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What is YOUR personal limit?

#101
I wrestled with this once, too - if I could afford it, I could spend it.

Had a bit of a reality check when I realized I was spending more time at gigs worrying about my Alembic and Dingwall than I was enjoying the gig.

I gave myself a personal limit of ~$1K on "gigging" basses. And almost always used. I could go + $500 for the right bass, but anything more than that and I would end up worried about dings/scratches/etc.

I will eventually be looking hard at a Roscoe Century 5, hopefully in the near future, but it will be a studio/upscale gigs bass, not a bar bass.
 
#102
I don't think I could stand to pay more than $2000 for a bass. My most expensive bass right now is a $500 ESP LTD. It sounds and feels exactly the way I want. It could use a higher quality pre-amp, but the one it has is sufficient for now.
 
#105
Right now at least I am sort of "on a budget," however I have never really been able to bring myself to spend over $1,000 on a bass. Of course all my basses and gear was used when I bought it, and as strange as it may sound to some I do prefer to buy used. I have found some awesome gear at steal prices and yes of course I do try to look over and test everything out prior. I can honestly say I never spent over $800 on any one piece of gear I currently own and use. :smug:
 
#113
The max I've spent is around $1,200, and, honestly, like Coop Soup, I'm convinced that you can find a bass for $1,000 or less that would serve any playing needs, on ANY level.

My ceiling? Hard to say, but if I were to spend more than about $1,200 I'd be taking away from available funds to spend on my family or my house. And I don't see that changing any time soon, regardless of whether I could justify the expense by what I make playing (and, yes, I could).
 
#114
There's no bass so cheap that I wouldn't buy it to tinker with...the SX Ursa P/J model has tempted me more than once.

Upper limit, my dream bass is a 5-string Alembic Series II, so...about $12k or thereabouts.

Most of my basses come in at about $1K, and I agree with the guys that say there's no real reason you can't cover darn near any gig in that price range. The most I've paid for a bass is $1600 for my 7-string, but I probably could've covered the same stuff on a good used 6er. I just like 7.
 
#115
I don't really have a max but I don't have any immediate desires for a new bass. The only items looking in my future is just nicer versions of what I already have(MIA, custom, etc.) and an upright which all would be pretty expensive. I'm not planning on any purchases really within the next 10 years though, unless more gigs pick up.
 
#116
My limit is defined by how much overtime I can snag and general finances. That being said, I look at why something has a certain cost. With my customs, I've discovered I can save a LOT by dealing directly with the luthier and cutting out the middle man, who often seems to get in the way when dealing with something extremely custom.

I guess the only things I don't like paying for is exclusivity and unfavorable exchange rates. The latter is prohibiting me from a Wal at the moment. :(
 
#118
I have never, that I can recall, paid more than $1,500 for a bass, though I have gone right up to that line quite a few times. I have twice paid more than that for a guitar, as recently as last month, but still spent under $2,000 both times. So, I would say that MY personal limit for any instrument is $2,000. While I would definitely LOVE to spend more than that, it would be hard to justify financially for me at the moment, especially considering how well these instruments meet my personal needs/wants.
 

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