When your "cheaper" bass is your #1

[JutMitch]

Maybe i'm a little weird but my basses all have their time in the sun. My absolute go to if i don't know a venue is my MM, i know that bass cuts through in any situation. If it's extremely long gig and i need maximum comfort, the 2000 PRS EB with its light weight and perfect neck gets the gig.

For the normal gig, my cheapest basses get the call up because.....well.....they are just better. My Warmoth Tele/Jazz build is my normal go to as it checks more of the boxes than any other bass of have. Great Antiquity jazz pickups, very light, KTS titanium bridge plate with Graphtech saddle, tele neck (jazz width, 6130 vintage wide and Slim profile)

Funny thing is they still all have their pros and cons so it really depends on the situation. My LB100 i bought new in 2020 probably gets used the least but i have no guilt leaving it in its case for extended periods of time.

 

[chris_b]

I've bought cheap basses and expensive basses. My #1 bass is always the best sounding bass I own.

 

[javi_bassist]

My #1 is my BB735. I prefer it over my Fender American Ultra Jazz bass V and my American Deluxe Dimension V.

 

[DanTheMan2112]

One of my BB414s has been my number one for a couple years now. Once I get my BB1600 sorted, it will probably claim that spot. The fact that it's lightweight is significant.

 

[Dincrest]

Appreciate all the insights.

And many of you are right. I should "think less, play more" and place more value in the music I make with the instrument rather than the price tag of the instrument. I should probably also spend less time on TalkBass and more time PlayBass.

I love both my basses (my modded/hot rodded cheaper bass, and my more expensive "fancy" bass). I wouldn't part with either because I know I'd totally regret that. But if I had a knife to my throat and had to pick just one, I know which one I would pick.

 

[tdvt]

Hadn't really considered it this way, but I have been working my way down, price-wise, as opposed to up.

An original Stingray was my only instrument for close to 20 years, added a MIM Jazz w/Fralins, but then put together a parts PBass & that became the work-horse for the next 10 years.

Currently gigging a Sonic Bronco...

 

[The Veg]

Yeah, the question that opened this thread has been on my mind lately. It's the two basses in this picture. On the right is a 1989 Esh Serious Bass, a very rare handmade German exotic that was never sold in the USA (and yeah, pretty corny name for a sexy exotic). Fewer than 100 Seriouses were made and I'm told that not more than five were 5-strings. I fell in love with these when I first started learning bass way back in 1988 while stationed in Germany with Uncle Sam; the local shop near my base had a few Eshes in stock. No way I could justify such a purchase at that time, but in 2022 I decided to finally try to get one since I had a little more discretionary income and better yet, the power of teh interwebz to shop globally! I'd never played 5 before, so it was a real moment in my bass-history, a dream come true that also brought a challenge. By the time the deal was done and shipping from Germany added-in, I think I paid around $1800 for it (yeah I know, not much compared to some of the basses around here, and not the priciest one I've ever bought, but it's an old used bass, right? ). It's a fantastic instrument in so many ways and I'm really proud of it. I play in a weekend-band that doesn't do a lot of gigs but we do practice a lot and we do some recording too. The one real weak point with the Esh though is ergonomics: it's HEAVY, I want to guess somewhere around 13-15 lbs, and it suffers a bit of neck-dive. And since the band practices for at least 3 hours at a time, my shoulder was really starting to hurt and I was realising that holding up the neck stole resources from my left hand's ability to do other stuff.

So a few months ago I started looking for something lightweight and low-priced just to use for practices and wound-up with the bass on the left, an Indonesian-made Ibanez SR375. It was ten years old according to the Ibanez model-lists I consulted but still in brand-new condition, keys for the hard case still in their little plastic bag, not a scratch to be found anywhere, and I took it home for $350. And now that I've been using it for five months I'll be damned if it isn't just about the best bass I've ever played, in almost every way. It sounds great, it's comfortable, and I can definitely play better while expending less effort- I feel like I'm 'fighting' less with the neck. It even looks good*. And it's one of the lowest-priced, most soullessly mass-produced basses I've ever met. But damn, the thing is just so good it makes you wanna lay down and cry.

*I like pretty basses, especially for gigs. Had I known that this one was gonna be so damn good, I might have opted for a higher model with prettier woods. And then I really might make it the #1!

 

[Makten]

Hadn't really considered it this way, but I have been working my way down, price-wise, as opposed to up.

An original Stingray was my only instrument for close to 20 years, added a MIM Jazz w/Fralins, but then put together a parts PBass & that became the work-horse for the next 10 years.

Currently gigging a Sonic Bronco...

The better you master something, the lesser gear you can get away with.

 

[SteveCS]

Does it bother you in that... you know how sometimes your brain has a hard time justifying that something less expensive ("lesser") gives you more/better satisfaction than something that's more expensive ("more better")? How do you deal with that?

If one instrument gives you more and in doing so helps you make better music than with another, then that first instrument is objectively better than the second. I do have a tale along those lines but it is old and dull and I've told it a thousand times.

 

[Gervais Cote]

A friend of mine that is an acoustic guitar virtuoso came home this week and tried all of my 8 basses. His favorite was my Squier Affinity jazz bass for both the sound and playability. Go figure !

 

[turf3]

At least for my electric basses, that's true, because my Squier P bass I paid $150 for, and my Ibanez SR400 I paid $180.

 

[crazycloud]

Anyone else have that kinda existential crisis that the bass they grab for more often is their less expensive bass? The #1 isn't the most expensive bass in the stable? Does it bother you in that... you know how sometimes your brain has a hard time justifying that something less expensive ("lesser") gives you more/better satisfaction than something that's more expensive ("more better")? How do you deal with that?

Not a crisis at all, more of a quiet amusement that my inexpensive Ibanez Gio 6 is as good as it is. My only fault with it is the easily damaged brown 'walnut flat' finish. Mine hasn't scratched, but it just looks cheap - if it gets bad, I'll strip and refinish.

That said, it's my least expensive 6 and it was used in my last gig, and I'd put it out to take it to any other in the future. Having had a lot of more expensive, boutique and custom basses, this one does just fine, sounds good, is stable and has needed no work since I bought it new for about $250 IIRC.

Here's Dmitry's review (@realbassist on YT). The auto translate isn't great, but it does the job.

The ergonomics thing is complicated.

The beauty of inexpensive basses is that there's little loss if you want to drill holes in it to move strap pin locations etc. Just because a certain body shape fits most people, or at least they'll accept how it hangs, not everyone will. I'd do it to expensive basses too, but a lot of people wouldn't.

Esh Serious Bass

That's a great name for a bass.
I got an image in my head of a stereotypical German (think English 70's comedies) holding the Esh in one hand, nodding and saying 'serious bass', and in the other hand holding a Hello Kitty bass, shaking his head and saying 'not serious bass'.

So a few months ago I started looking for something lightweight and low-priced just to use for practices and wound-up with the bass on the left, an Indonesian-made Ibanez SR375. It was ten years old according to the Ibanez model-lists I consulted but still in brand-new condition, keys for the hard case still in their little plastic bag, not a scratch to be found anywhere, and I took it home for $350. And now that I've been using it for five months I'll be damned if it isn't just about the best bass I've ever played, in almost every way. It sounds great, it's comfortable, and I can definitely play better while expending less effort- I feel like I'm 'fighting' less with the neck. It even looks good

I have one too and it's great, it just doesn't get as much use because it's a 5 and I mainly play 6s. I've seen people slag the electronics in them, but they're more than good enough and sound good to me both at home and live - note, I did think about EMG E5Ws, but I'm not sure it's worth the coin.

Most of my basses are SRs for the reason you stated above - ease of play.

 

[The Veg]

That's a great name for a bass.
I got an image in my head of a stereotypical German (think English 70's comedies) holding the Esh in one hand, nodding and saying 'serious bass', and in the other hand holding a Hello Kitty bass, shaking his head and saying 'not serious bass'.

Oh man, I love it!I can TOTALLY see that scene!

They made two other models at the time too, the Genuine Bass and the Honest Bass, and then in the '90s there was the Various Bass.

 

[Ritter667]

Not my cheapest bass, but not by much, still a cheap budget bass, my #1, without any doubt or ambivalence:

View attachment 7375099

A lowly but very much beloved, just 28.6" scale, 5 string Ibanez GSRM25 Mikro Bass, with the surprisingly quiet stock J bridge pickup wired directly to the output jack socket.

Tuned in tenor bass, A standard tuning, that is A to F, or like the 4 upper strings of a 6 string bass in regular B standard tuning, plus a high F.

Perfectly cut nut, and perfectly leveled frets, right from the Cort factory in Indonesia where it was made.

Sounds amazing, and got an incredible amount of sustain, and quite effortlessly and comfortable to play.

Features a Poplar body, and a Maple neck with a Jatoba fretboard.

If I ever get that kind of money to spare I would have custom bass made, based on this bass.

Some sound samples:

My basic "clean" tone:
View attachment 7375100

Modulation and reverse delay:
View attachment 7375102

Overdriven:
View attachment 7375103

And even more processed in a mix:

View attachment 7375105

I forgot to mention it has a name: "Mr. Growly - The Noodlemancer".

 

[bbecl]

Hello Talkbass,

I was just thinking about something... my "former #1 bass" that I'm kinda trying to semi-retire lately seems to be the one I grab far more than my #1 bass that I often call my Excalibur (which is lighter in weight, more ergonomic, allows me to "think less, jam more," and is a far more expensive and far higher quality instrument; quite possibly the best I've ever owned). Maybe it's because my body is more used to that"old" bass (which is far less expensive and lower end than my Excalibur bass, even with all the crazy mods) since I spent over a decade with it. That bass simply does NOT want to retire or even semi-retire (and is perhaps the best sounding bass I've ever owned, despite being "lesser" than other basses).

But still, it made me wonder...

Anyone else have that kinda existential crisis that the bass they grab for more often is their less expensive bass? The #1 isn't the most expensive bass in the stable? Does it bother you in that... you know how sometimes your brain has a hard time justifying that something less expensive ("lesser") gives you more/better satisfaction than something that's more expensive ("more better")? How do you deal with that?

I know TalkBass has had this conversation before, but...

A $350 1978 Yamaha BB1200 I've owned and played since 2003 is my go to bass for live stuff, but I'll also bring my 06 Warwick Streamer Stage II as a backup. Honestly, the Warwick has the best tone of any bass I've ever owned, but the Yamaha is literally right behind it tone wise and after 20 years of playing it's an extension of me.

For recording, it's a 99 Fender AVRI 62 reissue concentric knob jazz bass. I accidentally put flats on it prior to a recording session (they were a gift and I didn't realize they were flats when grabbing the only new pack of strings in my house). The sound engineer, who has been recording for 30 years, was blown away by the sound and flat out said that was the best sounding bass he's ever recorded. I wholeheartedly agree, and I got that bass for $1400 in like new condition despite being 25+ years old. The woman I bought it from said it was bad luck for her, and sold it for $1000 cheaper than what others were selling for (especially in Lake Placid Blue). I certainly didn't inquire further, and if it's got some voodoo or hoodoo hex on it I'll take my chances. I'll grab that passive jazz over custom, passive G&L's I have that cost more than it did.

Money on gear is irrelevant. A few hundred dollar bass can do more for you than one that costs $5K. You just gotta get out there and find that bass that baffles you every time you play it as to why a few pieces of wood sound so good and inspires you to play and become a better player. Happy hunting!

 

[bbecl]

2014 CIC Squier Matt Freeman P .

View attachment 7374216

Those basses have phenomenal tone and were modeled after his 77 he's been playing since OPIV. I teched for a friend's band (in which I now play bass) about a month ago and Crimewave 66 was on the bill. Not only did I get to meet Matt Freeman (who is the chilliest tippy top tier musician I've ever met), but I got to talk about basses with him.

I asked him if he played his 77 P in his new band, and he said it doesn't leave the house anymore because it's jacked up, but in the best way possible (or, it's an extension of him after all this time and he knows all it's secrets and spots to get the best sound out of it). Asked him if he was playing one of his signature models (which he has aplenty), but he's actually been using a Fender '63 Custom Shop P as of late.

And when I say he was chill for his musical stature, he looked up everyone's band playing that day and explicitly told my buddy's band that he was bummed he got there 15 minutes after their set ended cause he liked the way they noodled as a group from a couple live vids they had online.

 

[Polfuste]

Since May 2025, my U5 and (cheapest bass - 539 euros after tuners upgrade) is my #1

 

[MusicBear]

It took me years to be able to play an instrument and appreciate it for what it is, rather than comparing it to other instruments, or measuring it against its price tag. I own several instruments, of various prices - some very inexpensive, some not. If they can deliver something I need AND I am willing to pay what it costs to get it, I will buy the bass. As I have become a better player, I have also become a more patient and frugal shopper. All of my basses are (for me) the best.

 

[crazycloud]

All of my basses are (for me) the best.

/thread.

 

[Anselm Dee]

View from the guitarist dark side ( although I have a stingray copy and a HB Ash JB 75 soo heavy!)

I have a genuine les Paul and telecaster, an Ibanez SG… but my go to guitar?? A plywood les Paul I fitted with Seymour Duncan’s that I have had for 40 yrs…. It just feels right and wants to be with me…