I would guess at this point I've owned probably 40 boutique quality basses, lost track at some point of sales and restocks, yes I'm a total gear whore. I'm shocked by some of the quality to price ratios I've been seeing as of late, not so much out of China but actually Indonesia. 2 months ago just out of boredom and a couple bucks burning a hole in my pocket, I bought an Epiphone Toby Standard in white for $199 at a local Best Buy. I was expecting Squier levels of inconsistency but I was surprised at how good they are and that I didn't have to search for "the one with the good fret work".
A little neck adjustment, some minor action tweaks, the intonation was already spot on, a set of D'Addario Pro Steels and blam, can't put the thing down. It weighs like 6 pounds, has tons of tone and good sustain and if something goes wrong, at that price I consider it the equivalent of a disposable razor. Thinking of getting a couple more just in case they stop making them.
