Fender CS Dusty Hill Sig - prob the biggest 'price-to-beat up/simplicity' ratio money can buy. They ain't cheap!
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Stepping down from high end basses
- Thread starter sidonbass
- Start date
Fender CS Dusty Hill Sig - prob the biggest 'price-to-beat up/simplicity' ratio money can buy. They ain't cheap!
That model of bass from that same period is $20,000 or so these days. Jamerson’s played a nice bass that needed a set up really bad
The most high end bass I've had recently, Fender Elite Jazz, was a huge disappointment. Maybe it was just bad luck, but the initial setup was horrible and the fretwork was terrible. My main ones right now are a Talman and an Indonesian Peavy which I am more than happy with. I do want to get another Ric in the near future though...
No they aint. Outside of the Relic job you could probably build one for yourself for less than a thousand easy.
My Sadowsky Modern 5 is sitting on a stand right next to my Sire V7 5 string.
They are both great basses. If you were wearing a blindfold and playing them, you'd never know that one was nearly 6 times more expensive than the other one.
Manufacturing technology has gotten a lot better in the last decade and basses out of Asia have improved dramatically.
They are both great basses. If you were wearing a blindfold and playing them, you'd never know that one was nearly 6 times more expensive than the other one.
Manufacturing technology has gotten a lot better in the last decade and basses out of Asia have improved dramatically.
I guess everybodys concept of a high end bass is different..when I started playing in the 60's..the musicians played what was available for sale in the music shops..back then..the small store I dealt with only carried fender..gibson..and peavey..some different brands would come in on trade in..but it was pretty limited..most of the musicians really liked the brands that were being sold there..and a lot of instruments were sold through that store over the years..I have always played USA made fenders and gibsons..and have always been very satisfied with the product..and havent really wanted anything else..as years went on..I had maybe 8 bass guitars..and different brands too..but years ago got rid of all but 2 instruments..a USA fender jazz made in corona calif..and a USA gibson victory artist made in nashville tn..its all I need and all I want..I recently bought a keith brawley 4 string neck thru bass on craigslist for $140..just for the heck of it..it was just so nice and so inexpensive..hand built too..no case with it......I dont take my gibson victory to gigs..too rare and valuable..its always my fender jazz..gonna use the brawley for a backup..would consider getting another fender for a backup..really like the elrick jazz bass..but I am good with what I have..have a lot of other interests in life..got a real cool and sweet girlfriend..and we like to travel..and have great adventures together in life..and now finally in a position in life where I have plenty of money to do what I want..nice house..couple of nice cars..good friends..and most of all..a zest for life..its good to be the king..
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Car analogies, love them. Hope none of you out there drives a Camry. I have played inexpensive Fenders and expensive booteekees. The BMW Camry comparison in not apt. An inexpensive Fender can be a fine fine instrument lacking for nothing. A Camry is a very very bland car lacking in characteristics that keep people safe. It is separate from the road in that you can’t feel the 4 tires through your butt. It’s not capable of 60mph accident avoidance maneuvers with a safe margin of control for the average driver. It is designed to be the Japanese Oldsmobile comfortable through isolation. It’s specs are low to mid pack. It’s seats don’t provide support that would encourage attention on a long drive. It’s made to go A to B. The BMW handles very well and can drive around that thrown retread truck tire at speed without upsetting the passengers. It’s short stopping distance like it’s handling are safety features. I don’t own or favor BMWs.
With basses one is just a good instrument or not regardless of price.
So I hear! That neck does look amazing. And they sound like thunder .
I met up with a guitarist from my old blues band. Of course we talked instruments. At that time, my main bass was a 5 string Jazz (MIA Fender Marcus Miller signature model). I also occasionally played a Squier Classic Vibe 50's Precision. He inquired about the Squier, saying it sounded incredible and really sat well in the overall sound of the band etc. The Fender cost about 5 times as much, but he hardly recalled I had it - despite the Fender being my main bass for the 2 year duration of that band.
Currently I am using a Tony Franklin fretless as my main bass. It's about as much as I will ever pay for a bass - or so I say now. I may pick up a bass with a lower price tag at some point, because it is not a deciding factor. As several people have already mentioned, what's important is: how does it feel and how does it sound?
Currently I am using a Tony Franklin fretless as my main bass. It's about as much as I will ever pay for a bass - or so I say now. I may pick up a bass with a lower price tag at some point, because it is not a deciding factor. As several people have already mentioned, what's important is: how does it feel and how does it sound?
I played Alembics almost exclusively for several years, and for various reasons switched over to Fender Jazz basses, not sub1k models but 2k and below. While I loved the Alembic sound, their weight and expense were just two large negatives for me and I am also finding that I think I play the jazz basses better than the Alembics.
Just goes to show that awesome skill can make up for less than stellar equipment (nothing wrong with MM's bass, so put the pitchforks away) but the reverse is rarely, if ever, the case.
All depends on the sound you've got in your head.
I can't say I've stepped down. But I straddle a range that runs from boutique to bargain bin when it comes to what I've owned and played over the years. And I own multiple basses. The most expensive bass I ever owned was an Alembic. Least expensive bass, a sub $200 Gretsch Junior Jet purchased used.
Does the Gretsch sound like the Alembic? No. Does the Alembic produce the same sound as the Gretsch? No. But they were both excellent instruments for the tone they had - which is why I bought them in the first place.
We all have a certain sound (usually more than one) in mind when we're selecting an instrument. Sometimes one bass does it all. Sometimes it takes more than one. If you go by your ears (like I do) the price tag or brand/model.name is largely immaterial. You buy whatever bass gets you what you want.
Will something else sound exactly like your old Sadowsky? Probably not. That's why Sadowsky (and a bunch of other brands) continue to sell. But by the same token will your Sadowsky sound anything like a far more expensive Alembic or Wal? No. But not because of the price differential. It's because those two basses are designed to have a completely different tonal character than anything with its roots in a Fender. Just like my cheapie Gretsch was.
So here's my feeling. If you're fortunate enough to have found a bass that checks all your boxes, and you don't absolutely need to sell it, then don't. The odds of getting an exact replacement are slim since each individual instrument has it's own character even if it's within the same product line. So while you can get another Sadowsky if you change your mind, there will always be subtle differences in tone and feel. Sometimes you'll like the new one as much or even better than your old one. But that's a chance you'll have to take.
Good luck whichever way you decide.
Pretty much my experience. I have a couple Alembics, and barring unforeseen circumstances I will always have them and will play them out wherever / whenever I feel like it. But I also have some relatively inexpensive basses. Different, but moderately priced in terms of what I paid for them. My Fender Dlx P5 gets a lot of play time. So do my 1970s Music Man basses. Last night I played 2 sets / 3 hours with my Marchlewski, which, although very unique, did not cost a lot of $$.
My most disparate gig was an anniversary gig where we did a couple classic oldies by request of the party hosts. Since it was a wedding gig, I took my most expensive Alembic. Because I wanted to do the classics
like "At Last" on fretless, I also took my son's Squier VM fretless. So I had a $5k+ bass and an under $300 bass at the same gig. I guarantee you nobody cared. Well, actually now that I think about it, there was one guy who asked me a ton of questions about the Alembic between sets.
Ahhhh, but there are a number of us who do.
But also play the mainstream moderately priced stuff, too.
I guess I don't get why it has to be "showing off" or "flashing cash". When I play my Alembics, I play them because I like the way they feel, play, and sound. I could care less who notices what I am playing and most people have no clue what they are anyway. Only the occasional fellow musician. And most of them also have no clue what they may cost. When I had a Roscoe fretless 5-string, I did a studio session where the saxophonist who was on the gig whispered to me the name of a pawn shop where he had just seen a "real Fender" for a reasonable price. His assumption was that since it wasn't a Fender, my Roscoe was a cheap instrument. After he heard my lay the track he started asking me about the instrument and then decided maybe I didn't need the Fender after all.
I had an Ibanez 4 string that was perfect. I can't find a cheap bass as good as that one easily. My 2008 jaguar CIJ is close and was $650 used. All day I dream about Warwicks and Sandbergs, but I've played warwicks that needed a setup just like a $300 MIM P-Bass.
Stepping down from the unobrainium to the realistic might be as pragmatic as it sounds. Good luck with the new goals. I hope I can step up someday though.
Stepping down from the unobrainium to the realistic might be as pragmatic as it sounds. Good luck with the new goals. I hope I can step up someday though.
I've stepped down from a Neil Kennedy custom 5 to a Standard USA Fender jazz and that was fine. Had to adjust to the neck thickness and string spacing but other than that no issues. But I will say at present I play a Ken Smith which I got hell cheap and I'm never stepping down from that!
Someone near me gutted out the electronics from an early Ken Smith BSR.
He had them on Craigslist for bit, then they ended up sold on eBay.
I thought about grabbing a beater Squier or MIM J and making a mutant but I just don't need another 4-string right now.
