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Your Rig - where's your biggest cost?
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
My US made Lakland 55-94 Deluxe is more than my amp/cab...but not by much. Ampeg SVT 4Pro and Ampeg BXE 410
You got away relatively cheap.
It would have been much more but my nephew is a general contractor. We got steep discounts on labor and materials.
AMP! Hands down. Mesa & Ashdown rigs currently, have owned Eden, SWR, Genz-Benz, Ampeg...My personal philosophy is that you can buy inexpensive everything, EXCEPT cabs. They gotta well-built & designed, & should have good speakers.
Bergantino cans are the sickest cans I've ever heard by a long shot. Everyone is all into mark bass where I am from... if they only knew!
I play a AM jazz bass. It's only a hiway 1... but the neck is thin and fits my hand like no other bass. I slapped (not to be punny) a badass bass bridge and my friend at Jank Tone pickups designed and built me custom pickups. And I sanded down the body and had my mother paint it. So who knows the actual value. To me its priceless. However it's rare for me to play another bass I really appreciate. The last one was a MTD 435. I was going to buy it but it cost more than my car.
I don't use very many effects/pedals... etc. If I were to have everything I wanted my board would only be worth a couple grand. Its currently what I am investing in so extra money occasionally presents itself.
I run amppeg. I have had my rig for over ten years. I have a 4×10 and 1×15 with a 7oo head. Its sound great... but its heavy and bulky. It's a pain to lug around all the time. So eventually I'm switching to Bergantino I believe. They are small and light yet punch super deep with a full spectrum of tone. But spendy. So once I do have my dream rig it will be my biggest investment.
I don't use very many effects/pedals... etc. If I were to have everything I wanted my board would only be worth a couple grand. Its currently what I am investing in so extra money occasionally presents itself.
I run amppeg. I have had my rig for over ten years. I have a 4×10 and 1×15 with a 7oo head. Its sound great... but its heavy and bulky. It's a pain to lug around all the time. So eventually I'm switching to Bergantino I believe. They are small and light yet punch super deep with a full spectrum of tone. But spendy. So once I do have my dream rig it will be my biggest investment.
Carrots, 'cause "I can see for miles and miles".
But seriously, bass and amp for me have been about equal. Ive never bought any equipment new though. ymmv
But seriously, bass and amp for me have been about equal. Ive never bought any equipment new though. ymmv
Hmmm... I built my bass and my cabinet. Bought a Warwick lwa 1000 to power the cab but it's waaayyy underpowered. I need about 2000 watts bridged to run my cabinet to it's potential. Of course at that point it would rattle all the nails out of the framing if my house/shop. It loosens sheet rock nails now come to think of it. I'm not sure what costs more.. I know I can't buy the equivalent of either because no manufacturers build anything like it or as high a quality. Best part is I rarely gig as a bass player, I'm mainly a guitarist and keyboardist currently. Wait... I just did a pickup gig filling in for a lead vocalist... My Shure ksm9 cost more than my Warwick bass head... If the old lady ever knew just what I have invested ....shhhhhb
As I learned more about equipment, I figured out how to get more out of less investment.
There was a time when my full stage rig and bass cost $3600.
These days, I trot out a smaller, but equally capable rig and bass for less than $1000, sometimes way less.
In both cases, the rig is worth more than the bass—strictly in terms of money spent.
There was a time when my full stage rig and bass cost $3600.
These days, I trot out a smaller, but equally capable rig and bass for less than $1000, sometimes way less.
In both cases, the rig is worth more than the bass—strictly in terms of money spent.
Well, after getting the new Orange OBC112 cabs, my rig is about equal in cost to my Jetglo Ric.
I guess my amp...? I have a 500W MarkBass Little Mark head and the 1x12 New Yorker cabinet. I'll probably get the extension cab one of these days, it just hasn't seemed necessary yet because every place I've played where it might be needed, has a backline anyway. Convenient! 
I guess the whole rig was maybe $1100 used...? I have a couple of expensive basses but if anything, I'm trying to get out from under that a bit and at least for electric bass, just have my 4-string Music Man (the American Sterling model) which was like $700, and this 5-string Korean Spector that I got for $300 (it hasn't shipped yet, hopefully soon!). I guess if I like the Spector I might "upgrade" to an American model someday, but right now I feel better having less expensive stuff. Mostly because I've also branched back out into synths and guitar again, AND might get an electronic drum kit. It feels like my bass rig is pretty much dialed in at its core and I'd rather invest in cheaper items for the rest of my gear.
I guess the whole rig was maybe $1100 used...? I have a couple of expensive basses but if anything, I'm trying to get out from under that a bit and at least for electric bass, just have my 4-string Music Man (the American Sterling model) which was like $700, and this 5-string Korean Spector that I got for $300 (it hasn't shipped yet, hopefully soon!). I guess if I like the Spector I might "upgrade" to an American model someday, but right now I feel better having less expensive stuff. Mostly because I've also branched back out into synths and guitar again, AND might get an electronic drum kit. It feels like my bass rig is pretty much dialed in at its core and I'd rather invest in cheaper items for the rest of my gear.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,588
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- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Biggest cost? Learning how to use whatever you have to sound they way it should within the context it is presented. More to do with ears, fingers and ability to shape your tone than it has to do with money (cost).
Lets see:
Stage or club rig (Genzler MG 800 -$900, Schoreder 12-12 L $900, Schroeder 12 PL $745)
Basses OMG (three USA Spector NS4s at about $5000 to $6000 each, Euro NS4 $2000, Two Spectror Timbres at $700 each, Warwick infinity $2200, Gibson T-Bird at $2200, G&L 2000 $1700)
All the pedals, maybe only $500 or $600
Stage or club rig (Genzler MG 800 -$900, Schoreder 12-12 L $900, Schroeder 12 PL $745)
Basses OMG (three USA Spector NS4s at about $5000 to $6000 each, Euro NS4 $2000, Two Spectror Timbres at $700 each, Warwick infinity $2200, Gibson T-Bird at $2200, G&L 2000 $1700)
All the pedals, maybe only $500 or $600
My bass is a Fodera and my rig is Aguilar, so the bass is the most expensive. I don't use pedals other than a tuner. Bass and rig can give me any sound I want.
