Some Pros use cheap basses

[Plectrum72]

A lot of folks in this thread fail to realize the that difference between a great bass, a good, bass, a mediocre bass and a crap bass is completely subjective and the right answer is only right for you. Of course, if you are trying to persuade someone to your point of view, it does not help your argument if you think the words cheap and inexpensive are interchangeable or that high quality and expensive are synonymous either. Just because you pay a lot of money does not mean you bought quality (although I would like to think the extra $$ is more than for a name). Similarly, just because you saved some money on an inexpensive instrument does not mean you got a great deal.

Only you can decide if what you are playing is a great instrument and only you can decide if that instrument was worth however much or little you paid for it.

 

[topo morto]

Personal exploration and subjective experience.

I don't doubt it, but in your explorations, what were the actual physical differences in the instruments that gave rise to better experience?

Genuinely interested as I've played basses from $300 to $2500 and genuinely not noticed any real playability gradient. I HAVE noticed that real cheapies (sub-$200) are generally bad. I've never played anything $12000.

What amazes me is that a statement has been made that the only difference between, say, a Hondo and a Ritter is the ego of the owner.

That strikes me as patently absurd, and any anyone who says that they can't see, feel, or hear a difference is probably being insincere, at best.

Maybe there's a world of difference between what can be made for cheap now, and what could be made for cheap in the days of Hondo..?

 

[Feral Feline]

Some Pros use cheap basses...

... and some amateurs use expensive basses.









I like both ¢ & $$$ basses

 

[TonyP-]

There's a huge psychological component to believing that a custom bass is more playable than an inexpensive one.

That I do agree with.

 

[RVRSCO]

Like many people here on TB, I have owned a stupid amount a bass guitars...I think at last count I was pretty well over 100!

So, I have tried everything from squiers to Ken Smiths, to Schecters, to USA Spectors and so on...

I think a seasoned player can certainly feel the difference between something like a Squier and a Boutique bass, but that same player can also make both basses sound great.

In my 17 years if playing, my main bass, the one I always return to and the one that has never been listed here in the classified section, nor will it ever be...is a 97' Fender MIJ 75 RI. I love it. It fits ME perfectly and that is what's most important. I bought it new in 97 and will still have when I'm 97!

 

[bassfreakah]

Like many people here on TB, I have owned a stupid amount a bass guitars...I think at last count I was pretty well over 100!

So, I have tried everything from squiers to Ken Smiths, to Schecters, to USA Spectors and so on...

I think a seasoned player can certainly feel the difference between something like a Squier and a Boutique bass, but that same player can also make both basses sound great.

In my 17 years if playing, my main bass, the one I always return to and the one that has never been listed here in the classified section, nor will it ever be...is a 97' Fender MIJ 75 RI. I love it. It fits ME perfectly and that is what's most important. I bought it new in 97 and will still have when I'm 97!

View attachment 349445

I love my MIJ jazz bass it has a great feel and i will never sell it!! I dont think it could be replaced!!

 

[Robdrone]

i find it amusing that people are treating the Dean name like everything they've ever made was garbage. Maybe the new ones are garbage now that Dean Zelinsky has moved on, and maybe their quality curve mirrors that of say Steinberger, but people seem to forget that they once made some truly great and innovative instruments. Hell, Dimebag played Deans for a good portion (dare I say the best portion) of his career. They even made guitars and basses for ZZ Top back in the '80s. You don't get artists like that by making garbage instruments.

 

[Snakeman1066]

I have an ESP made in Japan...I have an ESP made in Korea.....I have an ESP made in Vietnam..

Can i tell the difference....yes

however the Korean bass cost half what the Japanese model did and for the extra $$$ there isn't that much difference in feel and none in tone....in fact same model, same electronics, with same wood combos...the only differences are the brand of tuning machines and location of build...

the vietnamese model (cost less than 1/4 what the japanese model did and less than half of the Korean model) well, once it got a bridge, pickup, jack and pot changed out sounded the same as the other two, however you can tell a very distinct difference in terms of feel...the other two are simply more substantial in your hand...

all same model at different price points...

for most gigs i use the Korean model with the vietnamese as a backup...

at home and in studio i use the Japanese version

 

[lfmn16]

Sooo@ my point is that cheap basses can rock with the big boys.

Who said that you couldn't rock on a cheap bass?

 

[Bongolation]

There are plenty of endorsing artists out there whose 'sweet deal' only gets them a discount.

That's called a joke endorsement.

A few years ago, I got the full rundown on FMIC's endorsement policies directly from Artist Relations. It's become much more complex now than it was then, but a central point was that FMIC never paid an artist a penny, ever.

That's of course extremely deceptive.

Artist models result in a given per-unit donation made to a charity of the artist's choice, which if tax attorneys are on the case works out to be as good as cash in the pocket.

And they REALLY take care of their main-line artists in terms of gear. I suppose everyone remembers where "relics" originated, and for whom.

The big artists get lots of gear, whatever they want, from the custom shop. I'm unclear if the title to the gear technically remains with FMIC or not for tax purposes, but it's essentially on permanent loan, if so. A few years back, when the Shack Shakers got their trailer stolen in some southern hellhole, Gretsch/FMIC air-freighted them a whole new set of gear. And the Shack Shakers aren't that big.

Since then, I think they've gotten on the joke endorsement bandwagon with a lot of joke artists getting essentially nothing whatsoever except their links on the FMIC sites.

 

[Robdrone]

I hear what you're saying, but ... I own Fodera, F Bass, Drozd, Sadowsky, Lakland, LeCompte, Yamaha and several Fender basses, so I've experienced it. There's no reason why an inexpensive bass can't "feel" just as good as a custom bass. I feel different when playing my Foderas from when I'm playing my Fenders, but it has much less to do with playability than ego. I owned an EB MM Stingray 5, a very nice bass. But I much prefer the "feel" of an SX jazz I played that cost about one tenth as much.

There's a huge psychological component to believing that a custom bass is more playable than an inexpensive one. Do you think the better feel is due to better programming of the builders' respective CNC machines?

If your Foderas were made with CNC machines I'd say they have some explaining to do.

 

[topo morto]

If your Foderas were made with CNC machines I'd say they have some explaining to do.

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[FretNoMore]

If your Foderas were made with CNC machines I'd say they have some explaining to do.

Why? You think a person is better at shaping wood than a CNC machine is?

I really prefer the precision of the machine. Then a person can do the finishing touches.

 

[Robdrone]

I have an ESP made in Japan...I have an ESP made in Korea.....I have an ESP made in Vietnam..

Can i tell the difference....yes

however the Korean bass cost half what the Japanese model did and for the extra $$$ there isn't that much difference in feel and none in tone....in fact same model, same electronics, with same wood combos...the only differences are the brand of tuning machines and location of build...

the vietnamese model (cost less than 1/4 what the japanese model did and less than half of the Korean model) well, once it got a bridge, pickup, jack and pot changed out sounded the same as the other two, however you can tell a very distinct difference in terms of feel...the other two are simply more substantial in your hand...

all same model at different price points...

for most gigs i use the Korean model with the vietnamese as a backup...

at home and in studio i use the Japanese version

I have a couple of Korean made Schecters. I think they are wonderful guitars. Of course I always choose the models with name brand pick-ups, but I'd put them up against anything at twice the price as far as playability and tone.

 

[Robdrone]

Why? You think a person is better at shaping wood than a CNC machine is?

I really prefer the precision of the machine.

I agree, but if a company is going to charge hand made prices, they damn well better be hand made.

 

[Snakeman1066]

That's called a joke endorsement.

A few years ago, I got the full rundown on FMIC's endorsement policies directly from Artist Relations. It's become much more complex now than it was then, but a central point was that FMIC never paid an artist a penny, ever.

That's of course extremely deceptive.

Artist models result in a given per-unit donation made to a charity of the artist's choice, which if tax attorneys are on the case works out to be as good as cash in the pocket.

And they REALLY take care of their main-line artists in terms of gear. I suppose everyone remembers where "relics" originated, and for whom.

The big artists get lots of gear, whatever they want, from the custom shop. I'm unclear if the title to the gear technically remains with FMIC or not for tax purposes, but it's essentially on permanent loan, if so. A few years back, when the Shack Shakers got their trailer stolen in some southern hellhole, Gretsch/FMIC air-freighted them a whole new set of gear. And the Shack Shakers aren't that big.

Since then, I think they've gotten on the joke endorsement bandwagon with a lot of joke artists getting essentially nothing whatsoever except their links on the FMIC sites.

some regional musicians might be offended by this....a discount (wholesale cost) on your favorite instrument and the right to claim your endorsed is not a JOKE to some people

 

[fourstringbliss]

You can buy that same bass for $499.

 

[FretNoMore]

I wonder who gains most from endorsements. A discount must be a really low cost way for the manufacturer to market their products, and buy credibility that makes wannabes buy the bass their idol plays.

 

[hover]

If your Foderas were made with CNC machines I'd say they have some explaining to do.

Link Removed

"We have a CNC machine now. We also have a PLEK machine, which is a CNC based machine. But the way in which we employ those things… there are certain things that machines can do, and certain things they can’t. Say we’ve got to cut out the shape of a body 30 times for a Monarch 4 Standard. The basic shape of the body, rather than doing that by hand on a jigsaw, is now done by a CNC router."

SCANDALOUSSSS!

In the end though, I'll ask again. Who really cares? Play what you play. It plays, it makes noise. You pick it up and it plays the way you like and makes the noises you like. Win win

/thread/thread/thread/

Until next week, of course.

 

[Robdrone]

Link Removed

I have no problem with them using a CNC in the manner they describe for rough cutting body shapes, but like they say in the article every piece of wood is different, and they want to be carved in their own way. That's where the difference is with hand made instruments.

I own quite a few CNC made guitars, but I never paid more than $1000 for any of them.

I don't care if their pickups are made from unobtainium. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay upwards of $10k+ for a guitar that was knocked out in a few hours by a CNC machine.