Know what you mean... I've a cheap bouzouki I can take places in a gig bag on my bike and one that gets played for eeweddi gigs... Horses for courses, indeed.
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Expensive vs inexpensive basses
- Thread starter TKnights
- Start date
I've got two Hofner basses. One's a German Hofner that I think I paid around $ 2,500 for and the other is their Icon model that I bought on Craigslist for $ 180. I play out with the cheaper one and practice with the German one. I don't really notice any difference other than the $ 180 one has fret markers on the side of the neck.
I pay extra if the FEEL is worth it. My Lull is butter in my hands. I don't pay extra for the SOUND, as there are WAY too many other variable affecting sound than factors like pickups and on-board EQ.
I bought a Fender Squier P Bass that also has a Jazz pickup. I don't think they call it a PJ though, weirdly.
Anyways, I paid $199 for it. I love this bass! It's not too heavy, the pickups sound great, the neck is rosewood which I prefer, and it stays in tune.
I tend to be a "keep it simple" Fender fan, and since I've always had to watch my budget, I've gravitated toward finding cheap Fenders or cheap Fender copies and upgrading them over time, or building my own out of parts that I've similarly acquired over time. Sometimes, it's taken me years to accrue all the parts.
My three basses which sound and play the best and get the most gigging time lately are: a 2009 SX P-Bass; a 1988 MIK Squier II P-Bass; and a 2002 MIM Fender Jazz Bass. All have beautiful acoustic (unplugged) tone, even though the Squier is plywood. (So much for that!) The pickups on the Squier are probably the fattest, loudest P pickups I've ever encountered.
I've never once been a victim of brand snobbery. The trick is to be so good that people don't notice what you're using.
I've also been to quite a few open mics and shows where I've seen guys using Foderas and other boutique basses which are so plush sounding that they are buried. Obviously, the player is responsible, too.
My three basses which sound and play the best and get the most gigging time lately are: a 2009 SX P-Bass; a 1988 MIK Squier II P-Bass; and a 2002 MIM Fender Jazz Bass. All have beautiful acoustic (unplugged) tone, even though the Squier is plywood. (So much for that!) The pickups on the Squier are probably the fattest, loudest P pickups I've ever encountered.
I've never once been a victim of brand snobbery. The trick is to be so good that people don't notice what you're using.
I've also been to quite a few open mics and shows where I've seen guys using Foderas and other boutique basses which are so plush sounding that they are buried. Obviously, the player is responsible, too.
I like finding really good player basses (Lightweight Peaveys, MIM Fenders, etc.) and giving them away to young hungry learners. I've done it several times and it gives you a good feeling knowing they are not trying to learn on a POC and that if they continue, they will have the feel and probably an appetite for a better higher end bass in the future and maybe will pass the starter bass on to someone else. (I'm a Lull, Xotic, and Musicman guy myself so no $5k basses in my armory either.)
when people find out/know you're a monster, nobody give a bag of Dixie what you're playing it on.
image is not everything, that's shallow and compensates for mediocrity somewhere else.
I live, work, and perform in LA. that said, if image matters anywhere... its here.
so back to my point, when your playing is bitchin, nobody cares what your gear is.
more so, when folks find you're easy to work with, competent, smart, have a good attitude, and play like a mother frakker, its immaterial whose logo is on your thudstaff.
if you're playing country and top 40 in bars in the middle of derilect ex manufacturing rust belt, maybe it matters if your bass is pedigree'd and your costume if fluffy enough. it doesn't seem to from my vantage point.
image is not everything, that's shallow and compensates for mediocrity somewhere else.
I live, work, and perform in LA. that said, if image matters anywhere... its here.
so back to my point, when your playing is bitchin, nobody cares what your gear is.
more so, when folks find you're easy to work with, competent, smart, have a good attitude, and play like a mother frakker, its immaterial whose logo is on your thudstaff.
if you're playing country and top 40 in bars in the middle of derilect ex manufacturing rust belt, maybe it matters if your bass is pedigree'd and your costume if fluffy enough. it doesn't seem to from my vantage point.
Thats the dillemma of a lot of bass players. Looking cool vs sounding cool... I own à lot of basses, sterling , ATK, g&l and lot of others. Sure they looks great and sounds good. But of all my basses, the one with the most earthshattering sound is my first génération SX PB ( f shape headstock). The neck is absolutely perfect, and the stock pickup is the best PB pickup i ve Ever play.
Paid the same whether you take a cheap or an expensive bass out... I feel just the same. If I'm going to what I know is going to be a noisy venue, I'll probably take a cheaper bass as it won't matter a monkey's because despite all the nicities of getting my sound just right at home, I'll just be grateful at the gig if I can hear myself properly.
I use upper mid-range basses for the most part and I'm pretty happy with the way they play, sound and look. However, a recent MIM Fender Jazz, which I love to play and looks pretty sweet after adding a tort guard and a Fender Hi Mass bridge definitely has a noticeably cheaper feel than most of the MIA Fenders that I've played. Certainly not the end of the world, but it is something that has me repeatedly thinking about trading up to an MIA Jazz. It might be for the wrong reasons, but...
I think if your a player, and not a collector it comes down to what gets the job done for the music your playing, or if your live or in the studio. You need different tools for various jobs. I could drive a corvette, but I chose a pickup because it has more of what I need it to do for my life style. Although a corvette on the weekends is stellar.
I've not spent > $1000 on a bass. Average spend is about $450. My '78 Yamaha BB was $360 and is probably my favorite bass I've ever owned.
I own and regularly play basses that cost me anywhere from $200 to over $5000. I learned long ago that brand names mean nothing as far as value is concerned. Today's basses are a Kubicki Ex Factor and a Fernandes Mockingbird. Tomorrow's are a recent Danelectro Longhorn and an Aria 5 string I don't even know what model. Saturday is a Warmoth Gecko 5 string and a backup TBD. Variety is the spice of life!
I recently bought a entry level Yamaha 5 string and with a pickup change, it’s a really good playing and sounding bass. I have a few basses costing way more but would not hesitate about gigging this one..
I bought a Sire Marcus Miller bass that I am very a happy with. I was looking at a Fender Jazz Elite Jazz Bass that sells new for around $2,000. This Sire cost just under $650 which was a bit more for the natural finish. This is an 18v active/passive bass that plays very well, stays in tune, and meets all my needs.
MIM Fenders?? I'm hungry, but not young- one out of two still qualifies me right? lol...Seriously though, that's great, I've done the same, I've given quite a few bass guitars and guitars to young budding musicians, but never a MIM Fender.
I LOVE my custom Ken Smith 4, but I bought a super cheapie Ibanez to take to picnics on the beach, etc. and I have to say that it really plays well and sounds good. I have ended up performing with it a number of times (by circumstance rather than choice) and it delivered solidly. I would always choose the Ken Smith over the Ibanez for a gig because of the phenominal sound and the sports car neck, but the "gimme the cheapest bass on the wall" Ibanez GSR200 has earned my respect as a totally gig-worthy instrument.
I was in the market for a fretted MIM Fender Jazz to keep my fretless one company but decided on a lark to give the Sire bass a try as I've heard so much about their basses. I have to say the V3 I bought is much better than I anticipated, easily better than any of the stock MIM Fender Jazz basses I've tried to date.
