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

#61
In my 30 year pursuit for the perfect bass I went all the way up to the point of buying a 60's Fender and a brand new custom Fodera.

I am done with my pursuit, you can't hunt for something that is just not there.

There is just no such a thing as the perfect bass. There is always something wrong with each and every single one of them.

I could not stand the Fodera and the 60's Fender for being not perfect (for me I should add), and I sold them, they had to go.

Currently happy with my '79 Sabre, '85 BB1000S and 2016 EuroLX.
 
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#62
MD Stingray said:
In my 30 year pursuit for the perfect bass I went all the way up to the point of buying a 60's Fender and a brand new custom Fodera.

I am done with my pursuit, you can't hunt for something that is just not there.

There is just no such a thing as the perfect bass. There is always something wrong with each and every single one of them.

I could not stand the Fodera and the 60's Fender for being not perfect (for me I should add), and I sold them, they had to go.

Currently happy with my '79 Sabre, '85 BB1000S and 2016 EuroLX.
Click to expand...

That's because they are 3 very solid instruments. Very nice!
 
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#66
Did something similar a few years back. Sold all the fancy instruments I had amassed, kept some very modest but well playing and sounding gear. My playing sounds exactly the same, maybe even a bit better....maybe having less snooty gear makes me feel less like I have something to prove, or maybe I just got a bit older and wiser or something.

I used the $$$ from selling stuff to purchase some studio gear, an engagement ring for the now-Mrs, and a nice house to put it all in.
 
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#67
I had to let go of my Q5 fifteen years ago, and I have never owned a bass in that price range since. I really missed that Q5, but I knew selling made financial sense. The basses I own now do not have the cool factor of a Modulus, Ken Smith, Roscoe, Sadowsky, etc., but I really like them. More important, I really enjoy playing bass. If you love playing bass, you will always keep playing no matter what.
 
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#68
TheMartianBassist said:
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.
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This.

Something I think far too many bass players have lost sight of in their desire to expand their role and "go where no bass has gone before."

I'm all for innovation. But it eventually reaches the point where you have decide just what musical role you're going to fill.
 
#69
My Lakland Skyline Darryl Jones 4-string was completely responsible for me turning the corner on "boutique" basses. At the time, I had a Lull and a Sadowsky and when I picked up the import, I realized that it was a perfect instrument. It was passive but build-wise and from the perspective of playability, I was floored. Sold my Lull and Sadowsky's and got into American-made Fenders and other Lakland Skylines. When it was all said and done, I couldn't justify the cost of them comparatively. That being said, to each his own. But I've never been happier.
 
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#71
I done something somewhat similar in that I sold a Benavente SCB that cost around $5000 and a Custom Bacchus DX24 that was around $2900.00. I then purchased a New Ibanez SR5005 Prestige that plays better and sounds better than anything I've owned. I also purchased a New Ibanez BTB1605dtf and have taken the extra money and upgraded to a Genzler 800 and 3 of the Array speaker cabinets. So now I have the best sound I've ever had and the basses are just as good even if they are not as pretty as the ones I sold. I'm very happy with my decisions.
 
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#74
To play a bass just because it is expensive is just as stupid as playing a bass just because it is cheap. Some of both here on TB. The best value is the bass that fits you - regardless of the cost.

If you can't appreciate the differences in high end basses, you are wasting your money.

Also there was a similar thread within the last couple of weeks.;)
 
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#75
I've not handled many boutique basses, but my thinking (in theory) is that while a boutique instrument is generally well made, they are usually made to the unique specifications of another person and thus are not likely to be perfect for you. This is true even if your instrument isn't custom, but the two differences are that you usually aren't dropping more than 2 grand on a production instrument and that custom instruments can often have odd features that may make no sense to you or the style of music you play.
 
#77
I have sold my PRS and built my own basses that play sound very nice......my guitarist thinks I'm nuts, but hey I like the tones and I have to play them.
 
#79
Bassworship1 said:
I done something somewhat similar in that I sold a Benavente SCB that cost around $5000 and a Custom Bacchus DX24 that was around $2900.00. I then purchased a New Ibanez SR5005 Prestige that plays better and sounds better than anything I've owned. I also purchased a New Ibanez BTB1605dtf and have taken the extra money and upgraded to a Genzler 800 and 3 of the Array speaker cabinets. So now I have the best sound I've ever had and the basses are just as good even if they are not as pretty as the ones I sold. I'm very happy with my decisions.
Click to expand...

The 5000 series are nuts. Tremendous bass.
 
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#80
TheMartianBassist said:
The 5000 series are nuts. Tremendous bass.
Click to expand...

This bass is so smooth and the tone is unbelievable. It will never leave me.
Ibanez Prestige case.jpg
My Rig.jpg
 
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