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Man music stuff has gotten expensive
- Thread starter Swipter
- Start date
You don’t have to be rich , just look for the best price for any given instrument. I’ve never payed more than 20k for a bass.
We electric instrument players can work pretty cheaply compared to other musicians. We can get truly playable rigs (instrument, amp, accessories/pedals) for a lot less than a working cellist or bari sax player has to spend. You say that a 5-string bass, new or used, is $2K. Well, I have a middle of the pack clarinet that now goes for $2,500-$3,500, used. That’s more than I’ve spent in total on both my basses (bought new) and both my bass amps (bought used) and my two pedals (tuner new and SCR-DI used).
Until you can discern a difference in sound between a [boutique brand] and a [mid-priced brand] or a [non-boutique brand] don’t buy the expensive one. The important difference between them isn’t the price. Applying diligence and patience you can get used gear of the quality you want for substantially less but it’ll probably never be a flip of the coin between premium and pedestrian.
One last thought: your OP comes off as whining about what other people have that you can’t afford. Don’t do that.
Ugh, the usual "I am going to be sarcastic because I hate everyone who for some reason has more purchase capability than me/I am going to whine so someone gives out something to me" parasitic comment. Learn how to manage money, as few as it is. Plenty of very smart people here on their money management. I have read their experiences and strategies, and my respects to all of them, and all my lack of respect for that POS original poster's attitude.
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Not at all, I think he is making a valid point.
Most big brands started a cheaper asian line. Chinese made instruments used to be wacky. The quality of those has been rising steadily and so have their prices. As a result the US/EU counterparts had to be marketed different then before and are now considered "for pro' s". Warwick relabeled their regular German made basses " Custom Shop".
Enthousiast weekend warriors have been jumping on the used market and many think vintage=better, further driving prices up.
Reality is that a new Sire Jazz can easily match any seventies made Fender. People will protest this but it is true. The "vintage" craze is utter bs.
What I find staggering is the prices asked for effect pedals these days. Gone are the days where everyone used EHX and Boss pedals. It's all boutique now. You can spend over 200 bucks on a tuner pedal. Isn't that strange?
Honestly i agree with you. Let's say 10 to 15 years ago, any piece of gear i wanted to buy was always available either used or brand new, and both options were pretty cheap. These days i see tons of idiots on Reverb, thinking they could sell a beat up Sterling Music Man or Fender MIM Jazz for 900$ to 1000$, and would go lower on the price, cause it's in good condition ( it's not ). Also the price of amps like old Ampeg SVT CL, people still think they could sell them for like 1500$.
My worst experience was when a guy on Reverb was selling a Reissue Fender 62 P-bass for around 4000$, despite the fact that the pickup was cracked, hummed like hell, and the poor thing needed a complete setup. He thought it was an original from 62' and i tried to tell him it wasn't, but then he threatened he'd call the cops because i was trying to scam him for it.
My worst experience was when a guy on Reverb was selling a Reissue Fender 62 P-bass for around 4000$, despite the fact that the pickup was cracked, hummed like hell, and the poor thing needed a complete setup. He thought it was an original from 62' and i tried to tell him it wasn't, but then he threatened he'd call the cops because i was trying to scam him for it.
If I save my whole income for 4 months then I can afford a Squier CV. (I have Master Degree in Engineering)
Do you feel better now?
I was a pro touring musician in the late 70's through all the 80's. Yep, Fenders were spendy but were the standard back then. Then I found Ibanez in the early 80's. And Peavey. Back then, people were real snobby about Peaveys until they heard us play. We sounded just fine and my amp and bass really provided a nice foundation. Both brands have always offered quality economy lines.
Now, in the 21st century even economy equipment has gotten so good, so much better than when I was young. Everyone who works at it can have a quality economy bass and amp. As far as collections of high end basses, I've never done that even though I was a pro for a long time. My gear was always affordable. I once had a bass stolen from me when I was younger. It was a Gibson EB3 in a hardshell case. After that I always bought something that I could set up to my liking but would be replaceable. To the OP I say don't worry about what other boo-teek basses TB'ers are buying. Find gear appropriate for your stage in life and rock it.
Now, in the 21st century even economy equipment has gotten so good, so much better than when I was young. Everyone who works at it can have a quality economy bass and amp. As far as collections of high end basses, I've never done that even though I was a pro for a long time. My gear was always affordable. I once had a bass stolen from me when I was younger. It was a Gibson EB3 in a hardshell case. After that I always bought something that I could set up to my liking but would be replaceable. To the OP I say don't worry about what other boo-teek basses TB'ers are buying. Find gear appropriate for your stage in life and rock it.
"Now we can watch Jackie Gleason while we eat!"
“Hey. Hey I’ve seen this one. This is a classic.”
I think maybe the middle ground has been weakened by the developments.
Top shelf stuff has gotten more expensive. A few years back, only Ritter was able to build a bass with a five figure price tag (and that was because he used diamonds). Now that is more common. Fodera, Dingwall and many other custom builders can easily take the $10k hurdle when you max the specs on them.
But will you take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Check out Squier VM basses. They are less than 500 bucks new. What do you miss, except for the Fender decal on the headstock? Nothing. They are fine basses you can totally gig with.
Take it one further: Buy one of those beginners sets Thomann has on offer. Less than three hundred for a bass, amp, cable, strap and bag. And that stuff is also usable. You can get a decent setup out of the bass and the combo sounds not bad, can even go quite loud. This stuff is way better than the stuff I started out on, and it's less expensive (even if you don't account for inflation).
Look at PA tech. You can rig a system strong enough to gig on for the money we paid in the nineties to rent a PA for three days.
When you take a few musicians with no gear whatsoever and force them to get a complete gig outfit, including FOH, on a budget (only new, no 2nd hand) you'd be surprised how cheap it can be to put together something decent.
So in conclusion, I'd say:
It never has been easier to drop that kind of cash that's usually meant to buy a car into bass gear, while at the same time it never has been cheaper to get a complete outfit that's gig-worthy.
Top shelf stuff has gotten more expensive. A few years back, only Ritter was able to build a bass with a five figure price tag (and that was because he used diamonds). Now that is more common. Fodera, Dingwall and many other custom builders can easily take the $10k hurdle when you max the specs on them.
But will you take a look at the other end of the spectrum. Check out Squier VM basses. They are less than 500 bucks new. What do you miss, except for the Fender decal on the headstock? Nothing. They are fine basses you can totally gig with.
Take it one further: Buy one of those beginners sets Thomann has on offer. Less than three hundred for a bass, amp, cable, strap and bag. And that stuff is also usable. You can get a decent setup out of the bass and the combo sounds not bad, can even go quite loud. This stuff is way better than the stuff I started out on, and it's less expensive (even if you don't account for inflation).
Look at PA tech. You can rig a system strong enough to gig on for the money we paid in the nineties to rent a PA for three days.
When you take a few musicians with no gear whatsoever and force them to get a complete gig outfit, including FOH, on a budget (only new, no 2nd hand) you'd be surprised how cheap it can be to put together something decent.
So in conclusion, I'd say:
It never has been easier to drop that kind of cash that's usually meant to buy a car into bass gear, while at the same time it never has been cheaper to get a complete outfit that's gig-worthy.
Talkbass is a poor standard to compare your gear too, as many of us have a severe problem with gear hoarding. I feel that music gear has gotten overall more affordable for working level folks. My PA system has a digital board and enough juice to blow up a medium size venue and still fits in the back of my hatchback. It cost less than just the trailer we were using 10 years ago. I have a nice collection of gear, but it was acquired over several decades of active gigging and has paid for itself many times over. Ever price out a Harley or a bass boat? Know anyone who goes hunting, shooting and fishing? Money is a relative concept. I conceed, but the amount of money you need to spend to get entry level gigabble stuff is pretty reasonable by comparison, at least in the States.
I'm so "rich" because I knew at 14 that the only way I was going to college was on some sort of scholarship, so I made sure that I got athletic and academic money to offset the cost. I earned an engineering degree while playing at a Division 1 school and was working as a draftsman during the summer my last two years. Since high school (I'm now 26) I barely partied, drank or took vacation time, let alone actually went somewhere. I drive a modest car, eat at home and in bulk, and rarely spend my money on non-music related items. I also do enough session and gigging to offset the cost of my gear by at least half. All things considered, 4 basses, 3 guitars, an upright and a small studio set up seem sort of a fair trade off for the life I've designed and what I've forgone. Also, I'm a big subscriber to the "Buy It For Life" philosophy, so I save and buy instruments/gear that I won't outgrow and try to avoid the gear churn since figuring out what works best for me.
Everyone's success can be attributed to some combination of luck and skill. Some people get really lucky with moderate skill, some people barely get one break in life but are exceptionally skilled. While I'm not nearly a life guru or anything, I've noticed how even in my peer group people's circumstances vary so wildly that it's fairly difficult to make generalizations. You could have people entering the workforce with a parent's endowment, truly at $0, or with $100,000 in debt and that effect compounds over the course of a lifetime.
Everyone's success can be attributed to some combination of luck and skill. Some people get really lucky with moderate skill, some people barely get one break in life but are exceptionally skilled. While I'm not nearly a life guru or anything, I've noticed how even in my peer group people's circumstances vary so wildly that it's fairly difficult to make generalizations. You could have people entering the workforce with a parent's endowment, truly at $0, or with $100,000 in debt and that effect compounds over the course of a lifetime.
Everything is relative. A good double bass can cost anything from twice that upwards.
I bought an alembic back in 1991 when I was still living with my folks, it cost me about 3000 euros in todays money. Then I bought a fretless squier dirt cheap, it appeared to be 1983 japan vintage model. I traded alembic for a G&L, and it for a mayones. Then I sold the squier, and bought a Hughes&kettner stack. So now I have a decent gear, but I havent used practically any money during the 2000's
You can be far from rich and have an extensive and impressive bass/amp collection if that’s what you choose to prioritize financially.
- Sep 4, 2010
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- Disclosures
- Endorsing: Martin Keith Guitars
I am finally in a place in my life after 35 years of playing that i could afford to have 2 basses built to my own specs. (Still cheaper than your average brand name 'masterbuilt' custom shop)
At the same time, i've never owned a car less than 12 years old at the time of purchase.
It's choices baby.
At the same time, i've never owned a car less than 12 years old at the time of purchase.
It's choices baby.
