Travis Dykes - Cheap vs Expensive Basses (Can PROs Hear the Difference)

[wintremute]

My apologies to @Dr. Cheese
I am off to check out his thread.

Thread 'Pros try to guess if a bass is expensive or cheap.'

Dec 5, 2025

One dude does not know a P-bass when he hears one. He might be a great bassist, but not use vintage tones at all.

• Dr. Cheese
• Replies: 160
• Forum: Basses [BG]

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[InhumanResource]

Kodiak nailed it up above - can I do what I do with a $300 Squier? Sure, sort of. From experience I know the constant maintenance involved will quickly make me regret the decision. I need always-on reliability. I need an instrument that I selected because it fit my body and playstyle, minimizing physical stress. I need something that has the specific sound for my playstyle, instead of the lowest common denominator P sound required by inexperienced sound techs.

I've been in the room with a pro who plays 20,000 - 40,000 seat shows fairly regularly. He will go on at the slightest provocation about how expensive instruments are dumb and all you need is a low-end P. Oh, also, he has 6 of them in a rolling case, and a bass tech who constantly restrings and maintains them between every show, and a small sound crew who are familiar with it, and a stage hand who is ready to do a fast swap whenever needed.

Yeah, that might have cost $400, but he's not living the $400 lifestyle.

Haha, yeah just that low end P that's been getting beat on since 1951. Hundred bucks at a pawn shop in Shreveport…in 1964.

I do agree though, we can make just about anything sound good. What you're paying for is comfort, reliability, and most of all whether you like it.

 

[iqi616]

As much as I love my CS62-equipped Squier Sonic Precision and I'm confident that it's well enough built that it will outlast me with minimum maintenance, I would love to buy the Suhr P-bass that I tried out - if only I had the money!

That Suhr had by far the best E string over any other 4-string bass I've ever touched including Fender CS. Sonically that E string was as full-toned as most 4-stringers' A strings and maintained that well beyond the 12th fret.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I've never played a bass that cost more than a couple thousand $, so really wouldn't know. Ironically, my friend just texted me a picture of Dire Wolf #2 which was just completed today, and asked me if I want to come over to Bill Sadler's workshop to see it, hold it, whatever. Dire Wolf #1 is of course in Oteil Burbridge's hands. #2 is an exact copy. I am very conflicted, I am not sure I want to even hold a $40,000 bass, for two reasons. One, I might drop it. Two, I might like it.

Here's the pic. It's about 1.5 miles away. What would you do?

 

[monsterthompson]

My apologies to @Dr. Cheese
I am off to check out his thread.

Thread 'Pros try to guess if a bass is expensive or cheap.'

Dec 5, 2025

One dude does not know a P-bass when he hears one. He might be a great bassist, but not use vintage tones at all.

• Dr. Cheese
• Replies: 160
• Forum: Basses [BG]

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I knew this video was familiar. I just couldn't recall the thread title.

 

[Les Fret]

Fun video! That Fodera was disappointing and eye opening. That Carvin sounded really dull. The Squier P sounded good.

 

[Dincrest]

I still say the best part of the video is how that one guy straight up knew his bass because he knew the scratchiness of his tone knob. Dude must play that bass all the time to know it that initmately. That's not just his bass, that's an extention of his self. I'll bet if he heard another bass with a scratchy tone knob, he'd be able to tell his by the timbre of the scratch.

 

[bass player 53]

I've never played a bass that cost more than a couple thousand $, so really wouldn't know. Ironically, my friend just texted me a picture of Dire Wolf #2 which was just completed today, and asked me if I want to come over to Bill Sadler's workshop to see it, hold it, whatever. Dire Wolf #1 is of course in Oteil Burbridge's hands. #2 is an exact copy. I am very conflicted, I am not sure I want to even hold a $40,000 bass, for two reasons. One, I might drop it. Two, I might like it.

Here's the pic. It's about 1.5 miles away. What would you do?

Of course, you should just go and check it out. You're not gonna buy it or drop it. How many chances will you get to encounter a fine musical piece of art and craftsmanship?

 

[chris_b]

The video was a bit of fun, but the sound and style of the player will change everything around, so in a blindfold test you'll never know one bass from another.

Maybe a better test would be blindfolding the player and making him play the basses.

 

[Bassdirty]

Oh well. I enjoy playing my $200 Ibanez Talman. I enjoy playing my $3K Spector Euro Classic.

Hold on. But,. that would imply... No.. you can't like TWO Things! (especially opposite ends of the spectrum).

I'm pretty sure that the 'law of the land' is: "ALL EGGS MUST GO INTO ONE BASKET".

 

[BassicJazzy]

Of course, you should just go and check it out. You're not gonna buy it or drop it. How many chances will you get to encounter a fine musical piece of art and craftsmanship?

I am struggling with GAS right now, and my friend already tried to talk me into letting Bill make me a bass. If I got too close to this Dire Wolf the GAS would take over and I'd be ordering a $20,000 custom fretless, that I neither need nor deserve right now.

Yeah, I know, this is TB, what does "need" have to do with it?

A couple years ago I saw a custom fiver for sale at local GC, for $6,000, and other than touching the strings to check the action I stayed well clear of it. I know myself. I like nice things.

Plus, when I got home, my other basses would no doubt smell the Dire Wolf on me and would refuse to play properly with me.

 

[BassicJazzy]

Of course, you should just go and check it out. You're not gonna buy it or drop it. How many chances will you get to encounter a fine musical piece of art and craftsmanship?

Talked to him today at gym. Said I could come over and play it, then I realized he thought I was going to buy one. Could probably get a 4 string version with no custom details down to high $20K's. Too rich for my blood, so I'm not going to (further) waste their time.

Or we could split one. You could have it Mon - Thursday, and I'll take it Fri - Sunday?

I'm still squeezing good juice out of my $475 Ibanez SR370EF fretless. It seems to fit me, and my bank account.

 

[MIJ Fender Guy]

With something as simple as a P bass, sound is the easiest thing to get right, as it's like 99% pickups and strings. Most of the things that make it expensive make it more fun/comfortable to PLAY, not sound better.

 

[totalnoob]

This video reinforces my theory that a solid player can make a cheap bass sound good.



I searched, but didn't see this already posted. So if I missed it and another thread already exists, my apologies.

Thank you for sharing this, it was so very satisfying to watch and listen.

 

[totalnoob]

I'm still squeezing good juice out of my $475 Ibanez SR370EF fretless. It seems to fit me, and my bank account.

I have that very same bass - and now I'm going to play it!

 

[J_Bass]

Whenever I see these threads it is always obvious to me that they are started by the "If I don't have one, nobody should" crowd.

Never by the folks who choose to or can have expensive basses.

To me, they almost always come of as jealous, and sometimes petty.


If I'm on the road and I see a Porsche, I think "cool, very nice", instead of "haha, what a stupid dude, buying an expensive car when he could just ride an old one".

 

[totalnoob]

Whenever I see these threads it is always obvious to me that they are started by the "If I don't have one, nobody should" crowd.

Never by the folks who choose to or can have expensive basses.

To me, they almost always come of as jealous, and sometimes petty.

Wow....

 

[J_Bass]

The truth hurts, but will set you free.

 

[Geri O]

Whenever I see these threads it is always obvious to me that they are started by the "If I don't have one, nobody should" crowd.

Never by the folks who choose to or can have expensive basses.

To me, they almost always come of as jealous, and sometimes petty.


If I'm on the road and I see a Porsche, I think "cool, very nice", instead of "haha, what a stupid dude, buying an expensive car when he could just ride an old one".

My man…..

 

[BassicJazzy]

I'm thinking of the parallel situation, where you see someone driving a Lambo around L.A., stuck in the same traffic, and I think "what a waste of a good car." When I donated my '72 Rick to a music school back in '84 I did so primarily so the instrument would be in better hands, put to better use. It had gone as far as it could go at the time in my hands. So when my friend offered to build a 4 string Dire Wolf for me the other day, I thought "well, they can only build perhaps 6 of these per year, so even if I could afford it, shouldn't it go to a better player?"