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I think I stop believing in expensive basses!

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#61
FunkyMan said:
I think it boils down to quality control/construction.

The maple you can find in a squier, can be the same quality as you find in a ken smith, if you put a Fodera pickup and pre on another bass with the same woods, it will sound the same.

i know boutique means that you pay more for a better fretboard finish, neck joint, hardware, aesthetic etc etc but..

I've tried many boutique basses with single coil configuration, and the end result is almost the same: a Marcus miller/pastorious, fender jazz bass tone, in some cases a good pre can give you more power and tonal options.

You can see very repetitive between luthiers from around the world, all converging on the same, Hipshot tuners, obp3 aguilar pre, Bartolini pickups, (hey i'm not saying this is bad) different basses using the same parts will sound the same at the end!
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Concerning basses, and basses alone (not the amps, the player or whatever else have you) I disagree. I've played plenty of Squiers, plenty of Fender and a lot of production basses in general. Some were great, some not so much but I think that to assume that you get the same quality components in a Flea Bass or Squier that you get on a Nordy or Fodera is just silly. The cheaper one my sound better to you (a matter of preference), I know that's happened to me before, but I can say with near certainty that the overall quality of the instrument would not nearly be on the same level.

I understand that even after a certain point in quality (price?) the point become moot but that doesn't mean that the components that went into the bass are any less significant.

Beyond that, yes, many bass makers use similar parts but they all sound very different. Brubakers use the same electronics setup as Elricks and sound TOTALLY different and the same goes for a lot of other companies too. Until ou've actually done an electronics swap like you say, I don't think you can say whether or not it will sound the same. It may or may not, but I don't think you could confirm that without trying it.
 
#64
echoSE7EN said:
You may still have your first bass, but your sig block also shows you have a CB bass. I assume the Bordwell wasn't your first bass, so, like I've been saying, there's nothing wrong with wanting nicer things in life when you're at an appropriate level.

My first bass was a Cort. I simply outgrew it. Then I had a Stringray. Again, I grew tired of it and wanted to try and experience new things.
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My first bass was a used Peavey Cirrus and I'll admit there's a certain amount of luck that it met my needs perfectly before I even knew what my needs were. That being said, the ridiculously low action made finding other similar feels difficult without going custom.
 
#69
JoZac21 said:
I think your response kind of proves my point... I don't have to worry as much about tweaking and maintenance w. my Sadowsky... why? Because it's reliable. The fact that you have to go tweaking and messing around with cheaper basses is proof that they're not as reliable. Perhaps you can tweak them to the extent that they are reliable, but personally, I'd rather pay extra for a well made product, than buy a cheap one that I'd have to put a bunch of physical effort and energy into hopes of bringing up to the level I require. That's just me, though.
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FWIW, I haven't had to do a thing with my Tokai P-Bass in over five years - not so much as tweak the truss rod. I guess that means it's as good as a Sadowsky.;)

I don't think lack of tweaking = reliability. Reliability means (to me at least) that I can just grab and go, day in and day out without any concern that it's going to fail.

The fact that I bought a cheap bass (not the Tokai, a Copley five string fretless) and I'm putting in a bit of time and elbow grease to get it to that point says nothing about its reliability. It just says that you're willing to pay somebody else to the time and elbow grease and that I'm happy to do it myself. I consider it part of the journey. And I can afford to put in a few evenings to get it up to snuff more than I can afford to find someone to do it for me, either before (e.g. your Sadowsky) or after the purchase.

KO
 
#70
To me this Sandberg is as much a work of Art as it is an instrument:

DSC_0150.jpg


I realise allot of other people won't but that's what I like and I actually gleen allot of satisfaction just looking at it, i'm sure allot of other people feel the same way about their basses.

However I base my purchases on aesthetics first and then go from there, I won't pick up every bass in a shop, sometimes you can't get something you really want without paying more i'm afraid... such is life.

Also if you pick up a low $ bass in a shop there is much less chance of the same product ordered online arriving and playing the same way, however a Sadowsky or equivalent has a far greater chance of arriving and look/play sublimely.

Also one block of maple will sound different to a much higher grade properly treated block of maple and it'll look allot nicer too in an appropriate finish when crafted by a master!
 
#71
I believe if a Squier had EMG pickups, a Mike Pope pre and a player approved setup. And recorded with it, most wouldn't know that it was a Squier that they were listening to.


And no I am not bashing Fodera(I own a Fodera 5 string Imperial).
 
#73
Play whatever inspires you. If a fine art boutique bass inspires you to play & create music, play it. If you find inspiration in bringing out the potential of a Squier or SX, play it. Neither side owes any justification to the other. In fact, many of us find inspiration in both at one point or another in our musical journey. Just be aware that what inspires you doesn't necessarily inspire everyone and we'll all get along fine.
 
#74
kraigo said:
FWIW, I haven't had to do a thing with my Tokai P-Bass in over five years - not so much as tweak the truss rod. I guess that means it's as good as a Sadowsky.;)

I don't think lack of tweaking = reliability. Reliability means (to me at least) that I can just grab and go, day in and day out without any concern that it's going to fail.

The fact that I bought a cheap bass (not the Tokai, a Copley five string fretless) and I'm putting in a bit of time and elbow grease to get it to that point says nothing about its reliability. It just says that you're willing to pay somebody else to the time and elbow grease and that I'm happy to do it myself. I consider it part of the journey. And I can afford to put in a few evenings to get it up to snuff more than I can afford to find someone to do it for me, either before (e.g. your Sadowsky) or after the purchase.

KO
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For some people its a matter of getting into the bass doing the tweaks to get to know the bass on a personal level.... for others reliability out of the box is the issue....

Personally, I like both aspects... if I'm spending the $$ to get the expensive bass I expect it to be up to par/standards with little to no work, does that always happen? No, but with those you can get great customer service... Do I enjoy my cheapos that I've put the work in and I have a "connection" to through the work to get it to how I want it? You're darn tootin....

Yes wood is from a tree, yes there are USUALLY 82789018345789 trees just like that one, but they aren't that one, switching electronics in theory gives you the "same" tone, but not always in practice. Just because it has an OBP3 in it doesn't mean its going to sound the same...

Each person's preference is their own and should be respected as such IMHO. It almost seems like that is forgotten here a bunch. Preferences and styles change so therefore someone may have the "need" for the new expensive bass. Higher end basses tend to have a much more player friendly feel to them, where as the cheapos (while good) feel like they are a bit lacking.

Aesthetics do matter, no one wants to buy a bass whether its $25 or $25,000 that is splintered and busted to the netherworld (other than those wanting a super project). If you had the choice of a supermodel or the chick who just ate 17 hot wings in one bite with no shame in the mess, chances are I know which route you will take.



My $0.02
 
#75
FWIW, I have worlds of respect for all of the great luthiers and I don't think that my efforts on the Copley are going to get it into that league. Even though I've played bass for over 20 years and gig a lot more on bass than drums, I still think of myself as a drummer who plays bass. Roger Sadowsky has, in the past shown me great kindness, totally undeserved on my part.

So why the Copley and not a boutique bass? It doesn't help the great luthiers out there, but I'm not worthy of their instruments and I aspire to be more like them. I work on my own instruments as a hobby to hone my own skills. I may never build a bass up from scratch, but I derive some satisfaction out of taking a cheap bass and making it into something that is a joy to play. I tend to focus on buying a bass that is a good foundation but the execution leaves something to be desired. The Copley has a very nice bubinga body. The factory didn't do a good job of finishing the bass off, but they didn't do anything so wrong that I can't improve it by a large measure without spending a lot of money to do it.

Another reason that boutique basses don't appeal to me is that I tend toward passive basses and I prefer simple looks. To me, Fender vs. boutique is like blue jeans vs. dress pants. I'm a jeans guy. Sadowsky gets the look right, but I'm still a passive bass guy. Allevo Coppolo and Mike Lull are closer to my aesthetic, but I still prefer to buy a bass with a lot of potential and try to bring it up to that level.

None of which is to say that I can turn the Copley or the Tokai into a boutique instrument. I can turn them into something I'm happy to play and that's enough.

KO
 
#78
I don't make any money playing a $2000 bass in Church. But I enjoy doing it and I thank my deity that I don't have to do it for a living and for giving me a job that can sustain fancy basses for what is little more than a hobby.
 
#79
Gomeztool said:
I don't make any money playing a $2000 bass in Church. But I enjoy doing it and I thank my deity that I don't have to do it for a living and for giving me a job that can sustain fancy basses for what is little more than a hobby.
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Exactly! At this point I have gear that costs about 50x what I've ever made on gigs but I enjoy playing them enough that I feel like it was money well spent. It's a hobby and they cost money. I consider myself a musician but I'm not a professional.
 
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