Longevity of a cheap bass.

[bigdaddybass12]

I have read where people ask how long will a cheap or indo made bass last? Here is mine. Still rocking for 23 years. Hot summers, cold winters, I used to play it twice a week, later gig we could actually leave our gear on-site. I do admit in the past 10 years it has been used lightly. I have adjusted the neck twice in 23 years. It does need new strings and maybe a little turn on the truss rod.
Trick to long life for a cheap bass? Treat it like you paid $4000 for it.
this bass will still be rocking long after I am gone.

 

[Killing Floor]

That looks great!

 

[el murdoque]

So you played it for 13 years and then put it away and it has not seen much use in the last 10 years?
If you continue to not play it, it will absolutely outlast you!

 

[brianrost]

I have a Danelectro made Silvertone bass that’s over 60 years old. It was cheap when it was new…only $80.

 

[Old Blastard]

No issues with cheap basses. No issues with expensive, either. Just bass!

 

[ravelax]

I have a 50 year old cheap bass. Works as it should.

 

[C Stone]

Never gave it much thought they’re all just wood and wire after all. My 30 plus year old Peavey’s still sound incredible and they’ve taken a licken and they’ve kept on tickin. On the other hand if the basses you speak of were cheap junk “out of the box” when they were new with bad assemblies, less than desirable tones, unable to intonate properly and had unstable/unusable necks then they probably didn’t last long like my 60’s vintage MIJ bass, it was a dog when it was sold new and it is still a dog today.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

So you played it for 13 years and then put it away and it has not seen much use in the last 10 years?
If you continue to not play it, it will absolutely outlast you!

I still play it, my current gig is more of a 4 string gig,

 

[REV]

I have a friend who uses very cheap MIJ P bass from the seventies. He has changed the pickups to Fender 62 P bass pickups but other than that it's stock. He gig's consistently a couple of times a week and he has been using the same bass for at least 25 years.

 

[GTHintz]

I have read where people ask how long will a cheap or indo made bass last? Here is mine. Still rocking for 23 years. Hot summers, cold winters, I used to play it twice a week, later gig we could actually leave our gear on-site. I do admit in the past 10 years it has been used lightly. I have adjusted the neck twice in 23 years. It does need new strings and maybe a little turn on the truss rod.
Trick to long life for a cheap bass? Treat it like you paid $4000 for it.
this bass will still be rocking long after I am gone.
View attachment 5466463

That thing is an LTD. They are built very well so I'm not surprised at all it's held up. All that happens is the wood ages and everything becomes more stable over the years. The electronics and hardware as long as it hasn't been abused should hold up great. This is true of all guitars and basses. Just keeping them out of the sun and keeping them out of the water is all that's really needed. A case really helps. Lol

 

[pfschim]

ok!

 

[BoogieZK]

I've seen cheap basses getting old and well.
I've seen expensive poopie turn to crap real early.
And the opposite.

A friend of mine is playing an old Yamaha entry level bass which is great and it does not even take good care of it.
Another friend got a wallet destroyer bass and the neck warped, the string lock system did not worked.
Full neck rebuilt and change of the lock system.

I've encountered so many bow shaped neck basses in flea shops some expensive, some cheap.
Some were fixable, some not.
I've even had a Musicman 91' stingray with a bad body or neck, the E string was weak.

So it's all out there in the nature, sometimes it's just about luck.

 

[Geogio]

I don't know how much my "cheap" Cort P bass was, but I got it at 12 years old for 75 bucks, I call it a rescue because it was under a teenager's bed for most of those years... it's bullet proof and had survived some angst driven rockwannabe abuse. But I did have to shim the neck with a business card and gut the OEM electrics, and update the rollers, It's over 30 years old and it is my P-FSO. Original old school neckwidth too!

 

[Bodeeni]

41 year old loaded ESP PJ body I bought new for $50 from Brian Guitar in New Haven Ct over the phone. Spent the first 30 as a fretless, now it is my #1.

 

[CallMeAl]

I’ve had a bunch from the 90s and 00s. Mostly Asian Peavey and Squier. They play great! Biggest one I hear is “the frets will wear out,” but I’ve never needed a refret on my many cheapies.

 

[Fynn]

It's a piece of wood with a few metal pieces, and very few electronics. It's gonna last as long as you keep somewhat good care of it.

 

[Eilif]

My MIM P was my first bass. Almost 30 years old and still going strong though almost everything other than the wood and neck plate have been changed.

Also, I don't know if the Peavey T-40 counts as cheap, but mine is 45 years old and still works perfectly.

 

[Dincrest]

LTDs are nice. My main is a preowned LTD I got for less than $300 back in 2011 or so (and had a luthier I know give it a killer paint job and mod it to my liking). It's been through two bands with me, been up and down the east coast for all kinds of gigs (be they Xmas gigs or summer camping festivals), even been in photo shoots with models.

In recent years I've tried to retire it from active duty and keep it more as a display piece... but it doesn't want to retire. It's a player for sure and I plan to take it to the afterlife with me.

I've had a couple of other LTDs pass through my hands and they've been amazing basses. ESP/LTD is one of my favorite bass brands. Although my backup bass is a Schecter (and I love it), ESP/LTD is my jam.

 

[JRA]

I have read where people ask how long will a cheap or indo made bass last? Here is mine. Still rocking for 23 years.

Biggest one I hear is “the frets will wear out,” but I’ve never needed a refret on my many cheapies.

i don't have a 'fret worry', but when i went for the cheapies (as parts or to mod) i had some concerns about the "longevity" of the wood parts; would they snap/bend/twist/crumble? but they haven't, they don't, and i doubt they will. my oldest cheapie (modded) is almost 15 years old and it's still a contender for #1 status.

it's just a great time to be an EB player = so many great choices and options!

 

[newfuture]

50+ years and counting.

Last 18 or so in my hands. It's had a LOT of play in that time.

Had one dead pickup when I got it, but the survivor was meh so I may have replaced it anyway. Relocated the switch and jack. Some missing neck binding, some crazing, decent amount of finger wear, awesome player. Paid 99.99usd. guessing it was a cheap catalog or store brand.
MIJ "Orpheum" stencil.



My yammy bb300 ($60 from music go round) will probably outlast the reign of the cockroach.