly as possible, I have no problem spending some disposable income now and again. Although I probably won't be able to say the same thing in five years when there's a woman watching the bank account! ;)

Thanks man for the info. Im 17 so its really hard to come up with cash like that. lol But like you say its worth it.
 
I got my ric new in december for 1080$ , i had another rick i paid 1105$ for and that was the most exspensive bass i have owned. After about 900$ i get pretty protective of them so i dont think i would feel comfortbale with a 2000$ bass., but i dont think its alot just more then i would wanna pay for 1 bass.

Your 17 ad if your thinking of going to college, need a car etc then i would hold off but if you can swing it then id go for it.
 
Thanks man for the info. Im 17 so its really hard to come up with cash like that. lol But like you say its worth it.

Don't worry about it man, and don't sweat it when you see people on here dropping thousands on a bass. I was in your shoes when I was younger. Like most people here, I didn't have a lot of money as a teen. I made due with a Squier (in the bad old Affinity Series days) until I was out of college. If you excel in what you do and find a job in something you're passionate about, you will be able to sustainably spend a lot of coin on your dream bass. :)

If you're investment-conscious (not that most basses are great investments), look for a make and model that holds its value, and buy used if you can. It's probably not a good idea to buy a brand new Warwick Thumb for $2,000, but I wouldn't think twice about buying a Roscoe for that much.

I think of most basses as "fun-vestments," as cheesy as that sounds. For a decent new bass, I can expect to get a 65-75 percent return if/when I sell it. What I lose in cash, I gained in the enjoyment of making music and looking at the bass as a piece of functional art. If the bass is great and I buy it at the right time, I might actually make a bit of money selling it used.

Watch the forums here for trends in what makes are hot. I'm no expert but I'd say the overall "feel" of the production bass market changes around every five years. In 2006 I remember German Warwicks were in vogue, and now it's hard to get anything for them on the used market. Right now Rickenbackers are really hot, for example, but who knows if they will still have a high demand in 2015. Keep this kind of thing in mind if you want to maximize how far your $2k will get you.

Warning: IANABMA (I am not a bass market analyst).
 
My wife says yes, but I think it depends on your situation. If you make your living playing bass, then I think it would be justified to have something that looks and sounds professional, and is reliable from a company with a good reputation, which could cost you upwards of that amount. If you are closet rock star jamming in your basement it would better to get a decent bass in the $500-750 range that is well set up and comfortable to play. To each his own, but coming from someone that plays at church and around town on a weekly basis I personally wouldn't ever spend that much on an instrument. I did however spend $1250 on a vintage (1973), and slightly rare, Gibson acoustic guitar, and that is my absolute upper limit. Acoustic guitars only get better with age, and I play more of it than I do my bass, so it was worth it to me.