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How much did you spend until you found your tone ?

G

GRAHAM SG1

May 3, 2010
1,096
9
#1
How much money did you spend until you found your ideal bass tone and how many/what basses/amps etc did you buy ?

Basses
My tone is definitely Fender Precision, my 2010 USA DLX P is my weapon of choice, I still like my MIM for messing about on at home .

To get to this conclusion I first bought a Gibson SG faded which I sold, I then bought an Ibanez BTB770PB which I still have and am thinking about selling to help fund a new USA Jazz DLX next year ?
I have an Ibanez EWB20WNE which I dont use so may sell that to help the fund as well ?

Amps
I use a Laney LC30 for messing about at home, my first real amp was a Marshall MB4210 and while sounding pretty good just did not have the balls in my band so I got rid off and got a GKMB210 with MBE115 which I still have and am selling to fund my recent purchase TC Electronics BH500 with two 2x12 cabs .

I really like USA Fender DLX basses and enjoy having very nice basses, I am not a pro player but love the feeling of a quality instrument, pride of ownership counts a lot to me
 
#3
You didn't answer your own question. Money spent?

Tough to answer, as I lost money on some basses, and gained money on some basses. Same with gear. About 25 basses, and about 6 rigs. Probably just about broke even. So...that means I spent $1500 for my current set-up to get my tone. Nash J through a BAM210 with Carvin 115 extension.
 
#5
I dont have any tone but I have spent thousands in gear but only because I like to try different things. I am happy with what I currently have:

a) Lakland $ 1500 ( bought it brand new)
b) Streamliner $ 1000 ( bought it brand new)
c) Epifany $ 250 ( Bought it used)
d) Korg Tunner $ 80 ( bought it brand new)
e) Fender cable $ 20 ( bought it brand new)
-----------------------
$ 2, 850

I currently looking for another Epifani, planning to spend $ 300

I dont have plans to change gear anytime soon. The only thing that I want is to add another cab and maybe next year I will add a DJ.
 
#9
I can`t affirm I`ve found my tone.
Generally speaking, I tend to prefer Jazz Basses with 70`s sound but I like many different tones.

From a deep growly Warwick sound, to a cristal hi end Spector slap tone, thuddy Pbass bottom, etc.
 
#10
Pretty much every piece of gear has helped me get closer to my tone in some way. I think its an evolving kind of thing, I'll never get it perfect. I kind of pick up what I like about the tone of each bass and try to carry it forward, so over my entire bass career? Way too much -_-
 
#14
GRAHAM SG1 said:
How much money did you spend until you found your ideal bass tone and how many/what basses/amps etc did you buy ?
Click to expand...

I had one very experienced guitar instructor help me with my 1st bass guitar, and another very experienced guitar instructor help me with my 1st amp. So I nailed it on the first try-
> Fender Performer(bought used in '93), $300
> GK 400RB / Peavey 210TX (both bought new in '94), $1K


Even though I now have my dream rig, my tone hasn't wandered far from that original setup.
 
#15
If I take into account depreciation on the gear I have sold I would guess around £1000, this does not take into account how much the gear I am keeping has cost .
I think most of us like the buying experience, its nice to have a new toy now and again, it gives us a reason to work other than purely paying the bills and taxes !
Playing an instrument is a learning process to me and I agree that you often return to the tone you started with in the first place LOL
 
#16
Being in a teenage budget, all I could do was trade trade trade. I bought a hohner acoustic electric bass for 135, and a case for 140. Then I traded that for a Schecter stiletto studio 5. Then I traded that for a Schecter Exotic bass because I liked
4ers. That was an awesome bass until you got to the pickups. They were junk soapbars and couldnt be replaced cuz of their crappy size. So I sold it for $390. And I bought a Spector (euro) NS4CRFM. My favorite bass of all time. Now I just need an amp. It took me a couple years to find my tone but I did it. :).
So 650 without my amp
 
#17
i spent about 465 dollars in 1993 on a gibson grabber, a sunn 2000s, and a marshall 4ohm 115 (all this stuff was sold when i became a pro visual artist though and had no time to practice for ten years)

it was when i tried to get back into it 18 months ago that the real spending started, but i don't feel bad, because i have a full time teaching job and it's the first time i've ever had consistent money in my life so if i want to have nice stuff now i feel that i deserve it after living in total poverty for 15 years and with no heat for 10 years
 
#20
I chased three specific tones for almost ... well, for a long time :D and I found them in three very different avenues ...

- the most expensive comes in at a little over $40K in shop tools, shop electrical upgrades, years of honing my woodworking skills, and several grand in wood. my personal grail in tone is in my newest bass model

- in the bass model I abhored for well over two decades ... a P-bass

- and lastly, and least expensive ... a fresh set of Ernie Ball Slinky strings on my old Stingray with the treble at 75% and the bass dimed.


for amps, I really have no preference. I can get my tone out of just about any amp or combo that has 10's or 12's. some amps make it easier to achieve than others, but my tone is there because the major factor in my tone beyond the bass used is my playing approach ... a few turns of the eq controls and hello! I'm ready to roll. I also recognize that an amp is simply my personal monitor - I run direct to the house/studio console at all but the rarest of gigs.


all three basses have their place for my musical needs, and no one single bass covers all of the scenarios I play. the most fulfilling is playing (live and studio) with a bass I've made from rough lumber, knowing all of the decisions and work that went into crafting a tool that allows me to fluently speak my musical voice

all the best,

R
 

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