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Most overpriced basses: IMHO

What do you think is most overpriced?

  • Alembic

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • Bee Bass

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Carl Thompson

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • F-Bass

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • Fodera

    Votes: 8 44.4%

  • Ken Smith

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    18
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#21
Good post, Mark (edit: referring to #16)

Something—anything—is overpriced *if and only if* there is excess supply. If the seller is selling all he wants to wants to or is able to produce, then whatever he's charging is the right price. If he can't sell all his inventory at the price he's asking, he's overcharging. If he has a waiting list, as MTD, Fodera, etc do, he's undercharging... It's really that simple... Law of supply & demand and all that.
 
#22
Mark Latimour said:
No doubt this thread will be locked at some point, but you are making some false assumptions here:

1. The electronics in MTD are custom Bartolini active pickups and a custom active preamp. AFAIK you can't get them on any other bass other than an MTD. IIRC they are like two pbass pickups under the soapbar shells.

2. An MTD is not $7k. I think they generally are around the $3.5k - $4.5k area depending on the options.

3. Bolt on construction is not any easier to produce than neck through - its just a different design philosophy.

4. You're not factoring the cost of paying an expert in the field to produce the bass (select woods etc) (this applies to Fodera etc as well). I work in the legal industry. The cost of using me is very high (I couldn't afford to use me!), but people pay because of a level of expertise. I would rather have Mike Tobias build my bass than a laborer in China whose doing it because its a job, rather than for a love of making guitars. But that's just me.
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I agree...

I just dont get it with some of them though...

Maybe its more with the alembics than any other... I built an alembic today on their site and it was 14K! and really nothing special...

I would still LOVE to have a Tobias or an MTD, I would stil LOVE to have a Fodera...

Infact, a Fodera 4 string is my only choice for a high end 4 string.... along with a pre-gibson tobias 4 string...
 
#23
SLaPiNFuNK said:
YES! I forgot about warwick...

I dont know why people go nuts over them...

The necks are so THICK... I mean thats totally cool if its comfortable to some people...

but i dunno, never liked them...


OH!!!

THIS will get me really flamed...

MTD basses! I mean come on, bolt on, nothing special about the electronics, nothing special about the construction... cool looking woods.. but 7K? no thank you...

Give me back the old Signiture made in USA series... THATS a bass... If the MTD's were in the 2K range (what I think they are worth), I would go for one...
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:rollno:

IBTL............;)


I SHOCKED you or someone hasn't mentioned Sadowsky yet........
 
#24
Mark Latimour said:
Well then this thread is meaningless. You don't like MTD's (or Foderas or whatever) so of course they are going to be overpriced. Its like me saying that a Ibanez is "overpriced" because I wouldn't pay anything for it (as I don't like them). Its a pointless discussion. Something isn't overpriced just because you don't like it or don't agree with the design philsophy. Every bass costs more than the sum of the price of its parts. That's life.
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I totally agree! :)
 
#25
I agree w/ everything the OP has said so far except the MTD comment. Having owned a "banana'd" '76 Rickenbacker (neck bowed from behind bridge to tip of headstock).... I can appreciate the benefit of a NON-neckthru bass. I've owned and loved both kinds of basses and know the benefits of both build styles. I'm currently favoring bolt-ons.


But, I must say that I (so far) have only bought my higher $$ basses USED. I can't afford new US Laklands and Dingwalls.
 
#26
Mark Latimour said:
Well then this thread is meaningless. You don't like MTD's (or Foderas or whatever) so of course they are going to be overpriced. Its like me saying that a Ibanez is "overpriced" because I wouldn't pay anything for it (as I don't like them). Its a pointless discussion. Something isn't overpriced just because you don't like it or don't agree with the design philsophy. Every bass costs more than the sum of the price of its parts. That's life.
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I agree, and im not saying I dont like them... I do like some of them... but I personally IMHOFWIW do not see the huge price differences... and not so huge differences in some cases...

I like any bass that feels good... heck... give me a squire vintage modified jazz and Ill be a happy camper...
 
#27
SLaPiNFuNK said:
I agree...

I just dont get it with some of them though...

Maybe its more with the alembics than any other... I built an alembic today on their site and it was 14K! and really nothing special...

I would still LOVE to have a Tobias or an MTD, I would stil LOVE to have a Fodera...

Infact, a Fodera 4 string is my only choice for a high end 4 string.... along with a pre-gibson tobias 4 string...
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Man your all over the map!
 
#28
JEDI BASS said:
I agree w/ everything the OP has said so far except the MTD comment. Having owned a "banana'd" '76 Rickenbacker (neck bowed from behind bridge to tip of headstock).... I can appreciate the benefit of a NON-neckthru bass. I've owned and loved both kinds of basses and know the benefits of both build styles. I'm currently favoring bolt-ons.


But, I must say that I (so far) have only bought my higher $$ basses USED. I can't afford new US Laklands and Dingwalls.
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I have nightmares of my basses crumbling in my hands... I would galdly take an MTD, its not for the "Bolt on" reason that I do not LOVE them or think they are worth every penny...

I think they are worth a lot, but just not what I see them going for NEW...

USED - the market is a field day...
 
#29
peterpalmieri said:
Man your all over the map!
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hahaha... its not a matter of me not liking the instruments... they give me gas and want to fap fap fap all day long looking at pictures of basses on this site...

ME personally, I just dont see them being worth that much TO ME...

and its the same that some will feel that my smiths are not worth that much to them...
 
#30
SLaPiNFuNK said:
I agree, and im not saying I dont like them... I do like some of them... but I personally IMHOFWIW do not see the huge price differences... and not so huge differences in some cases...

I like any bass that feels good... heck... give me a squire vintage modified jazz and Ill be a happy camper...
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GIven there is a 1 year build period for an MTD, 6 months for a Sadowsky, 2-3 years for a Fodera, 1-2 years for an Alembic, I guess there are enough people who do see the difference to warrant those brands charging the prices they do. Think of yoruself as lucky, if you don't think they are worth it, you don't have to wait that long to get the bass that you love! :)
 
#31
You know, a lot of companies charge what seems like high dollar amounts to *discourage* business that they don't want. For a larger company like Fender's Custom Shop, Alembic, etc (as opposed to, say, Vinnie & Joey @ Fodera, or Michael Tobias), they may be setting their prices artificially high because they would rather spend their time doing more, less-expensive instruments—working in volume on less off-the-wall designs—than whatever you were able to put together that was quoted at $14k. I know for a fact that the Fender Custom Shop does this. If they are not particularly interested in doing a particular build, they will quote $10,000 to see if you're serious. Most of the time, people say "Nevermind," which is what they really wanted anyway: They would rather make slightly-modified Precisions and Jazzes because that's what they're good at and it's more profitable for them. If you want something off-the-wall, go to somebody like Chris Stambaugh who specializes in that sort of thing.

I do this with gigs & sessions, too. If somebody wants me for a session I don't really care to do, for example a genre I'm not interested in, I'll quote, say, triple my normal price. They usually aren't interested, which works out for both of us. And if they want me anyway, well, it would then be worth it to me to suck it up and do the gig anyway. The key to pricing stuff like that is not to say no; it's to figure out what you WOULD be willing to do it for, and charge that amount, instead. That gives them the option of backing out if they decide it's not worth it.
 
#34
Mark Latimour said:
GIven there is a 1 year build period for an MTD, 6 months for a Sadowsky, 2-3 years for a Fodera, 1-2 years for an Alembic, I guess there are enough people who do see the difference to warrant those brands charging the prices they do. Think of yoruself as lucky, if you don't think they are worth it, you don't have to wait that long to get the bass that you love! :)
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I had no idea there was a wait for sadowsky... geepers...


If its a bass I loved and HAD to have, I would pay the money for... and I have... and I have waited... and probably will wait again...

If I was still playing full time I probably would like to add a Fodera to the mix as well as an MTD... but for now I am happy...

If the rest of the bass player world is happy with what they have, then really great for them...

If you are not happy with what you have, I hope you will oneday be happy with what you have or something else...

The price tag really doesnt make the bass, its what you think about it... no matter how high or how low its priced...
 
#35
Dave Muscato said:
You know, a lot of companies charge what seems like high dollar amounts to *discourage* business that they don't want. For a larger company like Fender's Custom Shop, Alembic, etc (as opposed to, say, Vinnie & Joey @ Fodera, or Michael Tobias), they may be setting their prices artificially high because they would rather spend their time doing more, less-expensive instruments—working in volume on less off-the-wall designs—than whatever you were able to put together that was quote at $14k. I know for a fact that the Fender Custom Shop does this. If they are not particularly interested in doing a particular build, they will quote $10,000 to see if you're serious. Most of the time, people say "Nevermind," which is what they really wanted anyway: They would rather make slightly-modified Precisions and Jazzes because that's what they're good at and it's more profitable for them. If you want something off-the-wall, go to somebody like Chris Stambaugh who specializes in that sort of thing. Hope this helps.
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Very good point. When I quote a commissioned painting for someone, I have a built-in PIA calculator. The more involved they want to be with a painting, the more of a Pain In the Ass they are, the higher the price. I'll be happy to paint just about anything for someone, but depending on what someone wants the price might just skyrocket beyond what they are willing to pay.

Sometimes it isn't a matter of just being worth it to the buyer. Is it worth it to the builder? Think about that!!!
 
#36
SLaPiNFuNK said:
I had no idea there was a wait for sadowsky... geepers...


If its a bass I loved and HAD to have, I would pay the money for... and I have... and I have waited... and probably will wait again...

If I was still playing full time I probably would like to add a Fodera to the mix as well as an MTD... but for now I am happy...

If the rest of the bass player world is happy with what they have, then really great for them...

If you are not happy with what you have, I hope you will oneday be happy with what you have or something else...

The price tag really doesnt make the bass, its what you think about it... no matter how high or how low its priced...
Click to expand...

I'm confused... What was the point of this thread? LOL
 
#37
MikeBass said:
I find it funny that this is coming from a guy who owns TWO Smith Elite 6 strings!!!!
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and a 5 string BMT Elite dont forget that one :D


I am very happy and blessed to have the instruments I do have... Do I think they are expensive? YES!

I think they are worth every penny...

When it comes down to it, its what you like... and what gets you wanting to play....



I shoulda kept these thoughts to my self in my lack of sleep dunno whats goin on state of mind eh eh
 
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