Has anyone "downgraded" from a boutique bass?

[SteveC]

Back in the day, when I was a Sadowsky (US custom ans Japan) fanboy, I tried a korean Lakland DJ5 with an Xotic RC preamp pedal.
It blew all my Sados away.

A good passive bass and a good preamp pedal gives one a couple nice options.

The ego-stoking coffee table basses I keep do pay for themselves eventually.

My ego stoking coffee table bass has been paid for more than once over the last 12 years. It's also just the best feeling neck I've ever played. And yeah, it looks pretty darn good.

 

[Shlabotnik]

I wanted a Wal all my life and finally got my wish granted last year. I'd love to say I didn't care for it and went back to my P Bass or my Ric but that's not true. I freaking love the tone versatility and the playability just really works for me.

BUT there are definitely times where a P Bass fits where nothing else does. Same old story.

I've had other very nice basses over the years that I did not gel with. The Kubicki I had back in the 90s played very nicely but the sound did not cut through in a mix like a Fender or the Music Man I switched to from that. Had a high end Mayones that was lovely but just not my thing.

A place for everything and everything in its place I guess. I don't think one can make the generalization that "boutique" basses are different from cheaper basses. It depends on the specific instrument in question. You win some, you lose some in either case.

 

[bdplaid]

It's interesting that most of you came from Alembic. I guess there was a time when they were more affordable and available.

There was, in the 90's. I had one. Increbly built but I just didn't like the sound.

I have had Modulus, Pedulla, total custom Brubaker, and Alembic, and I like the parts basses I build quite a bit better. Also, I have a Squier 60's Vibe P and J, that are just great.

 

[sotua]

Not sure if it qualifies, but I went from German built Warwicks to a beat up Fender japan. It just fit me better at that time of my life. Nowadays all my other instruments are Indonesian. And yeah, I do miss the build quality but that's secondary to sound quality.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

All my stuff is now well under a grand....Soundgear & Fernandes. In my circles, nobody can tell the difference or gives a damn.

Riis

HAA! this!! Or people don't walk up on stage and ask is that a USA made bass? Ken Smith? Who is "Ken Smith"? Kin to Joe Smith?

 

[Gianni "Orlandez" Orlati]

I did get a used Squire but ended ip upgrading the electronics and hardware. I have a well done single cut probably a project not a well known maker but I paid less than a MIM Fender. Other than my Pedulla which is now my daughter's I haven't really had one.

I got my Pedulla Buzz in 90 and even then I paid MIM price for it. Current most money into a bass is my Stingray Special but it is not a boutique bass per se (not a limited, signature or BFR)

It's not boutique (although the prices of new Stingray basses seem to have sky-rocketed lately) but it's a bass with a solid history and a super distinctive tone.
I'd gladly buy a natural-maple one

 

[Passinwind]

It's interesting that most of you came from Alembic. I guess there was a time when they were more affordable and available.

$1600 list but $900 out the door for a Series Bass back in '77, IIRC. But at the time that was high enough to merit the locked glass case treatment at the joint I saw one at when I was shopping for my first "real" bass.

 

[Ellery]

My fave 5 string is a Spector Forte 5 that I got for a killer deal right here on TB but the street value has gone up so much I stopped bringing it to shows (underground metal band, all my venues are trashy) and only use it in the studio. For live I went back to my Schecter Studio 5 I upgraded w/ EMG P5's & Aguilar obp-3 and it works great. Not as refined but surprisingly close considering the price difference.

Schecter Stiletto Studio 5

• Ellery
• Dec 25, 2016
• schecter schecter stiletto

Schecter Stiletto Studio 5

 

[tpaul]

I've never owned a boutique bass so I can't say I've ever downgraded from one. The most expensive basses I've owned are US Fenders.

That said, if I needed to sell my US Fenders due to a financial crisis, and had to "make do" with a MIM or Squier... I think I'd survive the experience.

 

[JRA]

"yes" for me: i went from custom-built axes to parts axes and haven't looked back!

i don't chase tones so the only thing that really counts for me is balance, weight, and neck feel. i have ibby/FSO knock-offs from parts and they're the most "priceless" axes i've ever owned and played. in spite of the pricey parts i've used (mostly hardware and electronics), none of them are worth more than a few hundred bucks, probably....but i value them way more than the custom jobs i paid for = they're better instruments!

 

[matthewbrown]

I used to play a Veillette, and before that, a Turner Renaissance, both fretless. Now I play a fretted MTD heir, although I did upgrade the pups to Barts. That one bass can do just about everything.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

My boutique stuff rarely gets out the door, although I'll gig my Kubicki tomorrow (but I don't really think of it as a "boutique" bass, maybe because I've had it for for long). My backup will likely be my new to me Ibby ATK 300, which plays and sounds great and cost about what a new Squire costs. The Kubicki is my #1 keeper but that ATK (and a few others I have) get the most stage time. I still have some seriously high end stuff and have owned 4 Alembics but the "in the trenches foot soldiers" seem to be more my style. Maybe it's time to thin the herd...

The Bar Band Bassman

 

[Jazzdogg]

I have a few very nice basses in my collection. When we retired and started RVing full time, I went through my basses and found an inexpensive Brawley five-string that I bought and forgot 20-odd years ago. I decided to take it along on our RV trip instead of a nicer bass; it's become one of my favorite basses!

 

[Doug Parent]

I have one Warmoth bass I put together that has basically outshined every other $2500+ Jazz style five string, and I bought and sold a LOT of instruments along the way. I guess when you got the right wood combinations it comes together for the win.

 

[2thAche]

2023 Sadowsky MetroExpress. Order and install a VTC circuit, get a setup, should be what you want.

 

[Artman]

My number one since 1990 has been my '82 Pedulla Buzz.

A few years ago, I began to feel a little less comfortable taking it to gigs at certain establishments/locations. Suddenly declared highly desirable and nearly impossible to replace.

So I picked up a SBMM Ray4 and a MIM Pbass.

For the past few years, they've sounded just fine, but I was craving a fiver, so last week I picked a fretless Ibanez SR 370ef.
After installing new DR Black Beautys and doing a setup on it, I rate playability and feel very, very close to my Pedulla Buzz.
Really only a tiny touch less because of the wider neck, which is relatively narrow for a fiver from what I've read.
The sound is head and shoulders above every bass that I've played in 40 years except the Pedulla, and I'd say that although the voicing is different, it is just as good.

I sold the SBMM, and the P will probably go as well and maybe be replaced by a slightly higher end Ibanez SR with a fretted neck.

For your $1500ish budget, you can no doubt buy any one of many excellent imports that will rival your boutique in fit, finish, playability, and sound quality.

 

[Bass Ape]

Reverend, gets all my play recently.

Same here and I only paid $575 for it. I guess I could call my Dean Zelinsky Private label a boutique bass but because of it's name, it will always be a Mule.

 

[lordradish]

Maybe not downgrade as in replace completely, but definitely 'supplement'. My main fretted's always been a Wal 5 string. It's heavy as hell, and given the ridiculous prices they are catching nowadays, I wanted something close in the ballpark that I wouldn't feel as bad taking out. So I got an EBMM 5, which is a great bass. I'm always gonna have the Wal as my favorite, but I don't really think about it too much when playing the MM.

I also have a MIM jazz that I only use on the sketchiest of occasions, like a rowdy party or a dive bar. Then I really notice it, and miss my others.

 

[Scarysharkface]

I recently had to put my boutique bass for sale due to an unforeseen financial situation. It's my sole bass, so my intention is to grab a cheaper bass in the US$1,500 range when it sells.

I went to the store today to try some basses and came away disappointed... Basses I happily owned years ago seemed unplayable. 7.25-inch and 9.5-inch radiuses felt odd and uncomfortable. Action and string height felt miles apart from my bass's neck relief of 0.010" and string height of 2/32. Strings were stiff. The Fender Jazz Ultra's preamp sounded metallic and sterile.

I guess a lot of these issues could be fixed with a proper setup, but I don't know. I guess I've been spoiled.

Has anyone "downgraded" from a boutique bass? How was your experience?

I have an Alembic Series I with some Series II options, a couple of G&Ls, a Lakland and an LTD 8-string. Necks are of course wildly different, but they all play about the same because they've all got great setups. I like my necks nearly straight, with very little relief, and that does the trick for me. So I'd recommend spending some time with your retailer's setup person and the bass(es) you're interested in. Most shops don't have any of their instruments setup worth a darn, and Guitar Center should be publicly flogged for the consistently awful setup of any bass in stock.

John

 

[SteveC]

Guitar Center should be publicly flogged for the consistently awful setup of any bass in stock.

RIGHT! How do they expect to sell a bass when they all play like crap. I'd have to have access to the bench in the store and do a set up before I'd buy a bass there. One exception is a Roscoe I played at a GC last weekend. The only reason it played well was 1) it's a Roscoe and b) it was set up/maintained by the OTHER shop in town.