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How much should I expect to pay for a good quality bass??

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ericmknight1906

Nov 22, 2006
231
14
daytona beach, florida
#1
I have purchased numerous bass guitars over the pass few years. I've been disappointed with every one of them in some way or another; The most prominent disappointment being tone, clarity, punch, playability, action, pickup quality, etc.

I can't recall ever spending more than $700 for each of these bass guitars.

I'm starting to believe that you can't get a good quality all around bass for less than $1300.

Am I wrong in assuming this?? I plan on investing in a Fender Standard American Jazz 5 string.

Any advice is appreciated. If this thread has been discussed before please link them for me because I can't find any.

Thanks:)
 
#3
Babaluma said:
did you set these basses up yourself or have someone set them up for you and your playing style? if not then i think that'll make a BIG difference to the playability.
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+1. If playability and action have been a problem with numerous basses you may need some help here. Most basses, even $100 theses days can be set up pretty nicely.

What basses have you owned? May help people to better help you.

What kind of sound are you looking for? There might be something you don't even realize you want that you can only find in certain basses. It took me a few basses before I realized I was trying to coax a Stingray sound out of all the basses I owned. I wasn't satisfied until I got myself a MM.
 
#4
Babaluma said:
did you set these basses up yourself or have someone set them up for you and your playing style? if not then i think that'll make a BIG difference to the playability.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've always done my own setups.

When I mentioned playability, I was thinking more in terms of string spacing and action. I want a bass that can achieve very low action with low buzz and without killing the tone and clarity of the strings/pups. Also, I prefer wide string spacing.

I've tried to find these qualities in the low end guitars but its nearly impossible.
 
#7
Joe Nerve said:
+1. If playability and action have been a problem with numerous basses you may need some help here. Most basses, even $100 theses days can be set up pretty nicely.

What basses have you owned? May help people to better help you.

What kind of sound are you looking for? There might be something you don't even realize you want that you can only find in certain basses. It took me a few basses before I realized I was trying to coax a Stingray sound out of all the basses I owned. I wasn't satisfied until I got myself a MM.
Click to expand...

I've owned squiers, Fender's MIM, yamahas and esps.

My latest bass is a Spector 5 string with EMG pups and 35" scale. This bass is decent, but the EMG pup tones don't have any punch and seem to lack in clarity.I'm using Ernie ball slinkys 130-45 I can get the action pretty low but the string spacing is too close. You see if its not one thing its another.:hmm:

I like the clarity and tone of a Music Man Sterling. I actually owned one about 6 years ago. But the 4 strings wasn't enough when I started playing gospel music. So, I got rid of it. Since then I haven't been able to find that music man sound and playability in any of the 5 strings that I've purchased.
 
#9
I disagree with you 100 percent. If you have owned a number of 700 dollar basses and you still think you have to spend 1,300 dolalrs for a bass then maybe you don't like bass guitar. If I have a nice amp i can get a great tone out of a squire. I don't mean to sound harsh, but maybe its your playing. Maybe your being too self critical of yourself. I'm learning about this in therapy. Schemas ha.
 
#10
I think if you are looking for an excellent bass with outstanding tone and playability, you should be ready to spend at least $2000. I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for this, but music store basses (Fender, MM, etc.) just don't stand up to quality hand-made basses in any way. Except for replaceability I guess...

Check out Chris Stambaugh. For around $2500, you can get a five string with any woods and electronics and measurements you could possibly want. It will be the nicest bass you've ever played, and you will keep it forever. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly take it off your hands for you. : )
 
#11
It depends on the style of music you play too. If you want to play some fancy classical stuff and your looking for the perfect sound then go ahead, but if you play blues or jazz or rock then I don't know man. Just buy a regular guitar like everybody else.
 
#12
cmewhinney said:
I think if you are looking for an excellent bass with outstanding tone and playability, you should be ready to spend at least $2000. I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for this, but music store basses (Fender, MM, etc.) just don't stand up to quality hand-made basses in any way. Except for replaceability I guess...

Check out Chris Stambaugh. For around $2500, you can get a five string with any woods and electronics and measurements you could possibly want. It will be the nicest bass you've ever played, and you will keep it forever. If I'm wrong, I'll gladly take it off your hands for you. : )
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Saying that the only way to get a great sounding and playing instrument is to go custom, I can't agree with in the slightest. Being that I've never played a Stambaugh, I can't comment on his instruments specifically, but I'm sure they're quite amazing. Personally, there isn't one bass on his site that visually appeals to me. Time and time again, it's the good ol' Fender P that puts a smile on my face - tone, looks, and feel. There's lots of options for everyone.
 
#13
Become a total geek like me :) Grab 40-50 back issues of magazines like Bass Player and research every bass tone you have really loved and put some serious thought into what yu need. Make a list of players that you admire, who play genres similar to you. Check out their bass rigs and make sure that you have the right rig for the tone you want. Then shortlist the basses that sound perfect to you.

You'll end up with 3-5 basses in a shortlist. Go check the prices. Spend as much as you can afford if it means you don't have to go buy another bass 12 months later.

I can't stand before you as a guy who has found the "perfect" bass and won't ever buy another one. But I can tell you I've burned through dozens of basses and made enough mistakes to know how to narrow down the search.
 
#14
$700 will buy a helluva lotta bass provided you know what you're looking for. Hate to be a wet blanket, but I've owned basses that were certainly not dreadful but performed no better than my $800 Peavey Cirri. Helpful hint: set your budget first and be realistic in your expectations. As you already know, TalkBass is a great resource.

Riis
 
#15
my oppinion would have to be

$1100+ is a great instrument. professional quality all around. (american fenders, musicman, carvin, whatever)

for $600-$800 you can get really good instruments that might not be on your favorite players albums, but will definately serve you well.

then theres "top of the line" that can run from $2000-$4000+ (old fender, sadowsky, fodera, ext ext..)

this is just my oppinion. some people could argue that a $700 american P-bass is all the bass youll ever need.
 
#16
EricF said:
Personally, there isn't one bass on his site that visually appeals to me. Time and time again, it's the good ol' Fender P that puts a smile on my face - tone, looks, and feel. There's lots of options for everyone.
Click to expand...

I agree with you about the basses on his website! He hasn't updated it in many, many years and the quality of his instruments has risen exponentially! P basses just don't have enough clarity for me, and I've never played a Fender that was more than moderately playable. To each his own.
 
#17
There's a lot of things to consider when evaluating a bass.
For me, the amp is half the instrument.
Let's say you want the "$2,000" sound. If you play through a $50 amp, it may take a $1950 bass to make it happen.
Okay, that wasn't a very good analogy, but you get the idea. I very much enjoy playing every one of my basses through my amp, but sometimes I play through other amps and I feel that my tone leaves a lot to be desired.
Also, playing a bass is kind of a relationship. Somtimes it's not so much what the bass can give you, but what you can give the bass. What I mean is that you need to spend enough time with an instrument to get to know it and how it likes to be played. Maybe your bass requires a certain special touch and once you find it the tone you get blows you away! I think that's a lot more fun than just having a bass that does it all for you, because in that case anyone can pick your bass up and sound the same. I'd rather have sort of a love triangle with me, my bass, and my amp, in which you can't replace either one of us and have the sound remain exactly unchanged.
Okay, but seriously... :D
 
#19
manutabora said:
I think that's a lot more fun than just having a bass that does it all for you, because in that case anyone can pick your bass up and sound the same.
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A high-quality bass generally does not have a certain sound- it allows the true sound of your hands to come through, just like high-end speakers/amps/cables/pedals whatever. The goal of all that high-end stuff is generally to create as clean a tone as possible. Just ask Anthony Jackson. :)

That's not to say that basses don't sound a certain way, but I'm quite confident that if I pick up Victor Wooten's Fodera I wouldn't sound like Victor.
 
#20
cmewhinney said:
I agree with you about the basses on his website! He hasn't updated it in many, many years and the quality of his instruments has risen exponentially!
Click to expand...

Check it out
 

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