Downgrading from High-End Boutique Basses... Insanity?

[Gizmot]

If you feel good about what you're playing and it works for you, then by all means keep it going. I always seem to enjoy playing nicer instruments more than average ones, but I've confessed before about being a brand snob.

It sounds like you don't likr Sadowsky basses. There are lots of alternative choices available for what they cost.

 

[Groove Doctor]

I have a Pedulla Pentabuzz, but my favorite is still my P bass. It's comfortable, fits every song, sounds equally perfect with fingers or a pick, balances perfectly, and weighs next to nothing. What else could you want? Sometimes I wonder why I have so many other basses.

Haha - me too!! Because I can...?

...but it just works

That's it at the end of the day - what works best for your gig.

I've found I need different sounding basses depending on the type of music, other instruments, venue, acoustics, PA, sound engineer, stage volume, etc. Same bass will sound great or crud depending on many factors outside of the instrument.

So....
Where DO boutique basses really shine??

 

[TheMartianBassist]

Haha - me too!! Because I can...?


That's it at the end of the day - what works best for your gig.

I've found I need different sounding basses depending on the type of music, other instruments, venue, acoustics, PA, sound engineer, stage volume, etc. Same bass will sound great or crud depending on many factors outside of the instrument.

So....
Where DO boutique basses really shine??

In a rich, pot bellied dude's well humidified music room hanging from a pretentiously installed guitar wall mount.
(-:

Or with the truly professional players who do music as a living - which probably most of us are not.

 

[Adam Wright]

Hey guys, I know it's not really insanity and that it all comes down to personal preference and playability. I'm mostly curious to see if any of you guys out there have downgraded from high end boutique basses to lesser, perhaps production instruments. Not for monetary reasons! But for tone, playability and comfort!

Here are my examples:

I sold a $7000 MTD 635-24 for a significantly cheaper Ibanez SR5006.

I'm selling a $5500+ Sadowsky NYC Vintage J Bass (currently in classifieds) because I got my hands on a Nash JB75 relic that I like WAY more. Sound and feel wise.

Sold another Sadowsky NYC Vintage P Bass $6000+ for the Fender American 58' Vintage Precision Bass.

Sometimes I feel like a lunatic having sold all those pristine, gorgeous basses but they weren't getting any action, while all the cheaper ones are getting gigged on all the time.

Thoughts?

I've essentially done the same thing. Sold MTD, F Bass, Sadowsky, US Lakland in the past year. I play mid priced Japanese Fender copies (Momose and Bacchus) and a Fender AVRI Hotrod P/J. The AVRI stuff are the best basses Fender's making IMO.

 

[James Simonson]

Good post.

I've been all over the map. High and Low. I think I've landed in the middle.

'74 P restored
'74 J restored
'89 Musicman Stingray 5

I feel finding 70's Fenders that are solid but not stock are a great way to go.

 

[Bassheart365]

Hey...if you aren't diggin' your boutique bass, why not? Personally, I'm a complete Dingwall convert and will never to back....

 

[Bassheart365]

Not only would I never buy another mass-produced bass, I likely will never buy any bass other than a Dingwall. Not meaning to sound like a snob, but at the same time I'm not going to pretend there is no difference....

 

[TheMartianBassist]

Not only would I never buy another mass-produced bass, I likely will never buy any bass other than a Dingwall.

What do you like about them?
Only ever doodled on them. The B's are indeed monsterous.

 

[Adam Wright]

Not only would I never buy another mass-produced bass, I likely will never buy any bass other than a Dingwall.

K. Glad you like them. Not trolling but a local guy has a Canadian built Dingwall J, real fancy like. I've had the opportunity to hear it through the same large PA twice but through different rigs...it sounds like a jazz bass.

 

[Bassheart365]

What do you like about them?
Only ever doodled on them. The B's are indeed monsterous.

Playing a 37" B string on a long scale Dingwall is near-orgasmic. It sounds the way a B string should sound. Plus they are incredibly well-made instruments.

 

[Bassheart365]

K. Glad you like them. Not trolling but a local guy has a Canadian built Dingwall J, real fancy like. I've had the opportunity to hear it through the same large PA twice but through different rigs...it sounds like a jazz bass.

The Super J is Dingwall's "short scale" model, with a 35" B string. It was designed to sound like a Fender Jazz. But I prefer the multiscale design on the Super J over a Fender Jazz because (1) fanned frets are more ergonomic than "straight frets" - at least in my hands, (2) you have a 35" B string, and the scales go all the way down to a 32" G, which rings like a bell, and (3) equal string tension, which again =s more playable.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

In all the years I've played I've only owned mid level basses, not even boo-teek or custom. I have played quite a few boo-teeks in several different stores (several bass specialty stores) but I've always been happy with my basses. Besides, several of my older basses are a bit beat from many years of faithful service on the road and tours. If I owned an expensive bass I'd worry about putting a ding in it and probably not pay as much attention to my performance. I admire those of you who can go out and buy a half dozen $4,000 basses and play them at your leisure and probably most of your more important shows.

To what the OP is suggesting as a "step-down" to "production" basses I would consider premium, like MIA Fenders, Gibsons, Rics. As far as the suggestion of keeping all your Modulus because they're no longer made-- do you want to hang them on a wall or play them? Are you afraid dinging them? There's nothing wrong with having half a dozen expensive basses hanging from your wall if you wish. You earned it, you cna enjoy them. All the power to you.

 

[Deleted member 261632]

I know the feeling, I sold approx €4000 worth of basses to get me 3 FrankFender basses that I can play anytime, anywhere and anylong I want/need to.
And I learned a lot about modding and woodworking in the process!

 

[RattleSnack]

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.
(...)
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.

This is so true, and is the only reason I downgraded from a beautifull singlecut custom built Jazz to a couple of production basses. It sang like a harp, but for a simple dirty rock&roll gig, it was nowhere in the mix. Even with eq shaping, lots of low mids, cutting highs...
Now I just use Precision, or Jazz(ish bass) - for a very dense mix.

 

[Shortie]

I have never done it: I like my Fenders and my G&L's. Never could understand why someone would pay so much for a bass.
I do know that Jack Casady in the old days played Alembics, etc that certainly cost a small fortune. Today he plays a $700 Epi.
Why pay more?

 

[Neon Blues]

I stand by the same notion I always have and that is, once you get over a certain price range you are just paying for fancy extras, woods, certain bragging rights which aren't particularly any better than a good production bass.

I've played a fair few top end basses, some which cost as much as a nice car. I wouldn't take any of them over my current Spector is regards to feel or tone.
That's not saying they weren't amazing instruments but to me, there isn't a great deal of advantages going from a $2000-3000 production bass to a $5000 boutique bass.

Of course, you are generally paying for a bass that's customed just for you as well which you are not generally getting at the lower level.

 

[alack]

Sorry, but I just never view a Fender American 58' Vintage Precision Bass as a downgrade. Unless maybe you're replacing an actual Pre CBS 58 P with the reissue. Play whatever feels and sounds good to you regardless of the price tag.

 

[brianrost]

Thoughts?

This is what I call a "first world problem".

 

[Fatso]

I'm in the same boat but I haven't received my Sadowsky NYC yet!! I'm sure it'll be one of the sweetest basses I own but at the moment I'm really digging he tones I'm gettin from my Mexican Nate mende p bass with Sadowsky Blk label flats

Ditto re the MX Nate Mendel. It pains me to admit that I prefer it to my Sad uv60

 

[Taustin Powers]

I treat my MTD and my Modulus like any other bass. They play and sound nice, so I will take them to gigs and have fun with them. If they get dinged up a little, that's normal wear and tear for a well-gigged instrument. My basses have scars, which means they have stories to tell.