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Question about brand name

#21
BassFamily_002.jpg


Bought 1st. - Schecter Studio5 @ 500 Buxx
Bought 2nd. - Squier VM Fretless Jazz @ 190 Buxx
Bought 3rd. - Squier ProTone @ 75 Buxx

Out of these three basses the ProTone gets the most play, and not only by me! It gets the most attention and played by other people when they visit.. Something about the ProTone is very comfortable, lightweight, and sounds good. It has a nice warm, deep, bassy sound for the dub/reggae that I like to play. The highs are not as defined as they are on the Schecter, but are still decent and sound good when popped and slapped! I put flatwounds on it, I think they're chromes but forget to be sure..

The Schecter is a lot more aggressive sounding and brighter in general, plus has roundwounds which help for that brighter sound, and even a little bit of growl I want to say.. The main thing I don't like about it though is the string spacing. Also the pickup arrangement I've come to realize.. It just feels very tight to me all around.. I like to have plenty of room to dig in and pop those strings! I like the wider gaps between both the pickups and neck on the two Squier's Vs. the Schecter.. You can see the difference between them in the pic.

The fretless Squier has a good sound as well, but is much heavier and a bit bulkier/chunkier feeling than the ProTone, IMO.. I just gravitate towards the PT. I'm sure someday when I can afford it that I'll be upgrading to a real Fender P, but for now I'm happy jamming away on the PT!

I know I sort of made a "3 bass review" out of my post, but I figured I'd explain why I play one over the other(s)..
 
#24
I have a MIM Fender P, and it serves me just fine. It got it because that's the sound I like best, not due to brand name. No other bass I've tried (ESP, EB/MM, Spector, Warwick, Gibby etc etc) have what I wanted.

Still, I don't think I'll ever buy more than more or two super-expensive basses. I'd rather have that 250 dollar bass, to be honest. Less to lose, even if I had that kind of money.
 
#25
kenjikun said:
So you mean to say all the bass players who posted here are also ass? :rollno: Play what you want, we don't care but respect what other people think:eyebrow:
Click to expand...

Stop trying to pick a fight where there isn't one.

....Bloody keyboard warriors.

Also, this thread is stupid, to be honest. Some people play a Fodera because they like the bass for how it sounds and feels. Some play it because it has that Fodera logo. There isn't really much middle ground.
 
#26
LKdubby said:
BassFamily_002.jpg


Bought 1st. - Schecter Studio5 @ 500 Buxx
Bought 2nd. - Squier VM Fretless Jazz @ 190 Buxx
Bought 3rd. - Squier ProTone @ 75 Buxx

Out of these three basses the ProTone gets the most play, and not only by me! It gets the most attention and played by other people when they visit.. Something about the ProTone is very comfortable, lightweight, and sounds good. It has a nice warm, deep, bassy sound for the dub/reggae that I like to play. The highs are not as defined as they are on the Schecter, but are still decent and sound good when popped and slapped! I put flatwounds on it, I think they're chromes but forget to be sure..

The Schecter is a lot more aggressive sounding and brighter in general, plus has roundwounds which help for that brighter sound, and even a little bit of growl I want to say.. The main thing I don't like about it though is the string spacing. Also the pickup arrangement I've come to realize.. It just feels very tight to me all around.. I like to have plenty of room to dig in and pop those strings! I like the wider gaps between both the pickups and neck on the two Squier's Vs. the Schecter.. You can see the difference between them in the pic.

The fretless Squier has a good sound as well, but is much heavier and a bit bulkier/chunkier feeling than the ProTone, IMO.. I just gravitate towards the PT. I'm sure someday when I can afford it that I'll be upgrading to a real Fender P, but for now I'm happy jamming away on the PT!

I know I sort of made a "3 bass review" out of my post, but I figured I'd explain why I play one over the other(s)..
Click to expand...

Those are some nice basses you've got there. :bassist:
 
#27
Exactly, Mr. Spider. TB is so full of busybodies who worry too much about what other people do, and who get so indignant over people who like to spend a lot of money on their basses like they have a right to have an opinion on what other people spend their money on. Sorry, you don't.
 
#29
I own a 08 MIA Fender Jazz V-$1250., 2007 Carvin LB75AP Anniversary 5'er-$1709., 1982 Steinberger Serial #340-$1650., 2001 Ibanez BTB405QM-$499., 2007 Squier FVM Fretless-$274. My point is, and those prices are what I paid for are all brand new prices, except the Ibby I got used, that I own basses that are in a wide range of cost and I'm about to pull the trigger on on a SX Jazz Fretless 5'er just because I hear so much good about them. My expensive basses are top notch instruments with flawless workmanship, but the tone is where they are all different. The 08' Jazz sounded great right out of the box, while the Carvin took me all but 4 months to sound right. Nowadays they make alot of basses that are very good and get top reviews that are under $200, you can never judge a book by it's cover.:smug:
 
#30
LKdubby said:
Thanks!

I needed to take a new "family pic" anyways, so I figured I'd make use of the pic for this thread!

It's funny, nobody on TB has had a word to say so far about my custom volume knobs on the PT! :D

Stix.jpg
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Sorry, we were so distracted by all the other gaudy stuff on it ;)

Seriously, that's a pretty cool bass. A bit much for me, but I'd sure be entertained watching someone else play it.
 
#31
MrBorisSpider said:
Stop trying to pick a fight where there isn't one.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm not picking a fight Mr.BorisSpider. I like to play bass and not karate. I'm just telling JimmyM to respect other peoples opinion because everybody thinks differently from each other. If I think a thread is stupid, ass or non-sense at all, I'll just shut my mouth and won't participate in that forum. Peace.
 
#32
kenjikun said:
Well, I'm not picking a fight Mr.BorisSpider. I'm just telling JimmyM to respect other peoples opinion. If I think a thread is stupid, ass or non-sense at all, I'll just shut my mouth and won't participate in that forum. peace.
Click to expand...
So you think starting a thread that insinuates that people who spend money on expensive basses are buying based on the logo is showing respect? I don't.
 
#33
JimmyM said:
So you think starting a thread that insinuates that people who spend money on expensive basses are buying based on the logo is showing respect? I don't.
Click to expand...

I'm not a native english speaker but I think I made it clear in my first post. I was just asking people here if they buy their bass based on brand because most them have expensive basses. I was just trying to get the opinion of other bass players. And majority of them responded in a very civilized and educated way. I never meant to insinuate people who spend money on expensive basses. Several members have already posted but they never thought of my thread as to insinuate people who buy expensive bass. I never mentioned that bass players who buy expensive basses are ass or stupid. Anyway, that's your opinion and I respect that. Peace.
 
#36
The original post said if someone were to give you a guitar and the chioses were a $2000 Fender or a $250 guitar which would you take.

Even if you thought you would be happy with the $250 guitar I'm sure most woul take the $2000 guitar.

I know I would.

Can I have the $2000 Fender now please.

:hyper:
 
#37
I only have one semi-boutique bass, my Warwick Thumb.

I grabbed it because I absolutely love the tone. I didn't buy it because it has a 'W' on the headstock, though having that there let's me know that it's a well built instrument.

I firmly believe you get what you pay for, yet I also believe in the law of diminishing returns. In most cases a $500 bass will be far superior to a $100 bass...not so much $3k over $1k.

An example in my personal experience was playing a Pedulla Thunderbass and an Ibanez SoundGear Prestige. The Pedulla being around 3.5K and the Ibby at 1.5K. Very similar tone and playability, the edge going to Pedulla in construction and being a slightly nice bass overall. But was it twice as well constructed? I didn't think so. If I was faced with the choice...I'd buy the Prestige. No offense to Pedulla lovers. :)

All that said..if it sounds nice to you, if it plays well enough, if it doesn't fell like it's going to snap from the inevitable mishandled trip to the floor...buy it! :D
 
#38
kenjikun said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, I noticed that most of you guys own expensive basses. Is it because of the brand? Just a hypothetical question. In case you were to be given a $2000 Fender that is built ironically inferior to a $250 Fender copy, which one will you choose. (OK you only need to choose one, and no need to say I'll take the Fender, sell it, buy the $250 copy and walk away $1,750 richer).
Click to expand...

In my opinion, your example of a $2,000 Fender vs a $250 copy makes it difficult to get to the answer you are looking for. I will try to answer your questions before dealing with your example.

Buy expensive basses because of brand? In some cases, yes. People who like Alembic, Fodera, Sadowsky, Ken Smith, Roscoe, and MTD know that those are expensive brands. They also tend to know what to expect from the brand.

That is the whole point of establishing a brand name. There is a concept called "brand equity" which is defined as the extra value that a consumer is expecting from a brand that translates into their willingness to pay more for the brand.

When you go to the supermarket, do you buy Heinz ketchup, Hunt's ketchup or the store brand? Everyone knows the store brand will cost less, still many will buy Heinz or Hunt's, even though they know they will pay more for it. They expect MORE VALUE (equity) from the name brand.

Your Example
The reason I said your example makes it difficult to get to the real answer is that in your setup, you made it clear that the more expensive bass was inferior to the less expensive bass. This would be an example of a product not living up to its brand promise. When you take away the implied value of the brand, the brand itself becomes irrelevant. This is not to say that there is never a situation where a less expensive bass is better than a more expensive bass. It is just rarely as cut and dried as your example. The person considering the Fender will either ASSUME that the brand implies higher quality than the less expensive non-Fender, or will recognize quickly that this particular Fender DOES NOT live up to the brand promise. Now, given your example, I would still take the Fender, knowing that I can acquire a $250 bass anytime I need to, but I might never have the chance to acquire the $2,000 bass for free. Then I'd do what it took (within reason) to bring the $2,000 bass up to snuff.

Peace,

James
 
#39
kenjikun said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, I noticed that most of you guys own expensive basses. Is it because of the brand? Just a hypothetical question. In case you were to be given a $2000 Fender that is built ironically inferior to a $250 Fender copy, which one will you choose. (OK you only need to choose one, and no need to say I'll take the Fender, sell it, buy the $250 copy and walk away $1,750 richer).
Click to expand...

I've never purchased a bass on the basis of the brand name. I bought such instruments on the basis of sound to my ears and how they fit my body, as my fit concern and priority, and continue to advocate such prioritization irrespective of brand to anyone and everyone who will listen/read it. I think that you'll find most people would advocate a "it's gotta be the best TO YOU" kind of position. Anything less would be irresponsible.

In my experience, there is not a $2K Fender I've played that is inferior to a $250 bass. But there could be one out there. I'm open to the possibility. I will tell you that I just played a $109 SX Jazz bass with a p/j pickup configuration that KILLED. Is it better than $2k Fender? Who knows. Doesn't matter. I advocate and am very supportive of inexpensive (note, I did not say "cheap") basses.

My most inexpensive bass- $40. Right. And I bought it after already having perfectly fine, pro-useable instruments.

Wouldn't trade it for the world, and someone would literally have to offer a $2k Fender for it as a trade, straight up. I love boutique basses, but I'm not a gear snob. And I know there are many, many who won't see or respond to your post who feel the exact same way.

Another thing you may no know is that some of us who played bass before Al Gore invented the internet (ha!) had less choice in instruments, and that there was (IMO) a MUCH greater range of quality, meaning that there were some truly terrible instruments out there in the lowest price ranges. No longer. Even the cheapest stuff can be great, and more consistently so. It's hard to buy a truly bad bass these days, but not impossible. And the internet allows a whole world of consumer choice which I didn't have in my formative bass-playing years. I had to buy what was at the store nearby. Which happened to be Fender, Lotus, Samick. I bought a Fender. It was the only fretless in the store, and it seemed to be a better instrument to boot.

Best to you.
 

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