This is a very good point. $550 for a Stingray in 78' sounds awesome but then you think about grabbing a 2020 Stingray for $2,000 right now and then checking what it goes for in the year 2063.
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Man music stuff has gotten expensive
- Thread starter Swipter
- Start date
This has been my experience too. Entry level instruments once properly set up can be taken to a gig, this was not the case in earlier years where entry level quality was quite poor.
This is good new because it doesn’t cost as much to get in the game, do some gigs, make some money and update gear as you go. A Squier bass and Rumble amp and off you go, it’s never been easier for young players to get a great rig.
I'm not rich by any means. But when I think about how much I've spent throughout the years I almost can't believe it. Makes me wish I could go back in time and talk to my younger self when I started gigging back in the early 70's. For bass I would have said "listen to me. Find a great sounding Jazz bass, get an SVT, a good EQ pedal and trust me as this will cover ALL your bass playing needs for years to come." I realize there are so many more choices these days, but back then and for what I was doing that's all that would have been needed.
For guitar I really would have laid down the law with my younger self. Younger as when I was in my 40's and 50's!
For guitar I really would have laid down the law with my younger self. Younger as when I was in my 40's and 50's!
Absolutely!
My first bass was an unbranded P copy in a chipboard case, played through a generic Stage 1x15 solid state amp. Both the amp and guitar were pretty poorly made. I bought my '79 PBass in high school for $430.xx. Here's what it should cost today:
I sold most of my stuff and mixed live sound for several years, then had to stop playing completely for a decade due to carpal tunnel issues that took 5 years to boil over to a need for surgery and another 5+ to completely resolve.
When I came back to bass, I was blown away with the quality of lower priced instruments and gear. A MiM PBass Special is still my main gig instrument, and it plays better than the '79 ever has. My fiver is an Ibanez SR875 I bought new on Reverb for $700, and it plays and sounds great. There are plenty of inexpensive but plenty serviceable amps available today, and even a lot of the older used stuff is terrific.
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I paid $300 for my used Fender BXR 400 amp back in 1989. 400 watts, 75 lbs. Fast forward to 2017 where I paid $350 for my used GK MB500. 500 watts, 4 lbs. That extra 50 bucks was totally worth it
and won’t be heard....
I hear you about prices. The last pice of serious gear I posted was a used Warwick Corvette 5 string from GC for under $600. It needed a little work, but it’s a great voice. So I’m behind the curve on prices as well.
I still contend the best values are in buying gently used gear, but you need to be patient. From the time I knew I wanted to buy a Warwick to the time the one I bought showed up at the right price was about 3 years.
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One of the reasons I stopped playing music after thirty years is that I haven't really gotten much of a raise......100 dollars a night per man was big money in the 80s......that same money is close to chump change in 2020
The amount of quality used gear on GC used is incredible...way more choices in strings, plenty of info on how to setup basses and gear all over the net.
Sure lots of high end boutique basses but lots of great used stuff for under $500 even $300 or less if you hit pawns frequently....import parts all over for stupid cheap and the quality is great at the price point.
My issue is i play short scale mainly and far less choices but that is changing.
Sure lots of high end boutique basses but lots of great used stuff for under $500 even $300 or less if you hit pawns frequently....import parts all over for stupid cheap and the quality is great at the price point.
My issue is i play short scale mainly and far less choices but that is changing.
You're right, Musicman or really most US made instruments are expensive. I find the MM stingray is worth it, but sure can't fault anyone with a Sterling, squier, etc that loves it. I have a MIM PJ Fender too - lower quality than my stingray but sounds good.
Amp-wise, the d-class amps are getting really good. Aguilar, Mesa (now Gibson), darkglass, etc are worth it and you can find deals out there.
Amp-wise, the d-class amps are getting really good. Aguilar, Mesa (now Gibson), darkglass, etc are worth it and you can find deals out there.
In the late 90s, when I started playing, cheap gear was cheap in every way.
Nowadays there is very much cheap gear that can be nice and useful, if you pay attention to what you buy.
I could buy a full good equipment with the money that my first real good bass costed in 2000.
Nowadays there is very much cheap gear that can be nice and useful, if you pay attention to what you buy.
I could buy a full good equipment with the money that my first real good bass costed in 2000.
I own 20 basses and 3 amps plus various pedals.A few basses are home made and none of the others are what would be considered as expensive.I don't drive a fancy car or go on exotic vacations,and still rent ( sold the house after a divorce).I live comfortably retired with a decent pension that I wisely invested in while working 33 yrs.in a Waste Treatment Plant as a mechanic,and a part time musician.No one that knows me would call me rich.Maybe comfortable due to a life of hard work,but rich,no.As Steve Winwood sang in a Traffic song long ago,"we don't have much money but we have a lot of things".All that I've spent on "things" if saved and kept in the bank might buy a new economy car,or I could stare at my bigger ballence (I do keep a sufficient "rainy day fund).But the basses and such that surround me daily,have provided and continue to bring a million dollars of joy.
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Yeah, it's a bit wiggy to realize how much gear some people have, but more power to them.
I have three basses (one's a project to make a version of my dream bass, and the other two sound pretty different) and two amps (one's a cheap 60s Kalamazoo 30W tube amp).
I have three basses (one's a project to make a version of my dream bass, and the other two sound pretty different) and two amps (one's a cheap 60s Kalamazoo 30W tube amp).
Yeah, add in the cost of the walk-in freezer and you're talking real money.
