Wow, imagine that, better basses sound better and play better!!! I’m sure it’s only because the cheap basses you have played were not setup correctly, lol.
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Expensive vs inexpensive basses
- Thread starter TKnights
- Start date
Wow, imagine that, better basses sound better and play better!!! I’m sure it’s only because the cheap basses you have played were not setup correctly, lol.
You have to play what feels best to you. I have 4 basses that range in price from $300 to $1300. All of them feel nice but the $1300 bass feels and plays the best.
Great thread.
i have both. if they play: they play!
maybe the OP is responding to the 'elitist' assumption that you have to spend a lot to have a "quality" instrument. IME: what the player does (or doesn't do) after the sale = the quality of the instrument over time.
maybe the OP is responding to the 'elitist' assumption that you have to spend a lot to have a "quality" instrument. IME: what the player does (or doesn't do) after the sale = the quality of the instrument over time.
You do realize that (almost) evertything has been said and discussed already. Close all internet forums! ">_>"
I dig them all. But after owning some high end basses i can’t see myself spending more than $2k on a mass produced bass again. I’d go higher for a custom bass but in my opinion when it comes to production basses there’s such little improvement beyond $2k it’s not worth it. The improvement between a $2k bass and a $5k bass isn’t enough to justify the cost imo.
Right now I could see myself spending over $2k for a used custom dingwall super p 5. I’ve been gasing for a custom clement bass as well as I’ve seen more and more of his work and got to know him a little on FB. But lately my two bass lineup tends to consist of a main player in the $1500-$2k range and a backup in the $300-$500 range.
Right now I could see myself spending over $2k for a used custom dingwall super p 5. I’ve been gasing for a custom clement bass as well as I’ve seen more and more of his work and got to know him a little on FB. But lately my two bass lineup tends to consist of a main player in the $1500-$2k range and a backup in the $300-$500 range.
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At least elitism doesn’t pretend to be virtue like reverse-snobbery does.
If they are electric guitars, not really. If they are nice acoustic guitars built by the better "factories" (Martin -18 series and up, for example), or even better yet, individual luthiers, then very much so, they are worth the money.
Thanks. I will very much keep my Fodera and Pedulla and my 20 year old Ibanez. Good day sir.
Some subjects deserve continued discussion, some do not. Some ways of discussing the former are worthwhile, some are not.
Martin not so much. Had a D-35 for a while. Not my cup of tea.
I'm not a flat top kinda guy anyway. I've a cheap Larrivee LV-03RE that will suffice for campfire gigs.
Now my Gibson L-4CES archtop is a nice guitar, and worth every penny.
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Over the decades I've had lots of basses (fourteen currently) running the gamut from musically worthless kindling to keepers. From that experience it's evident that quality at the extreme ends of the price spectrum are what you would expect. New for < $50 = wall art, new for > $3000 = great. The only noticeable difference over the last half century is where the lines are drawn between cheap crap, acceptable bargains, standard/decent, pro, and WOW!!! Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, you needed three month's rent to attain anything above decency. Now it's down to one month's rent, and a little over two day's wages to afford a bargain. I've got a Hohner P/J fretless that cost a little over $100 used and it sounds and plays fantastic. Usually, though, price is indicative of QC and general worthiness for most goods. The bass guitar market is driven by more than the just that. Who plays what onstage, brand name snobbery, flavor of the month fads, etc. factor in. This tends to explain why Guilds, Carvins, Peaveys and Yamahas are often real bargains. The astounding thing is that some of the worst examples of budget lutherie have survived and are commanding top dollar as vintage instruments. Imagine a '60's Silvertone, Teisco or Dano going for more than a Yamaha or Ibanez. Disgraceful!
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I totally understand what you're talking about. However, that particular model, the GSR200SM, I had one and it turned out to be the biggest lemon I ever had. Bad pups, the paint was peeling away, one knob just died, etc. I'm glad you got a good one. In my case, I'd never buy another GSR200SM
I will agree regarding the D-35, never played one, or any Dreadnought, actually, that I liked. I had a Larrivée LV-19 Special Vine Edition for a few years that a friend now owns. I sold it to him when I got my custom Martin 000/OM-18. I have played lots of Martins, but none made me part with cash until I found it (the one for sale in the Classifieds, and not because it is not a wonderful guitar). These days, my go-to guitars are my Yamamotos.
I've had lots of electric guitars (solidblody, hollowbody, and archtop varieties); I am pretty much done with electric guitars.
Getting back on-topic, for the moment, the cheapest instruments I have owned over the years were Fenders, but I never bonded with any of them. Whether that was because they were Fenders or because they were cheap, I can't really say.
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Yeah.
I went shopping for a signature bass last year. Hated it. On the way out the door they had a used Ibanez Sr300DX for $100c. Price of a nice lunch around here, or maybe one upright string. The bass is from the '90s and still has the protective plastic on the back covers. Really like the thing. Would be a killer first bass for a youth, a spare to beat on, camping trips haha!
It sits in my instrument rack between an Alembic and a very nice old fretless Jazz Special and some other fancy basses I love too.
My gigging basses have become less and less expensive. Currently with a $300 and $650 bass and they are both light, setup really well for playability and sound great. I don't miss the $1k-$2k basses I've had in the past all that much. I sometimes think, alot less to worry about but really if something happened to these, I'd be just as upset. A good bass is a good bass that you bond with.
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