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If i had $8499...

#565
thepontif said:
Why is $8500 such a distasteful price for a bass? There are so many instruments in the world that cost so much money. basses, violins, celli, trumpets, PIANOS....mine listed for $100k,
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Yeah, go over to the DB side and price a Prescott, for example. $8500 is an OK down payment on one....
 
#568
To each his or her own but I can't see spending that kind of money on an electric bass. That's a really cool bass but it just seems ridiculously overpriced and made for rich people with nothing better to do with their money and posers. I'm sure the quality, finish and feel are top notch but you could get two really nice playing basses customized to your exact desires from a local luthier for that kind of money.

Personally I'm happy just playing my upgraded Fender Squire for people. If I had $8500 to blow on gear though I'd spend about $1500 on a Carvin AC40 and spend the rest on band stuff. A Hammond keyboard, and then some pro audio, wireless stuff and some more recording equipment.
 
#570
Roaddog77 said:
To each his or her own but I can't see spending that kind of money on an electric bass. That's a really cool bass but it just seems ridiculously overpriced and made for rich people with nothing better to do with their money and posers. I'm sure the quality, finish and feel are top notch but you could get two really nice playing basses customized to your exact desires from a local luthier for that kind of money.

Personally I'm happy just playing my upgraded Fender Squire for people. If I had $8500 to blow on gear though I'd spend about $1500 on a Carvin AC40 and spend the rest on band stuff. A Hammond keyboard, and then some pro audio, wireless stuff and some more recording equipment.
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At least you are honest, and stated what I think most of these talkbassers' problem is with quality, higher priced instruments.

I disagree with you most certainly, but at least you admit your prejudice against expensive basses.....
 
#571
thepontif said:
Why is $8500 such a distasteful price for a bass? There are so many instruments in the world that cost so much money. basses, violins, celli, trumpets, PIANOS....mine listed for $100k,
Click to expand...

Roy Vogt said:
Yeah, go over to the DB side and price a Prescott, for example. $8500 is an OK down payment on one....
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There's a general impression that the diminishing returns set in later for a lot of those instruments. Just where it kicks in for electrics seems to be the rub. For a lot of guys with $10,000 axes, they'll claim a higher price than the dude with the $11 SX that'll blow our boutique basses away. For me, the benefits start to get, uh... Granular above about $2500-3000. I see basses above that as taking on a bit of a 'treat' aspect. Hell, one could probably say the same thing starting north of $1500, but TB hasn't come to a consensus on it yet.

As I've already said, I'd buy the bass in question if I had the money, but I sure couldn't make a case for it being $3499 better than my Sadowsky Standard. I like the intangibles that come with the butterfly headstock, but until I'm living a mortgage- or rent-free life *or* I sell a gold disc, it would be an extravagance.

thepontif said:
It LISTED for 100k. I paid $15k. Deal of the century! New old stock auction. 9 foot concert grand.
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Wow, nice! Makes me wish Fodera had auctions like that.
 
#573
Roy, you have been around for a while....there was a time period in the 70s when major players were no longer playing the basses they were famous for (Entwhistle comes to mind, so does rocco prestia and chuck rainey)

Why did so many of these players start switching to basses like Alembic and other boutiques?
 
#574
lucas vigor said:
Roy, you have been around for a while....there was a time period in the 70s when major players were no longer playing the basses they were famous for (Entwhistle comes to mind, so does rocco prestia and chuck rainey)

Why did so many of these players start switching to basses like Alembic and other boutiques?
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You have to realize that until Music Man, the basic choices were Fender Jazz, Precision, Rickenbacker, Guild and Gibson. Despite how they are lionized now, most players thought early 70s Fenders were pretty atrocious. Alembic was from another planet-there were NO active basses before that. Virtually every major bassist (JPJ, John McVie, Entwhistle, David Hood, etc.) got one. There are a lot more choices now, of course.
The funny thing about Chuck is I remember reading an interview with him in Guitar Player in 1976 where he said, "The Alembic I won't even buy-it's not a bass at all." Of course, several Ken Smith, Warrior, Spector and other brands later he's obviously a changed man.
 
#576
Roy Vogt said:
You have to realize that until Music Man, the basic choices were Fender Jazz, Precision, Rickenbacker, Guild and Gibson. Despite how they are lionized now, most players thought early 70s Fenders were pretty atrocious. Alembic was from another planet-there were NO active basses before that. Virtually every major bassist (JPJ, John McVie, Entwhistle, David Hood, etc.) got one. There are a lot more choices now, of course.
The funny thing about Chuck is I remember reading an interview with him in Guitar Player in 1976 where he said, "The Alembic I won't even buy-it's not a bass at all." Of course, several Ken Smith, Warrior, Spector and other brands later he's obviously a changed man.
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Reason I asked was that I started playing bass in the 70s, and it was like you say...not too many options...but, they had an alembic in a music store which I tried out one day...and WOW...is all I can say. Even then I could HEAR the improvement in tone from whatever else was around.
 
#577
nickbass79 said:
Interesting how many bassists that play lower end basses so easily bash, ridicule justification or, as we have seen here, show genuine prejudice towards others that play high-end basses. I never see any posts where the roles are reversed. Pretty sad.
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You've never seen a thread where one particular member (who has posted quite often in this thread) unleashes his full hatred for inexpensive basses and their owners?

In fact, that same poster has even posted about his feelings in this thread.
 
#579
lucas vigor said:
I disagree with you most certainly, but at least you admit your prejudice against expensive basses.....
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It's not so much prejudice against expensive basses or people who play them. I'd love a nice custom bass. I'm not trying to offend anyone. I'm not really trying to say anything particular about Fodera. I can appreciate a fine instrument but I can't see the value in that particular bass for that price with what I see. I'm sure it's a Rolls Royce of a bass when it comes to feel as the original poster mentioned but I doesn't appear that it's value is equal to the price. It just lacks so many features that I'd expect to see for the money. I know some people might not like fret board inlays or carved bodies and other features but I expect to see more than face dots and basic reliefs for that price. You get an arm and tummy relief from some of the cheapest basses coming out of China. I think you can get more value for your money compared to this particular bass.
 

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