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Your Most Expensive Bass?

#82
Sixgunn said:
A cheap handbag performs the same as an expensive one. Not generally the case with musical instruments.
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You have different variables with handbags like how many pockets you want and how well it is put together not really how it performs. But just like a bass the performance is in the user not the tool.

You're right though, but at a certain point it starts to be more about wanting to build an image with bags or basses.

I'm not saying that point is 2800. I think it depends on one's needs.
 
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#83
I don't know whether the 4005 or the 4080 is most expensive. I got them as a package deal...

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#84
beaglesandbass said:
Not trying to create any sort of bragging thread. My fiancee think's it's absolutely insane to spend close to $2,800 on the bass I want (5 string Valenti), and I'm generally curious to see what others have spent on their high end basses.

My current most expensive bass is a Classic Stingray 4. Retails new around $2,000.. I got it used for $1,220.
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I spent $3K each on an Ibanez GWB 1005 and an old German UB.

The Ibanez has held its value. (seen some of them going for $4K and up now) My acoustic bass' last appraisal was for $13K.
 
#86
I have a Peavey T-40 ('79 Natural) paid $340 for it in mint condition.

I had more expensive basses but they've all left. Other than the T-40, nothing is valued over $200.
I also own an '81 Peavey Fury, a '87 Iby Roadstar RB00, a Gretsch 2202 Jr. Jet and a Westone Spectrum GT.
 
#88
I had a sub short scale bass made for me out of Warmoth baritone parts, with a hot humbucker guitar rail pickup and a rickenbacker style pickup build in.

It had an amazing, really clear and punchy sound, but I liked the playability and feel of my Ibanez Mikro better so eventually I sold it again.

It costed me about 1500$ to have made.

Now this might sound awfully expensive for what it was, but you'll have to take into account that music equipment in general are much more expensive in Denmark than in U.S.

Conclusion: I had a 1500$ bass, but settled with a 225$ bass.

(When that is said I am probably going to upgrade the pickups in my Mikro at some point)
 
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#89
pcake said:
i don't know how your fiance grew up or what her interests cost, but i see a lot of women and some men who do their best to convince, bully, pressure or otherwise talk the musicians in their lives into giving up their musical expenses. the way i see it, if you can afford your regular expenses, and the money you spend is your own, i don't believe significant others should get a say in how it's spent. more important, i can't see why they WANT a say in it. your hobbies, interests and passions are a part of you, and IMO they should support that in the same way you would support theirs. .
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Agreed with this here. Just this week I'm celebrating a raise by knocking out two debts and pulling the trigger on not one, but TWO basses (duh). Since my girlfriend and I are trying to solve problems so we can get a place together, I sent the link on an auction I won to her with a message saying "Sorry that this might slow us down, but I've had my eye on this all year".

Her response was "When was that last time I complained about something like that?!" as well as exclaiming over what a great deal I was getting on one of the basses.

To answer the thread question, I think the Ibanez BTB33 VOLO that I'm going to get for $950 will be my most expensive bass. I don't think I've ever spent over $900 before. Most of my good basses were around $800 or so.

My most expensive bass in the future will be a fretless. I'm having serious trouble finding a great one at a budget price so that will be my first foray into seriously boutique basses.
 
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#92
My Ken Smith PE cost me right at 2900.00 back in 1999. My wife really could not say anything because I sold some older gear to update my gear and I have been playing steadily since we met. All of my gear has paid for itself. I just bought her a new car and me a new Aguilar rig so we are even in her eyes even though the car cost many thousands more.
 
#94
My most expensive basses would be my Ibanez SR4005 Prestige and my recent one Ibanez SR4505 Prestige bass. Both are also the best playing and sounding basses I've ever played or recorded with. Amazing basses and worth every bit of the $2000.00 price tag that comes with them.

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#95
"The things you own end up owning you" haha :)
Why not spend a hell lot of money for an ultimate thing that will satisfy you in any way you want. I'm addicted to idea of ultimate things ("It's just, when you buy furniture, you tell yourself, that's it. That's the last sofa I'm gonna need. Whatever else happens, I've got that sofa problem handled.") so I've spent $10k for custom warwick, which is exactly what I want from bass, and it's going to be my last and only bass (lol it's not true it's not true...)
 
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#97
I own a Fender Deluxe American J bass, a Mod Q5 (Cocobolo) and a Modulus Bassstar Fretless - all of which I got for reasonable prices. But these mandolins are frikkin' crazy expensive - the carbon fiber Mix F5 was $3200 and cost 6K brand new and the Smart F5 (from Idaho) cost me $7500. Mandolins are nutty expensive.
 
#98
My most expensive bass is an Alembic Epic 5 string. I acquired it in a trade at Guitar Center for a Musicman Stingray 5 string that I paid $750 for. The Epic currently sells new for $7,200.
 
#100
My G&L ASAT bass retailed (not MSRP) for about $1650. But I got a deal.

My daughter is a music performance major. Her "beater" clarinet, good enough for marching, but not for concerts, was $1400. Her concert clarinet was $4100. Let's not discuss her piano.

Mainstream brand-name basses are cheap! Price a new Les Paul.
 
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