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Im Just No Gettin The Boutique Thing
- Thread starter thirtyhz
- Start date
The fact that I snagged a used Dingwall ABZ for half of what a musicman goes for new is why i went boutique. Also, at this point in the game (10 yrs. playing) i have a fairly decent idea of what I want in a bass as far as specs. It's more conducive to get exactly what I want than to constantly wish my instruments had X Y or Z.
I don't think so but I'm open to change my mind. The pickup gets the string vibration only. All the parts of the bass which you hear vibrating are actually dampening the signal.
That's why strings, pickup placement and area of play are perceived as the strongest factors in bass tone.
They are beautiful basses indeed but I wouldn’t pay what they ask, I think owning a boutique Bass is just about throwing your status out there...kinda like the Mayans, the more Jade you adorned on your body the higher your status...
A boutique would be challenged to keep its overall form in some of the places I play; that, and budgetary realities, portend not owning one in the foreseeable future.
I would, however, take a Lull Thunderbird V to the Battle of Armageddon.
I would, however, take a Lull Thunderbird V to the Battle of Armageddon.
For many bassists weight isn't a primary factor. I own several boutique instruments and none were spec'd as lightweight. In fact the lighter weight ones I've played didn't sound anywhere as good.
Marcus has a Fodera. It sounds nothing like what you described. Neither do either of mine. ijs.
I think you may be mistaking how some use them as what they do.
CNC is about repeatability and consistency. I've played plenty of Sires and compared them to other basses. They definitely don't break any new ground nor could they hang with betterms basses. I've even heard this from Sire owners, especially when doing a direct comparisons. They're nice basses at a nice price but the giant killer aspect is overblown IME.
I almost bought a used Bass Mods 5 that I was really impressed with... until I brought in my 6 string jazz to compare with it.
Cough, Danelectro. (in the 50's no less, but there are MANY that claim weight brings tone)
Everybody talks with car analogies.
How about burgers?
They all have basically the same components right?
Mcd's $= Fender (mass manufactured commodity grade parts)
In n Out $$ = (custom shop)
Fine restaurant $$$ ( boutique, organic veg. Ground grass fed aged round, artismal cheese, fresh no preservatives baked bun)
They'll all fill you up, but the experience is entirely different.
How about Vodka?
Stoly vs Grey Goose.
Beer : Coors vs Gulden Draak
Wine, it's all fermented grapes. ( I like Berringer, "good" $$$$ wine tastes like crap to me.)
It's down to what appeals to you.
It's the finese of the execution.
The whole is often greater than the sum of it's parts.
The devil is in the details.
Oh and that is not a Roya: this is.
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well, in my experiences, all MTD usa mostly use same pickup & preamp (bartolini), but they all sound different, depends on wood combination.
also, my cort and squier doesn’t sound as I expected, though they’re upgraded with boutique parts that more expensive than the bass itself.
for me, boutique is more about playability,
soundwise, most people will not notice $200 vs $3000 bass sound
So you understand that the parts affect the sound but don't consider sound to be acoustic?
Yes, I've put it wrongly. Sorry for that.
I was just stating the trivial fact that pickups are not microphonic and ignore everything apart from metal string vibration and that all the components can only changes the nuances of the sound acting as a string damper or at least this is what I know for some basic guitar physics.
An acoustic instrument is totally different and I stand by saying that an electric bass is not an acoustic instrument.
As a matter of fact the paper strat mentioned above sounds a lot like an actual strat.
Different tonewoods "dampen" the signal differently across the frequency spectrum.
Do we have to go over this for the umpteenth time?
Yes I know that Marcus had purchased a Fodera lately, likely to record what Fodera, like Ken Smith, Tobias, MTD etc. have been designed to master, but, please, we all know that what made him what he is it’s another timbre, a trademark timbre that basses like those in the list in my opinion will never manage to establish, also because their price limit their diffusion to such an extent that it will take a significant time to have a sufficient number of tunes recorded with a distinctive tone, which could be associated to their use ... this of course doesn’t apply IMO to Alembic basses which were the first introduced on the market in the early seventies with the manufacturers working side-by-side with the great musicians of that period, in which rock and jazz were beginning to marry bringing to the creation of a bass with unique tonal options, sweet and rude at the same time but with life into it ... I’m under the impression that sophisticated ladies like Fodera do actually lack some blood ... take it or not ... this is my frank opinion
Yeah Marcus's tone is 100% "Iconic/Classic/recognized" stock passive Fender Jazz Bass right?Yes I know that Marcus had purchased a Fodera lately, likely to record what Fodera, like Ken Smith, Tobias, MTD etc. have been designed to master, but, please, we all know that what made him what he is it’s another timbre, a trademark timbre that basses like those in the list in my opinion will never manage to establish, also because their price limit their diffusion to such an extent that it will take a significant time to have a sufficient number of tunes recorded with a distinctive tone, which could be associated to their use ... this of course doesn’t apply IMO to Alembic basses which were the first introduced on the market in the early seventies with the manufacturers working side-by-side with the great musicians of that period, in which rock and jazz were beginning to marry bringing to the creation of a bass with unique tonal options, sweet and rude at the same time but with life into it ... I’m under the impression that sophisticated ladies like Fodera do actually lack some blood ... take it or not ... this is my frank opinion
The Fender factory provided the tone he was looking for Right?
