Not exactly broke, but I see myself possibly selling a Kidney and sending that money to Fodera in January of 2024.
Totally worth it, though.
Totally worth it, though.
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Worth it!
- Thread starter Indacouch136
- Start date
Never for a bass but I did blow my whole wad on a Les Paul Custom back in the late 80s. It was my main guitar for like 10 years and I still have it. I was in the military at the time. I just ate in the chow hall everyday and didn't have a lot of beer money for a month. Lol.
'81 Alembic Series I with some Series II options, custom body shape in cocobolo. It's the best sounding bass I've ever played. Cost as much as a new car then, and would cost as much as a new car to replace today. Worth it.
John
Well ... back when I was an aspiring rockstar, playing a lot with several bands, and fairly broke (age 15-35), I owned one or maybe two basses and it wasn't a problem.
Now that I'm a steadily earning college grad, I own way too many basses and it still isn't a problem.
To address what I think is really being asked -- "What bass did you spend the most money on?" -- that would be a Fender CS '59 Precision.
Now that I'm a steadily earning college grad, I own way too many basses and it still isn't a problem.
To address what I think is really being asked -- "What bass did you spend the most money on?" -- that would be a Fender CS '59 Precision.
The only bass I've ever stretched to buy was a Ric 4001. In 1974 I think I paid $300; I was 14. It was my No. 1 for 18 years when I bought my first Alembic six.
My XL2 I bought new. Had a decent chunk of it saved but it was a stretch to pay it off without the regular gigs we had at the time. We both owned our cars and had a lot of equity in the home so the loans weren't too bad even though interest rates were way higher than today.
Not sure I'd do it again today.
Not sure I'd do it again today.
all of them seem "worth it" at the time, right? 
was it worth it? seemed that way at the time, but i don't have any of that stuff (or depend on it) now.....so there's that.
i haven't "gone broke" for an EB/gear but i've pinched pennies to get what i thought was important at certain times. i've paid for certain custom basses in installments.
was it worth it? seemed that way at the time, but i don't have any of that stuff (or depend on it) now.....so there's that.
That is the same thing I did when buying my two Fender Custom Shop basses - money out of the savings pot, paid back to myself in instalments over the course of a few months. I'll never miss an instalment as I have to upgrade stuff around the house in 2023.
None. I never bought a bass that was more than I could afford to pay in full in cash. No debt. 
None of them. I had enough room to buy the two most expensive ones, then sold one or two basses I had around but wasn't playing much.
Going broke for an instrument makes no sense unless you're a professional musician that absolutely MUST have that instrument immediately for your work. Even then, it's not smart.
Going broke for an instrument makes no sense unless you're a professional musician that absolutely MUST have that instrument immediately for your work. Even then, it's not smart.
Not sure about this.
Most vintage and higher end guitars and basses I guess are purchased by older people with the spending power to do so, not pro musos. I've never seen a PRS Core 10 top played live, or on video for instance. I'm sure someone will post one now, but I bet the majority of PRSs on stage are SE, same as most Strat/Tele/P/J are MIM or base model MIA, not FCS. The people I know with these instruments are typically successful tradespeople or professionals in some other field with good incomes and if gigging make little from it (relative to main income source). An orthodontist may not have the cash for a Gibson 'Greenie' or new custom Alembic today but could likely easily finance it, even if only for a short term.
Not saying most people should splurge beyond their means, but that level varies.
The closest story to this is when I bought my MUB G5 in 2020. I'd been saving up for a custom bass for a while, but wasn't sure what I wanted. In 2018 when I saw that Maurizio had finished a specific model for himself, I asked him to tell me if he ever wanted to sell it. Two years later, he let me know it was for sale. I asked him how much he wanted for it - it was the exact dollar amount I had saved. Done deal. It's been my number one ever since.
For me it was less "go broke" and more like "go for broke". I had already saved up with the idea of taking my time hunting down a dream bass used for a good price. I found this right here on TB and at the time the used market for these basses was very buyer-friendly. Most $$$ I ever spent on one piece of gear but totally worth it.
Yup, its the hobbyists that MI companies make their living on. Not the pros that get discounted or free instruments.
US G&L basses. I have both an LB100 and a Kiloton 5. Never played a bass that feels as good, or sounds as good. And I’ve played a LOT of basses.
Not broke, but definitely a minor setback, is the F Bass fretless AC5, that I just picked up. It is...four times the price of any other bass that I've owned, but totally worth it.
If an orthodontist literally goes broke buying a bass / basses, she’s got a problem. Even if she is investing, going broke investing is also a bad idea. I agree with Pilgrim on this.
