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justification for spending 1K+ on a bass

#41
StuartV said:
I guess the moral of the story is: If you really want to be a player, focus more on your playing and less on your gear. Or, if you prefer, you can be a garage queen like most of my former bandmates.
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Not sure why its an either/or situation. Many pros play $1000+ basses. Can't you focus on your playing and on your gear as well?

If you amortise the cost of a bass over the time you spend using it, and factor in resale value, you'll find that even expensive basses are cheaper than, for example, food. Or housing. Or a car. Especially if you buy used. If the resale value doesn't plunge, you could get a $1000 bass to use for 30 years, sell it at the end of that 30 years at $1000, and only pay the inflation rate (roughly 3% per annum, or 30 bucks a year). That's ridiculously cheap.
 
#42
ehque said:
Not sure why its an either/or situation. Many pros play $1000+ basses. Can't you focus on your playing and on your gear as well?
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First, how many pros played $1000+ basses when they were still learning to play?

Second, I'm not saying you can't focus on both. I'm just saying that, in my admittedly pretty limited experience, what I personally have seen is that most guys who are in the relatively beginning stages of their musical career and who focus a lot on equipment (e.g. worrying about getting a $1000+ bass versus a solid player for well under $1000) don't tend to go nearly as far as the guys who get something that works and then focus on their actual playing.

I've noticed a popular saying on here: tone is in your fingers. If you subscribe to that, then what is the point in somebody who's a relative beginner (compared to the hypothetical "pro" you mentioned) getting a $1000+ bass? They're not going to get "the tone" out of it anyway. And by the time they advance enough to be able to really get the tone they want, their tastes in guitars will probably have changed, and they will certainly know what guitar they really want to buy and not need to ask a bunch of strangers on the Internet.

Anyway, I don't really mean to suggest anything one way or the other on the OP's question - OTHER than to say that he should really look at finding whatever he wants in clean, used condition. That way, if he develops new, different tastes in what he wants down the road, he can sell it and buy something else without taking it in the shorts.
 
#44
Gord_oh said:
Apologizes if this has been discussed here before.
I'm currently looking into a MIA Fender Standard Precision V in Oly White as my next purchase. This would be the most I've spent on a bass, or anything really besides my car! With a price tag of $1299 new and around $1000-1250 used, this is a huge investment. I really want the bass, but Im starting to think once I eventually do save up the money for one, will I be willing to finally dish out the dough? (FWIW, I want to pay cash for it. no credit)
The most I've spent on a bass was for a Warmoth build, roughly $700-800 over a 9 month time span. All of my other gear was under $250. It is just a huge amount of money, and when I dont need much else, I almost feel like it could be spent better. Right now I am on the fence. I know I'll get people saying things like "If youre not comfortable with a purchase, dont do it" or "Its worth the buck IMO. Play the hell out of it and get your monies worth"

Im prepared for what TB has to say, just curious if anyone has experinced pre buyers remorse.

FenderAmericanStandardPBassV5StringOlympicWhiteRosewoodFretboard.jpg

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...15754&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=142413163
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Okay, there's no need to justify spending a grand on a bass that you're going to use for the long haul. I have a hard time spending *less* than that on one, though I'm clearly in a different place in life than you are. I'm not a pro, either. I'm more 'semi-pro,' I guess.

I also only buy with cash. I save up gigging money until I can afford the axe I want. I bought a new American Standard Precision V a couple of months ago, and the suggestion that goign the Warmoth route again will get you a better-made bass is pure prunes. Though I wouldn't say to just buy a Fender sight unseen, the Am. Stds. are, across the board, the best-made Fenders I've ever seen.

A thousand bucks is a lot to pay for a pair of shoes, but for a bass, it's kind of mid-range. In my opinion, a grand is the sweet spot in terms of the price/performance ratio.

Now someone will say that you can't get true quality for under Sadowsky money, and someone else will call shenanigans on both of us, saying his Magical SX smokes anythign he's ever played. So I'll repeat: *In my opinion* the above statement is true.

Mine's the Candy Cola and maple, simply because it was the only Am. Std. colour combo I can stand. They can be readily had second-hand, which is an excellent way to go on something like this.
 
#46
Gord_oh said:
if i could get a decent used one, ill go for it.

so you own one?
how do you like it?
i hear nothing bgut good things about it...
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I like it a lot. When I fist bought it, I left the store thinking 'Aw man, what did I do?' because I've been a Fender hater for 20 years. But the fit and finish are excellent for a production bass (as opposed to a custom job), and the sound is all Fender P. If you want a P Bass, there's no reason to go anywhere else, though a couple of years ago I'd have told you to buy a Lakland Skyline.
 
#47
Florox said:
If I were you, I'd go the warmoth route again, which is much more superior in terms of construction than Fender, and then google decal joe, buy fender decal from them, buy the California plate at ebay and lo and behold, you have a MIA Fender bass.

It is made in America. It's well built. It says fender on the headstock and one the neck plate. How can it not be a MIA Fender? :)
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Because Fender did not make it! Doesn't mean you won't have a nice sounding and playing instrument, but it ain't got the papers and pedigree. It's a replica plain and simple. To represent it as a genuine Fender product down the road, if said instrument was ever being put on the market for sale, would be an act of fraud. That's another issue entirely.
 
#48
ive slapped on a fender decal on a warmoth build...guilty as charged.
im never selling it, nor claim it to completely be a fender, i have the warmoth decal on it as well.

but as far as a quaility instrument goes, ill think ill go for it. i priced out what it would cost to build it and i could spend roughly the same amount. in which case (and price point) if i buy one at least i know i have a solid bass.
 
#49
Personally, I think you could put that money towards something used and get a higher quality instrument. I bought my MIA Fender Jazz for 600 bucks on craigslist and it was a year old. Now deals like that aren't common, but I personally wouldn't buy a new Fender Jazz with a resell market that is just flooded with them. As far as throwing down a large amount of money on a bass, I recently did just that and it took me MONTHS to decide. The toughest part was justifying the purchase as while I'm actively playing and have been for many years, I'm not a professional. Nevertheless, playing bass is something I love and will always love and I'm at a point in my life where I can afford to throw down some cash. To answer your question, I just spent a sickening amount of money on a brand new custom Zon Sonus, but I don't regret it at all because I got exactly what I wanted in an instrument and I plan to keep it for years to come.
 
#51
i never pay sticker price for gear.

if i'm buying new, i'm happy when i get a piece of gear (bass, guitar, amp, whatever) below the sticker price: 20% codes, scratch n' dents, or just getting somewhere to come down on the price.
 
#53
jk3 said:
i never pay sticker price for gear.

if i'm buying new, i'm happy when i get a piece of gear (bass, guitar, amp, whatever) below the sticker price: 20% codes, scratch n' dents, or just getting somewhere to come down on the price.
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Good way to go. 10-20% off is huge when you're talking about this kind of money. I saved a bill on my GK amp/cab with a 10% off sale. :)
 
#54
FWIW:
I bought a cheap Ibanez soundgear bass to learn on. After about a year I impulsively bought a new MM Sterling HH. I haven't regretted it a single day. I had it set up professionally and it plays like a dream. It made me want to actually pick it up and play every single day and sometimes I hear angels sing when I open the case. I agree with someone who said previously...you definitely get what you pay for.
 
#55
oh man im gonna get beat up for this comment.

seriously IMO fenders, gibsons and rics are WAY over priced, not to mention they can and sometimes do have flaws. a lot of these companies are now relying on there name sake and allowing quality to go downhill.

play the bass you want a lot, then play others, if you feel a MIA fender is worth the dough then go for it, but dont rule out other companies in the process.
 
#56
Alucard817 said:
oh man im gonna get beat up for this comment.

seriously IMO fenders, gibsons and rics are WAY over priced, not to mention they can and sometimes do have flaws. a lot of these companies are now relying on there name sake and allowing quality to go downhill.

play the bass you want a lot, then play others, if you feel a MIA fender is worth the dough then go for it, but dont rule out other companies in the process.
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I for one agree with you 1000%
 

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