Your Most Expensive Bass?

[blindrabbit]

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.

Tell her that it is insane that people spend thousands - if not tens of thousands - of dollars on diamonds for engagement rings and the like. It isn't like the diamonds are useful in any way other than to look at, and then when you consider that for a fraction of the price you can get a cubic zirconia that will look exactly the same to the vast majority of people, there just isn't any justifying diamonds at all.

My wife doesn't complain (much) about my basses, because it is a far, far cheaper hobby than when I was into fast exotic cars.

 

[HolmeBass]

Warwick Streamer Stage I, which I bought used for $1600, but then actually traded a MM EB Stingray for $800 of that price. Brand new the Streamer Stage I's start at over $2K and can go fairly high with a lot of custom options, but no where near Alembic/Fodera/Ritter territory.

You can get a lot of custom bass for $3k or so, lots of great builders putting out great basses in that price range.

 

[Timmy-Watts]

If you're going custom, I'd say that 2800 is pretty average. It's a chunk of change, but it would be easier to spend way more than that. Not only that, it will hold a lot of its value for resale, and has the potential to earn you money. How many other hobbies do that?

I've had a few Moduluses (Moduli?) That in today's dollars would be well above 3000. Right now my most expensive is a tie between my upright and my second hand Clement custom at right around $2500. Enjoy your Valenti.

 

[lbbc]

I spent $1600 for a used Alembic Persuader several years ago....sounds just awesome! I still have it, but seldom play it out. I spent a similar amount for a Dave Pushic 2 years ago that I play all the time. Love them both for different reasons

 

[Sweet Willie]

I have two basses in the $2000-$2500 range. Got them about 5 years apart, and they represented a combination of using unexpected windfalls to celebrate a couple of personal milestones. I also have a ATK 5-string that I got used for about $200. They all make me happy and make the music go. The more expensive ones are lighter and balance better, and the necks are divine to play on. They sound great, but there are some circumstances, though, when that banged up boat anchor of an ATK just flat out brings the RAWK. \m/

As others have noted, we have it good compared to many traditional orchestral instruments.

 

[Flaked Beans]

 

[Baird6869]

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.

I play a bit on my nice (to me) Epi F5, but serious players better have lots of $$$ if they want the best. I think a Gilchrist STARTS in the high teens ($17k?) and forget about old Gibson Loars. Might as well buy a 58-60 Les Paul Burst. Crazy money for such little buggers!

 

[alexbrownebass]

It's probably between my 1963 Precision (all original) and my Fodera Monarch 4. Both were around $5000, but worth every penny.

 

[interp]

The most expensive bass I've owned is a 1962 Jazz bass that cost me about 5200 about 5 years ago. It's paid for itself at least twice since then. Of course, I could have earned just as much with a bass that costs a quarter of that. But that's not what it's about for me.

I'm now contemplating buying an amazing bass that costs nearly twice as much. I expect it to take at least two years to pay for itself. In the meantime I have the enjoyment of playing a spectacular instrument. It's a win-win for me.

 

[Bill Thompson]

The Naughty Eleven, (now 18), has two outstanding members. The first is a Steinberger XP-2, which I picked up while stationed in Japan in 1987. It is a limited edition with active Alembic pickups instead of passive EMG's. It sold for 198,000 yen(about $2000 US). I picked it up at a half-price sale for about $700. The second is a working copy of Billy Sheehan's Fender. With the donor bass, Schaller tuners, HipShot 'D' tuner, AllParts neck, Dimarzio Will Power pickups and a BadAss2 bridge, the bill for this bass came to $2200.

 

[Ballin'bass]

$2,400 on my highly upgraded Modulus vj4 is the most I've spent in one transaction.
View media item 4101I don't need anything nicer, but I still have a few others I'd like to acquire:

-Modulus q5
-Fender MIA precision
-One day, a handmade boutique bass, built just for me, to rule them all.

I"ll be complete then. I think.

 

[dave64o]

The most I've ever spent on a bass was about $1300, which I've done three times. The first was a 55-02, which I bought new but sold . Next was my Stingray 5HH, which I bought in used but basically new condition (in my avatar, it's going NOWHERE!). Third was a Warwick FNA Jazzman, which I bought used but in excellent condition (the new price was MUCH higher) but eventually sold .

 

[ChefKen]

Paid 1650 for the Bullshark and 1699 for the Essence. Thats my collection. The Essence is worth every penny I paid it and I could sell for what I paid or hold out for 1900 or so( replacement cost new 7K or so) .....The Bullshark I would not sell for less than 4K which is what it cost new in 1995. Its that good.

 

[Neveragain55]

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.

Close to $600.00 for this....

Invalid Link Removed

Love her to death, and she feels, sounds, plays and has the quality of an instrument that would typically cost much, much more.

 

[stringtapper]

If I had bought it new it would be my Roscoe LG-3006 6-string at around $5000 (bought it used at the Bass Emporium for $3200).

Most expensive bought new instrument is my 12-string Grand Graphite Chapman Stick w/MIDI pickup at around $4000.

 

[engedi1]

My most expensive bass was my Lakland Deluxe 55-94 which I got used for about $1800. Sold it to buy a Sadowsky M-24 that costs about the same. Of course, my 100 year czeck upright bass cost $10,000 but I got that before I was married. I am getting divorced now, and had at one point sold all my basses to try to placate her. NEVER again. It turns out that yielding to unreasonable demands doesn't get you any respect-quite the opposite. My next woman will either be a musician, or think its f%$ing awesome that I am and be supportive. If she can't understand you doing something really nice for yourself, than that is an issue. My ex was more jealous of the time and energy that music took away from her and in the end that causes problems unless she is mature enough to share your heart with your bass.

 

[spaz21387]

My most expensive bass is my eldorado gold ebmm stingray classic. The only other gold one i saw was selling for 2004$ i didnt pay close to that. I still think i like my 3 band ray a little more maybe because its already beat up and the classic is flawless right now.

 

[Dojix]

$1600, bought for $350.

 

[GIBrat51]

Depends on your definition of "most expensive":
- if you mean "what it cost new" then it would be my lefty Alembic Epic; Alembic lists it @ $6,400 (and yes, I know you can get them for less). I paid $2,200 for it.
- if you mean "what I paid for it", then it would be my lefty '73 Rick 4001. Paid $2,600 for it at the height of the "won't ever be any lefty Ricks again" era. And lefty 4001s are still pretty scarce, anyway.
Regardless, I didn't mind; I am fortunate enough to be able to buy pretty much what I want - and do. And when my ex started making noises about me buying things , and uttered the "D" word, I paid for it: let her have my nice pickup (I kept the '66 Fairlane beater); and waved goodbye as she drove home to Mommy. Kinda miss the truck, sometimes..

 

[Doner Designs]

Wait til you find out how much she wants to spend on "window treatments" and furniture, etc, etc. In most marriages I think men do the most damage financially however. You might reminder her what it would cost if your hobby were golf or car collecting or ______________. Fill in the blank. By comparison, being a bass player is cheap, especially if you earn a few bucks playing.

To answer your direct question, my latest is my most expensive - a Warmoth that will probably break the $2k mark and which would likely be $3k if it were put together by Mr. Valenti. BUT, I sold three less expensive basses to fund it. I have also been able to cover GAS by funding with Christmas/Birthday budgets as well as ebay sales of old toys I no longer play with.

Find out what SHE wants and then "negotiate" a bit. Good luck...marriage is a balancing act with many compromises.

One good thing is that our significant others often keep us from doing the things that are truly stupid. A Valenti bass is not one of them unless it truly does not fit within your means.