^So very very true, but it makes luthier made bass a more attractive alternative, especially the local guys like Noyce, Gecko, Ormsby or Scott Wise.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Over-Priced basses?
- Thread starter For_Ironys_Sake
- Start date
I'm just saying that when I'm content with something that cost 700 dollars, I don't see the point in dropping a few thousand for something I don't really see as an upgrade.
I've played higher end basses before, and I just don't really prefer them to what I have.
one of my bas player buddies uses a custom bas he paid $7000 for. It is fancy with all it's exotic woods, custom electronics, fancy mother-of-pearl neck markings, and every special feature you could imagine. Does it sound better than any bass I've ever heard? NO, it doesn't. He's thrilled with it, I consider it overpriced. "Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder."
I think there are a couple of categories here. In some cases you have a unique instrument and sound that can't be had at a cheaper price. An example:
Was this overpriced? No way - show me an equivalent instrument for less money. Doesn't exist.
The other category is the instrument that is trying to get the "last 5%" of performance/quality/etc. I'd put Sadowsky/Lakland/Nordstrand/etc into this category. You're getting an instrument that is essentially very similar to another much cheaper production instrument. And for many users there really isn't a difference. But some can appreciate the subtleties and are willing to pay for what usually amounts to a rather slim improvement. I've owned Sadowskys and Fenders. The Sadowskys were all nicer. Compared to a good production Fender (especially the current MIA) it is not night and day. But there is a difference. The "value" is up to the individual buyer.
Was this overpriced? No way - show me an equivalent instrument for less money. Doesn't exist.
The other category is the instrument that is trying to get the "last 5%" of performance/quality/etc. I'd put Sadowsky/Lakland/Nordstrand/etc into this category. You're getting an instrument that is essentially very similar to another much cheaper production instrument. And for many users there really isn't a difference. But some can appreciate the subtleties and are willing to pay for what usually amounts to a rather slim improvement. I've owned Sadowskys and Fenders. The Sadowskys were all nicer. Compared to a good production Fender (especially the current MIA) it is not night and day. But there is a difference. The "value" is up to the individual buyer.
SX BASSES COST TOO MUCH! Seriously, who do those guys think they are, I mean honestly; who has a hundred dollars laying around? Those hooligans...
Reading this makes me glad I picked up my used MIM Jazz last week. I thought it was really reasonable considering I paid $300, when the same model new was $700 (which sounded worse btw). From personal experience, Warwicks are definitely my vote for being overpriced.
When buying new be sure to take advantage of M/F 15%-20% off sale. They just had one (15% off), and will have another, then another, and... 
Last Oct they had a 20% off sale.
With the economy being what it is, and rising inventory levels, you can be sure there will be many a good deal ahead.
Last Oct they had a 20% off sale.
With the economy being what it is, and rising inventory levels, you can be sure there will be many a good deal ahead.
i noticed that "over-priced brand" threads regularly attract the attention of people who are just waiting to complain about companies like warwick and rickenbacker. i worked my butt off so that i could afford to buy instruments from both these companies, and until recently i was nothing but a dirt poor college kid. so if i don't think they're overpriced (which i don't) i hardly see how anyone could. i think what people are really saying here is that they don't like these brands enough to justify spending the money, which is completely different from them being overpriced. for example, i think a $350 squier bass is more overpriced than a $3500 warwick.
I agree, it's ultimately up to you to decide for yourself. Where I find fault is with people who decide nothing any more expensive than what they can use is a waste for others.
You "worked [your] butt off" to afford one and don't think they're overpriced?
Ok, sure "expensive" and "overpriced" are really 2 different things as you clearly pointed out with your Squier comment.
But how is the Squier, a bass that is perfectly useable and at a price most can afford overpriced???
Personally I lean more towards, if YOU can afford it and you want it, go for it. I mean whether you're making $100,000 a year or earning minimum wage and working your butt off, it's your money and your hobby, if it makes you happy, buy it.
BUT I can see a justifiable difference between a $200, $600 and say a $1500 instrument. Once you go over to say $3000, $5000, $7000, it does become a bit harder to justify or quantify the extra you're paying.
no, like i said i don't think they were overpriced. both basses cost me in the vicinity of $1500 and i simply had to work hard to afford them. expensive, not overpriced; i feel that the quality was proportionate to the cost. as for stuff that's up over $5k or so, yes that's VERY expensive but think about it. you're getting way more than a musical instrument at that point. lots of times they incorporate gold, silver, diamonds, even mammoth tusk into the construction. i mean its like a piece of artwork and some people really value that and don't feel that it's overpriced. the concept of something being overpriced is more about target marketing than price. anyone who shops beyond either his interest or means is going to notice that most everything SEEMS overpriced.
I will highly disagree with this statement, most of all with the part that I marked with bold.
It is true that few builders will set their prices below the usual price on the market. However, marketing doesn't mean to calculate production cost at all; rather, it is the legend that marketing is trying to create, hence the math. The higher the price, the more attention the legend will attract.
Speaking exact bass brands would be violation of TB rules, so let me make other examples. In the 70-ies, a new casta of luxury brands emerged, their goal being solely: more money for the same stuff.
The funny thing is that Lexus, Acura and Infinity are sold in other parts of the world under their original badges: Toyota, Honda and Nissan. I don't know if that happens in the USA, but in Russia, you may buy either a Lexus RX or get a Toyota Harrier, a Lexus LX or a Toyota Land Cruiser, an Infinity QX or a Nissan Armada . Save for badges and sometimes shape of headlights they are the same cars (please note that the same names may be applied to quite different cars in other countries), built from the same molds in the same facilities. Well yes, Lexus equals to only top version of Toyota, but the rest is nothing but marketing. And guess what - they are priced differently.
Just several months ago, when sales have gone deep, several guitar companies raised their price tags. Is that the natural way how the demand/supply law apllies? No way, that is measures taken to artificially inflate interest.
For such a builder, a waiting line is just perfect. On the contrary, satisfying the needs of customers just in time and thus dissolving the waiting list is a disaster. So please don't say someone's so good people spend months to wait - that is part of marketing, so it is a bad example.
"We're expensive because we're doing good", huh? In real world, once this line is crossed, you have to watch out for clerks falling on your head from their windows.
Having been in marketing, I can tell you that part of the cache of a "luxury" brand is achieved by jacking up the price and waiting for prestige hounds to overpay for something, so I agree with this posting, though the "prestige" aspect obviously carries economic value to the purchaser, which is non-tangible.
FYI, I enjoyed an opportunity, recently, to speak with a Cort employee who told me that he believed the quality on the OEM stuff is the same or less than the stuff with the Cort name. Since my understanding is that Cort and Samick (I believe) manufacture about 80% of the basses sold in the US, he is implying that a lot of people could be paying a markup for a "brand name." I'm not saying that he is correct--just passing information along.
FYI, I enjoyed an opportunity, recently, to speak with a Cort employee who told me that he believed the quality on the OEM stuff is the same or less than the stuff with the Cort name. Since my understanding is that Cort and Samick (I believe) manufacture about 80% of the basses sold in the US, he is implying that a lot of people could be paying a markup for a "brand name." I'm not saying that he is correct--just passing information along.
When buying new be sure to take advantage of M/F 15%-20% off sale. They just had one (15% off), and will have another, then another, and...
Last Oct they had a 20% off sale.
With the economy being what it is, and rising inventory levels, you can be sure there will be many a good deal ahead.
Very true! I got a 70s Classic Jazz for $650 with the Tax Days sale awhile back; it was, in my opinion, a bit overpriced at $850, but turned out to be just right for me at the sale price.
