If you like what you're playing, that's all that matters.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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 free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Downgrading from High-End Boutique Basses... Insanity?
- Thread starter TheMartianBassist
- Start date
Congrats on the Modulus basses! I have a 95 Q-5, 5 knobber w/Bart's & it had some buckle rash & dings when I bought it a couple years ago- I love it! And it's nice to not really worry about scratches or stuff on it. I can't imagine ever parting w/mine, those Quantums have a glorious B string
..But I understand your point about a jazz bass fulfilling all your bass needs.
I will admit i have a Dusty Hill FCS, and its the one that feels the best to me, but i bought used. No other bass has felt as good...I'll be buried with it, but at 8k CDN new, not a chance.
There is something special about it
I'm all Dingwall until I'm dead......
But I bought a four string neck through Peavey Cirrus for a friend on evilbay, never played one before, and was so impressed I'm glad it's already on it's way to it's new home!
This is a very good century to be a bass player, lots of sub 300 dollar basses out there that inspire you as an artist.
But I bought a four string neck through Peavey Cirrus for a friend on evilbay, never played one before, and was so impressed I'm glad it's already on it's way to it's new home!
This is a very good century to be a bass player, lots of sub 300 dollar basses out there that inspire you as an artist.
I think you should hang on to them. Modulus is no more and you might regret selling them!
After playing a number of basses over the last few years, i recently decided I am sticking with stuff Leo had a hand in designing, Fender, Musician or G&L. That's pretty much what I'm going with. I no longer feel the need for anything real hi buck.
But that's me!
But that's me!
The last two years have literally been full of stressful GAS, shuffling from one high end bass to the next - Wyn's, Sadowsky's, MTD's, Lull's, Fodera's.
Constantly searching, feeling like I'm missing something.
Nash J bass and Fender P bass is all I have now. (-:
Constantly searching, feeling like I'm missing something.
Nash J bass and Fender P bass is all I have now. (-:
Totally. A P bass is honest. It's strength without ego. The first and final form. It doesn't give you any particular advantage, and you don't have anything to live up to. You're free from all that. You forget it's even there, and the only thing to think about is what you came here to do.
I am going to meet a guy tomorrow to look at his LB70.
Never played one, but I am really excited to check this baby out.
Any imparted info would be helpful
So true. You just have the literal basics to work with. No B string, no active preamp, usually 20 frets.
You're almost forced to just play - Bass.
As redundant as that sounds.
There is nothing wrong with loving the instruments. It is as legitimate way to pass your time and concern your thoughts as music itself. For instance, neither Leo or Ron Wickersham ever concentrated much on playing music, but we are all surely grateful they worried about the instruments.
A beautiful instrument can be just as much a piece of art as any painting or song.
But it is certainly not the same art as music.
Like most of us here on TB, I consider myself both a musician and a connoisseur of fine bass guitars regardless of their price tags.
And just like every good sommelier, we are both enchanted with the beauty of the most expensive examples and excited and pleasantly surprised when we discover quality for a reasonable price.
Dang good readin' for a Tuesday night!
TalkBass-ers are the BEST!
TalkBass-ers are the BEST!
Don't!
Trust me, I used to do exactly the same thing like you have done out of worry that I was leaving some exorbitant pieces unattended on stage. I then used cheaper alternatives for gigs. Never satisfied with the tone or feel since then. Never enjoyed a single gig, either. I knew something had gone wrong but I might as well reassure myself that my babies were safe in my well-conditioned studio.
Several years later my hometown was hit by a heavy rainfall and my basement studio wet inside out. All my instruments (some up to $7000) got mold and rust while I was on the road during that period. I had to spend quite a lot to have them serviced and repaired... It was not until then that I realized how regretful and stupid I was. I paid a fortune to get some "collections" that I had never brought onto stage! Oh my...
Not long ago I gave away all my cheap guitars to my students. Now I am happy and enjoying my shows again. I don't mind leaving my basses of several thousand bucks on stage or lending them to my students. They are simply wooden and electronic tools to express music and bring enjoyment to people, including me. Of course I will be upset if any of them is broken or stolen or something like that, but I am ready to face the risk. Worst case is I buy a new one and, life goes on regardless, right?
Now if you ask me, my suggestion is to keep them, play the hell out of the guitars you own and care less about the money. You pay to enjoy life, not to be a slave of life.
Trust me, I used to do exactly the same thing like you have done out of worry that I was leaving some exorbitant pieces unattended on stage. I then used cheaper alternatives for gigs. Never satisfied with the tone or feel since then. Never enjoyed a single gig, either. I knew something had gone wrong but I might as well reassure myself that my babies were safe in my well-conditioned studio.
Several years later my hometown was hit by a heavy rainfall and my basement studio wet inside out. All my instruments (some up to $7000) got mold and rust while I was on the road during that period. I had to spend quite a lot to have them serviced and repaired... It was not until then that I realized how regretful and stupid I was. I paid a fortune to get some "collections" that I had never brought onto stage! Oh my...
Not long ago I gave away all my cheap guitars to my students. Now I am happy and enjoying my shows again. I don't mind leaving my basses of several thousand bucks on stage or lending them to my students. They are simply wooden and electronic tools to express music and bring enjoyment to people, including me. Of course I will be upset if any of them is broken or stolen or something like that, but I am ready to face the risk. Worst case is I buy a new one and, life goes on regardless, right?
Now if you ask me, my suggestion is to keep them, play the hell out of the guitars you own and care less about the money. You pay to enjoy life, not to be a slave of life.
Stonetown Lows
Commercial User
As a builder, I've found the less expensive woods like ash and alder almost always seems to sit better in a band mix than more hi-fi type neck thru, "hippie sandwich" (Jol Danzig's term) neck laminations. For some reason, basses that sound really phenomenal and tonally live when soloed sometimes get lost in a mix. This is disappointing, because I really wish the more exotic woods sounded as incredible as they look. They are frequently quite heavy. It's really bizarre, but the boring stuff just "works" for some reason.
I mean, some of the wood and workmanship out there is incredible to look at and play. You open the case and jaws drop. Your fingers fly on the fretboard.
As for overall stiffness, a good friend of mine had a Modulus 5 for a few years but ditched it once he got his hands on a used Yamaha BB. Never looked back. Mostly an accomplished jazzer, but plays everything in wedding bands and other venues. Go figure.
High mass and rigidity have major effects, because what is heard is an acoustically brighter instrument due to most of the energy being reflected back into the string. That's why they have those awesome highs and sustain. Not arresting the energy at the bridge engages the entire body and neck in a complex feedback system. So some highs are lost, but some lower frequencies are accentuated. Getting the bridge mass right is important, and it has little to do with the amount of metal to metal contact.
And bolt neck basses just seem to focus better. They don't sound as open, but they usually seem to resonate where it matters in a band mix. There is supposedly a psychoacoustic phenomenon involved with bolt necks where your brain fills-in frequencies or something because some of the frequencies that are damped in a less rigid structure. P basses wind-up sounding tighter usually IMO.
That said, there are monsters out there playing Pedullas and the like, and making them sound incredible. They usually seem to be fusion guys. Witness Tom Kennedy on a Fodera. But as we like to say, everybody likes everything.
How the heck did Leo get SO much right? We are bored by Fenders because they are SO successful. They do everything. Heck, I want to see more different stuff too! But they just work!
I mean, some of the wood and workmanship out there is incredible to look at and play. You open the case and jaws drop. Your fingers fly on the fretboard.
As for overall stiffness, a good friend of mine had a Modulus 5 for a few years but ditched it once he got his hands on a used Yamaha BB. Never looked back. Mostly an accomplished jazzer, but plays everything in wedding bands and other venues. Go figure.
High mass and rigidity have major effects, because what is heard is an acoustically brighter instrument due to most of the energy being reflected back into the string. That's why they have those awesome highs and sustain. Not arresting the energy at the bridge engages the entire body and neck in a complex feedback system. So some highs are lost, but some lower frequencies are accentuated. Getting the bridge mass right is important, and it has little to do with the amount of metal to metal contact.
And bolt neck basses just seem to focus better. They don't sound as open, but they usually seem to resonate where it matters in a band mix. There is supposedly a psychoacoustic phenomenon involved with bolt necks where your brain fills-in frequencies or something because some of the frequencies that are damped in a less rigid structure. P basses wind-up sounding tighter usually IMO.
That said, there are monsters out there playing Pedullas and the like, and making them sound incredible. They usually seem to be fusion guys. Witness Tom Kennedy on a Fodera. But as we like to say, everybody likes everything.
How the heck did Leo get SO much right? We are bored by Fenders because they are SO successful. They do everything. Heck, I want to see more different stuff too! But they just work!
