Dollar Value

[lastnotleast]

One day, when you gain good technique you'll come to a place when you will know your clubs are holding you back".

I have experienced being held back by amps but am now dialed in with regard to tone and power for my current band/genre.
Seems there is more value in these Yamaha BBs certainly than the amount I paid for them used which was $100.00 & $200.00 respectively.
I was also extremely fortunate that my first BBN5 (double coil) was set up perfectly and used it as a model to tweak my second one (single coil).

The only way for me to "move up" would be if money was no object (fat chance) and there was a shop where all of their basses were set up properly with regular guage strings.
Even then, I would need to take it to the gig before I could make a purchasing decision. For now, I am happy with and a little proud of my Yamahas.

 

[BazzTard]

I played cheap basses for years

Then I bought MIM Fender Jazz and P basses and thought wow these are pro instruments

Then I got an MIA P Bass, you can't compare . The MIA has better bridge, string thru body, better pickups,better tuners, better body wood,better neck quality. Much better paint job.It sounds better than my MIM P bass. More enjoyable to play. But not as much as all the better hardware would suggest, I mean the MIA is THREE times the price.

 

[Jeff Sarsippius]

I spent way more than I'm willing to mention on guitars...once I went into the Custom Shop model World....I almost didn't come back! Finally I knew what I liked: lessons and practice DOES do that to a player, I strongly believe. I got rid of most of my obscenely expensive guitars and got a quality amp head and cab....the guitarist in my band loves cheap gear, but his POD HD 500X makes everything into beauty.

In the bass guitar world I am just exploring and getting my feet wet, but yes, I can say that the Squires, MIMs, Sterling by MM, etc. are WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I played a kick ass Fender MIA American Deluxe Jazz that I loved for $1,200 (¥115,000), a Stingray, Spector Legend and EURO, Mayones....BIG difference.

 

[Malak the Mad]

Now, if I preferred thuddy, buzzy, or twangy basses, and a good set up and reliability weren't important to me, then I guess the extra dough wouldn't be worth it.

Is this assuming every bass would be "thuddy, buzzy or twangy" and isn't capable of maintaining a good set-up without the influx of extra dough? Personally, I think not.

I used to work at a dealership. I advised my bass customers to play a lot of basses. Find the one that feels the best. To a certain extent the elwctronics can be swapped to totally transform the sound of most any bass. So find the one thay feels like an old baseball glove or a good worn in pair of shoes. Buy it and make it soind lime you want it to.

I love this sentiment. If it doesn't feel "good" in your hands, what's the point? No matter how ridonkulous the price tag of a top-of-the-line Gibson Thunderbird or Rickenbacker is, they'll never feel good in my hands. But this brings me to my personal point on the subject…

In my particular case, there are certain points of ergonomics that I prefer. (I'm sure some of you here have heard me rattle/prattle on about how I dig a curvier, vintage-style fretboard radius) While I can comfortably play a current, Fender-standard radius board, to get the kind I favor, I have to spend a bit more. Not a huge amount (the most I've ever paid for a bass is a little over $500 USD), but it's still a considerable amount, especially for a hobbyist like me to justify. However, the ease and comfort I feel playing these particular models (Aerodynes, MIM Classic '70s) is worth the extra bucks. The fact that they are very well put-together and look/sound awesome makes it all the more worthwhile.

So in my personal experience, a few extra bucks is worth the stretch, especially if it's the only way to get something that feels right in my hands. Looking absolutely kick-ass helps a great deal, too! Sonically speaking? That can be modified in all manner of ways.

 

[kcole4001]

A lot of people get way too invested in the cost analysis approach to buying instruments, that's not the only way to judge value.
For example, the 'I won't buy anything over $400 (or whatever arbitrary figure)' attitude.
There are literally millions of perfectly good instruments that are in the mid price range that you can easily gig with for the rest of your life if you take care of them.

However, there are sometimes things that just speak to you, and if they cost $4000, then that's what they cost and if you're honest about the reasons you have GAS for them, then that may well be your purchase of a lifetime and the best value you'll ever find.
Many others will never get it, but why be concerned about others' opinions of your own property?

In other words, it's entirely personal, and there's no wrong answer.
I know what I like, and I pay what is necessary to get it.
If you're truly honest about your GAS and diligently research, then you shouldn't be disappointed.

 

[Jeff Sarsippius]

Mr. Cole, EXACTLY

 

[red_rhino]

However, there are sometimes things that just speak to you, and if they cost $4000, then that's what they cost and if you're honest about the reasons you have GAS for them, then that may well be your purchase of a lifetime and the best value you'll ever find.

Possibly the most elegant, truthful statement I've ever read on this subject on Talkbass.

 

[Marial]

To me the value of an instrument is strictly related to a few things:

1. How does it feel to play?
2. How does it sound?
3. How does it look? (Yep! Aesthetics matter!)

Monetary value only comes into play if I can't afford the bass. I never buy with resale in mind, I never buy with investment in mind. I buy to play the bass, and this why I almost never buy a bass without playing it first.