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I'm not into expensive basses at all.
- Thread starter Rambazamba
- Start date
My favorites are moderately expensive, but if cheaper basses make you happy then I would say you are one lucky SOB and you should keep on doing you.
This thread at 11 pages tells us something about ourselves. But I’m not sure what.
Those ingredients describe 99.9% of the basses out there, not just import Warwicks. You must have quite the gag reflex.
Expensive is a relative term. A $300 bass is cheap for some budgets but not for others.
I am fortunate to own several nice basses and guitars—many valued at around $1,000 apiece but some of which I bought used for much less—and I enjoy them but none of them were strictly necessary.
Instruments are a lot like cars—a used Ford is perfectly serviceable, but it’s more fun to own a tricked-out Audi.
I’d be fine with one decent Squier bass, a mid-market Yamaha acoustic six-string, and a Squier strat—but I own snazzier instruments because they bring me pleasure. A smile comes to my face when I look at the rack on my wall and see an array of fine axes. It’s not really about musical, recording or performance needs for me, despite the fact that I engage in those activities.
Some people collect art.
I am fortunate to own several nice basses and guitars—many valued at around $1,000 apiece but some of which I bought used for much less—and I enjoy them but none of them were strictly necessary.
Instruments are a lot like cars—a used Ford is perfectly serviceable, but it’s more fun to own a tricked-out Audi.
I’d be fine with one decent Squier bass, a mid-market Yamaha acoustic six-string, and a Squier strat—but I own snazzier instruments because they bring me pleasure. A smile comes to my face when I look at the rack on my wall and see an array of fine axes. It’s not really about musical, recording or performance needs for me, despite the fact that I engage in those activities.
Some people collect art.
the quality of a cheaper/'lesser' (not cheapest) brands' upper tier appeals to me more than the quality of an 'upper' brands' lower tier.
Ibanez, Schecter, Ltd, all more valuable to me than Squier or Epi.
Ibanez, Schecter, Ltd, all more valuable to me than Squier or Epi.
It’s true that there are a ton of good-to-excellent basses on the market now for relatively little money. Honestly I wonder who buys these things and how the manufacturers/distributors/retailers manage to make a profit but clearly they do somehow or they wouldn’t be cranking them out like they do.
OP how many Squires do you have? You refer to them as plural. I just have one bass, a 63 AV P bass that I prefer over any Squier I have played. I would rather have one $2000 bass than 4 $500 basses. But that is just me.
Plenty of rich people eat Taco Bell. If it’s what you like it’s what you like.
I don’t appreciate dry aged beef. So I save my money and eat what I’m happy with.
It also depends on what you call inexpensive - for me, inexpensive = can be replaced with 1 or 2 gig money. As we play more and more corporate events, inexpensive tends to mean below the 1000$ (canadian) bar.
However, my favourite bass so far is my Squier Jaguar Short Scale. Very inexpensive but an absolute delight to play, light and comfy. And the cheapest bass I've ever bought. But the electronics are not stock and I did some cosmetic changes (I love to do those kind of things, but would be more hesitant to do so with an high price instrument). Still, the cheapness shows (finish his thick and dings leaves marks, and the tuners could be improved) so my next one will probably a bit higher quality - just not sure what I want to get next.
However, my favourite bass so far is my Squier Jaguar Short Scale. Very inexpensive but an absolute delight to play, light and comfy. And the cheapest bass I've ever bought. But the electronics are not stock and I did some cosmetic changes (I love to do those kind of things, but would be more hesitant to do so with an high price instrument). Still, the cheapness shows (finish his thick and dings leaves marks, and the tuners could be improved) so my next one will probably a bit higher quality - just not sure what I want to get next.
I VERY frugal when it comes to buying gear.
I want to get the the best quality used instrument I can find for wholesale or less prices.
I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the country that has allowed me to enjoy these type of purchases for the last
15+ years.
I've got all my basses, electric guitars, and acoustics all used at amazing prices.
I realize that you usually get what you pay for with a higher quality instrument and I seek out these types when I'm looking to buy.
For what I buy gear for in my neck of the woods, there's no need to look for low end Squier guitars or basses, when I can get the good stuff for as cheap or cheaper.
Here's a few examples of gear I've bought in the last 3 yrs.
$100 - '09 USA Fender Highway 1 Honey Blonde Tele
$190 - '92 USA Hamer Chapparal Bass
$204 - '94 USA Fender Jazz V Plus Bass
$212 - '87 USA Kramer Barreta
$270 - '03 USA Taylor 515 Jumbo Custom Acoustic/Electric
$325 - '90 USA Fender Strat Plus
$325 - '98 USA ESP Horizon
$400 - '78 USA Fender P-Bass
$400 - '07 USA Fender '57 American Vintage Reissue Strat
I got my other basses super cheap too:
$64.64 - '74 USA Fender Jazz Bass (picked up in '08)
$115 - '90 MIJ '57RI P-Bass (picked up in '13)
I want to get the the best quality used instrument I can find for wholesale or less prices.
I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the country that has allowed me to enjoy these type of purchases for the last
15+ years.
I've got all my basses, electric guitars, and acoustics all used at amazing prices.
I realize that you usually get what you pay for with a higher quality instrument and I seek out these types when I'm looking to buy.
For what I buy gear for in my neck of the woods, there's no need to look for low end Squier guitars or basses, when I can get the good stuff for as cheap or cheaper.
Here's a few examples of gear I've bought in the last 3 yrs.
$100 - '09 USA Fender Highway 1 Honey Blonde Tele
$190 - '92 USA Hamer Chapparal Bass
$204 - '94 USA Fender Jazz V Plus Bass
$212 - '87 USA Kramer Barreta
$270 - '03 USA Taylor 515 Jumbo Custom Acoustic/Electric
$325 - '90 USA Fender Strat Plus
$325 - '98 USA ESP Horizon
$400 - '78 USA Fender P-Bass
$400 - '07 USA Fender '57 American Vintage Reissue Strat
I got my other basses super cheap too:
$64.64 - '74 USA Fender Jazz Bass (picked up in '08)
$115 - '90 MIJ '57RI P-Bass (picked up in '13)
I've had more expensive basses than my current Epi EB-3. And some higher basses for their price weren't worth it at all. My EB-3 is a bass with playability, and QC that is better hands down than some of those higher priced basses. Every bass is going to vary, but it's funny how some of the more expensive basses appear to have been manufactured in a broom closet, with the light off.
I like really good sounding basses. I’ve owned and played everything from no name Asian knockoffs and oddballs up to an Alembic on the boutique end with all price points in between.
I shop with my hands and ears. I don’t care about brand names. And the only consideration a price tag has for me is whether or not I can afford it. A high price tag is no absolute guarantee of playability or tone quality. The odds they’ll be better the higher up you go is true enough. But you start to hit the point of rapidly diminishing returns once you clear the $2K mark from my own experience. And there’s lemons to be had at all price points.
I’m fortunate in that virtually everything (with one exception) I like the sound of and to play has landed below the $2K mark so far. And some of my favorites cost me less than a thousand. My absolute favorite PB only set me back $350.
We each like what we like - for good reasons, bad reasons, or no reason at all. And that remains true whether it’s a $350 Squier Matt Freeman PB, or the Wal that just so happens to be the last remaining item on my bass bucket list. No further explanation or justification than that is necessary.
I shop with my hands and ears. I don’t care about brand names. And the only consideration a price tag has for me is whether or not I can afford it. A high price tag is no absolute guarantee of playability or tone quality. The odds they’ll be better the higher up you go is true enough. But you start to hit the point of rapidly diminishing returns once you clear the $2K mark from my own experience. And there’s lemons to be had at all price points.
I’m fortunate in that virtually everything (with one exception) I like the sound of and to play has landed below the $2K mark so far. And some of my favorites cost me less than a thousand. My absolute favorite PB only set me back $350.
We each like what we like - for good reasons, bad reasons, or no reason at all. And that remains true whether it’s a $350 Squier Matt Freeman PB, or the Wal that just so happens to be the last remaining item on my bass bucket list. No further explanation or justification than that is necessary.
