Your Rig - where's your biggest cost?

[Modulus 96]

In sum biggest expense is in basses. I picked up my third Modulus a couple of days ago. My first one I bought new ($$$), the other two were used.

Number two expense is my bass rig, Mesa Impulse 600 on a Mesa powerhouse 1000 cab.

I have the usual assortment of rackmount gear and pedals, other cabinets left over from previous rigs and basses that never get used. Need to get around to selling it all.

 

[Bassheart365]

I own these two masterpieces, and each exceed the cost of all my other gear put together. Over the years I've come to appreciate not only the the beauty but the "playability" and sonic excellence of hand-made small-shop basses. And basses are what we bond with. They are lovingly held in our hands. They sound fantastic though any half-way decent Class-D amp, but not so much through cheap cabinets. So cabinets (Greenboy Fearless) are my next biggest cost @ about $1,200 per cabinet. Following that would be my Noble preamp at $1,000. It makes ANY bass sound better.

 

[Jim C]

I can get a great, professional sound with a Squire though a good amp.
No way can I count on a great bass and crappy amp.

 

[7615]

Sorry Eddie - could not see them in your post pic

For that Gibson all mud tone?

 

[jsbarber]

My cab and head cost about the same,
and my current go-to bass about twice as much as those combined.
But when I accumulate the total cost of lessons,
which have been off-and-on for many years and are continuing,
my biggest investment is in myself.
We see written in all kinds of threads how so-and-so sounded like himself/herself no matter what bass they were playing or what rig they were going through. The biggest factor in your sound is you.

Pretty much every player can learn from others. I saw a YouTube video where Michael Brecker said that he would ask other players for lessons and they thought he was joking. The truth is every player admires things that other players can do.

While you might say that Jaco never took lessons - he was "formally self-taught", I would respond - true, but he also learned from the greatest bass player in the world! (Do not try this at home!)

 

[lowflores]

For me it goes:
1. Head (costs the most: about $1800)
2. Cab (about $1600)
3. Bass (about $1000, although I have a bunch of them, 1 of them generally costs less than my cab)
4. Effects ( about $600)

 

[Real Soon]

Let's see... the majority of gigs I played within the last year (with a busy originals band) were on my 50s Classic P, usu thru one OD/pre and out of an MB Fusion 500 / Ampeg 2x10. That was my half stack and still comes up to edging out the bass a bit.

It looks like I'll be playing more on my 5-string with a new group, and it's an Ibanez Cerro, which would put it in the lead esp since I switched to a Quilter Bass Block amp (less $ even without the crazy deal I got). I'm using more pedals with this new outfit, but I think the bass is still holding the flag.

Or if I stick to my Washburn 4 with drop D, it'll be in third place heh. I'm all over the place right now

 

[Gaolee]

Cost and current market value are different things. Playing the upright, it's the most expensive part, followed by the Acoustic 360 it sometimes goes through. The a Thunderbird or maybe on a rare occasion the EB-2. Pedals? Not so much, although the wireless is worth about the same as the little Carvin combo I use sometimes for smaller shows.

 

[Graham Tuck]

My main bass is my biggest cost... To be fair it is a bit special, it's a 200yr old English James Cole bass that's insured for over $160,000.
My amp is a Genz-Benz going through various Bergantino cabs.
No pedals.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

I would say largely balanced between rig and bass, with only a small investment in a few pedals.

I go with a relatively new Dingwall ABI with gorgeous exotic top (bleached maple) and for my rig: a Monique 700 amp driving two Genzler 12-3 Bass Array cabs. I bought both of my ABIs slightly used, as well as my Monique. The basses were a bit more than the rig, but not a lot (about $500 to $800 each). I have a few pedals. I have a Sure wireless pedal instrument transceiver, a Diamond compressor I hardly ever use, and a Darkglass Vintage Microtubes that I like.

 

[BuffaloBob4343]

My main bass is my biggest cost... To be fair it is a bit special, it's a 200yr old English James Cole bass that's insured for over $160,000.
My amp is a Genz-Benz going through various Bergantino cabs.
No pedals.

Wow!!!

 

[crabfunk]

I've been fortunate to get really good deals on several pieces of gear, including my GK amps and Neo cabs (love them, by the way). My Warwick Thumb was the most expensive individual piece in my arsenal, not surprisingly. And worth every penny.

 

[leerod054]

Well my primary bass is a Ken Smith ($3200) worth. This bass alone can make any amp sound good. When I go to gig I take 2 basses...my Smith and my Peavy Cirrus Fretless (backup).. my Rumble 40 and one chorus pedal.

 

[Frodolicious]

My biggest cost is my amp and cans. I bought a used Markbass Little Mark Tube, a used Markbass 102 cab, and a 121 cab all for around $1300 or so. Worth every penny.

My pedals cost a little less than a grand, mostly compression and modulation effects.

Bass was a couple hundred bucks that I built from parts. I'm making my own fretless P/J body in the near future as well.

It's crazy how much one spends over time. Not a cheap hobby by any means for my addictive brain.

 

[actionpig]

Guitar Dingwall Afterburner $3,600.00
Amp Ampeg SVT V-4B & SVT-810E $3,000
Outboard gear
Tech21 RBI
dbx 160TX
Shure GLX-D16
Shure PSM300 & Custom In Ears $2,900

 

[Ric5]

Your Rig - where's your biggest cost?

Hmmm

15 basses and 2 more being built, 3 ampeg bass heads, small practice amps, 3 2x10 cabs, 2 1x15 cabs, 1 1x18 cab, a full pedalboard, various mikes, cables, keyboards, 6 string guitars, pa equipment, etc … Fortunately my wife is a musician and some of that equipment is hers

Damn I will never break even in the music business!!!

 

[AJBass-85]

My most expensive bass is my Sire, I spent around 500 euros last year. My pedal board was worth around 800 euros when I used to rock a Darkglass b7k. Then a few months ago I gave away my Ampeg PF350 head and the PF115HE cab and bought a Darkglass Microtubes 500 and a GK Neo 115. Now my Amp is worth 1.4k euros.. So double the price of my bass, lol. It sounds insane

 

[gregmon79]

For me my amp and pedals are probaly about even. But my amp is def the most expensive single piece of gear I own. Or have ever owned for that matter.

 

[Jesse Reyes]

I own these two masterpieces, and each exceed the cost of all my other gear put together. Over the years I've come to appreciate not only the the beauty but the "playability" and sonic excellence of hand-made small-shop basses. And basses are what we bond with. They are lovingly held in our hands. They sound fantastic though any half-way decent Class-D amp, but not so much through cheap cabinets. So cabinets (Greenboy Fearless) are my next biggest cost @ about $1,200 per cabinet. Following that would be my Noble preamp at $1,000. It makes ANY bass sound better.

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Very nice basses. I used to own a Ken Smith awhile back. Loved that bass. Beautiful sound live and in the studio.

 

[Kragnorak]

Please consider this on your "usual" gig rig, with one bass, one amp, and your gigging pedal board. I don't care if you have 20 basses, or 25 amps, or a room full of pedals. That skews things. Just "1 bass vs 1 amp/cabs vs 1 "set of pedals".

My "usual" rig is tough to boil down if you restrict me to one bass, because sometimes I use a $300 bass and sometimes I play a used Pedulla Hexabuzz which was still the price of a cheap car. Here's the normal breakdown:

1. Bass - Sometimes I switch between fretted and fretless basses on the same gig, so my loadout is usually more than just one instrument. Up until I bought my Pedulla, I never spent more than $1,000 on a bass. For example, I just gigged on an acoustic/electric bass that was worth a grand when I bought it but I paid $400. So... I'd say average bass value at a gig is around $1200.
2. Amplification - I tend to use Genz Benz head with Aguilar cabs. So... My rig value is probably around $1400.
3. Pedals - I like to use a pedal board with a couple always ons, wah, distortion, etc. Some pedals I've gotten on the cheap but if you figure about 6 pedals at an average value of $150 + pedalboard + power supply, my FX suitcase is probably worth a little over $1000.

Having detailed all that, I still checked off "bass is the place". I valued a good sounding and playing bass well before I ever had good amplified tone. Instruments are what intrigue and inspire me to try new sounds in the first place. For example, at the same gig where my only bass was an acoustic/electric 5-string fretless El Capitan, I also played an acoustic/electric guitar and a Roland keyboard. So at that one I had $1500 in musical instruments, a $300 amp, and zero effect pedals.