I was more impressed with the VHS collection and the classic AV equipment. Does all that still work?
That and the fact that you never ventured into the 5th or 6th string dimension.
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 Rig - where's your biggest cost?
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I was more impressed with the VHS collection and the classic AV equipment. Does all that still work?
That and the fact that you never ventured into the 5th or 6th string dimension.
I bought my Ampeg SVT Classic used and my SVT 810E new, I have about $1800 total into the amp. My most expensive bass, a Rickenbacker, cost about the same. Most of Fender basses fall into the $1000-$1500 range. I own some effects, but usually run direct.
As of today, my biggest investment is a tie. My bass head and my ‘62 Kay C-2 upright share that spot. I bought Kay in 1977 for $300. I just bought a Trace Elliot ELF amp. I’m very happy with it. $300. Lightweight (1.6 pounds), and it sounds amazing. My Trace Elliot 1x10” cab I bought used for $30. These two are my go to rig for size, weight and ease of mobility. My other cab is a homemade ash cab I bought used for $175. I just put a new Celestion Pulse 15 in it ($100) and is great for larger venues. My go to bass is my ‘68 Ampeg scroll top fretless. In 1975 I traded my ‘64 P-bass and $100 for it. This will change when I receive my Bruce Johnson fretted scroll top #016. I’m pretty sure the ELF won’t mind playing second fiddle to #016! One advantage of being my age is that I was lucky enough to locate and obtain good stuff when it was cheaper. I’ve used pedals over the years (MXR Phase 90, Boss 500, Tech21 Bass SansAmp) but right now I’m gigging sans-pedal.
I dunno about you, but seems to me that although the headline cost might have been less back then the real price was far steeper...
When I was a kid I paid 30 UK quids for my first bass, the cheapest secondhand one in the shop. That works out at 420 quid in todays money according to official figures. Today the same shop will sell me a selection of infinitely better new far eastern basses for well under half that.
I get what you’re saying...there is something about my ‘68 scroll top fretless though that I haven’t been able to reproduce when I try a newer fretless with cutting edge technology. Maybe it’s all in my mind, maybe it’s nostalgia...
After owning a few different basses, my one and only cost just $325.
My amps/cabs (a combo, head, and cab) add up to nearly $1000 (about $600-worth of it goes to a gig). I'm mulling some changes to my amp setup, but whatever happens, the total value of the system won't change (one in/one out).
For context, when I was a serious flute player, my instruments cost around $2500 each (and that's not even very pricey in that world); I really like playing an instrument that doesn't need to cost that much to be good!
My amps/cabs (a combo, head, and cab) add up to nearly $1000 (about $600-worth of it goes to a gig). I'm mulling some changes to my amp setup, but whatever happens, the total value of the system won't change (one in/one out).
For context, when I was a serious flute player, my instruments cost around $2500 each (and that's not even very pricey in that world); I really like playing an instrument that doesn't need to cost that much to be good!
I used to play trumpet. Paid ~$1300 for a college level horn, and it wasn’t even that nice. I got 2 nice basses and 2 combo amps for a fraction of that price. I’m considering adding another 350w combo, and I’ll still come in under that price. Yet, it’s amazing how I lose perspective and agonize over bass gear purchases!
OMG. Where to actually start. Between my G. Gould GGi5 Bass w/cocobola top, to the DNA 1350 Head, DNA 4x10 cabinet, Road Case for the 4x10 cabinet, Case for the head-Tuner-Rack Power-IEM system, Speaker cables, bass cables, Extra DI, Stands for vocal mic and amp mic, Cables for mic's, Briefcase to hold all my accessories, Case (Mono M80) for the bass, Vocal and amp mic's, Vehicle big enough to carry the whole lot, Picks, Strings, Winders, Cutters, Oil for the neck... I mean the list is almost never ending and everything builds up to a heavy cost. Not to mention a total cost. All for what - $100 per gig? Yep, I would do it again and again all over!
Not going to disagree with that. I think my main bass cost me less when I got in in 1983 than its cost me to put together my new bass rig over the last couple of years. But if I wanted another 1983 bass like mine (never mind that I selected it as the pick of the bunch in the shop) I reckon it would cost me well over double what I paid for it!
I agree. When I bought my ‘64 P-bass from a newspaper ad, the owner had bought it new from a shop in ‘68. He said it was a ‘68. When I asked what he wanted for it, he asked $100. I bought it and when I eventually removed the neck to adjust the truss tod, it was marked ‘Sept 4 1964’ in pencil. If memory serves, they were going for around $275 new then. The prices have gone through the roof since then.
One of my favorite rigs was a Traynor Bassmaster 50 with the Traynor 6x10 can. That sounded so good! The cab was about 3” too wide to fit in the trunk of my Toyota Corolla. memories...
Bass for sure. All I need in an amp is relatively light, loud and clean.
I got a GK MB212 years ago and it fills all of that but I may even downsize that. The bass though is more.... intimate. It's about bonding. I also spend a lot more time playing just the bass through headphones when learning tunes and the amp doesn't really come into play.
I got a GK MB212 years ago and it fills all of that but I may even downsize that. The bass though is more.... intimate. It's about bonding. I also spend a lot more time playing just the bass through headphones when learning tunes and the amp doesn't really come into play.
For the last few gigs I played, 'roughly a grand' is what everything cost.
The bass I played was bought as a floor model with a handsome discount was just shy of a grand.
The pedalboard I used consisted of components that, added up, came just a wee bit over a grand.
The Amp head ... same same. It's cheaper now, but I paid something close to a grand for it.
The cabinet ... well, make an educated guess.
The bass I played was bought as a floor model with a handsome discount was just shy of a grand.
The pedalboard I used consisted of components that, added up, came just a wee bit over a grand.
The Amp head ... same same. It's cheaper now, but I paid something close to a grand for it.
The cabinet ... well, make an educated guess.
