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Much of a difference between cheap & expensive?

N

NordLead

Sep 17, 2009
53
0
#1
I'm not a bassist, I just play bass to fill in the low end in the studio. I recently had to sell my Euro 4 to pay off a bill but I'm back in the market for a new one.

Used, the Euro 4 (not the LX) was about $850 or so when I bought it. I'm taking a look at Guitar Center in the used basses section and they've got some Spectors for around $400 and even cheaper sometimes.

Is there really THAT much of a difference between a Euro 4 and some of the other cheaper ones I'm seeing? Most of the time I'm just grabbing a DI of the bass and I run it into an amp modeler. If I can spend a few hundred bucks less and get basically the same results I may just do that. I'm not sure if there will be that big of a jump in quality...
 
#2
Sure, there are differences. Whether they add up to something that matters to you, I can't say. But even the cheap stuff these days is pretty good, and Spector makes some nice cheapies. But if I were in the market, I'd rather have the Euro.
 
#3
My experience is that that cheaper versions get cheaper because they skimp in the Tone Woods and Electronics. If I find a Combination of woods and electronics that really work for me, I pay for them most of the time. But, alot of the modeling Software these days can get you past even having to have the "Goods" for the Good sound.
 
#4
I'm thinking of just getting a cheapo, like one of those NS2000 4-stringers for like $400 or so. I think that's the model anyway.

If there's not much of a difference in recorded sound quality, I'll go ahead and just get one. There's not much of a difference between my $400 guitar and the one I spent over $2000 on when tracked properly. I hope it's the same for bass.
 
#5
I owned a NS2000/4 for a few years. Good for the price range, but really hampered by the electronics (old EMG HZ) and the weight (all maple, easily 11 lbs). An alright choice if the Spector is your bag, but there are beter basses to be had in that price range.
 
#6
Most of the time the cheaper ones are just outsourced. Sometimes that'll create a noticeable dip in quality, sometimes it won't. Occasionally it'll be the same instrument with cheaper wood (ie plain maple instead of quilted or flamed, Gibson likes to do this) Sometimes you'll get a phototop instead of a laminate. It's rare that a cheaper bass is actually worse than a more expensive one of the same brand, unless it's a starter pack type instrument (think Bullet Strats)
 
#12
There is no difference between "cheap" and "expensive" in most cases, mostly due to how subjective those terms really are and otherwise due to how much a Brand can tack onto the end of their product price for their name alone.

There is -however- a large difference between "good" and "okay" quality, but that has nothing to do with price at all.
 

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