• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Kids with expensive basses...

#101
obimark said:
Diminshing returns+ Kool Aid drinking= Boutique basses...

I have played most all of them, and can say, they just USUALLY are not worth the massive upcharge.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the invaluable advice.... I will go sell my MTD, Spector and Modulus basses and also cancel my Fodera order. :rollno:


obimark said:
Now expensive Bass tube heads like the Reeves 225, That I can see the value and should my finances improve will not hesitate to drop $2K on one.
Click to expand...

So a Reeves IS 50-100% better than an Ampeg SVT, new Fender Bassman or other high end tube head in your opinion?

I have owned Multiple Reeves built Hiwatts (still have a '70s Custom 100) for over 25 years and have played 3-4 Reeves amps.... I would agree they are as good or 15% better (tops) than other amps but not the be all and end all.
 
#102
bass12 said:
Interesting how the classical and pop worlds seem to diverge on the point of good instruments at a young age/beginner level. I don't know why anyone thinks there's any inherent virtue in starting off with a bad instrument. :/
Click to expand...

Wow!!! Well said!!

"Paying your dues" maybe.

I usually counsel young folks to buy used pro gear. When they lose interest they can recoup all or most of their investment.

At least the students aren't struggling with the instrument. That alone can lead to frustration and quitting.
 
#103
Don't fall into the life is not fair victim mentality. I started off at 16 with my first three basses being what could be considered "better" than what I have now, having presumably earned by effort the "entitlement" to a better bass. The ones I had when I was young were circumstantial, not earned. The ones I have now I am able to play better and sound just as good. At all points, I've just been grateful. My amplifiers over the years took the opposite course, form bad to very much better.
 
#104
chadds said:
Wow!!! Well said!!

"Paying your dues" maybe.

I usually counsel young folks to buy used pro gear. When they lose interest they can recoup all or most of their investment.

At least the students aren't struggling with the instrument. That alone can lead to frustration and quitting.
Click to expand...

That makes a lot of sense. There are plenty of other ways a musician will be paying his or her dues regardless of the level of instrument. ;)
 
#105
i started off with a white Aria, it was horrendous, then moved onto a Tanglewood Precision replica which was far from decent, the action was about 9mm (bizarrely, i was recently rekindle with it at a house party i went to. The house owner bought it at a second hand shop... it was still as awful). I then bought a very cheap Vintage i got from a 2nd hand shop that had more dings and chips out of it than you could imagine, i patched it up with automobile filler and used car touch up paint that matched the colour of the bass. This was actually a playable bass and i kept hold of it for a good 5 years. I then pushed the boat out and moved onto an Ibanez SRX350. This was the first time i had payed a three figure number for a bass, i think it was £250, and i loved it, infact, i still have it and use it as my practise bass (it sounds best with flatwounds on)

That's my bass portfolio between the ages of 14-27. I didn't really care too much about what instrument i used back then. i was more interested in learning how to play it properly!!

There's no point having a Ferrari if you've still got the L plates on is there?!!!
 
#107
3234718 said:
I think if you can avoid caring about what other people have, you'll be better off. Just keep practicing. It's better to be better than him than to have a better bass.
Click to expand...

That about sums it up. I bought my first three basses and rigs off of the same guy who never got any better but kept buying new gear. I saved a ton of money! Be lurking around every corner. When he gives up, you'll get a DEAL on his bass. :hiding:
 
#111
Envy is a very ugly disposition to maintain....and it is the definition of pathetic when aimed at children. Get a life and stop worrying about what other's have. This mentality has infiltrated our entire society and it is sickening.

* Before the PC Police report me...I must state that my above remarks were aimed at no one in particular in this thread and in no way support one ideology or another..... * :D
 
#112
armybass said:
Envy is a very ugly disposition to maintain....and it is the definition of pathetic when aimed at children. Get a life and stop worrying about what other's have. This mentality has infiltrated our entire society and it is sickening.

* Before the PC Police report me...I must state that my above remarks were aimed at no one in particular in this thread and in no way support one ideology or another..... * :D
Click to expand...

I agree with you. Envy and jealousy are the worst personal faults there are, IMO. Nothing is worse than having bad feelings about others blessings.
 
#113
I started out with pretty crappy guitars and amps. My first guitar had such an abysmal fretjob. It would be easy to say "that can be fixed". The fingerboard beneath was so cracked and uneven that you'd be really compensating to get it decent.

It was only AFTER graduation and a job that I was able to get a solid enough rig. The funny thing is that my parents had money, but they weren't the type to buy us cars, gear, spring break somewhere tropica, etc. Sure, I wish I could have traded places with someone, but all that work has made me appreciate the fruits of nice gear that I've earned. Besides, how many people still play after high school and college? Of my grade school and high school classmates, I think there are just 2 of us out of 20 some who played back in the day.

Dr. Cheese said:
I agree with you. Envy and jealousy are the worst personal faults there are, IMO. Nothing is worse than having bad feelings about others blessings.
Click to expand...

Without a doubt. Then those folks start blaming everyone and everything under the sun for their problems without offering solutions.
 
#117
At your age it is tough to do, but if you can take this as an opportunity to mature, a lesson to learn. Congratulate the kid on having a cool bass and supportive parents.

And be content with what your hard work brings to you, whether it is working your tail off for cash to buy 'your' bass, and/or working your tail off learning to play the way you want to. In the end the 'things' we are given are far less important than what we DO with the opportunities we are blessed with.

Rich
 
#120
There will always be someone with better gear, there will always be someone better & faster than you, there will always be someone way sh***ier than you who gets into a better band than you and becomes more successful than you.

You can't control any of that, why worry about it.. Just focus on being the best you can be, got no one to answer to in this life but yourself.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back