Lotta potential giant killers out there these days; CNC machining's gotten dirt cheap, and Indonesia's had sufficient time in the 2000s to develop its luthier base, much like Korea and Japan did before it in the 80s and 90s. Give 'em decent quality hardware to work with and they'll make ya one hell of an instrument.
But, that means the giant killers in my collection are my expensive instruments; only once have I really felt the need to push past the US$1000 mark on an instrument, and that was a Warmoth build of a skinny-stringer to get my own personal take on a SuperStrat (really nice results though). My most expensive bass is my current primary, my Sire P7 fiver:
Still totally stock, still totally in love. I might replace the knobs, once I decide on the look I want. This bass knocked my previous primary to #2, and that's a Korean TRB-1005:
Current 100xJ models (which they seem to have brought back everywhere but the US) are $1500 basses, but I got this MIK for a paltry $675. That bass was my #1 for over a decade, and not for lack of looking; I've put this bass up against everything I've been even casually interested in for years, from Ibbys and Fenders up to Sadowskys and Skjolds, and everything else I've played only made me want to go back home and play my TRB. Even now, it's only my #2 because the novelty has yet to wear off the Sire, and the P7's a better look for the pop-country stuff I'm playing at present. And, I need to find a set of strings to fit the Yammie since D'Addario discontinued the EXPs.
So, my giant-killers pre-emptively slayed the giant; $700 seems to be plenty of bass for me, and my bass GAS is in remission at present and likely to remain so for quite a while. Between the Sire and the Yammie I have the tonal spectrum pretty well-covered, and my current wishlist is topped by an extra pair of 10s to throw under that Markbass combo, and maybe a pedal or two to expand on the Swiss Army knife that is my EHX Canyon.
But, that means the giant killers in my collection are my expensive instruments; only once have I really felt the need to push past the US$1000 mark on an instrument, and that was a Warmoth build of a skinny-stringer to get my own personal take on a SuperStrat (really nice results though). My most expensive bass is my current primary, my Sire P7 fiver:
Still totally stock, still totally in love. I might replace the knobs, once I decide on the look I want. This bass knocked my previous primary to #2, and that's a Korean TRB-1005:
Current 100xJ models (which they seem to have brought back everywhere but the US) are $1500 basses, but I got this MIK for a paltry $675. That bass was my #1 for over a decade, and not for lack of looking; I've put this bass up against everything I've been even casually interested in for years, from Ibbys and Fenders up to Sadowskys and Skjolds, and everything else I've played only made me want to go back home and play my TRB. Even now, it's only my #2 because the novelty has yet to wear off the Sire, and the P7's a better look for the pop-country stuff I'm playing at present. And, I need to find a set of strings to fit the Yammie since D'Addario discontinued the EXPs.
So, my giant-killers pre-emptively slayed the giant; $700 seems to be plenty of bass for me, and my bass GAS is in remission at present and likely to remain so for quite a while. Between the Sire and the Yammie I have the tonal spectrum pretty well-covered, and my current wishlist is topped by an extra pair of 10s to throw under that Markbass combo, and maybe a pedal or two to expand on the Swiss Army knife that is my EHX Canyon.
