Stepping down from high end basses

[DanAdams]

I have stepped down, and I like cheaper basses better.
I had early 70s Fender jazz, Pre Ernie Ball MusicMan and an old Rickenbacker, now I favor Ibanez Roadstars and Musicians from the early 80s.
You can still get an exceptionally fantastic used neck through Ibanez Musician or Greco GOB for under $1000, and they are cooler and smoke the competition, or a killer Roadstar for under $500

 

[lz4005]

Has anyone stepped down from a high end bass to a sub 1000 dollar bass and been super happy with the change?

I haven't sold any off, but I have a couple of sub-$300 basses I've been playing more gigs with lately than my $1000+ ones. Mostly because I have shoulder issues and the inexpensive basses are significantly lighter weight than the others. Nobody notices a difference in tone in a band mix, particularly when I use a preamp pedal.

 

[Rich Emme]

Has anyone stepped down from a high end bass to a sub 1000 dollar bass and been super happy with the change?

I sold my Fodera, Sadowsky NYC, Benavente, Jerzy Drozd, Mayones, and only kept a Carvin PB5 ($1300) and a '71 Fender Jazz for a while. I can say that I was super happy with that change as the Carvin was a huge value purchase for me with the fact that it was very light, had great neck feel, and sounded awesome. So if you can find a value bass that fits the criteria of feel and sound you are expecting, I think you can be happy stepping down.

In full disclosure:I eventually sold both of those basses to fund a dream bass for me that reminded me of my first high end bass, but out of all the basses I've owned I miss the Carvin and the Benavente the most.

 

[Ric5]

I sold off my basses worth more than $2500 in the "great recession" a few years ago.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Depends on a lot of things, but generally:

1. Depends upon your needs and expectations - Michael Manring would have a tough time getting by with a stock bass. Jamerson seemed to do OK.
2. You can find good lower price basses, but they are not as consistent, long lasting, and the components certainly are not the same.
3. It also depends upon how much work you are willing to do on it. My Lull P4 has needed one setup in almost 15 years of playing in New England - I doubt you would get the same with a Squier (although there certainly are some nice ones).
4. Depends upon whether it is just a tool, or you like nice shiny things, and like translucent finishes.
5. Unless you bought used at a decent price, you will lose money when you sell it. Why take a hit on the sale to buy a lesser bass? Assuming you have more than one, keep your favorite. If you have one, and don't need the $$$, keep it.

 

[Altitude]

I own a beautiful Skjold- when I play my Fenders, I’m not ‘super happy’ about it, though I love those basses too.

Me too (2 Skjolds in fact). They are unarguably superior, the question is how much it matters. I've had a lot of fun playing a few gigs lately with my 30 year old beater St. Blues P-bass too.

 

[TheLowDown33]

Currently play an Dingwall ABZ5, and it lives up to the hype. I got it for a "steal" and it has every feature I want in a bass, and the ability to add some if I so choose. My other basses, that get played equally and are not at all inferior players, are two warmoth parts basses, a fretless jazz and a P with a squier neck. They all have their place, and as of this point in time, are perfect for me. They also cost me less than $450 a piece.

I'm convinced that with a bit of customization and a decent setup, you can get a $500 instrument playing like a million bucks.

 

[Kukulkan61]

These are high end to me:
Total cost: 1500.00
Priceless to me!!!

 

[DavC]

YES

i gave up 'showing off' ... having nice stuff is one thing .., just flashing cash is another

 

[lfmn16]

What do you think an inexpensive bass will do that your current one won't? Unless you need the money, I don't see the benefit in stepping backwards.

 

[Sixgunn]

No

 

[Tom Baker]

Like everyone else says...it depends. Technically my basses are the higher end of midrange? I dunno, they work for me. A pair EBMM Stingrays, an NS CR4M Omnibass, a pair of warwick covettes from 2004. Not budget I suppose but not Sadowsky/Fodera/Ken Smith either. I had a pair of Elricks for a while. A gold series EVO fretless and an artist serious Evolution as well. They just didn't do it for me, however they were beautiful to look at. A Sadowsky Metro would seem like a good functional that I would probably use assuming I liked they way it played and sounded.

I've had less expensive instruments that were awesome but honestly for me $1000.00 new is about as low as I can go and still get something I like. As with everything else YMMV.

 

[Bijoux]

Has anyone stepped down from a high end bass to a sub 1000 dollar bass and been super happy with the change?

I've owned a lot of basses in the past. And as far as high end I had a Ken smith, and 3 Surines, all very expensive. Some of my basses hung on the wall for months without being touched. It was all just GAS. I play a lot of upright so the electrics get played just about half of the time. I grew up playing Jazz basses, so to me that feels like home. So i decided to sell most of my basses and keep just the ones I need. my main bass is a Fender Jazz bass 70's reissue neck, deluxe body, EMG's pick up, Leo Quan Badass bridge, Hipshot D-tuner, Low D, and low C. I'm super happy with it and really don't miss any of the other basses.

 

[toprekoms]

I've had a Lakland and a German Warwick. They were both beautiful and very well constructed. I am totally convinced that boutique "tone woods" have very little to do with the sound of a bass. They look nice, but in my opinion, it's the pickups and preamp (if there is one) that are 80 to 90% of a bass's tone or sound. I've also owned dozens of basses in my 50 year love of the bass that cost 300.00 to 1000.00 that quite simply were the s**t. An '87 Jackson Concert Bass for 300.00, an '08 B.C. Rich Mockingbird Heritage Classic for 650.00, and a '96 Ibanez Kit Winger (a total tone monster that I wish I had never sold) for 650.00, just to name a few. I hope that I haven't offended any one.

 

[HolmeBass]

I’d keep the Sadowsky. You won’t get your money out of it.

But I am also sure there mid-priced basses around $1k, give or take, that will be just fine and plenty enjoyable to play when you need to trade the doghouse for the pork chop.

 

[chadds]

Makes me think of a Porsche. It’s a car. It does somethings really well exceeding in capability a car that costs 2/3 less.

Some people drive them because they love cars. Some people drive them because they want to impress people.

Who are we to judge what they drive and why they drive it?

I know people who scrimp and save and play a great instrument because in their quest to be a good musician they’ve found their tool. Can’t we just be happy for them? If we don’t like our choices or situation the place to change is obvious.

 

[groooooove]

thats funny,

I'm in the exact same position right now. Selling off my multi-thousand dollar basses and sticking to a carvin I bought used for $600.

I started my career on a similar carvin to this one, so in many ways it feels like home. I do miss the finesse, beauty, and overall attention to detail in construction and sound quality of my good instruments. but i love the ease of use, and peace of mind when using a $600 bass that at the end of the day is a nice instrument made from quality wood from a reputable brand.

 

[chris_b]

After quite a few high end basses, and the fact that I’m playing upright almost exclusively,
I’m ready to step down. Currently own a Sadowsky Metro 5.
Has anyone stepped down from a high end bass to a sub 1000 dollar bass and been super happy with the change?

I have also been looking at any benefits a cheaper bass could bring and I've bought a couple to see what they are like. The difference in our situations is I only play this bass and yours is almost a backup?

Honestly, I don't need the cash that badly and the difference between these basses and my Sadowsky Metro is so noticeable to me that I've stopped thinking about this idea.

My conclusion is that I would downgrade if I had to but not by choice.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Never paid more than $800 for any bass.
I've plucked around on basses of all price ranges. Lakland, Roscoe, Ritter, Ric, Alembic, Modulus, Warwick, Fender, Squier, BC Rich, whatever.
I bought the bass that did the job the best at the time that I needed that job done.
I understand why people pay $2k+ for basses with features and sounds and ergonomics that flip their switches. If you can afford it, do it.
Only high end bass I've ever played that flipped those switches for me was a Roscoe. It's still on my radar to own one some day, but it'll be a loooooong time from now.
The MIM Fender is paying the bills just fine.

 

[AngelCrusher]

After quite a few high end basses, and the fact that I’m playing upright almost exclusively,
I’m ready to step down. Currently own a Sadowsky Metro 5.
Has anyone stepped down from a high end bass to a sub 1000 dollar bass and been super happy with the change?

Need more details - Are you a weekender, full timer, session guy, bedroom rock god..etc? I have owned a $2,750 bass and currently play basses ranged from $700 to $1,300ish.

Happy to explain the differences if needed, but the short story is that I play on most records with my $1,300 Pbass, but all get used throughout my week in some capacity.