Stoopid Kweschun

[ProbablyTooLoud]

It helps to get your hands on one of the fancy basses people love to trash so much for the cost to understand what they really feel like to play.
IMO, quite a few people who trash the cost of an alembic, fodera, or nyc sadowsky have never had one in their hands.
Not saying you can't make a cheap bass play good, but for real, boutique basses are a real revelation to play.

 

[bass12]

Sometimes you can. There are lots of Squiers that play perfectly well (even without additional fretwork) and plenty of boutiques that fall short in various respects. The important thing is to find a bass that works for you. What anyone else thinks (unless it's the people hiring you) is largely irrelevant.

 

[rojo412]

There's a hack to this:

Buy a really well made, older, used bass that isn't terribly expensive.
Older instruments don't tend to have wood that is ready to shrink or change shape. It's settled in over many years.
If it was gonna be terrible, it would have happened by now.
If it was built with good wood and an attention to detail in the build quality, you're basically starting with what a home renovator would call "good bones."

Get the fretwork perfected on something like that (usually a level and crown job, but depends on how played it was).
THEN you'll end up with a treasure at the end.

These dirt cheap new build basses are hot garbage when it comes to wood. You could get fretwork done to rival the best Fodera on the market... and in a week or a month, when the wood decides to shrink a bit, you now have hot garbage which you threw good money at.
Don't do that!

 

[Thumpin6string]

First thing is it isn't stoopid, it's stupid. Second, why would anyone waste a bunch of money on a cheap azz bass?

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I really hate when someone brings me a cheap-@$$ anything to work on with the expectation I'll somehow make it "play like a $10,000 boutique" anything. Bass, or otherwise.

That being said, I don't mind a bit working on lesser quality instruments. I just don't appreciate it being foisted on me to turn them into more than the sum of their parts.

There are so many great quality basses at very reasonable price points nowadays that there isn't a reason to waste your money and a shop's time on junk.

 

[Muttleybass]

Where do I start? A cheap bass is plywood. Doesn't resonate properly. Neck wood is rushed, not dried to spec, neck will probably eventually warp, truss rod is thin and will break at some point.. All hardware is cheap metal. Not created equal. Tuning pegs strip, electronics are cheap, solder joints fail... Jacks will fail..

Once you replace everything you need to be happy, you'll wind up with the bass of Theseus.

 

[GregT]

I think it's doable! First you change the neck, then the body, then electronics, tuners, and everything else....every last thing. It certainly can be done!

 

[MrAB4003]

Now I may be totally naïve - and I am - but I have a stupid question for y’all:

Why can’t you take a cheap @$$ bass, and have a luthier do a top notch fret job on it, and make it play like a $10,000 boutique bass?

(Told you it was stoopid)

Cuz y not? U can do a gr8 set up on it 2 n make it sound evn bttr.

If u don't like it, u can yeet it cuz its trash. Aight?

 

[PennyroyalWe]

If youve found a stable inexpensive bass, a good luthier could make it play (no promises on sound) like an expensive bass. What’s the real difference between a 2k & 10k bass though? Beyond $8,000, I don’t know.

 

[ad9000]

You could put Michelin Pilot Sport tires on a Yugo (for those who remember Yugos) but it’s still a Yugo.

 

[Remguy]

well.. its like putting a brand new LS1 engine in a 1980s Honda civic. its may 'move fast' but it wont ride or feel like a new high end sports car.

Lots goes into a high end instrument beyond the setup; wood selection, resonance, matching pickups electronics, ergonomics, craftsmanship of build, fit and finish, weight.

A great setup should be acquired on all instruments, regardless of value. —it just won't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.

That was a really good response. Thank you!

 

[Remguy]

Thanks everybody for your responses. They were all good and wise and basically telling me I’m being an idiot for thinking such things. (but I can dream can’t I?)

I guess in the final equation, you basically get what you pay for, don’t you? Thanks again for your time. Really appreciate the thoughtful replies.

 

[Deep Note]

You can put a dress on a pig but its still a pig

 

[iqi616]

Now I may be totally naïve - and I am - but I have a stupid question for y’all:

Why can’t you take a cheap @$$ bass, and have a luthier do a top notch fret job on it, and make it play like a $10,000 boutique bass?

(Told you it was stoopid)

Frets make little difference in my experience unless they're not in the right place. Maybe for tappers or others who like a wafer thin action but I've never had fret problems.

Dead spots on the neck are a different matter - I would expect QC to reject high-end necks that have dead spots or other audible issues.

Also pickups - good pickups make a difference.

 

[Wyvern]

Haha! it's essentially what a Dingwall is, but you pay a premium for it!.

If the instrument was properly dried, you can get 99% there with a pro fret dress, upgraded hardware and electronics.

YES the "value" is not there for resale, but if you keep it, you can indeed polish a turd.

No real reason to pay $400 a fret unless you just absolutely need that pedigree bass.

 

[Topkat13]

Have you played a 10k bass?

 

[Dincrest]

Can a good setup, fret dress, or various upgrades make a lower-cost bass feel and sound like a more premium bass?

Theoretically, yes. But with cheaper basses, you're dealing with cheaper electronics/wiring, cheaper hardware, cheaper lumber (that's less aged, less dried, not as carefully selected for stability), and more "slap 'em together" assembly line building rather than more careful crafting.

Of course the opposite can be true too. There are manufacturers who charge an Earth simply because they have a pedigreed name and it feels like "the best $800 bass you can get for $2400."

A whole bunch of "go fast" components will not turn a 78 HP Mitsubishi Mirage into a Mustang. So I think it's important to start with a quality platform and go from there.

 

[Karl Kaminski]

Thanks everybody for your responses. They were all good and wise and basically telling me I’m being an idiot for thinking such things. (but I can dream can’t I?)

I guess in the final equation, you basically get what you pay for, don’t you? Thanks again for your time. Really appreciate the thoughtful replies.

a cheap bass doesnt mean the instrument will sound or play poorly. There are alot of great Squiers that once setup can be played and enjoyed in a professional or living room setting. Yes, a 'high end' instrument may be over be over kill for a players need or ability, but a fine instrument is a real joy to play so if you have the money ... why not?

Ultimately, you get what you pay for, but you can also pay for what you get.

 

[porkynuggets]

I've played $300 instruments that feel like $3000 instruments. The inverse is also true

 

[Medicine Man]

OK. Im not a professional luthier, but I've built and worked on a ton of guitars and basses. Some cheapies can be setup and dialed in to play as good as a pro instrument, but a lot can't. The ones that already play good are worth upgrading, but there are certainly some lemons out there that will never play good.