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Is a high priced bass necessary?

#302
All kidding aside, most of the dudes and dudettes that I know and have played with all have cheap to mid range gear, including the Basses. I strive to be different, and better. The expensive Basses are built better, and Hell yes, I want to impress!
 
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#303
jmattbassplaya said:
I just bought a *gasp* guitar. I thought about an Epiphone or Squier, but I went ahead and got an AmStd Strat. I know it'll more than pay for itself. It'll be a great instrument to continue to my guitar playing growth on, and it'll save me from spending money on a cheaper substitute that id eventually upgrade from.
Click to expand...
There ya go. Amen Bro!
 
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#305
I'm fortunate. I enjoy my Alembic basses. I also own a number of other basses. One of my Alembics goes with me to every gig, every time, anywhere. However, and this is the funny part, one of the best basses I own is one I bought in a Bangkok department store for about $100. It's small, light, plays wonderfully and sounds awesome. Do you need a high-priced bass? No. If you can, and it makes you happy, go for it. But in any given circumstance, rock what you brought. No one in the the crowd you're playing for cares how much you spent.
 
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#309
It's certainly not necessary. Very far from it. But what I will say is that when I bought my Pentabuzz it was like going from 2D to 3D. My nice American Fender, Stingray, Rick...they are utterly and completely outclassed. Do I still love them? Of course. Do they still have a useful place in the stable? Definitely. But when that Pedulla arrived on the scene it was like Pavarotti showing up at a high school choir concert.

Bottom line: There's nothing wrong with less expensive instruments, but if you want to feel like you're piloting a War of the Worlds tripod when you play bass, you're going to have to pay for it.
 
#313
Bklyn_Bass said:
Before I say anything, I played guitar for 12 years and know the difference between a $200 instrument and a $2000 instrument but I've only been playing bass for 2-3 yrs and am still learning about the instrument. When it comes to guitars, I personally believe that the cheapest guitar can sound good in the hands of a good player but I've been told that the bass is different in that respect. I currently have an Ibanez SR305DX that I bought from a friend for almost nothing and I know that it's a "beginners" bass. My band records and mixes everything in-house and will eventually be playing shows. I can't really afford anything too crazy so my question is, can a moderately/mid-priced 5-string bass be adequate for recording and performing live? To me a high priced bass is $800+. I was looking to get something with a 35" scale and spend around $500-$600. A lot of reviews for basses in that range say things like "Good for practice" etc. Just want some opinions from more experienced players than I. Thanks.
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Hopefully, this sounds 'expensive' when I get through with it...

IMAG1227.jpg


"Arriving safely at 'Point B' is more important than donning matching socks."

Confunkalicious has spoken...
 
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#316
Arriving safely is dependent on other factors, weather, competent pilot/driver/engineer, while donning matching socks is very very simple.
Fill your drawer with identical socks from the same manufacturer same color. Then you can...wait for it...get dressed in the dark.
Expensive is not getting hired or promoted because your non matching socks infer that you don't care about the little things. Authoritarian or not it's a proven detail that affects your financial picture. :)
Only some genres of music will support that fashion antic. :)
So you want disposable income for that bass upgrade?
 
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#318
chadds said:
Arriving safely is dependent on other factors, weather, competent pilot/driver/engineer, while donning matching socks is very very simple.
Fill your drawer with identical socks from the same manufacturer same color. Then you can...wait for it...get dressed in the dark.
Expensive is not getting hired or promoted because your non matching socks infer that you don't care about the little things. Authoritarian or not it's a proven detail that affects your financial picture. :)
Only some genres of music will support that fashion antic. :)
So you want disposable income for that bass upgrade?
Click to expand...

Only if I can wear matching socks...
 

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