Expensive vs inexpensive basses

[Power Dreamer]

IMO, the price point of the instrument is correlated to the LIKELIHOOD that it will sound and play well. You can find cheap basses that sound and play very well. But you are much more likely to find a Fodera that does so. If you are willing to try a lot of cheap basses until you find that one exception you can get a good deal. I have an old $650 Bass Collection 4 string that I would put up against any boutique bass.

 

[Jazzbass 1950]

I've played both high end and low end basses in my day and I have to say I'm getting a pretty good sound and feel out of some less costly basses . The latest addition to my arsenal is a very inexpensive bass . An Ibanez GSR200SM . My wife bought this for me for Xmas a couple of years ago . I don't know what she paid for it . I think it was a "Stupid deal of the day" from Musicians Friend . She said she liked the way it looked . So did I for that matter . After disabling that crappy active PhatII EQ (The pickups are actually passive) it's turning out to be a very good bass . The construction is solid and it feels and sounds great . I find myself using it more often than my other 4s . Furthermore , it came out of the box completely set up . The action and the intonation were on the mark . So you can keep your Foderas , Alembics , etc . I'm happy .

I've played both high end and low end basses in my day and I have to say I'm getting a pretty good sound and feel out of some less costly basses . The latest addition to my arsenal is a very inexpensive bass . An Ibanez GSR200SM . My wife bought this for me for Xmas a couple of years ago . I don't know what she paid for it . I think it was a "Stupid deal of the day" from Musicians Friend . She said she liked the way it looked . So did I for that matter . After disabling that crappy active PhatII EQ (The pickups are actually passive) it's turning out to be a very good bass . The construction is solid and it feels and sounds great . I find myself using it more often than my other 4s . Furthermore , it came out of the box completely set up . The action and the intonation were on the mark . So you can keep your Foderas , Alembics , etc . I'm happy .

Just been playing the Dave Hope Bassline from "The Wall" (Kansas) on an Eastcoast PJ Bass, type SC300, using my Roland Cube 120 amp. Sounded spot on. This Bass cost me 160GBP .
I bought a Genuine Fender "Precision Bass Special" a few months ago. Cost me 901GBP, Plus a Hard Case for 100GBP. The Case? Fine. The Bass: if it hadn't cost me so much I'd have booted it out of the window by now. I've never played such a yowling, rattly piece of shite in my entire life! I've got a 1995 model Johnson Jazz Bass that I fished out of a pile of garbage that plays better; I fixed that sucker up for 49GBP. I also own a Tenson PJ Bass that I rescued from certain soon that DEFINITELY plays a whole lot better; I paid 35GBP for that!
Balls To Expensive Crap- I like my cheap Bass Axes. The Fender can go back to the bloody shop!!!

 

[jsbarber]

When buying an instrument there is pleasure and there is pain.
Please is the satisfaction you get from owning and playing the instrument.
Pain is the inability to use the money you spent on the instrument on other options (rent, dinner, vacation, whatever).
OP is saying that the bass that he bought provides a degree of satisfaction where the additional pleasure that could potentially be derived from buying a more expensive instrument is not worth the pain of spending the extra money.
We each have our pleasure functions and our pain functions and we each make our decision accordingly.

This discussion is as much, or more, about players and their individual pleasure and pain functions than it is about instruments.

Each to his/her own... Get what works for you and let others do same.

 

[LoveThatBass]

I've played both high end and low end basses in my day and I have to say I'm getting a pretty good sound and feel out of some less costly basses . The latest addition to my arsenal is a very inexpensive bass . An Ibanez GSR200SM . My wife bought this for me for Xmas a couple of years ago . I don't know what she paid for it . I think it was a "Stupid deal of the day" from Musicians Friend . She said she liked the way it looked . So did I for that matter . After disabling that crappy active PhatII EQ (The pickups are actually passive) it's turning out to be a very good bass . The construction is solid and it feels and sounds great . I find myself using it more often than my other 4s . Furthermore , it came out of the box completely set up . The action and the intonation were on the mark . So you can keep your Foderas , Alembics , etc . I'm happy .

Ibanez basses to me have always had a nice feeling neck which is easy to play and a decent tone. Like you I prefer Passive over most actives. I do have one that I modified the pickups and preamp and like it

 

[crossthestyx]

A bass is just a couple pieces of wood with cables stretched across it. Obviously there are some general things that make an instrument sound better: neck attachment, bridge, nut, tuning keys, pickups. And just because you paid a fortune for a neck through body, the best pickups, a slightly better bridge and tuning keys, doesn't mean your brand new expensive bass doesn't have a tweek'd neck, your nut wasn't carved too deep or too shallow, the fret wire they used wasn't too tall, short or wide, the radius's of the fingerboard or neck don't suck, or simply don't fit your hand well. I still have dirt cheap instruments that I wouldn't trade for anything because the feel of the neck is perfect for me. Instruments are also like cars on an assembly line. Brand new wood bits make deeper cuts, dull ones don't. It may have been a monday or after a holiday when your bass was built and everyone in the factory came in with a hangover. And well... poopie, they just didn't pay that much attention that day for 5 bucks an hour. lol.. I've picked up $3000 dollar instruments and $500 to $600 instruments and for the most part found little difference. But sometimes it's really apparent as well. Sometimes it's just the specific manufacturer that makes what you like. Best to actually handle instruments before you buy. Unfortunately, with the internet taking out music stores that's getting really hard to do these days. My philosophy is: if it feels good to you but it's cheap, you can add those pickups, tuning keys, adjust your setup to make it better. And if you think you always get what you pay for, then you're like all those guys that have Fenders and Gibsons: probably a poser anyway. The better your instrument feels to you, the better you will play it. The better you will progress on it. I would rather be a great player on a $300 instrument that feels right to me, than a crappy player with a $5000 dollar instrument and that's his claim to fame: how much he payed for his instrument. Do what works good for you man.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Elitism is as bad as anti-elitism. Play what you want to play, and stop worrying about what other people play.

Love my boutiques, but it's the player, not the gear -- and I'm referring to everyone, not just me.

It's silly to claim that high end gear must be better. I've played many low-end instruments that sounded and played great -- and boutiques that had nasty dead spots or other flaws. I've also known a few highly skilled musicians who have said something like "Dirty little secret: I play my [blingy boutique] at the gig, but my [off-the-rack] is my favorite".

Finally, it's just dumb to claim that the music will be better on high end gear. I've seen countless musicians and bands play amazing music on low-end gear.

 

[juancaminos]

As with most things, the closer you get to the really pricey stuff, the more you have to spend for each additional increment of "better". So, while it may not be quite as good as the the super-pricey stuff, moderately-priced stuff it is WAY less expensive.

Based on this assumption, I stick with moderately-priced gear. As a rule, I've found that the materials used in particular tend to be superior to that used for the cheap stuff (though, with CNC machining, the workmanship on cheap stuff is generally far better than it was "back in the old days").

Everyone else is free to do as they please.

This

 

[Jeff Scott]

...one that gets played for eeweddi gigs....

What's an eeweddi gig?

 

[moreorless]

I say, if it works for you, go ahead and play what you want! I have both cheap and more spendy basses and I usually grab my "cheap basses" for most gigs! I also use an Ibanez sr200 ($200 top price) quite extensively! It's light weight, and through my rig and effects, sounds very good as is! The plus is if "something bad happens", I can replace it easily! I use the more top line basses for recording and special gigs where I don't have to be concerned with weather and unforeseen circumstances. I believe the sound is "in your hands" anyway and a good player can make a cheap bass sing! My top of the line Fender Jazz only goes out for those aforementioned special gigs and recording sessions.

 

[Berniez40]

Guess I’ve got the best of both worlds with my Frankenbasses. The only thing cheap about them is the price. In my electrics one is all Bartolini Studio Grade electronics, and the other is all Alembic Studio Grade products. The all Bartolini bass was a junked Dearmond Pilot V String which I bought for the neck. There is a reason Jaco endorsed them. It cost me a 125 bucks, then I had to go sniffing around for electronics, because it was built in the day when Korean Electronics meant noisy pre- amps, and over mid rangey pickups. The all Alembic model is a Warmoth neck and body bought separately off “The Bay” for a whopping $75 apiece. The electronics were piece-mealed from the days when Guitar shows actually had decent prices, good vendors, and very little “Snob Appeal.” So I guess I’ll just have to keep my cheap basses and my Alembic. LOL
My uprights are also Frankenbasses, but I have some seriously good bows and electronics that make them sound amazing when I work with the soundman.....but that’s a different thread altogether.

 

[bonzodog]

I've played both high end and low end basses in my day and I have to say I'm getting a pretty good sound and feel out of some less costly basses . The latest addition to my arsenal is a very inexpensive bass . An Ibanez GSR200SM . My wife bought this for me for Xmas a couple of years ago . I don't know what she paid for it . I think it was a "Stupid deal of the day" from Musicians Friend . She said she liked the way it looked . So did I for that matter . After disabling that crappy active PhatII EQ (The pickups are actually passive) it's turning out to be a very good bass . The construction is solid and it feels and sounds great . I find myself using it more often than my other 4s . Furthermore , it came out of the box completely set up . The action and the intonation were on the mark . So you can keep your Foderas , Alembics , etc . I'm happy .

 

[bass81800]

I have to say, as the owner of the GSM200SM, not a bad bass at all. I like the passive P J and it sounds better to my ears than the active SR500 humbuckers. I got a great set up done and chromes on it. Keeper for me. Can’t imagine any paint peeling or pups not working here. The neck and light weight appeal to me. I truly am an Ibanez fan. Bass is not my main instrument, but I would use this on a gig. Bought it for about $250 last year.

 

[jaxstarke]

My $300 Ibanez SR305 blows my $800 Warwick Corvette $$ out of the water. Of course the Warwick has a warped neck but live and learn. I'll never buy another Warwick. That's for sure.

 

[bonzodog]

Agreed to some extent, persevered with a Jazz bass (MIA) changing pickups twice, varying heads and cabs. No punch and poor undefined bottom end finally settling on a Yamaha active Nathan East 4 stringer, which was on a deal at one of the local stores. SWR 4x10 cab, that and an LM2 Mark bass head and I'm in business.
Recently had the misfortune of trying out a Wayne Jones bass cab (2x10 1000watt) and his personal Fodera bass guitar. Streets ahead of any of my gear and capable of whatever bass sound you want so.........

 

[Mij]

There are a lot of variations between instruments within the same model. I am liking the vintage Ibanez basses (1978-85). I have an RB630 (p-bass) and a RB924. I am looking at the Studio and Musician series, but I am loathe to spend $800-1200 for an instrument I can't check out first. If you don't live in a large city, it's hard to find different basses to check out. Guitar Center has a pretty good return policy for most intruments (45 days), but if you read the fine print, it's only 3 days for "vintage" if it's listed that way on their site.

 

[Flatwound]

I’ve had an Essex jazz bass for more than 10 years that is a perfectly adequate bass, although it would be better with a fret dress. I’ve gigged it many times.

My main bass for the last couple of years has been a Schecter Stiletto Elite that I modified with EMG pickups and electronics. It’s actually a very nice bass.

OTOH, I pulled my old Warwick FNA Jazzman 5 out of the closet the other day, and it may get some playing time as well.

I’ve owned numerous Warwicks, an Elrick, an LEJ, a couple of USA Washburns, USA and MIJ Fenders, and some others. Almost all were very nice, and a couple were pretty special.

Play whatever you want to play, I’m sure it will do the job.

 

[DigitalMan]

You might want to review all the snarky righteous indignation against less expensive basses expressed by many here and reconsider your fallacious statement.

 

[Exxi3]

Well, it's a bit meaningless to talk about instruments in absolutes like this...
It's all about context and personal preferences.
As much as I enjoy playing my Schecter Stiletto 5, I enjoy my Ibanez SRSC805 Cerro even more, but certainly less than my MIJ Tune TWX-5 FM neck through.
I play them roughly the same amount of time overall, and each has its specific place in my arsenal, but apples to apples they just aren't comparable.
Cheers.

 

[Fat_Bottom_End]

This always cracks me up. The snobbery is always a real thing on Talkbass. It is why I have a love/hate relationship with this site. So much great information intermingled with endless dick measuring. <-- I imagine I will get a warning.

 

[mihayloff]

My $300 Ibanez SR305 blows my $800 Warwick Corvette $$ out of the water. Of course the Warwick has a warped neck but live and learn. I'll never buy another Warwick. That's for sure.

Some here feel that money solves everything and will advise that you should have bought a $2500 Warwick instead.