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Getting Cheap With Age?

#41
I see what everyone is saying. The most I have spent on a bass is $1400 shipped with a case (used) and I have had it for almost 3 years (by far the longest hold I have had on a bass)...and I won't be getting rid of it. I will most likely keep my Modulus for a long, long time. But I have played just about every kind of mass produced bass out there and to me there is no comparison. But to each his own. With that said, I was very surprised of the Brice I got...

Just funny how many $1500 basses are on the classifieds compared to less expensive basses...and usually they have cycled through a few TBers. :D
 
#42
Dr. Cheese said:
When I first started working, I thought nothing of spending pretty big bucks on gear, and I owned the highend basses to prove it. I then went through a lean period where I couldn't spend what I wanted on gear and learned alot more about budget basses like Peaveys, TBC, and other makes. Now, things are looking up again, but I find myself getting cold feet about spending past a certain point for a bass. The bottom line is that I have no doubt about the quality of highend basses, but I keep coming back to the fact that playing is a great hobby for me. None of my gigs is paying, and I just cannot justify spending beyond a certain amount for a hobby.

Please don't get me wrong, I have nothing but love for all bassists, whether you rock on SX or a Ritter. I am not envious nor do I feel deprived. I just feel that my limit somewhere under $1,500 and frankly half that sounds even better!:D

I just thought I would share.:)
Click to expand...

I feel ya. Also, it's kinda like a car- knowing what you need instead of just what you want. Anyways, even when you can make money, and can afford to spend some of it on an instrument, you feel like you can make music on just about any instrument, even though you can respect and enjoy the high-end stuff for its own virtues. The other thing is that while the quality of high end basses has always been very good, the lower priced end of the market has, by my estimation, dramatically improved the quality and consistency of the products, to the point that a having to, or wanting to play $109 SX is not necessarily a penalty, nor should it be. I think you and I and others recognize this. Sure an SX will never be an Alembic, but it gets the job done for a lot of stuff. And I agree with you. You can rock on an SX or a Ritter. And you can be just as bad on both of them as well. ;)

I don't think you're getting cheap with age, so much as you become smarter about money as you get older. I don't mean this as a damning comment about people and their musical expenses and priorities, but in general. Life seems to teach you some important lessons as you go along... and I'm still a work in progress, that's for sure...

Take Care.
 
#43
I have a couple pretty nice basses that I don't really "need". But I do enjoy them. That being said...

A lot of it really IS in the hands. I strolled into G.C. today and there was a guy in there trying various basses. Personally, I was eyeing up the American Standard Fenders and the Music Man's. He was looking more at the less expensive stuff. He picked up a relatively cheap Schecter and started playing some real tasty grooves. It made me think to myself, "If you're good enough, you can make any bass rock the house."
 
#44
This discussion has made me realize just how many really great basses can be had for around $1,000 (+/- $100). We have it pretty good these days. My ~$1,300 Skyline will do it for me for as long as I live and play.

Would it be fair to say that above around $1,500 that most improvements are cosmetic (i.e. exotic looking wood, inlays, etc.)?
 
#45
NWB said:
Would it be fair to say that above around $1,500 that most improvements are cosmetic (i.e. exotic looking wood, inlays, etc.)?
Click to expand...

That's an interesting question. I might also ask the question in a slightly different way: Where does the law of diminishing returns occur? That's the point at which the improvement in the instrument becomes either strictly cosmetic or very small in relation to the increase in cost.
 
#46
Pilgrim said:
That's an interesting question. I might also ask the question in a slightly different way: Where does the law of diminishing returns occur? That's the point at which the improvement in the instrument becomes either strictly cosmetic or very small in relation to the increase in cost.
Click to expand...

Great answer.

I can tell the difference between a $1500 Ernie Ball MM, and a $3K Pedulla, but the less expensive instrument is not necessarily going to hold me back as a player/musician, nor dos the more expensive one open some magical door to make me a better player that is closed by buying the less expensive one.

I like that law of diminishing returns concept.

Of course, I'm comparing two different instruments here. It would be interesting if I was blindfolded, whether I could tell which Jazz bass was an American Standard (or whatever Jazz bass is valued around $1,500 ) or which one was a $3K custom shop job. For better and worse, I've never had that opportunity. Or maybe that's not an apples to apples comparison either in which to determine extra $$$ = some discernable difference.

Thoughts?
 
#48
I'm with you Doc... I mean, I could see myself spending 3k on a bass if I had it like that. But since I don't and most likely won't, I am perfectly fine with a 2k limit, but the biggest change is now I really hunt for used basses to get the mid-high end stuff at a bargain. I used to buy all new basses because hey it's new! But now used is more of what I look at - at least you don't feel as bad banging up a used bass. :bassist:
 
#49
With Lakland's Skyline series, I don't know that I'll ever feel the need to spend over $1500. I've gone from inexpensive basses to Mid price basses to Boutique - then back down to mid-priced. I'm just as happy with my skyline as I was with my Elrick I used to have. The high end basses certainly have a cool appeal, but until I'm making a significant amount of money playing, I don't know if I can spend too much for a bass.
 
#50
There are some great basses out there that can be had for a lot less than they're probably worth to a working musician. Although they've been climbing, the G&L L-1000 is a great alternative to a vintage Precision. The Hamer Cruise 2Tek kills any Jazz that I've ever heard. Both can be had for less than $1000 if you're patient.
The fanfret bass I did as a project came in a just over $1000, and was a lot cheaper than going with a Dingwall. It has a nice little personality, too.
Like the Ibanez lines of the '70s, you can find nicely made instruments that can be made desirable by replacing electronics and hardware, with a net investment lower than some of the premium names.
MIM Fenders are not $500 less bass than the MIA versions.
 
#56
I think that a used fender jazz, possibly a five string would get me through any situation and keep me well under the $1,500 range. Yet a purchased a $2,700 instrument (a Sadowsky Metro). Why? Well frankly because after years and years of not having the means of purchasing a high end instrument I finally do have the means and I thought I'd treat myself.

Ever since I started (at age 15, I'm 30 now) I've had paid gigs, from 2 to 5 a week but I was using all those earning to sustain myself through school and university. Now that I have a proper job and am still doing the gigs I feel that I'm entitled to enjoy a high end instrument. I also feel that since I'm using the instrument on such a regular basis, I am definitely getting my money's worth.

I would not consider spending that kind of money if I couldn't really afford it or if that money is more appropriately directed at children's education, etc.

Also, having spent such an amount on one instrument, I now feel quite GAS free because I now cannot justify making a second purchase, not without selling another one of my basses first.
 
#57
Interesting topic.
My experience is that guys that play as a hobby has more expensive equipment than the professional bassplayer in average... if you don't count the 1% of working bassist that tour the world with megastars and endorsement deals.
I've owned tons of different instrument, cheap and expensive and it's funny how every bass has it's personality, even the one's that are the same type. If you find an instrument that feels good, stick with it no matter what it costs.
As for amplifiers and speakers I think "you get what you pay for" most of the times.
This is my experience, but I'm sure someone else has a different angle, that's the fun of it all.
 
#58
I've had my p-bass for years.... I bought my Ric on credit and I'm still paying and playing for it. It's a great bass, and at this point in my life, probably my last (besides maybe a fender jazz). It has what I want and what I need. My P-bass still rings through for what I need in some cases what I want, but in others so does the ric.

We'll see, but for now, I have 4 (+1 for my double bass) for what I need to do the job... if that's not the case, I'll be cheap as hell and try to get what I can afford....
 
#60
Yes, that's also an important aspect... where you live. I live in Europe and every-time I go overseas playing I try to pick up a bass because the way the dollar has been, it's very cheap to buy even an "expensive bass" in the US compared to most places.
 

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