I love that fretless P! The diamond plate pickguard and valve handle are awesome. Is the body concrete?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Your most and least expensive basses
- Thread starter JimmyM
- Start date
It was a plywood P that I reshaped with an angle grinder and covered with torn brown paper bags dipped in clear polyurethane.
Least: Parts Pbass: Roughly 250$ CAD after modding it over the years.
^^^specs: Redfox pbass copy basswood body, unbranded high mass bridge, Duncan Hot for Pbass pickups wired to a 1meg audio volume & 500K tone, switchcraft output, Fender Branded 70's reissue tuning keys, Aftermarket j bass maple/rose neck.
Most: Home Built Ripper inspired/tribute Bass about 600-700$ CAD
^^^Specs: Maple neck, Purpleheart board, 2 piece plywood body, Wilde L90 Pickups, 4 position rotary, 1meg volume, 500K linear Mid control, 500K linear tone control, switchcraft output, unbranded made in japan 3 point bridge, schaller BM nickel tuners. It's not finished as i still need to carve a separate wood piece for the headstock & paint it whole in red.
^^^specs: Redfox pbass copy basswood body, unbranded high mass bridge, Duncan Hot for Pbass pickups wired to a 1meg audio volume & 500K tone, switchcraft output, Fender Branded 70's reissue tuning keys, Aftermarket j bass maple/rose neck.
Most: Home Built Ripper inspired/tribute Bass about 600-700$ CAD
^^^Specs: Maple neck, Purpleheart board, 2 piece plywood body, Wilde L90 Pickups, 4 position rotary, 1meg volume, 500K linear Mid control, 500K linear tone control, switchcraft output, unbranded made in japan 3 point bridge, schaller BM nickel tuners. It's not finished as i still need to carve a separate wood piece for the headstock & paint it whole in red.
I’m just gonna go with what I have currently, or what’s in the pipeline currently.
Least expensive: Spector Forte 5(far right). Bought it used a few months ago.
Most expensive: FBass BNF5(middle). Ordered it new a few years ago. This is a temporary position.
I think the others go:
2nd-Spector NS-4
3rd-Dingwall ABZ 5/3
4th-Dingwall ABZ 4/3
Least expensive: Spector Forte 5(far right). Bought it used a few months ago.
Most expensive: FBass BNF5(middle). Ordered it new a few years ago. This is a temporary position.
I think the others go:
2nd-Spector NS-4
3rd-Dingwall ABZ 5/3
4th-Dingwall ABZ 4/3
My most expensive is my '69 Precision, although that was refinished so cheaper than the norm.
My cheapest is my second hand Ibanez.
My cheapest is my second hand Ibanez.
Ultra Jazz in Middle was the most expensive.
Parts P on the right was least. Cost me around $450 to put it together. Pickups and bridge were the most expensive parts. Super light, great sound and fun to play. I got lucky with the neck. It is a J neck that someone put a P decal on and it feels good.
$30 for this c2000 Ibanez RT Bass, (competitively) the best bass in my abundant collection topped in price by a beautiful but worthless $400 Peavey T-40 which ain't even gonna get $30 in flatwounds due to it's annoying baked-in sound. add $100 to ship the Peavey and it's just expensive wall art. but at least I got that 2ton monkey off my back, it's all part of the journey, no regrets cos if it was too good I might not have chanced the incredible Ibby, a real sleeper.
Somewhere in the house is a $175 Bradley Jazz Bass copy that was my first owned bass.
In my actively working pile, the TBird was the least expensive, ~$900 new from SW, having some flaws in the nitro finish, which I never found before adding a bunch of my own. The German NT Thumb was the most expensive. A bit over $4K. Ouch!
Ironically, these are at opposite ends of the gigging spectrum, with the TBird serving as number one, and the Warwick rarely gigging at all.
What can I say, we want what we want/ love what we love.
In my actively working pile, the TBird was the least expensive, ~$900 new from SW, having some flaws in the nitro finish, which I never found before adding a bunch of my own. The German NT Thumb was the most expensive. A bit over $4K. Ouch!
Ironically, these are at opposite ends of the gigging spectrum, with the TBird serving as number one, and the Warwick rarely gigging at all.
What can I say, we want what we want/ love what we love.
Ha! My phone doesn’t capture that one well. That is another parts J that I put together that is mine and my painters interpretation of Sonic Blue. It is very light and looks awesome in person. Has a Fender Japan alder body and Mighty Mite J neck. Custom Shop J pickups. It has a wonderful jazz tone to it.
Logo on matching headstock is my name in Fender font. Played with a fill-in guitar player this weekend that had the same name in Fender font logo on his Strat build.
Last edited:
Probably the least expensive purchase I ever made was a 1950's Danelectro bass that I got for $25 at a garage sale. I fixed it up and resold it for many times that amount. Of the basses I currently own:
Least expensive: Univox Hi-Flyer circa 1976 or so - I bought it around 2003 for $200. It's now worth about.. (drum roll) $200.
Most expensive: MTD 535-24 circa 2011. I bought it used in 2015 for a little under $4K - it's probably gained a bit of value since then.
Least expensive: Univox Hi-Flyer circa 1976 or so - I bought it around 2003 for $200. It's now worth about.. (drum roll) $200.
Most expensive: MTD 535-24 circa 2011. I bought it used in 2015 for a little under $4K - it's probably gained a bit of value since then.
Uunnhh, Jimmy, keep the bonus...neither of mine were over $200 (the one in the av...my P/J clone 
was $20...).
was $20...).
My least expensive bass was free. I inherited a Ken Smith from an anesthesiologist/heavy metal bass-playing friend who tragically died in her 40s.
The least I ever paid for a bass was $110 for my very first: a Vox Panther, shown in the photo while playing with my high school R&B band in the lobby at Arena Stage in Washington, DC for the opening night party for "The Iceman Cometh" starring James Earl Jones. It was also my 16th birthday. My cheap strap broke so one of the actors got a piece of rope from his car.
My most expensive bass is in the works now: a Fodera Emperor 5 that I'm trying to cut a trade-in deal for my 80s Fodera 6. Retail it's a little over seven grand. The Fodera factory is only 25 blocks from my house so I anticipate lots of trips until I decide exactly which model I want and what Joey will credit me for my trade-in.
The least I ever paid for a bass was $110 for my very first: a Vox Panther, shown in the photo while playing with my high school R&B band in the lobby at Arena Stage in Washington, DC for the opening night party for "The Iceman Cometh" starring James Earl Jones. It was also my 16th birthday. My cheap strap broke so one of the actors got a piece of rope from his car.
My most expensive bass is in the works now: a Fodera Emperor 5 that I'm trying to cut a trade-in deal for my 80s Fodera 6. Retail it's a little over seven grand. The Fodera factory is only 25 blocks from my house so I anticipate lots of trips until I decide exactly which model I want and what Joey will credit me for my trade-in.
Attachments
This one...
...a Korean no-name I got for $20...
...and the one in my av for under $200, still in the queue for assembly. Parts extra...
...a Korean no-name I got for $20......and the one in my av for under $200, still in the queue for assembly. Parts extra...
Least expensive: Squier Classic Vibe 60's Precision Bass (bought a couple of months ago used for €230 = $280).
Most expensive: Fender Victor Bailey Jazz Bass V signature (bought in 2019 used for €1600 = $1950).
Both basses can be seen and heared on my YouTube channel or Instagram profile
.
Most expensive: Fender Victor Bailey Jazz Bass V signature (bought in 2019 used for €1600 = $1950).
Both basses can be seen and heared on my YouTube channel or Instagram profile
.
Can I do this without mentioning added repair costs?
If so, the cheapest is my 1989 Korean Squier II P-Bass, which I bought on eBay about 4 years ago for $110 including the original hard case. It was in horribly bad shape, inside and out, so I spent more to get it in working order. (New pots, cap, jack, bridge and strap buttons, and a professional set up.)
I spent $99 in 2009 for an SX P-Bass copy (actually, it was a birthday present from my wife); that one required minimal work, but it didn't come with a case or gig bag.
Those two basses are my main "P-Bass with round wounds" basses. They are both superb, for different reasons.
My most expensive is my early '90s Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5, which I bought used for $800 in 1994. I've had to replace the jack. It was in my closet for about 10 years until last week, when I pulled it out to write and record a rap music bass part for my son's project.
If so, the cheapest is my 1989 Korean Squier II P-Bass, which I bought on eBay about 4 years ago for $110 including the original hard case. It was in horribly bad shape, inside and out, so I spent more to get it in working order. (New pots, cap, jack, bridge and strap buttons, and a professional set up.)
I spent $99 in 2009 for an SX P-Bass copy (actually, it was a birthday present from my wife); that one required minimal work, but it didn't come with a case or gig bag.
Those two basses are my main "P-Bass with round wounds" basses. They are both superb, for different reasons.
My most expensive is my early '90s Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray 5, which I bought used for $800 in 1994. I've had to replace the jack. It was in my closet for about 10 years until last week, when I pulled it out to write and record a rap music bass part for my son's project.
Last edited:
$1,800 - Most Expensive Bass. A 1966 Fender Precision Bass purchased in 2017 off Craigslist in Richmond, Va.
$125 - Least Expensive Bass. A Brownsville Beatle Bass purchased in 2015 off Craigslist in Richmond, Va.
Both are reliable, stable instruments and have been used on gigs. The '66 P-Bass is my #1, although all my current gigs are with my Samuel Eastman upright bass.
$125 - Least Expensive Bass. A Brownsville Beatle Bass purchased in 2015 off Craigslist in Richmond, Va.
Both are reliable, stable instruments and have been used on gigs. The '66 P-Bass is my #1, although all my current gigs are with my Samuel Eastman upright bass.
