Expensive vs inexpensive basses

[Exxi3]

I’ve never seen a thread saying cheap basses are anything but super fantastic. I rarely see a thread bragging on expensive basses.

When you have a great bass you don’t need to justify it.

And yet nice-gear-shaming still happens all the time, even here...
Is it as bad as fat-shaming or bald-shaming?
I'd say no, but still...
Cheers.

 

[JoeWPgh]

I hate to break it to the good and decent people of TB, but I don't give a rat's furry behind what you spent on a bass. Your wealth doesn't impress me if you spent $10,000, and your 'smarts' don't impress me if you spent $100. Get what you like and can afford. then just play the thing.

 

[wmhill]

Squire is a pretty high end bass, if you're talking about Chris Squire signature.

Probably meant "skwyer"

 

[InternetAlias]

I’ve never seen a thread saying cheap basses are anything but super fantastic. I rarely see a thread bragging on expensive basses.

Maybe, because it's expected of them to be super fantastic? If you get a $5000 bass and you are not super impressed with it, you complain. If you get a $100 bass and it's better than you expected for a price, you'll praise it. It's just how things work everywhere. It's easier to be impressed by cheap stuff not feeling or sounding cheap than it is to be impressed by something you'd normally expect.

 

[NZBassman]

well when I bought my Squire Modified jazz (in my thumbnail photo) I tried a few basses... I didn't like the feel of the Warwick basses and I tried a musicman sterling Sub 4? and thought it sounded too 'tinny', also tried an ESP bass, but thought the squire sounded the best and it's super easy to play

 

[MarkEO]

The price is only a small part of the equation for me. I play for 4-6 hours some times and I have to be comfortable with the ergonomics, action, neck shape etc. Sound is very important. No point in any bass if it sounds like crap. It helps if it looks nice. Even if it costs $200 nobody is going to play the Fender Wart. I planned to spend about $1,000 but payed $1,500 cause I picked up the Ray 35 and it just felt right. And as a result it sounds better and I play better.

 

[jaynov26]

Squire is a pretty high end bass, if you're talking about Chris Squire signature.

No, I meant Fender Squire, LOL. My Chris Squire is a 1974 Rickenbacker 4001 with a Badass bridge and active electronics. Major Brut. It shreds my Alembics.

 

[Bassbubble11]

Did you ever understand the concept of analogy?

Yup.... but mostly when the analogies are good and make sense.

 

[lfmn16]

And yet gear-shaming still happens all the time...
Is it as bad as fat-shaming or bald-shaming?
I'd say no, but still...
Cheers.

I’ve never see it, especially on TB.

 

[Ian Lewis]

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'm glad you're happy. I regularly play basses ranging from two to eleven grand. They're all Warwick, so they feel similar, but each one has a different tone, influenced by the woods, construction and electronics. For rock I prefer the tone and looks of the least expensive (bubinga Corvette), but for jazz I prefer the most expensive (maple Infinity). Price isn't the influence.

 

[lfmn16]

Maybe, because it's expected of them to be super fantastic? If you get a $5000 bass and I am not super impressed with it, you complain. If you get a $100 bass and it's better than you expected for a price, you'll praise it. It's just how things work everywhere. It's easier to be impressed by cheap stuff not feeling or sounding cheap than it is to be impressed by something you'd normally expect.

Actually if I spent $5,000 on a bass and you weren’t super impressed I wouldn’t care.

 

[RickJones]

I've had people laugh at my inexpensive instruments. It didn't bother me at all. Then I started playing and the laughing stopped.

 

[Iridescentone]

I've had people laugh at my inexpensive instruments. It didn't bother me at all. Then I started playing and the laughing stopped.

I've had people admire my nice instruments. It didn't bother me at all. Then I started playing and the laughter began.

 

[Element Zero]

And yet gear-shaming still happens all the time.

It does? I’ve never seen anyone shame anyone for having inexpensive gear. All I’ve ever seen is people saying how much expensive gear is a waste of money.

 

[bottomzone]

I've been blessed to have basses made by Alembic, Ken Smith, Peavey (USA Cirrus) and Warwick, all very high-quality basses. I currently own a Cort Artisan A5 Custom Z, an Ibanez SR506, a Sire Marcus Miller V7 5 and a Sterling by MusicMan Ray 35, all high-quality basses. The Ken Smith was the best bass that I have ever played. However, for the money spent, my current bass lineup is absolutely amazing and I don't foresee getting a high-end bass again. If you have the money to get a high-end bass, that's cool. However, the quality of lesser priced basses is such that you can be very satisfied like I am and save a whole lot of $$$!

 

[Element Zero]

I've been blessed to have basses made by Alembic, Ken Smith, Peavey (USA Cirrus) and Warwick, all very high-quality basses. I currently own a Cort Artisan A5 Custom Z, an Ibanez SR506, a Sire Marcus Miller V7 5 and a Sterling by MusicMan Ray 35, all high-quality basses. The Ken Smith was the best bass that I have ever played. However, for the money spent, my current bass lineup is absolutely amazing and I don't foresee getting a high-end bass again. If you have the money to get a high-end bass, that's cool. However, the quality of lesser priced basses is such that you can be very satisfied like I am and save a whole lot of $$$!

Well said sir or madame.

 

[Exxi3]

It does? I’ve never seen anyone shame anyone for having inexpensive gear. All I’ve ever seen is people saying how much expensive gear is a waste of money.

That's what I meant to say, actually
I don't know if they're really sincere or just a bit jealous, though...

 

[mihayloff]

Either this is a made up story, or you didn't follow instruction as to how to adjust the truss rods.

Nice try. Not a made up story. If I hadn't followed instructions, Alembic would have figured that out at the factory and wouldn't have had to take the extreme measures it did in order to make the neck functional again.

 

[Tigerclaw_x]

I can ONLY list my own opinion. I had very negative experience with Ibanes Sr500E bass. The damned thing sounded like keyboard. Frankly to me the Jackson JS2 and EPiphone Thunderbird sounded MUCH better.

 

[Jeff Scott]

Nice try. Not a made up story. If I hadn't followed instructions, Alembic would have figured that out at the factory and wouldn't have had to take the extreme measures it did in order to make the neck functional again.

I'm referring to the part about them tell you to turn the truss rod nuts the wrong way to correct for back-bow.