I just bought a Modulus, and I must admit that I really think that the price refelects the quality. The tone is dynamite; however, I love my Fender Highway 1 P just the same. I don't think that paying a lot or very little really matters. German cars are well-made, but a nova will get you there just the same. Different strokes.
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I've never owned an instrument over $250
- Thread starter oniman7
- Start date
Many years ago I worked for a company that had brought in outside quality consultants to help improve the company's productivity and quality. They conducted seminars for all the employees, teaching them what quality was all about. One of the things they taught us was that the true definition of quality was that a product or service conformed to the requirements placed upon it. It had nothing to do with "goodness". With that in mind, what makes a quality bass?
- that it covers a certain area of the sonic spectrum
- that it is reasonably easy to play, in other words it is not unduly difficult to play
- that all of its component parts perform as expected for the particular task at hand
Under this definition, parameters such as price and features are irrelevant. A $99 SX that conforms to these requirements is a quality bass, whereas a $5K Wal bass that doesn't is NOT a quality instrument.
My main instrument is a Squier Affinity P-Bass that I've taken the time and expense to mod so that it conforms to the requirements placed upon it. How it looks or how much it cost is irrelevant. When I play it with my band it does the job to my and my bandmates' satisfaction. Therefore it is a quality instrument. This past weekend at my local GC I saw a Fender MIM P-Bass that was in serious need of a good setup - the strings were so high off the fretboard that just by looking you could tell that it was unplayable. So despite the price it was not a quality instrument (although it could be made to be one).
The moral of the story? That it doesn't matter what brand of bass you play or how much you paid for it. If it conforms to the requirements needed to do the job then it is a quality bass.
- that it covers a certain area of the sonic spectrum
- that it is reasonably easy to play, in other words it is not unduly difficult to play
- that all of its component parts perform as expected for the particular task at hand
Under this definition, parameters such as price and features are irrelevant. A $99 SX that conforms to these requirements is a quality bass, whereas a $5K Wal bass that doesn't is NOT a quality instrument.
My main instrument is a Squier Affinity P-Bass that I've taken the time and expense to mod so that it conforms to the requirements placed upon it. How it looks or how much it cost is irrelevant. When I play it with my band it does the job to my and my bandmates' satisfaction. Therefore it is a quality instrument. This past weekend at my local GC I saw a Fender MIM P-Bass that was in serious need of a good setup - the strings were so high off the fretboard that just by looking you could tell that it was unplayable. So despite the price it was not a quality instrument (although it could be made to be one).
The moral of the story? That it doesn't matter what brand of bass you play or how much you paid for it. If it conforms to the requirements needed to do the job then it is a quality bass.
i could bang a model or a fat chick. i'd get off either way.
but i'd rather bang the model, every time.
FINALLY someone gets it!!!
I walked into Sam Ash today with $700 for a new bass. Got a bargain on an LTD B206 for $350 because of a broken pot where the knob secures on it. I also have a Rockbass, $319 and my $89 SX. Believe me, I can afford a lot more expensive gear than what I have but will it make me a better player? Most expensive item I ever bought was a Fender HotRod DeVille used for $450. I don't rate my stuff by the price tag or a decal.
finally someone cheaper than I. You make me look like rap star. I tip my hat to you kind sir! I'm 42, did my first gig in 8th grade. Never spent more than $1000 on a bass or $600 on an amp or cab. still have some nice gear just not over the top. I say if you can really play you can make anything sound great.
I did not say Sadowsky's suck and I did not say my $90 bass blows yours away. I simply stated that at least one in thirty randomly selected players would say my bass was better in a blind test and if you let me do some modest upgrades that percentage would go up. Bass quality is totally subjective and different players like different things. Money spent does not necessarily mean the bass you buy will be better than a less expensive bass in the opinion of every player. Just because you have a damn fine Sadowsky doesn't mean I didn't get a damn fine AXL for much less. Would most people agree your Sadowsky is better? Without a doubt yes but that doesn't mean everyone would. Sooooo chill out and realize you are taking my attempt to point out the simple fact that people have differing opinions of the qualities that make one bass better than another as a direct personal attack against you and your precious Sadowsky.
I had a Warrior. Sold it and bought an Ibanez. Now I have the tone I want, and with a 30 minute home setup, it plays just as good as it's predecessor. The neck is also more stable, since I had to adjust the truss on the warrior every two weeks or so. I'm sure there are $3000 basses that I would like just as much as my Ibanez, but for under 900 bucks with a case, it doesn't get any better. Not to mention the $300 dollar schecter I got two months prior. Sounds great, and was set up perfectly in the store. The only thing that a higher price tag does to me is piss me off when I find the little deficiencies inherent on every bass.
Maybe I'm guilty of GAS, but after only 4 months of playing bass, I got so much into it (plus Lady Luck gave me some serious additional cash), I have a MIM Fender Jazz and a Yamaha RBX375. Both add to up to $1000 Canadian, and I'm a beginner.
I sometimes ask myself: why did I buy a damn FENDER as a beginner. Isn't that too much for a beginner? What if I don't keep it up? My answer: if I'm gonna start, I'm starting with a good bass that happens to be a Fender, and that happens to be gorgeous to look at, to play greatly, and that fits my hands. So why not? Personally, I think it does play better than a Squier. So price does matter (not as much as the bassist skills and passion, of course).
To each their own, I think. Maybe you love the cheap basses. It doesn't mean they're bad. I personally don't think I will spend on a $2000 Alembic any time soon, but I prefer to have something in the mid-range of $400 - 1000. Good of both worlds.
I sometimes ask myself: why did I buy a damn FENDER as a beginner. Isn't that too much for a beginner? What if I don't keep it up? My answer: if I'm gonna start, I'm starting with a good bass that happens to be a Fender, and that happens to be gorgeous to look at, to play greatly, and that fits my hands. So why not? Personally, I think it does play better than a Squier. So price does matter (not as much as the bassist skills and passion, of course).
To each their own, I think. Maybe you love the cheap basses. It doesn't mean they're bad. I personally don't think I will spend on a $2000 Alembic any time soon, but I prefer to have something in the mid-range of $400 - 1000. Good of both worlds.
i could bang a model or a fat chick. i'd get off either way.
but i'd rather bang the model, every time.
No doubt - I've played tons of paying gigs with Squier basses that I had less than $200 into, but now that I've obtained a few nice instruments, I can honestly say that they're much more enjoyable to play... Also, more expensive instruments will *tend* to sound better, play better, and hold up to hard use better...
I think it's great that some people are happy with their inexpensive instruments, but I also think that if they spent 20 years or so playing gigs for pay, their appreciation for instruments of a higher quality would increase...
In the end, if you like it - that's all that matters... It shouldn't matter to someone if another player is happy with his $200 bass, or if someone else is happy with their $5k custom...
- georgestrings
Defensive? Not defensive. Just saying I've got basses at BOTH ends of the spectrum and I see little evidence that bass quality is somehow always proportional to price paid.
And the question of components is an interesting one. Because that gets into some other long discussions we've had here. Such as does "tonewood" really make a difference in tone? Or does a Badass bridge really make your bass sound better? A lot of this to me is like the teenage thing of having loud mufflers seems to make your car go faster!
Now there is no question one can build a bass out of exotic enough materials that it can cost as much as you like. If nothing else just cover the outside with diamonds! Bingo. Million dollar bass! But will it sound better than some SX? I seriously doubt it. Will it look better? You bet!
No doubt instrument makers and retailers are behind some of these myths that never die, like if you buy a bass like Joe Blow plays, then you will immediately play like Joe. First off, you are NOT gonna have the bass Joe plays. HE picked it out himself and isn't selling it to you. The bass MAKER is trying to pass off a COPY of Joe's bass to you by implying it's just like the one he plays. It's doubtful that is true.
Another myth is that tone and "quality" can be judged from headstock shape! Not so. When I was looking for a Fender I hit every store in the region and I played a LOT really bad Fender dogs that cost a fortune. And I played a few truly great ones too. Point is the "headstock rule" turned out bogus. You judge a given bass by judging that bass! You play it. You listen to it. You decide. That's where it starts and that's where it ends. THEN you can look at the price and who made it. Those facts will be of interest but sure won't change the quality of the bass.
The "rule" as I see it, that more expensive and exotic parts are automatically "better" parts, has little proof. So is a bass of some hyper-expensive nearly extinct wood gonna give you "better" tone than plain old Alder? It might. But I'm betting it usually doesn't.
Loud exhaust on a car does make it faster. Less back pressure from the exhaust means more horsepower.
Wait, this is Talk Bass. Sorry.
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Wait, this is Talk Bass. Sorry.
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Indeed.
I think gear is overrated. If you have playing skills and good songs, that is most important.
I also think it helps to play bad basses (I don't mean cheap... I mean bad) to really appreciate a good bass.
30 years ago, price was more important in regards to instrument quality. A cheap instrument was more likely to be inferior. I think that is less true today.
It's not a policy intrinsic to Guitar Center, it's local law. I don't know if it's just a Florida thing. But all stores that buy used things (I'm pretty sure this applies to pawn shops too) have to hold on to them for 15 days before they're allowed to sell them. This is supposedly in case something's been stolen.
In this case, they can put it on display, but since it's not allowed to be sold, the best I can do is put it on layaway. I'm glad they were able to put it on display though. It's a bass I might not have considered had I not picked it up to play it.
Well, by the time I'm 42, I might end up spending more than $1000 on a bass. Being a jobless high school student and relying on my parents' gratitude adds a little pressure to the decision making process.
i could bang a model or a fat chick. i'd get off either way.
but i'd rather bang the model, every time.
yeah but that model is going to cost you a lot more money and frustration. At least the fat chick would probably go out of her way to make you happy.
wise words from my friends dad still ring in my ears today: "go ugly early, it will save you time and money"
saying all that I still haven't learned and still go for the hot chick that drive me up the wall
but hey we are here to talk about basses
SuperFineLin9 said:
it's an analogy, not relationship advice, i think you are going a bit too deep bro.
but hey, everyone has different tastes, that's just my feelings on the matter.
And unfortunately, the only way to know whether that is true is to buy the basses and have them setup properly.
But what if you don't like it after that? You'd better hope there's a good return policy.
As for me, I judge a bass when I play it. If the reason I don't like it is due to poor setup, then so be it. If I can find a bass I like in my price range, I get it, I don't worry about what I'm missing out on because there's just no way to know.
I hate that part of buying basses. I refuse to buy a bass online that I haven't played before, so I go into stores to try them out. Unfortunately, I picked up a $1200 Ibanez Prestige and the volume knobs were literally falling out of the body. The Soundgear had a High C that was literally an inch higher than the other strings and was fraying.
