Pros using a cheap POS?

[planetdrumz]

Im far from a pro, but I much prefer my SX Jazz over my G&L L-2000 Tribute. IMO the SX sounds and feels so much better.

 

[subtlestew]

A thread like this really needs to include Laura Lee from Khurangbin and her SX bass.

 

[ThudThudThud]

Roger Capps often uses a Dean 8 string when playing with Pat Benetar tribute bands.

 

[five7]

My first year of playing was on a cheap jazz bass. A 65 fender that I paid $175.00 for.

 

[JIO]

My first year of playing was on a cheap jazz bass. A 65 fender that I paid $175.00 for.

depends on what year that was how 'cheap' it was...

 

[five7]

Bass was 10 years old.

 

[Peteyboy]

A thread like this really needs to include Laura Lee from Khurangbin and her SX bass.

She was mentioned on the 1st page.

 

[JIO]

I'd love to offer Bonamassa an obscene amount of money to play a stock Squier onstage for an entire show. Through a Kemper modeler. I bet he wouldn't do it.

Probably not, but if he did he'd sound like Joe Bonamassa...

 

[wompwomp]

I was goofing off, admiring Esh basses (of which I am a big fan), and saw a picture of Hiisi, from Lordi. He's also an Esh user.
But he hasn't always used an Esh. Check out his picture.

View attachment 7238848

Is this guy, a professional musician, really rocking a Yamaha TRBX304 on stage? Isn't that the beginner-est of beginner instruments?

hey some guys don't need gimmicks

 

[JIO]

Bass was 10 years old.

I bought my 11yr old '63 T-bird II for $150 w/OHSC, so in today's money that would be $973.02. That was a chunk of change in 1974.

 

[EricOnTheBass]

Most of the working musicians I know are playing heavily worn inexpensive instruments like Squires and Ibanez. I feel a little embarrassed when I come in with my high-end gear and can’t play half as well as they can.

 

[micguy]

My gear outshines my ability 100 to 1.
It’s not the bass. I am proof of that.

So, you're saying you're better off with a hundred dollar bass and 10,000 hours of practice than a $10,000 bass and 100 hours of practice....

Yeah, I can agree with that.

 

[micguy]

My first year of playing was on a cheap jazz bass. A 65 fender that I paid $175.00 for.

I've never owned a Fender bass (unless you count my Squier). I did have a bass I put together out of odd parts that had a '66 jazz neck. The entire bass, including gig bag, set me back $135. Unfortunately, someone "acquired" it from my basement.

 

[five7]

Mine got left behind when someone stole the instruments I had hanging on the wall. The 65 was in a case.

 

[lunarpollen]

Cheap, yes. POS, no. Even the cheap Yamahas are very solid instruments.

 

[salmon256]

Me too.... I get LOL'z and judgement from the locals for driving an economical Japanese-made SUV, instead of pricey Ford F-150.

Dude it is crazy what the first gen RAV4 sometimes go far if it was rarely used especially that two door cabin one. The Suzuki Samurai - a cheap jeep like smaller car for Americans in manual now goes for 22k on average and I am pretty sure the last model was 1989? I get those are "classics" but people who hate on economical Japanese cars are oblivious to the demand on that, just look at the Fit. Amazing cars. I know how you feel I live in NY but I am planning on moving to NC or Texas everyone is very chill but for sure some NC residents were acting like "If you ain't get an American truck don't bother" like what?? lol same ideas with bass gear if you ask me in a way haha.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Cheapest bass I've gigged with: $80 (2023 price). Most expensive: nearly 2 orders of magnitude more. Both were more worthy than the person playing them...

BBB

 

[ElectricBass72]

My cheap-as-hell, "beater" basses.........

 

[JenderBazzFass]

Prince used a knockoff telecaster as his main guitar, he called it a cheap toy himself, and he claimed to have bought because it matched a leopard print strap he already had.

I believe it just had the old not-heralded Fender Vintage Noiseless pickups (the original ones). His tech said they got some fancy boutique pickups once but Prince didn't care for them.

He also used common boss pedals and a lot of stuff that wouldn't be considered 'good' by many folks.

 

[Jack]

I recently bought a used CV Squier P-Bass - upgraded all the electronics and put a Fender PV63 PU in it and I am all in on this Bass for $550.00 (It came with a HSC as well)!!! The thing sounds amazing and I alternate between it and an AM ProII P bass while gigging!

I wonder if my posts in here have been misconstrued. I said, effectively, "most basses are good enough to gig with" and you're like the third person to say something like this. Was it ok to begin with or terrible? Do I have really low standards? Do you have really high ones? Is it more about the journey and the customisation? I've played plenty of Squiers (including my own first bass) that sound just great as-is. And if it takes $550 to make it good enough then there are plenty of great basses for that price anyway.

My point was more on the OP topic, assuming a certain bass is a POS. On the contrary, I assume if I see any (cheap) bass on stage, it’s been looked over and any necessary adjustments have been made to achieve a certain level of playability.

While I’m certainty interested in the similar topics of “how little can I spend to get a playable bass” that’s not what I was getting at!

Of course, and I am sure that we agree on that, that wasn't my point either. I have a Harley Benton and a custom shop Warwick, so I'm very much in the 'whatever' camp myself. However I just seem to feel as though most of the cheap ones don't need much at all to make them achieve that level, although I note that you didn't either so fair enough! I remember my dad telling me that cars were rubbish when he was a kid. Didn't start on cold mornings, broke down all the time, unsafe, that kind of thing. But now even the absolute cheapest cars are just ... fine? They work and they're safe and they can be depended on to do car things. I have heard similar stories about mail order guitars and 70s plywood instruments, that kind of stuff just doesn't really happen any more.