Price vs Quality

[lowfreqgeek]

I'm a semi-pro; I played about 75 paid gigs last year, I taught, I did paid session work, blah blah blah. I probably haven't paid more than $1300 for an electric bass (and I have some FINE basses), but my "got what I payed for" instrument is my $3500 upright, hands down. As fine a bass as it is, I could easily upgrade to a bass costing 2-3x that amount with noticeable improvement in quality and sound. If I had $12k to put into the *right* upright bass, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

As for electric bass, I'm pretty well set with my handful of Regenerate Guitar Works, EBMM, G&L, and Rick Turner instruments.

 

[tgriley62]

I suck with my peavey's and I would suck with a $5,000 bass but, I would look cool doing it

 

[SamJ]

I'm a semi-pro; I played about 75 paid gigs last year, I taught, I did paid session work, blah blah blah. I probably haven't paid more than $1300 for an electric bass (and I have some FINE basses), but my "got what I payed for" instrument is my $3500 upright, hands down. As fine a bass as it is, I could easily upgrade to a bass costing 2-3x that amount with noticeable improvement in quality and sound. If I had $12k to put into the *right* upright bass, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

As for electric bass, I'm pretty well set with my handful of Regenerate Guitar Works, EBMM, G&L, and Rick Turner instruments.

curious what the price spread is on uprights? meaning... is the $3500 version the same thing as a $500 MIM Fender? or is that more like the $1800 MIA? What is considered very expensive? $12K?

Also is German > all? is this another case where some made in China are "just as good"

 

[lowfreqgeek]

curious what the price spread is on uprights? meaning... is the $3500 version the same thing as a $500 MIM Fender? or is that more like the $1800 MIA? What is considered very expensive? $12K?

Also is German > all? is this another case where some made in China are "just as good"

Well, there's really no direct comparison as far as cost goes. My bass is a fully carved Shen (Chinese), so it's not necessarily a "low end" instrument. However, when I bought it, the next best sounding instruments in the bass shop (Robertson and Son's Violins in Albuquerque) were about 3x the price. My $3500 Shen is a good working-man's instrument, but on the lesser expensive side of the scale. When I bought mine, the most expensive bass in the shop at that time was well over $100k, but it was also well over 150 years old and of a quality pedigree. The principal bassist in the New Mexico Philharmonic once told me that his bass was his "retirement".

I'd say a good, professional quality orchestral instrument could run $20-30k. Roberton's is full of those, from all over the world. "German" is not necessarily better, and the Chinese have come a LONG way in the past few years, but in general, European (German, Italian, English, French, Czeck, Romanian, etc) instruments are the better quality and the most highly sought after. There are superb American instruments, too.

Now, all that said, I recently picked up an unknown make/model fully carved (as opposed to plywood) Romanian bass off CL for $500 and put $300 into repairs (neck glue joint failure). The instrument is worth about $3500, just by the nature of it being a fully carved European no-name. The sound is unbelievable, though. Fantastic! It very well may become my #1 bass in short very short order, but I haven't had it long enough to be comfortable gigging with it, so I'm still getting to know it while I gig the Shen.

Upright is a VERY different world from electric, but I can't imagine being without it.

 

[SamJ]

Upright is a VERY different world from electric, but I can't imagine being without it.

Wish I had the room for one, my wife would kill me (as I'm not a professional musician and have no need)... But the handful of times I've played on one I found it VERY challenging and I'm sure if I can master the fingering on one, I'd make me that much better an electric bassist..

I'm sure some of those symphony top players have a significant percentage of their net worth tied up in instruments.. I mean I don't know what kind of money they pay at the top symphonies but there are million dollar instruments in some of those people's hands... I'm sure just the insurance premiums alone are in the $1000's a year!

 

[gjohnson441496]

If the latter suffers from undue failures due to its complexity, then absolutely it is a failure to achieve the primary goal of being a reliable mode of transportation, so yet it would be by definition inferior.

Sometimes, often times, value isn't applied due to quality, or performance, but rather for brand loyalty, and perceived prestige. The auto manufacturers know this, as do electronics, consumer products etc... And they can get by with producing a similar product to the competition but by slapping their name on it can charge a huge premium for it... This is where what you are paying for is the name, so in that sense the statement is true, you get what you pay for. Corporate jets, luxury suites for the executives, etc...

Exactly! I like this analysis. What's in a name? Marcus Miller, Geddy Lee, Adam Clayton... $$$ signs

 

[Kustom_Thunder]

I got a thumb bass pro 5 $1500 it resprked my love of bass

 

[davy4575]

I cant even qualify, its more a question of if its useful to me or not. I once had a bassist audition in a band that I was on drums in. He had some expensive warwick bass, I was letting him use my amps. So we got done, and he knew I played bass, he asked me to play it and let him know what i thought of it. I hated it. Was really heavy, had a nice neck, but I hated the tone of it, could not dial it in to my liking at all. So for the most part, it held no value to me. I picked up a few hundred dollar MIM fretless jazz I had right next to it. felt very comfortable, sounded good in spite of the flats that I hate that were on it. 290.00 bass had way more value to me.

 

[Gizmot]

Value = Utility × Esteem / Price.

Esteem is the important variable - I've learned that with basses, cars, clothes, food - etc.

 

[davy4575]

Idk, there are those of us out there that dont care about the perceived esteem, atleast with a bass. I care about how it sounds and performs, and feels in my hands. (although, I guess in thinking about that, I will never own a stienburger based on the way they look) so maybe it should be for the most part I dont care about the esteem issue

 

[Jughead6]

I voted US$700, in honor of my 2014 MIM Fender Fretless Jazz (that's about the retail price over there in the USA?). I have basses worth much more than that, but this humble Mexican has been the most pleasant of surprises. Not the highest quality build or components, but it just feels comfortable and playable like I've had it all my life.

 

[Mastermold]

At what price point do you feel that for a new bass if you pay anything less that your just getting a bass that is going to have problems ...

I should have read this first before posting since you seem to contradict your post heading. The SX basses I've bought for under $200 are fine players don't give "problems" but the "you get what you paid for" limit for me is the top of your chart because you do get more from higher end stuff.

Confusing thread.

 

[jeff ward]

I went with $600 just because you can get an Ibanez SR500 for around that price and I have allways said that's the best bass for the buck imo.

With that said I do feel you get a better bass if your willing to spend some extra cash. Unless your going with an overpriced USA Fender or Gibson bass lol I can't count how many times I have gone into a music store and played a $1, 500+ usa fender or gibson and wanted to vomit. I have allways joked that usa fenders and p.o.s. Squires all come off the same line with some guy at the end with a fender logo stamp in one hand and a squire stamp in the other.

I have never had any issues with build quality of my spectors. And even Ibanez basses are prety solid even the $3-600 range ones. Once they are set up and the occasional raised frett is fixed.

 

[Bisounourse]

curious what the price spread is on uprights? meaning... is the $3500 version the same thing as a $500 MIM Fender? or is that more like the $1800 MIA? What is considered very expensive? $12K?

Also is German > all? is this another case where some made in China are "just as good"

There is also another variable: you have plywood basses, hybrid (carved top, laminated body) and fully carved ones.
But on prices; a decent entry level beginners / students Dbass is in the ballpark of 1500 $ - 2000 $ (in analogy with the BG that would be a VM/CV Squier, Modern Player to even a MIM), a decent and more or less 'semi-pro' bass is in between 2000 $ - 5000 $ (MIM Fender to MIA Fender) and from 5000 $ upwards you have a good instrument (MIA Fender, AVRI series,...).
Starting from 10 k and up, you have the really good ones (think entry level Custom Shop/boutique quality).
If you're going 'vintage', then your thinkgin 'pedigree' basses, and those prices are extremely high (sort to say: the sky is the limit).

On the German thing: it is not that their better, but (on the older ones) there was more attention to quality control (the so called 'Deutsche Gründlichkeit' ), but builders in Eastern Europe have taken over their turf, and the Chinese/Korean ones are getting better and better.

And just as in the BG world: a bass that has survived 30 years and more is more likely to be a decent one (otherwise it would already have been reduced to firewood ).

 

[Sav'nBass]

I bought my grandaughter one of those 3/4 SX P basses that had better fretwork than my 55-02 before I had it done... so IMO all this is way too subjective to even speculate on like this. Once you get into certain price ranges you are paying for things that are far more personal.

 

[ChefKen]

I love it.. we've got half the guys here claiming the best bass is a $200-300 one... the other half saying 2500+...

gotta love opinions... don't ya?

And both opinions are correct! You can play and record with a 200 dollars bass. It can sound amazing in the right hands. On the other hand the build quaility and tone in a 2500 bass is in a another league. Eyes closed no brainer. We all have different taste, means, and priorities.

Same with almost all things! To some the greatest meal on earth is great Barbecue....others need to spend 500 a person at Per Se. They are both right. They are both the greatest.....A 1955 Chevy Bel Air Coupe V8 is the end all car for some certified car nuts. To a Porsche guy those cars are boats. They are both right.

Live and let live....Look at what 6K buys.....A perfect Alembic or a purposely relic'd vintage Fender. Same dime. Different folks.

 

[wvbass]

For reference, I played my most recent show on a Lakland 4-94 Classic with Nordstrand pickups and a Aguilar OBP-3 preamp.

The biggest club shows I have played in the past two or three years have all been done with my SBMM SUB Ray5 that cost me $269 new. No single component of this bass is quality. The tuners are a little stiff as is common with cheap tuners. The bridge is cheap. It has a cheap plastic nut. Every screw on the bass is made of a metal that is somewhere between steel and silly putty in hardness. The neck has yellow dye and a waxy feeling finish. When I change the battery, the wires on the battery connector are very flimsy and I have to be very careful not to damage them, or to damage the flimsy battery door. I have no doubt that the pickup, pots and preamp are among the cheapest available. It had a little fret sprout, which wasn't serious and was addressed, but aside from that, I have kept it unmodified, down to the strap pins.

All these non-quality components come together to make a bass that cost me $269 new. The same components also come together to make one of the best playing basses I own. It plays like a quality instrument, and apparently sounds like quality - it is the only instrument I have used that has gotten me complements on tone from audience members.

Not even remotely quality parts, but a quality bass. How does that fit into the equation?

 

[groovaholic]

My first bass cost $320 new in 1985.

So, that's in my head as a minimum price for a solid bass.

But I traded that first bass in 1988 for a $350 bass that I still have.

Then eight years ago, I bought a twin of my 1st bass for $89 at Music Go Round -- so who knows!

Is my Dingwall worth 20X the Music Go Round bass?
Tough to say "yes" when I love them both, but the Dingwall gets 90% of my play time...

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

There are two options missing from your list - 0 and carrots. Carrots are required for legitimate TB polls.
Regardless of maker or price point, you will find very good and very bad. The high priced basses are about unique, brand name, and component quality. Whether they sound or play better than a $280 Squier VM is arguable. This whole boutique thing is all about vanity.

 

[ChefKen]

Wish I had the room for one, my wife would kill me (as I'm not a professional musician and have no need)... But the handful of times I've played on one I found it VERY challenging and I'm sure if I can master the fingering on one, I'd make me that much better an electric bassist..

I'm sure some of those symphony top players have a significant percentage of their net worth tied up in instruments.. I mean I don't know what kind of money they pay at the top symphonies but there are million dollar instruments in some of those people's hands... I'm sure just the insurance premiums alone are in the $1000's a year!

On the highest end of the scale wealthy collectors loan priceless instruments to top musicians so the instruments can be heard. How else can anyone afford a 3 million dollar violin...Certainly not a violinist!!