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Why the hell am I favoring my cheaper basses??

#23
If I were gigging with my most expensive Bass, and something were to happen to it (theft or major damage), I'd be heartsick.
With a good, but less expensive Bass, I'm free to rock out and enjoy the moment. (If something were to happen to my Sterling Ray34, I obviously wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't come unglued, either.)
I think there's something liberating about that.
 
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#24
FishDub said:
So according to my photo of the current lineup all I do lately is play AND practice with my Squier VM pbass and Tune Bass Maniac. As much as I love the Zon and XL2 they just seem to sit there. I know this has been beaten to death but I am just so shocked that I am favoring my two basses that combined price equal not even half of the Zon and more so the XL2. So when this funk happens to you guys do you end up thinning the herd or keeping them for the chance you will have a taste again for them down the road?
Click to expand...


What a strange familiar thread, I'm kinda going thru the same situation kinda, I have a Zon Legacy Elite VI and I also have a LTD B-206SM that I love to death.
Here's the deal it's kind of hard taking a $7000.00 Zon bass with you over to Europe for fear of it getting damaged or stolen, the airline will only pay about $250.00 for any compensation. I've looked into insurance and nobody will cover a musical instrument on any airlines, I was told to much scamming going on.
So I checked into this $500.00 LTD B-206SM and the bass plays KILLER, the pickups are a little weak sounding but I use a Radial Tonebone Bassbone which helps considerably other than that the bass feels AWESOME, the neck & fingerboard are just KILLER!!!!
So if I'm going over seas to play or even here in the states I'm practicing on my LTD more so I can prepare for these shows, don't get me wrong my Zon Legacy Elite VI is seriously one really KILLER!!!! bass but I find my self practicing more on the LTD just do to the gig situations over seas.
 
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#31
I had a Squier VM Jazz that chased an early 90s Warwick Thumb out of my stable a few years ago. I'd still have and be gladly playing that bass if it wasn't for the weight (10+ lbs) and my wrecked shoulder. Even my local luthier thought it was one of the nicest basses he had tried out and worked on. The guy I sold it to uses it in the studio and it does a fantastic job there.

I've come over time to learn that the price of a bass is an independent factor, and doesn't necessarily correlate with the quality of the instrument, or the goodness of fit it has with any particular musician. I've played $5000-6000 basses that felt like garbage, and then there's my current backup bass, a Squier "Standard" jazz that is a fantastic instrument I will play without hesitation, and I bought it for $100.

So forget about price, and just play what feels and sounds good to you, that's all that matters. :)
 
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#32
There are days that I lament over selling my first bass, a well-built Squier MB-4.

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#33
Bill Whitehurst said:
Don't worry about it.
Your attention will shift back and forth.
I try to show all my basses a little love from time to time,
but one or the other will get more play, for a while and then shift
to another, sometimes without explanation.
It happens.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I have a $700 bass and a $120 bass sitting here on stage at a gig right now. You really never know which one is gonna get the starting position.
 
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#34
Bajo Clarkko said:
If I were gigging with my most expensive Bass, and something were to happen to it (theft or major damage), I'd be heartsick.
With a good, but less expensive Bass, I'm free to rock out and enjoy the moment. (If something were to happen to my Sterling Ray34, I obviously wouldn't be happy about it, but I wouldn't come unglued, either.)
I think there's something liberating about that.
Click to expand...
Definitely liberating, eliminates a stress that simply doesn’t need to be there, and detracts from the experience. :thumbsup:
 
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#35
Lately, I've been working on playing fretless. But I've played only fretted basses my entire bassifying life. Thus, my fancier basses are fretted. But I dug up a Galveston 4-string unlined fretless that had been languishing in my stable. I'd bought it years ago but promptly gave up on the idea. Now, though, I love the idea so much that this itty bitty sparkly red fretless is taking up nearly all of my practice time, like right now. And until I earn the right to purchase a "serious" fretless, I'll continue to take this $125 wonder as seriously as can be.
 
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#39
I prefer my parts P bass. $199 genuine fender replacement neck mim Maple fb and $60 squier body (I think basswood) both bought from eBay over my Sadowsky RV5 lately. It just sounds amazing with an emg GZr PU and plays like butter.

And in the band mix it's so much better. I even like the slap sound so much better it cuts. 100% ready Freddie forget me nots style.

This thing really taught me what's all the fuss about a P. Press play/rec/hit the stage and forget about it this thing will do it all and likely sound better than all my other 9 jazz bass style basses in any scenario ...just greatness
 
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