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.
Pros using a cheap POS?
- Thread starter Greenman72
- Start date
I was just commenting to the band yesterday, that my cheap little Squier Affinity Jazz basses stay in tune for weeks... months. They play nice, and sound great. I make money with them. I can get the tones I want from them by using those little knobs on my amplifier. I have no interest in investing more of my money on another fretted bass.
Touring and playing these heavier genres really doesn't require an expensive bass, honestly. It's a sweaty affair with lots of crazy fans throwing stuff ..etc. Not the environment you want to bring a 62 Pbass to.
I think that acoustic guitars and mandolins are far more affected by the “more $$ is better” axiom. Some of the cheap ones have playability and tone issues. With basses, there are some pretty darn good ones that don’t cost an arm and a leg. I also believe that the amount paid for an instrument vs quality is a sliding scale. IOW as the amount you pay for an instrument doubles, the quality does not.
It's not uncommon for, say, ESP/LTD signature artists to use the "cheaper" LTD versions of their signature basses on tours. Instruments take a lot of abuse on the road and they wouldn't want to risk damage to their multi-thousand dollar ESP custom shop sig models.
There are reasons I prefer other Epi and Greco Thunderbirds over my entry level Epi Thunderbird IV, but it's a perfectly serviceable bass and I sometimes still play it,
Lots of people take their expensive gear on tour - big names and lesser knowns. Some of it gets stolen or busted. That's often teh main time we hear about it.
Hear hear. As long as the instrument is not significantly flawed, a pro will be able to utilize it and make music.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,942
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
A 1968 TV performance on the Smothers Brothers showed him playing a Fender VI but as far as I've read Carol Kaye played a Dano 6 (baritone) on the recording, including the solo.
My favorite of his recorded performance versions - interestingly his bass player is playing a Dano longhorn -
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,942
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
If you've got 'good bones' (i.e., a solid body and neck) and you like the bass, anything else is tweaking or modding.
The weakest point of 'cheap' basses is the electronics (pots, then pickups), and maybe bridge and keys. They shoot the budget on pretty finishes, you can't see inside the engine room, so there you are.
I have several VM or CV Squiers, that I made a small investment in better pots, wiring, and shielding (this is cheap insurance), bridges and keys work well, and I can adjust them right where I want them. Were I still gigging, I'd be perfectly happy to use them.
I've lived long enough to buy what I like with an embrace of sufficiency after years of far more expensive axes. Strangely, as my wallet's gotten bigger, my ego's gotten smaller.
The weakest point of 'cheap' basses is the electronics (pots, then pickups), and maybe bridge and keys. They shoot the budget on pretty finishes, you can't see inside the engine room, so there you are.
I have several VM or CV Squiers, that I made a small investment in better pots, wiring, and shielding (this is cheap insurance), bridges and keys work well, and I can adjust them right where I want them. Were I still gigging, I'd be perfectly happy to use them.
I've lived long enough to buy what I like with an embrace of sufficiency after years of far more expensive axes. Strangely, as my wallet's gotten bigger, my ego's gotten smaller.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,942
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
I consider it one of the best pop songs - ever. Shows what talented artists can do with a "cheap POS"...
And less we forget...
Last edited:
Back in the 70s the cheap ones were definitely a mess.
Not all, some were good but the bad were BAD.
My first 6 string guitar was an unbranded hunk. Around 72ish. I would have loved a Dano or anything remotely playable.
With the CNC today it’s pretty good stuff for short $.
Not all, some were good but the bad were BAD.
My first 6 string guitar was an unbranded hunk. Around 72ish. I would have loved a Dano or anything remotely playable.
With the CNC today it’s pretty good stuff for short $.
I've seen it pointed out before that what held back a lot of guitars and basses from the 60s and 70s was not their quality but the fact that few people, including guitar techs, knew how to set them up properly. This is something that the internet has really helped with: Made information about maintenance and repair accessible not just to hobbyists but to people in the profession.
I mean, there was a lot of genuine crap at the time, at a higher volume than now. But part of why people have recently been re-evaluating old instruments from Matsumoku and so on are because they're appreciating that they were often just as good or better than Fenders and Gibsons, but due to the branding (and lower initial prices) it used to be difficult to convince skilled techs to work on them.
I mean, there was a lot of genuine crap at the time, at a higher volume than now. But part of why people have recently been re-evaluating old instruments from Matsumoku and so on are because they're appreciating that they were often just as good or better than Fenders and Gibsons, but due to the branding (and lower initial prices) it used to be difficult to convince skilled techs to work on them.
