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Survey! High End or Low End Gear?

Do You Buy Higher End or Budget Gear?

  • Higher End Gear

    Votes: 73 28.3%

  • Medium Priced Gear

    Votes: 149 57.8%

  • Budget Gear

    Votes: 36 14.0%
  • Total voters
    258
  • Poll closed .
#23
what are you thinking for cut points? I'd be inclined to say medium, but three of my basses were about 1k, and it seems like folks are treating that as high end.
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I'd most probably class that as a medium priced bass, mind you $1000 in australian is gonna compare differently to $1000 in other countries.. If its treated as high end, then i'd most likely classify them as high end - it shouldn't make too much difference I dont think, as long as the results cast an approximate reflection

Thanks guys, keep it coming!
 
#24
Antihero666 said:
I'd most probably class that as a medium priced bass, mind you $1000 in australian is gonna compare differently to $1000 in other countries.. If its treated as high end, then i'd most likely classify them as high end - it shouldn't make too much difference I dont think, as long as the results cast an approximate reflection

Thanks guys, keep it coming!
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Well, they're 1k USD, and I voted medium, since I think of expensive as stuff more like Fodera/Sadowsky/Zon/Modulus/boutique, whereas 1k is about what a USA fender would set you back here
 
#26
BassoP said:
what are you thinking for cut points? I'd be inclined to say medium, but three of my basses were about 1k, and it seems like folks are treating that as high end.
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To me medium priced gear is $500 to $1000. Once you get over the 1000 range IMO/IME the tone and playability becomes more noticable. Fender and Ibanez are two good examples IMO/IME. Even the 55-01 and 55-02. 55-02 has a very high end tone to it, the 55-01, not so much.

Budget to me is anything under $500
 
#27
I like anything that's made well... if it's not crap and I like it, I'll take it. I like to dream of having nice super high end stuff, but my budget leaves me lower. I usually just go in the hole and go with midrange stuff that I find to be stellar at the time. :)
 
#28
I voted medium, but also think that's a relative term.

I'd call SX, Squire, the low end MIM Fenders, etc. budget equipment.
I do stretch the medium range to include Fender American Standards, Laklands, MM etc.

A lot of the high end basses tend to be (or appear to be) specialized.

I think the mid range is more the working pro area.

MM
 
#29
I'd say medium. Or maybe medium-low end price but medium quality... Price and quality are not directly related you know. Of course I would love to pay $2000 for hand made custom gear but since I'm still a student it's just way beyond possible to have such amount of "spare" money.

The most tormenting fact is that one of the best luthiers in Finland (Matti Nevalainen, Link Removed) has a workshop almost next door :D
 
#30
BassoP said:
Well, they're 1k USD, and I voted medium, since I think of expensive as stuff more like Fodera/Sadowsky/Zon/Modulus/boutique, whereas 1k is about what a USA fender would set you back here
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Ok then, i guess that's where my vote is going.

I used to buy well-performing, cheap stuff like the Cort Curbow 5 ($400ish) i used to own and the Peavy Microbass ($100ish) i still own.

However, most of the stuff i own now, doesn't have a "more expensive option" ie. its top quality in it's class. You probably can't get a carbon fiber 6-string better than my Zon, nor a better clean octaver than a microPOG, or a better tubey distortion than an English Muffin, or a better...

I'm happier this way. Less gear, but GREAT gear.
 
#33
Hi Mate,

I voted for High end gear as I really value my tone and I find investing in high end gear more often than not produces desireable results.

However.....................there are times that you come accross a piece of gear with a medium to low end price tag that exceeds it's value in tone. Take my Ibanez ATK305 for example. I brought it for an absolute bargain at approximately $850 AU, but when I compare it to many basses 3 or 4 times it's value it stands up very well.

So I guess I would say I'm a high end man, but there's always an exception to every rule.
 
#36
I'd like to help but I don't quite know how to vote.

My amp gear was high end in the mid 80's and '90s, now it's just used.

My preferred players would be considered modified budget.

So place my vote as you see fit.
 
#37
Since I can effort it always high end gear: It lasts longer, is more reliable, sounds better and helps improving technique and skills. So after a few years it's starting to pay off and appears to be even cheaper than medium priced gear.
Considering all the time spent and the fun that comes with it I think it's worth every penny.

Only my bass stuff adds up to approximately 27000 euro's which is the price of an average car. My car is worth about 1000 euro's which is fine with me as long as it takes me wherever I want.

Most people do it the other way around I guess. Isn't it nice to be able to make your own choices?! :hyper:
 
#40
sirpug said:
I am also going to say medium, just because you included the option. If it was strictly high end vs. budget, I would go with the budget gear. While the high end stuff is great, I have found that you can make the budget stuff great yourself at a much lower cost. Buy a lower quality Squire and upgrade the electronics for a fraction of the cost of a new high end Fender (only an example, not meant to start a flame war). The same could be said for a Peavey Cirrus vs. a Cirrus BXP. While it won’t be exactly the same as the high end gear, the sound quality is very close. Just be honest and don't try to pass it off as an original high end product. This is the philosophy that I'm trying to go with. In fact, I have the Cirrus BXP that I upgraded the electronics in. Sounds the same as my friends "real" cirrus and I paid under $800 for everything.
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I paid $650 for the real thing used. Got ya beat by $150, some time changing the electronics, and my resale will be higher.
 

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