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You're maybe not gonna like this...

Bass is only going to sound as good as the person playing it. Assuming the bass is actually playable, a skilled musician can/will make it sound great, and at the same time give a horrible player a Fodera and it's still going to sound like crap.

Someone please give a Fodera so I can prove Vinnie right.
 
The upper register is where the $5000. bass really stood out. That's why some players insist there's no money above the fifth fret. They spent all of their money on basses that got great tone up in them thar hills. Now broke, they can't afford to drive to their next gig, and they surely won't take a $5000 bass on a city bus. This makes them lash out at other (smarter?) bassists by proclaiming what idiots we are for playing any note above 100 Hz. :smug:
 
That sort of fast, hard, percussive playing (and even more so, slapping) will effectively hide virtually all tonal qualities.
We will only hear transients, transients, transients...
No clues as to the actual tone envelope, richness, complexity, sustain, even-ness, existance of dead spots etc. There is also nothing to show quality of shielding, effects of T/V controls, response to other playing styles and so on.

Pretty pointless video, unless you only play slapping, alone, in your home.
 
That sort of fast, hard, percussive playing (and even more so, slapping) will effectively hide virtually all tonal qualities.
We will only hear transients, transients, transients...
No clues as to the actual tone envelope, richness, complexity, sustain, even-ness, existance of dead spots etc. There is also nothing to show quality of shielding, effects of T/V controls, response to other playing styles and so on.

Pretty pointless video, unless you only play slapping, alone, in your home.
Gotta give him points for courage, though. He probably needed a tetanus shot after playing that P. Yikes!
 
I think that price is a measure expectation in my mind. I know that for me a bass has to play better and better as the price goes up otherwise I won't be surprised. Hand me a P bass that costs $200 and if it plays and sounds just as well and is finished just as well I'll play it just as the special Custom Shop P you hand me after I might wonder what magic sauce is. YMMV
 
Bass is only going to sound as good as the person playing it. Assuming the bass is actually playable, a skilled musician can/will make it sound great, and at the same time give a horrible player a Fodera and it's still going to sound like crap.
Exactly, I saw one of my buddies bands play a show with a new lineup and his bassist was not that impressive. He had MIA jazz bass, and a Hartke hydrive 4x10. A $2,000 rig and it sounded like crap.
 
He’s a good player that often makes terrible basses sound decent if you watch his other videos. I have a $2k limit for myself these days. I refuse to spend more than $2k on any bass because at that point you’ve got enough money to buy two really good basses, the PA systems and studios I typically use don’t translate the differences, and if we’re being honest a lot of what your paying for is the name. Take Fodera for example. I was watching video in YouTube the other day of victor Wooten talking about how he hooked up with Fodera and why he’s loyal to them. In that video he mentioned that at that time the first bass he got from Fodera sold for $900. Now the same bass is probably $9000.
 
I've always kind of despised those "cheap vs expensive" instruments as any gear must be used on stage. THAT'S the only way to found out if you like an amp, cab, bass...
To me, almost any instruments played alone can sound good. Even cheap instruments.
However, on stage, in the mix THAT is where the difference rises! Cheap instruments will never keep up against high end instruments.

Also, I could make the same video, dialing a nice EQ sound for the cheap bass, and dialing a bad EQ for the expensive one. Making you believe high end basses are useless and just a waste of money.

I have nothing against the guy, I'm just saying those videos are totally biased, useless and misleading.

High end instruments do make a difference. But it's not only about tone. It's also about finish, consistency, attention to detail, the pleasure to play a beautiful instrument...
 
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