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Man i'm glad

#62
I still have wants no needs at this point.
Once I straighten out a few things I'd like a custom bass but once again that is a want.

My only true need is a new Amp & Cab mine combo is starting to get a little long in the tooth it would make for a really good backup rig. Thus far Genzler Magellan 800 and NU-2x12 are the leading candidates.
 
#63
I bought a brandy new Nate Mendel only about 3 and a half years ago from Musicians Friend for $924.00 all in...that same bass is going for $1399 plus tax and whatever else they get you for...I love that bass...got lucky and got a great specimen...but man I would not feel so great about it for close to 1500 bucks!....insane increase!.
 
#65
I picked up a Squire P bass, MIM neck and high mass bridge for $ 200.00.
The body is super light almost to the point of causing neck dive, but this neck is one of the fattest and most glorious necks I have ever touched in my life! The bass plays wonderful and I did switch the pickups out with some Fender American Standards that I took off my number one. However the stock pickups were just fine. Here's a pic! Along with side view of fat neck.
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20230601_185630.jpg
 
#66
Prices are nuts and it’s on instruments I never thought would rise on. I get the occasional deal but dang. Guitar Center seemed behind in their used section until a few months ago. I was scoring there a lot and then I logged in a few weeks ago and I was annoyed by some of the crazy asking prices. Thank god I scored most my stuff before this instrument rising. I was able to get 2 stingrays for a 1000 each about a year ago. Both in amazing condition. After than it’s been meh. I’m happy though so I’m heading down a pedal buying hole until prices stabilize. Problem is I’m seeing that used market rise also now.
 
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#67
ampeg2 said:
Today's bass prices are crazy, glad I'm a hoarder of the bass. I started buying in 2000 and stopped in 2016. how about you?
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Bought a crappy Japanese bass in 1965 before Japan figured out how to make good basses. Bought a great bass in 1966. It was a 1965 Jazz Bass. Played through high school and some college with it and then toured for three years with it playing 5-nights a week, 50-weeks a year. Played weekends with it after that until 1976 when the house we were staying in was burglarized and they took all of my touring gear. The photo below is from late '71 or early '72 and that's my Standel amp peeking out from behind the guitarist.

DanAndAmp_600x801.jpg


Didn't buy my next bass until 1985 and that's the white-bound, maple-necked, Olympic White Jazz that you see in my avatar. It has the 70's era pickup spacing (4" center to center instead of the 3.6"). That's the last 4-string I bought and it's what I play still. It's a bit brighter sound than my '65 was and has more sustain. The best thing about it though is that the neck feels just like '65 did. I believe it's what is now called a "60's Slim C-shape neck with a 7.25" radius". Just felt like home the first time I played it so I bought it.
82 Jazz Both Sides_466x761.jpg


Then in 2009, I found myself playing in a group where I needed to de-tune my E-string about 5 or 6-times a night. I needed a 5-string but really didn't want to spend a lot for it. So on a friend's recommendation, I bought a Rogue LX405 Pro (when they were made in Korea instead of Indonesia or now China). Was amazed at the fit and finish of this $219 bass. It looks good and plays great. It sounds good but not as good as my Jazz, so it will never be my main bass.

RogueLX405ProFront+Back.jpg


And that's it. Somewhere down the road I may replace the Rogue 5-string with a Dingwall 5, but that would be quite a while.
 
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#70
hieronymous said:
I think my last bass purchase was in 2012 - my last new bass purchase was 2011.

I've been interested in getting a 5-string Dingwall, but now that I've raised the funds, realizing that I really don't need it, and should really get a synth instead.
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While I've bought and sold a few new basses throughout the early 2000's, I currently have only one bass I bought new out of 7, and it's over 20 years old.
 
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#71
VeryTallBassist said:
While I've bought and sold a few new basses throughout the early 2000's, I currently have only one bass I bought new out of 7, and it's over 20 years old.
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Nice! I like both - a nice used instrument can be amazing, and a brand new one can really become "yours"

My bass history in two parts - teenage years in Tokyo in the '80s with mostly Fender Japan stuff, followed by slim pickin's during and after college when I was playing out (though I did score a deal - an early '70s Telecaster Bass for $250!) Then a 7 year break, an inheritance, and about 20 instruments in 10 years from 2002-2012, only 2 of which were new! I got some deals - a '76 Rickenbacker 4001 for $850 and an '85 Alembic Spoiler/Exploiter for $1200 in 2002 - but I also paid lots for some stuff too - but very few regrets! Well, maybe some selling regrets...
 
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#73
Katoosie said:
Oof careful, that is a dangerous thing to say! The capitalists might wanna get you :roflmao:

Just try to live humbly. I still buy stuff but the real expensive things I try to get used. Used basses are great, wouldn't be able to own what I own within any reasonable timeframe without a used market.
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In more than 50 years of playing, I’ve only ever bought two brand new basses - a Stingray way back in ‘82 and an Ibanez SR655 a few years back. The Stingray was very well made but I couldn’t get to love and I sold it. The SR655 is not top shelf but pretty nice and definitely gig worthy. Great value for the price.
 
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#75
Lots of cats not buying and stock bring carried far longer than normal to me spells opportunities for deals.

Then there's the guys 'thinming the herd'. More opportunities.

IF you can eliminate GAS, and take your time, and . . .

You do your homework on prices to know what's a deal, and what's not, then . . .

The deals are out there. This has always been true in the past and still is today.

Get GAS'd up and all hot and bothered and get a bad case of the Gotta-Gotta's,
you're gonna pay more, maybe too much. This, too, has and always will be true.
 
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#78
micguy said:
My basses are all Warmoth builds, with a lot of stuff you can't get on off the rack basses (light roasted bodies and necks, graphite rods, etc). Even with all that, as I do my own finishing, it still costs a bit less than an off the rack MIA Fender - for a much nicer bass. It's about half of what an equivalent custom bass would cost you if you hired someone to build one. Yes, Warmoth's costs have gone up, but if you know what you want, and how to do some of the stuff yourself, it's a "relative" bargain for a very well made instrument.

A will also say that, although our prices have definitely gone up, if you want to know what an expensive musical instrument is, buy a nice cello. Or a bassoon. Or, like the woman who I used to play with at some gigs, a harp. Or a grand piano. Basses may not be as insanely cheap as they once were, but they still are cheap instruments. Yes, that includes that Fodera that none of us wants to pay for.
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Yes, our 6’ grand piano we had to wait a year for cost $35,000. By the time we got it the price had gone up a few thousand more if ordering new! My wife better be playing that often… it will take a lot of bass purchases to even come close.
 

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