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So, What makes expensive basses expensive?

#21
honeyiscool said:
Yeah there is. The Ferrari goes faster.

Nobody would question boutique basses if they had a demonstrably better sound.
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The Ferrari probably also handles better, but to a relatively inexperienced driver, there would be no discernible difference.

To somebody who drives professionally (stunt drivers, etc), having a good, responsive car, with consistencies year to year is very important.
 
#22
A Ferrari costs 20 times as much as a Kia. Is it 20 times better? Well the performance is clearly better, you can measure that. The build quality (perhaps Ferrari is a bad example here) is better.

A Sadowsky costs 20 times as much as a Squier. Is it 20 times better? The "performance" is a lot harder to measure here but the superior build quality is hard to dispute.

20 times better?

The answer is, it depends. If you always wanted a Ferrari or a Sadowsky then the answer is yes. If you have the means and you want a supercar or boutique bass go for it.
 
#23
honeyiscool said:
Yeah there is. The Ferrari goes faster.

Nobody would question boutique basses if they had a demonstrably better sound.
Click to expand...

When I listen back to some jams I recorded, I can't tell the difference in the recordings between the sound of my Alembics, and my Indonesian P Bass knockoff. But I can distinctly remember how much more fun and inspiring, downright joyful it was to play my Alembic.

There is a lot more to playing and making music than what it sounds like in the mix.
 
#24
FunkMetalBass said:
The Ferrari probably also handles better, but to a relatively inexperienced driver, there would be no discernible difference.

To somebody who drives professionally (stunt drivers, etc), having a good, responsive car, with consistencies year to year is very important.
Click to expand...

The Ferrari has better quality components, the fit and finish inside and out are better, the interior appointments are of a greater quality, the overall time, consideration and scrutiny that went into the build is probably exponentially higher. The dude who painted the car, and the dude who rubbed out the finish on the Ferrari probably spent more time and effort to get it exactly right and perfect than the car that's on the Ford production line or even the BMW line...
 
#25
BurningSkies said:
The Ferrari has better quality components, the fit and finish inside and out are better, the interior appointments are of a greater quality, the overall time, consideration and scrutiny that went into the build is probably exponentially higher. The dude who painted the car, and the dude who rubbed out the finish on the Ferrari probably spent more time and effort to get it exactly right and perfect than the car that's on the Ford production line or even the BMW line...
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I'll bet ya the Kia goes at least twice as far before breaking down. :D
 
#28
jbybj said:
When I listen back to some jams I recorded, I can't tell the difference in the recordings between the sound of my Alembics, and my Indonesian P Bass knockoff. But I can distinctly remember how much more fun and inspiring, downright joyful it was to play my Alembic.

There is a lot more to playing and making music than what it sounds like in the mix.
Click to expand...

Hmm...is that good for the Squier...or bad for the Alembic?
 
#32
jbybj said:
When I listen back to some jams I recorded, I can't tell the difference in the recordings between the sound of my Alembics, and my Indonesian P Bass knockoff. But I can distinctly remember how much more fun and inspiring, downright joyful it was to play my Alembic.

There is a lot more to playing and making music than what it sounds like in the mix.
Click to expand...

Of course. But it does explain why some people don't believe in boutique basses.

Some people care about the journey to get the results, others care about the results only. If you only want results, a cheap off-brand with good pickups is probably good enough for you.

I think Kia vs. Ferrari is a bad analogy because anybody can tell that the Ferrari goes faster.
 
#35
BurningSkies said:
Are you so sure about that? I haven't heard so many screamin' great stories from people driving Kias... ;)
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Pretty sure. You don't see too many Ferraris that go 40-50,000 miles without major work. They are more dependable than Alfas.

Italian supercars are like Italian women. Beautiful to look at but they require a lot of maintenance. Most guys lucky enough to have had either will swear they're worth it, though. ;)
 
#36
Keeping with the car analogy I used to drive an Isuzu Rodeo '95, It never broke down, 4x4. Good sound system. I went to the beach, parked anywhere, handled potholes like a champ. I crashed it 8 times and it keep on ticking. Everyone loved it and I sold it for 2 grand.

My first "adult" car is a Mercedes Benz SLK300. Worst decision of my life. Not only the maintenances are more expensive ($650), I can't touch a pothole, can't go the beach, my gear doesn't fit in it, I have to make sure my feet are clean everytime, it only sits 2 people, and the sound system is pretty mediocre.

So more expensive is not always better. Apples and oranges I know but it's what I know.
 
#38
I own a 1988 Pedulla MVP, and a mid 90's Fodera Monarch. the Pedulla is worth a lot less than the Monarch but it is much closer in quality than the price difference would suggest...The Mike Pope preamp in the Fodera is probably the main standout, and the rare body wood, the craftmanship of both basses is of similar, excellent quality. The ebony fingerboard on the Pedulla is exquisite! I think Pedulla is the way to go if you want a boutique, beautifully crafted bass at a good price.

I have also owned many (at least 6) Cort basses...and they are generally good for the price, though workmanship is inconsistent...electronics only OK...(Barts aint always Barts)

I played a fretted 4 string Wishbass at a festival once and it was great! It was a bit rough and unfinished, some hardware wasn't the best, but it was made from expensive, sexy tone woods and performed very well....crazy price for this bass, and a crazy body shape.
 
#39
EduardoJoel said:
Keeping with the car analogy I used to drive an Isuzu Rodeo '95, It never broke down, 4x4. Good sound system. I went to the beach, parked anywhere, handled potholes like a champ. I crashed it 8 times and it keep on ticking. Everyone loved it and I sold it for 2 grand.

My first "adult" car is a Mercedes Benz SLK300. Worst decision of my life. Not only the maintenances are more expensive ($650), I can't touch a pothole, can't go the beach, my gear doesn't fit in it, I have to make sure my feet are clean everytime, it only sits 2 people, and the sound system is pretty mediocre.

So more expensive is not always better. Apples and oranges I know but it's what I know.
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You crashed your Isuzu 8 times? :eyebrow:
 
#40
kenfxj said:
Pretty sure. You don't see too many Ferraris that go 40-50,000 miles without major work. They are more dependable than Alfas.

Italian supercars are like Italian women. Beautiful to look at but they require a lot of maintenance. Most guys lucky enough to have had either will swear they're worth it, though. ;)
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If you can afford the car, you can afford the maintenance.

I'm going to guess that there's a greater percentage of Ferrari's of any given production model still on the road than Kias of the same year.

On the other hand, my expensive bass takes no upkeep, although the strings I use cost me 40 bucks instead of 20 bucks...well worth it.
 

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