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So what does a $25k bass actually get you?

#641
groooooove said:
pretty vague to only discuss a "$25,000" price tag - depends on what it is.

fodera is known to more or less be the highest price tag, but they top out at around $15k.

most high end/pricey basses are in the $3-6k range - for that you get high attention to detail, customization, craftsmanship, which adds up in many cases to tone and playability. getting a certain look (top woods? unique body shapes?) can get expensive as well.


or over on the DB forum for $25,000 you get a "nice bass" :laugh: man don't we have it easy?
Click to expand...
Spector custom shop out of Woodstock,
Spector NS-4 30KBC
NEW 32,000 YEAR OLD BASS

The NS-30K BC utilized what
is believed to be the oldest
wood ever used in the
construction of a musical
instrument. Obtained by Spector from logs discovered
buried 40 feet deep in a
sand quarry in Georgia, USA,
the wood is perfectly
preserved, due to the
sterile nature of the sand
and the natural decay
resistance of the cypress
wood itself. Using carbon
14 testing techniques, samples of the wood were
examined by Beta Analytics,
in Miami, to check for
radioactive decay in the small
amount of carbon that
is present in all living
organisms. This wood was
dated as 31,970 years old,
plus or minus 570 years.

I imagine in the hands of the collector that own this limited bass more than likely would fetch at least if not more than $25K these days.

2D1DD529-F756-4EA6-8691-F9D57A51793E.jpeg
71A65D44-A980-4E3A-8E88-88BC223335BF.jpeg
86F19467-931B-4B2D-9F33-ACF2D6DE7BE1.jpeg
 
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#642
Bflat said:
I paid just a little more for this one....and can't believe I own it........It plays ok and sounds great, you get one chance in your life to own this and if you really want it, you have to buy it. that said I'd never pay that much for a new custom bass, they just don't do it for me:):)
View attachment 3348681
Click to expand...
So please do tell what you’re holding there that you now own.
 
#646
Look if your rich 25k is 25 bucks which is a drop in a bucket for a Bass Guitar. Lets get one thing understood MOST professional musicians are endorsed by the 25K bass guitar companies that make these instruments, AND most professional musicians like their own identity on and off stage, AND 9 times out of 10 professional musicians have their own Signature model made by the 25k company to their own specs and what they want to hear and the professional musician is probably who you will see running around with a 25k bass guitar again unless you have a lot of money to spend on one. But there are some great sounding basses out there that SOUND just as good as a 25k bass but may not look as good with the exotic woods. It's all in what YOUR budget allows you to spend and what you want to sound like. Trust me bro the woods used in basses made now days means EVERYTHING IN YOUR SOUND along with the electronics used, bridge, nut, tuning pegs, head stock size and angle its all relevant.
 
#647
OK, toooo many nasty posts going on in this thread.

First, most of us don’t need an instrument in the OP price range to get our bar gigs done. Let’s get that out of the way and stop posting about it. On page 33. Please.

My parts Fender does just fine for my local club gigs. Thank you very much. There, that was easy.

Second.
But, the OP asked what you can get in that price range. The reality is that some of the more seriously hand crafted instruments can get in that range these days. I haven’t quoted a Series II Alembic recently; but, I would think it’s not far off. Jimmy Johnson plays those. Stanley Clarke plays those. Pretty sure those cats appropriately have their egos in check.

Those are both PROFESSIONAL players, each with pretty specific occupation driven priorities. They spend that kind of money for an instrument because their job makes constructive use of the characteristics those instruments deliver.

Same thing and even MUCH higher dollar ranges apply to orchestral double basses. If you REALLY want to get sticker shock, try quoting some of the better uprights from Kolstein.

Back to electric basses, what does all that expenditure of money get you? Well, you would need to play a Series I or II Alembic to find out. And, those benefits may well NOT make sense to most of us working stiff bass players. Which is fine. Posts like, “gee, I tried a Series I Alembic, and the value wasn’t there for me,” are fine. But, at least then the player commenting knows what the differences are. All this slinging mud based on economic disparities and different needs with no knowledge of context is pretty juvenile. $25k can get you a REALLY nice bass. But, you may well just not need it. Cool. Next.
 
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#648
IPRAYB4IPLAY said:
Look if your rich 25k is 25 bucks which is a drop in a bucket for a Bass Guitar. Lets get one thing understood MOST professional musicians are endorsed by the 25K bass guitar companies that make these instruments, AND most professional musicians like their own identity on and off stage, AND 9 times out of 10 professional musicians have their own Signature model made by the 25k company to their own specs and what they want to hear and the professional musician is probably who you will see running around with a 25k bass guitar again unless you have a lot of money to spend on one. But there are some great sounding basses out there that SOUND just as good as a 25k bass but may not look as good with the exotic woods. It's all in what YOUR budget allows you to spend and what you want to sound like. Trust me bro the woods used in basses made now days means EVERYTHING IN YOUR SOUND along with the electronics used, bridge, nut, tuning pegs, head stock size and angle its all relevant.
Click to expand...
That’s not true with Alembic. They do not do endorsement pricing. The pros playing them pay the same thing you and I would, after negotiations.
 
#649
Again it's a persons preference of sound they like. You seem to like the Alembic sound, endorsed or purchased that's all good bro. Answer this how many people do you KNOW or SEE playing a Alembic LOL ? ( Answer ) Not many why because like you said they don't endorse #1 and there are to many basses out there that sound just as good or better, IE Ken Smith, its a preference bro !!!!
 
#650
IPRAYB4IPLAY said:
Again it's a persons preference of sound they like. You seem to like the Alembic sound, endorsed or purchased that's all good bro. Answer this how many people do you KNOW or SEE playing a Alembic LOL ? ( Answer ) Not many why because like you said they don't endorse #1 and there are to many basses out there that sound just as good or better, IE Ken Smith, its a preference bro !!!!
Click to expand...
Of course, it’s a preference. I missed the part where I stated otherwise or said anything about other makers. I wasn’t intending any dig at your post. I was simply adding additional info.

I’ve gigged both Smith and Alembic; but, as I said, I find my parts Jazz Bass perfectly adequate for most of my needs. Yes, I do prefer the sound the Alembic produces to a Smith; but, Smith’s are nice too. The matter of which instrument is as good or better is highly subjective; as you said. I think we are on the same page on that point.

Back when I got my Alembic (used), they were just simply head and shoulders in a class all their own. Since then, after market preamps and pickups have made other high quality sounds available at significantly lower cost. Which makes sense for a LOT of players. So, the gap is smaller. But, Alembics still are very special. A cat really needs to work with a Series I / II instrument to understand what that’s about. Most don’t get the chance.

One last thing about Alembics is that they actually don’t make good cover band basses, IF your objective is to emulate classic Fender tones. For that objective, a correctly configured Fender-ish instrument is hands down a better choice. Alembics simply have too strong a personality in their sound. IME, YMMV.
 
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#651
I have an Alembic Spoiler that I had made for me in the late 80's. It's a wonderful bass that I love the sound of but it's not my choice for a rock band; I have a fretless P-Bass and a Warwick for that. Where I do love using the Alembic is for Jazz and Americana/Folk music; genres without a preconceived notion of what a bass should sound like. A 25K Alembic would take my Spoiler and take it to the next level; it would be cool but I really don't need lighted fret position markers - or do I?
 
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#655
bucephylus said:
OK, toooo many nasty posts going on in this thread.

First, most of us don’t need an instrument in the OP price range to get our bar gigs done. Let’s get that out of the way and stop posting about it. On page 33. Please.

My parts Fender does just fine for my local club gigs. Thank you very much. There, that was easy.

Second.
But, the OP asked what you can get in that price range. The reality is that some of the more seriously hand crafted instruments can get in that range these days. I haven’t quoted a Series II Alembic recently; but, I would think it’s not far off. Jimmy Johnson plays those. Stanley Clarke plays those. Pretty sure those cats appropriately have their egos in check.

Those are both PROFESSIONAL players, each with pretty specific occupation driven priorities. They spend that kind of money for an instrument because their job makes constructive use of the characteristics those instruments deliver.

Same thing and even MUCH higher dollar ranges apply to orchestral double basses. If you REALLY want to get sticker shock, try quoting some of the better uprights from Kolstein.

Back to electric basses, what does all that expenditure of money get you? Well, you would need to play a Series I or II Alembic to find out. And, those benefits may well NOT make sense to most of us working stiff bass players. Which is fine. Posts like, “gee, I tried a Series I Alembic, and the value wasn’t there for me,” are fine. But, at least then the player commenting knows what the differences are. All this slinging mud based on economic disparities and different needs with no knowledge of context is pretty juvenile. $25k can get you a REALLY nice bass. But, you may well just not need it. Cool. Next.
Click to expand...
Well stated!:thumbsup:
 
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#658
mrcbass said:
I can't imagine it "get" that much value. There is a difference between budget basses (Squiers, etc) and the more expensive lines, but after a point, IMO, you're mostly paying for prestige. Yes, I expect the workmanship and materials to be better, but for me, I have much better use of that kind of money than to spend it on any instrument. I admit that I've never even seen anything over a couple grand in person let alone played one, but have never been overly impressed with the relatively expensive basses I have tried - the $2000 bass has never tempted me away from the $500 ones after playing them side by side.

Hard to know for sure, I doubt that I would get something like that even if money was no object. I'm perfectly happy with my lower end basses. If someone gave me $25K that I had to budget for music, I'd spend it on building a rehearsal space at my house. Either that or hire a roadie....
Click to expand...
I couldn't have said it better myself. And my main players are under $500.
 
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#660
What gives an instrument any kind of value?
1. Cost of materials.
2. Cost of manufacture.
3. Playability.
4. Sound characteristics.
5. Scarcity and collectability.
6. Snake Oil.

With a solid body bass it's difficult to go past $10K without items 5 and 6 becoming the main factor in the price. Acoustic instruments are a different story. I've got two ABG's in the $8-10K range and if I could afford it I wouldn't think twice about commissioning a $30K+ instrument from that builder.
 

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