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Ready to be ridiculed...

I'd suggest that if this bass doesn't scratch your itch, think about all the things you want in a bass and look into a custom build. I never bonded with an instrument off the rack and now am very happy with the 2 parts basses I built.

Your tastes may require an expert luthier to build a bass that makes you happy as mine are much more simple. I do agree with what others have said before me - you have to bond to your instrument. My 2 uprights and 2 electrics are "forever basses" that I have a bond with and could never sell. I just pray that one of my sons will take to the bass so I can pass them on.
 
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Being young and single is sort of the best time to make questionable monetary choices, as you’re able to make up for them by working endlessly without your mistakes affecting others.

This probably won’t be your dream bass, simply because (unless you’re one of those Victor Wooten “started when I was 3” types) you haven’t played long enough and with enough instruments to know what you really want. And if your playing isn’t great yet, what you want will absolutely change. Ypur playing is the driving force behind what you need in an instrument, not the other way around. So take advantage of the opportunity to play something really nice while you can and improve your playing. You may find the instrument is exactly what you need years down the road, but more likely, you’ll find out that certain specs aren’t exactly right and you’ll know better what you want in your next bass. And that’s a learning experience, so there’s benefit in that too.
 
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…and as a 23 year old with no business doing this, I just bought it through a payment plan.

There are no age requirements for owning a bass in a given price range. If you want something that’s legal to possess - and you can afford it - what’s the problem?
I get it. MTDs are nice. In fact, I have an MTD build currently in-process.

And who cares if you’re 23? At that age, I bought a gorgeous Tobias Classic 5 and gigged the heck out of it for 10 years. However, I bought it on credit, back before there was 0% and paid dearly for it (tough lesson learned).

A couple of decades later, I can tell you, there’s a big difference between affording a bass and affording the payments. Proceed with caution, friend. Gear & financing is a slippery slope. :thumbsup:

Congrats on the bass. USA MTDs are some of the best basses around.
 
Just be careful. I had no idea what I wanted when I ordered my first custom “dream bass”, and I never bonded with it. I would also point out that a lot of one-bass guys/gals bonded with a particular instrument because it is what they had available. I think constantly changing basses makes it hard to really have strong preferences.

But it is your money, so do you.
 
The British Pound collapsed a lot in 1976, so actually knowing which month he paid for it would be useful. A unskilled young man in mid-70s Britain was very poorly paid. I calculated that that guitar would have been the equivalent to about 8 months wages.
Damn... well at least he sold some of his belongings to pay for it, so no payment plan for Murray. And he used it on their most epic albums, which means he clearly he bonded with that guitar! :)

And then he replaced the pickups! :cool:
Indeed he did! He put DiMarzio humbuckers in it, so he didn't care much about "keeping it original". Not that it matters anyway, because due to the fact that belongs Dave Murray and was used on classic albums, that guitar is worth much more than $7000 today! :D
 
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***UPDATE***

I sent a Cancellation request last night and will try to follow up with them today when they open.

Please nobody think that anyone here “bullied” me in to cancelling the order.
Lots of you just told me what I already knew, I just needed to hear it from someone else, Lord knows why :rollno:
Sometimes we’re not good at taking our own advice and need someone else to tell it like it is however sweetly or bluntly they do.
$7k is a lot to ride on for an instrument that may or may not do it for me. I’ve always been good with making payments, but there’s just so much more I could do with that amount elsewhere, I mean that’s at least few days worth of H**kers and bl*w! Looool I kid of course, far be it from me :angel:.
I figured it would be better to cancel now before it’s been shipped out than waste anymore time for anyone on both ends of the transaction.

This was a much needed intervention on my impulse buying habits and I’m grateful you guys came through.
 
***UPDATE***

I sent a Cancellation request last night and will try to follow up with them today when they open.

Please nobody think that anyone here “bullied” me in to cancelling the order.
Lots of you just told me what I already knew, I just needed to hear it from someone else, Lord knows why :rollno:
Sometimes we’re not good at taking our own advice and need someone else to tell it like it is however sweetly or bluntly they do.
$7k is a lot to ride on for an instrument that may or may not do it for me. I’ve always been good with making payments, but there’s just so much more I could do with that amount elsewhere, I mean that’s at least few days worth of H**kers and bl*w! Looool I kid of course, far be it from me :angel:.
I figured it would be better to cancel now before it’s been shipped out than waste anymore time for anyone on both ends of the transaction.

This was a much needed intervention on my impulse buying habits and I’m grateful you guys came through.
No worries man, a lot of us have been down that road. It's all part of life.:)

Perhaps this piece of advice will help you:

I'd suggest that if this bass doesn't scratch your itch, think about all the things you want in a bass and look into a custom build. I never bonded with an instrument off the rack and now am very happy with the 2 parts basses I built.

For example, you can have a Maruszczyk built for you for less than $2000. Just a suggestion.
 
Ok,
So through out 2021, nearly 10 bass guitars have come in and out of my possession. at this point all of my childhood "dream" basses have been through my hands and I don't own any of them anymore. a few hit the spot but they also left my possession for one reason or another. Im talking Rickenbackers, American Ernie Balls, Euro, and USA Spectors (probably my favorites of all), as well as Status Graphite.

I don't want to be that guy with 20 basses, i would really like to be that guy that bought a certain bass when he was a young man, and that's still what he's playing in his 60s if God allows me to live that long. but for some reason I haven't loved any one bass to where I feel so attached to it that I cant let it go.

Now, a bass that is seemingly the amalgamation of all the good parts of the best basses I have owned has come into the picture, and as a 23 year old with no business doing this, I just bought it through a payment plan. And its expensive, like, VERY expensive. south of $9k but north of $5k. I cant believe I've done it, but I'm just tired of this endless buying and selling cause no bass quite hits the spot. this one IN THEORY, should offer the best of all my favorite basses in the past. As much as I hate to admit it I've really been spoiled rotten by some of the higher end basses I've owned.

Here's the kicker, I SUCK. I am not a good bassist by any stretch. I barely know any theory, I am *alright* in terms of technique but don't have the musical knowledge to put it to any good use. I've been "playing" bass since I was 12, but didn't really take any seriousness and passion to it until recently. I love music and adore bass, I love to listen to the best musicians out there from prog rock to jazz, and marvel at their mastery in technique and tasteful musicality. I just like nice things (though this is a few jumps over "nice"), and to me, few material things are more awesome than a finely crafted instrument, made with amazing dedication and attention to detail. You feel it when you hold them, and it makes you want to play.

Of course this isn't to say that I wont make an effort to become better at the bass. in fact I want this bass to be my trusty tool in the process of learning more than I ever have. It just feels funny, that for a long while, this bass made to the highest caliber of quality will be played by someone who hasn't even scratched the surface yet.

I am selling my other basses save for one beat up Ken Smith copy that I will use when I'm not comfortable taking a multi thousand dollar instrument somewhere.
Of course theres always the chance I get the bass in hand and decide I don't like it, which is why I bought it new from a reputable shop with a return policy. I wouldn't feel very good doing it, but its the only smart thing to do if you buy such an expensive bass and don't like it.

Not sure I want to say what bass it is I bought because maybe someone here was eyeing it and will be angry it went my way haha.
Man, I'm with you. I started playing about 5 years ago and I've owned a lot of basses. I don't feel bad because part of my journey was learning what I liked and what I didn't like. I don't really believe there is any other way to do that other than living with the different basses for a while.

I don't play live, I play for myself and I really really enjoy it. Part of the fun for me is looking and pining after gear. Truth be told, I now have a Bongo, a Sabre, a Stingray, an L-2000, and L-1000 and an Amer Prof II P. I should really get ride of everything by the P because it is perfect. BUT options are the spice of life! Don't let anyone here make you feel bad. Enjoy the ride.
 
If you’ve been “really spoiled by some higher end basses that I’ve owned” why didn’t you keep them? Not ridiculing, but maybe the grass is always greener and you’re searching for some holy grail that can’t be found. Not judging, what you do with your own money is your own business, as long as you can pay the rent and feed the kids. I sincerely hope the new one is “the one”.
 
If it was me, I'd have you playing a Squier Precision through a Bronco 40 until you convince me you want to REALLY want to learn to play, and leave these piles of money in the bank. I hear a lot of talk and flashing your business, I don't hear things a musician says.

I'm sure it's been said already but - THIS!
 
Great advice! My first bass was a Samick, a MusicMan copy, that I bought for around EUR 40.- I played it and played it and played it until at one point I felt I had "outgrown" it. But that was after hours and days spent working this bass for more than it was worth.

Then I moved on to a very nice and (to me) expensive Ibanez BTB (roughly EUR 500 at the time) and worked that bass for years. I learned to get different sounds out of it, either from hand placement or working all the knobs.

Only after many years of doing that, did I venture into new bass territory again. My Marcus Miller Jazz 5 was my main bass for roughly 10 years, and now I feel more comfortable on a 4-string fretless Precision.

My point is, get to know this bass. You've invested a lot of money in it (via payment plan, but still) and you owe it to yourself to at least give both yourself and this bass a chance to make it work.


Very good advice. Work the instrument until it has become an extension of yourself, and move on after.
I can see you're from Belgium Eddy, enchanté!
 
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Ok,
So through out 2021, nearly 10 bass guitars have come in and out of my possession. at this point all of my childhood "dream" basses have been through my hands and I don't own any of them anymore. a few hit the spot but they also left my possession for one reason or another. Im talking Rickenbackers, American Ernie Balls, Euro, and USA Spectors (probably my favorites of all), as well as Status Graphite.

I don't want to be that guy with 20 basses, i would really like to be that guy that bought a certain bass when he was a young man, and that's still what he's playing in his 60s if God allows me to live that long. but for some reason I haven't loved any one bass to where I feel so attached to it that I cant let it go.

Now, a bass that is seemingly the amalgamation of all the good parts of the best basses I have owned has come into the picture, and as a 23 year old with no business doing this, I just bought it through a payment plan. And its expensive, like, VERY expensive. south of $9k but north of $5k. I cant believe I've done it, but I'm just tired of this endless buying and selling cause no bass quite hits the spot. this one IN THEORY, should offer the best of all my favorite basses in the past. As much as I hate to admit it I've really been spoiled rotten by some of the higher end basses I've owned.

Here's the kicker, I SUCK. I am not a good bassist by any stretch. I barely know any theory, I am *alright* in terms of technique but don't have the musical knowledge to put it to any good use. I've been "playing" bass since I was 12, but didn't really take any seriousness and passion to it until recently. I love music and adore bass, I love to listen to the best musicians out there from prog rock to jazz, and marvel at their mastery in technique and tasteful musicality. I just like nice things (though this is a few jumps over "nice"), and to me, few material things are more awesome than a finely crafted instrument, made with amazing dedication and attention to detail. You feel it when you hold them, and it makes you want to play.

Of course this isn't to say that I wont make an effort to become better at the bass. in fact I want this bass to be my trusty tool in the process of learning more than I ever have. It just feels funny, that for a long while, this bass made to the highest caliber of quality will be played by someone who hasn't even scratched the surface yet.

I am selling my other basses save for one beat up Ken Smith copy that I will use when I'm not comfortable taking a multi thousand dollar instrument somewhere.
Of course theres always the chance I get the bass in hand and decide I don't like it, which is why I bought it new from a reputable shop with a return policy. I wouldn't feel very good doing it, but its the only smart thing to do if you buy such an expensive bass and don't like it.

Not sure I want to say what bass it is I bought because maybe someone here was eyeing it and will be angry it went my way haha.
I have the Alembic I had build for me when I was 20. I'm 60. For a few years I had traded one of my brothers for a Steinberger L2A, but we swapped back after a bit. I can't see parting with it again.

On the subject of being worthy of fine instruments regardless of our ability to play them, a great instrument will typically make you a better player because a great instrument will reproduce all the flaws in your technique. Spend the time and enjoy the instrument. Play it in dive bars and let people touch it. That's how legends are made.

John
 
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having just seen this thread post cancelation.... I can say.

at 25 I got my dream custom bass as a combo wedding present and windfall combo.
is it my main bass or even my favourite? sadly neither.
status B2 was my dream bass even being a production model but custom order as 90% of status graphite are.
by 28 I had another in my Sandberg California PM5. with some fenders thrown in between the status and sandberg.
now at 42 what am I playing most?

a £300 harley benton hahaha
yeah I still have all of my basses, and they all get played but yeah all of those shiny toys and its the cheapest one I'm most comfortable with PMSL

find what you are comfortable with both in bass choice and string type and just enjoy doing what you love, we live in a time when high ticket instruments only offer personal options and the low points of budget models can be upgraded at home easily enough.
go and play and do what you love. don't worry about it so much