for "high-end" bass owners...

[spade2you]

i'm not going to be so generous in the future.

Am I the only one who thought, "The Emperor will not be as forgiving"?

 

[MaxMaps]

As a longtime player on a very tight budget, I have resigned myself to playing low and mid-level instruments (Squier, SX, Ibanez, etc) and try to make them play and sound as good as possible. But, sometimes I feel my technique is kind of hindered by the instrument.

My question is for those that started on lower-end basses and eventually made the jump to a more serious instrument (Fodera, Zon, anything in the 4 figure range). If you didn't have that much disposable cash lying round, how did you make the financial commitment to upgrade, and when you did, how did your playing change? What was the experience like for you playing a high-end bass for the first time?

thanks in advance....

Before I start a huge +1 to John Turner's post

Start with a budget, if there is a will there is a way. I don't drive an expensive car or have expensive habits (drinking, smoking, eating out everyday) so I can afford paying my instrument in cash or on credit and paying it off in a couple of months. (which I just have)

All I will say that there is nothing that feels as good as a great bass. I feel justified in having a good instrument because playing bass is something that is a part of me and a passion that I love. A good bass that feels good a right to you will make you feel better and help you play better too with practice and dedication.

Hard work and dedication pays off in the end, trust me.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

IMO it's also wise to play as many different brands of high end basses that you can through a variety of amp setups. This will help you zero in on the sound that you like best when you're ready to buy. +1 on the advice to save your money and keep an eye on TB's Classifieds section. I'd always wanted an Alembic bass. About 20 years later I found a brand new Europa-4 being blown out for $1500.00. So the deals are out there.

Custom builders are also a great option, once you have in mind the sound that you want from the instrument.

Regards, Art.

 

[bass4worship]

Owning a high price bass come with knowing that you have played all you can out of your the bass you have now, looking to inprove your sound or just wanted something nice to own that you can say you worked hard for. Sometime getting a new bass help us play better because it's in our mind it's to justify the cost or it may just feel better in our hands. IMO high price basses do have a tone to themself that is missing from some of the lower price basses. If you can't buy new buy used..

 

[BurningSkies]

This is an interesting and thought-provoking thread, philosophically beyond many I have encountered...I think it is good to expand beyond the original parameters of the thread question. When I had money to burn in my 30s and 40s, I bought cheap basses; now, in my late 50s, I regard the purchase of my Stingray as a major indulgence. That said, I'd give anything to once again hold my '65 Hagstrom II for a moment or two. Or, maybe my Gibson Kalamazoo--white-on-white--and the prettiest thing I ever thought a paperboy could possess. Then, as a fortieth birthday present, my wife (much younger than I) bought me a nearly exact copy of Brian Wilson's white P-bass (the "Concert Album"). To sum it up, I think our emotional attachments mean more than our monetary outlays. I'd love to hear from Pointbass, Dr. Cheese, Ionote, Typlons, Burning Skies, Jordacshe (even if he is a kid--a great kid, I suspect) and others I should invoke about this highly charged but universally appealing emotional issue. After all, if basses weren't our passion, why would we be here?

Well, we do love basses don't we? I also went on a prolonged journey for a custom/relic "1964" telecaster...that was a two year project.

In my case, my first Dingwall corrected many of the problems I notice with 'standard' basses (this, after playing production line basses for over 20 years). That's not a dis on production line basses, just the truth. There are some design aspects that are inherent in the basses I'd always loved and one builder out there was making basses that changed those things. He was also making basses that looked beautiful, were constructed to extremely exacting standards, AND sounded great along with sounding unlike any other bass out there.

My first one was his 'production line' bass...not really a production line, but a streamlined handmade instrument. It DOES play better than any other bass I've had. The action is lower, the string tension is even across all the strings, the volume is as close to even across the strings and the bass 'talks' with more authority across the range. I can play faster, with more precision and with more expression than I could on any other instrument I've picked up. The tone is cleaner and in some way sounds 'purer' to me.

So what's a guy with a twenty something thousand dollar day job to do? Yup, put aside 1/10th of my yearly income...and place an order...then take 1/15th of my income a few years later and have a very stunning instrument show up on my doorstep. My first "booteeek" bass still plays and sounds amazing. But now I've got another...one that could keep you up at night thinking about it, when you already have it! IT does all the stuff of the first one I bought and more. I've gotten used to playing the way it allows me to play. When I pick up my vintage Fender, my MIA or MIJ Fenders or even my rare PRS bass...none of them are right.

I still love the look of some of the great vintage basses and classic basses that are around. They're just not for me to play.

These days I wish I could do another great custom. I'd love to do an over the top fanned fretless. But now, a few years down the trail...I've got some other priorities that mean something to me...Personal relationships, long term financial stability, etc. You know...

 

[john turner]

Am I the only one who thought, "The Emperor will not be as forgiving"?

Invalid Link Removed

 

[narud]

I figured it was something like that, but still amazes me. Considering that a vast majority don't use low action, it annoys me when it's suggested that any bass is capable.

ive got the same "laying on the fretboard" action a late 80's ibanez soundgear 5 as i do on my fodera. if the neck isnt warped, it can be done on pretty much any bass imo. will it take some money in fretwork? yeah, but not 5k worth of fretwork.

 

[Tendollarcat]

I think the question of disposable income is an important one. How you afford a high end bass comes down to a series of factors. While there are some players on here that own a bass that is the link to their livelihood, most of us work day jobs. The purchase of a high end bass still has relevance for part timers and hobbyists. If you assess your priorities after bills, food etc and the most important thing to you is getting the right bass to achieve your goals, I think the decision is already made without anyone else's opinion coming in to it. The amount spent is probably secondary to how you go about budgeting and identifying what you "need".

My experience (I play LEJs primarily but have gone through some high end brands to find them) -

1) I had a sound in my head that tormented me. I really wanted a certain tone and output from my bass. I didn't want a bass to make me a better player - thats just about putting in the work and I'm happy to do that. Obviously, playability is important but for me, I was chasing a bass that covered a combination of tone and versatility that I felt I hadn't found in previous basses. I felt I had a better shot of finding this with a high end bass built to spec.

2) I was willing to sell some the gear I had. Not an easy thing to do at all times but necessary for the raising of funds.

3) I researched the hell out of basses......and still managed to pick the wrong high ends at first. Luckily, high ends sell for decent prices and I rolled on until I found what fits me.

4) I reconciled myself to the the "fact" that there are better players than me out there using cheaper basses. The decision is a personal one - not a comparison on what I deserve. If gear was alligned with high end talent, we'd have a very small high end market. Even in the face of these facts, I still had to pay my own saved money for the bass and still had to work to make it happen.

5) It was just important enough to me personally to make it happen. I saved, I sold, I bought, I failed, I sold again, I bought again and I loved the final result. Price was secondary to finding the right tool. Playing bass for me is a passion. I spent accordingly. It didn't make me a better player but people do comment on my tone. That makes me very happy.

I'm not suggesting credit card debt or selling of children. I just suggest you need to understand the difference between GAS and wanting to sound like players you admire AND what you need personally as a player to be happy. For me, finding my personal idea of a great tone was important enough.

 

[JxBass]

I've owned a lot of vintage, collectible basses worth a lot of money due to their age and rarity. I've also owned Squiers that played and sounded better (and worse). The value in a custom, hand crafted instrument is, I believe, in its consistent quality and ability to adjust it to the player's preferences. In my experience an instrument that costs ten times more than another doesn't necessarily sound or play ten times better.

 

[Coelho]

I've owned a lot of vintage, collectible basses worth a lot of money due to their age and rarity. I've also owned Squiers that played and sounded better (and worse). The value in a custom, hand crafted instrument is, I believe, in its consistent quality and ability to adjust it to the player's preferences. In my experience an instrument that costs ten times more than another doesn't necessarily sound or play ten times better.

Bingo

 

[spade2you]

In that case, you guys should be looking for replacements for your Rob Allens.

 

[Tendollarcat]

Very rarely do TB'ers say, I played a bass valued at one/tenth of my high ender and it was complete crap. It was in fact so crap that I refuse to forgive it - irrespective of the price Just thought I'd point that out

 

[ethompson2]

Id say to the OP do what ever you want it is YOUR money that you are spending. I wouldnt break myself for a bass or anything for that matter but if you want a boutique instrument and can afford it then do it. I think the money would be well spent. I would love to eventually move to a boutique instrument as of right now my fretless MTD and Warwick are both perfect for what I am doing and sound and play great.

To say there isnt a difference in say even my basses and a cheap bass is crazy. If a 50 dollar Squire sounded like my Warwick then I'd get the Squire but it will never sound as good no matter how good of a player I am. I think fine hand crafted instruments will inspire you be a better player you will want to play more because of the ease of playing and better sound you are hearing coming from yourself. I know from personal experince that if I dont like sound coming from what Im playing I dont want to keep playing it. But if Im playing an instrument that sounds amazing Im gonna play better just because Im hearing such a sweet sound coming out as well as play which will in turn make you a better player.