tegs07

Thanks for confirmation. So basswood is a good tonewood as is mahogany and Ash. If I was a luthier and was tasked to make a solid colour light weight bass I would pick basswood. If I were building a heavy dark wood instrument then mahogany if I wanted stain and oil to highlight the grain then Ash. All tonewoods, all different instruments and I am pretty sure they would all sound slightly different as well.

Isn’t tonewood just a generic catch-all term for a raft of different woods used to make musical instruments? If you are interested in grain then yes the choice matters. I would think that a luthier’s choice of tonewood would be less to do with the tone of the wood and more to do with the type and appearance of the instrument they are making. In terms of my own mucking about at home the different necks on different instruments make a subtle change in tone. Would this be noticeable in a live venue? I doubt it. Would it sound different played on the toilet? All changes to an instrument IMO may influence the sound it makes, how significant that change is will be open to debate. Edit: The use of luthier implies small, bespoke builds. Large manufacturers will be more concerned with supply, costs and consistency amongst other things when selecting tonewood.

Yep, I had that on watch but stopped when it hit £200. Nice basses those but a lot of work to get it back to its former glory even if the neck is straight with working truss rod etc.

True. That’s were it gets difficult with the whole “eat the rich” debate. My views have mellowed as I have got older.

Definitely there is no right or wrong answer... buy whatever works for you.

It’s tricky... I suppose the key to this is excess. I see no reason why Bill Gates should drive a car as $hit as mine but if your average billionaire just hides out on a private island avoiding tax and spending the excess on their next home / luxury yacht then yes I do have an issue with it ...

Bit like the whole vegan vs organic vs locally farmed vs factory farmed difficult to be “right” or ethical when there are so many factors at play.

Ah I do love a radical vegan. Nothing like living on an island surrounded by fish and with a climate perfect for sheep and dairy and being lectured about what you should eat ... Disclaimer I am a reformed vegetarian in remission...

Maybe they just dreamed of owning one since they were 12, spent 30 years slogging through work, raised a family and could finally afford their childhood dream? The world isn’t just 1 dimensional... Edit: before you comment no I don’t own a fancy German car .. wouldn’t mind one of those air cooled 911’s though

Nothing if you’re happy with it. Don’t replace any of the electrics or hardware then if you go of it in a couple of years you can sell it for a 50% loss. Some one else may have bought a scarce MIJ 80’s Fender and sell that in a few years for a 20% profit. There is no right or wrong answer here.

I suppose this depends on whether you are buying a bass that is a workhorse, an aesthetic indulgence or an investment. I know people that are happy to spend £2.5K on a gaming monitor... a second hand Rickenbacker looks like a bargain compared to that, or a MIA limited edition.. buy wisely and you can sell it on several years later for a profit, Edit: I have never spent nor am I ever likely to spend more than £1000 on a bass.... but what appears expensive is relative. A friend who had been a lawyer for a couple of years whilst I was at uni had a thing for older Rickenbackers .... I thought what he was spending was utter lunacy but he could afford them then and if he still has them now they would be worth some serious cash.

Tricky because we don’t know what method is used to get the average.There is also likely to be a huge disparity in wealth and very big variations between rural and urban incomes which could really distort the figures.

Haha ... oh that website should be censored they are stunning instruments... I don’t normally like single cut basses but ... https://www.alpineguitar.fr/work/11678/

Will take a look thanks and yep I have a good idea who you may be ... 😜

True but I think the US gets quite a bashing at times ... my personal preconceptions have always been shattered whenever I have been there.

Possibly true but there may be an equal amount that just want to support American companies and I have no beef with that. I can’t help but admire the pride the French have for their own products and the enjoyment they take in consuming them ...

Probably the best anecdote I have is MusicMan Stingray. I first saw/heard one of these live when Simon Gallup from The Cure played one in the mid ‘80’s. It sounded great and looked it too and I wanted one. No budget then so was stuck with a Marlin clone P bass. Fast forward a decade or so and I still couldn’t really afford one! The Indonesian made Ray’s were a possibility though. Comparing the Sub to the real deal in the shop the gulf was massive, Nothing wrong with it but nothing brilliant either. The Ray34 on the other hand well that was getting harder to distinguish but that cost a grand for an Indonesian made bass. However the money had definitely been used wisely.. in the end I got a deal on the display model and used it for years without changing a thing and it still looked and sounded great when I eventually sold it.

That is indeed worthy of a frame

And that is where some of the cost creeps in .. nothing wrong with a Ply or composite body unless you’re interested in grain, finish and weight. Cheaper machine heads and bridge are fine too if you don’t mind the finish peeling off after a year or two. Cheap pickups and electrics .. don’t know how many folks I know that have bought £300 ish pounds bass then over a year is so swapped out all of the above and added £200 to the cost... when £500 or so on the second hand market would have got them a far better bass.

I feel the same way about Harley Davidson Motorcycles. I guess this is where concepts of heritage, aesthetics and iconography kick in. Personally I don’t have the funds nor do I particularly want a custom shop Fender but if I was a highly paid banker looking for some pretty object to hang in the entrance hall that epitomised rock and roll then the custom shop Fender would do that better than a Spector ...

There’s no issue other than the fact that you’re just putting down sweeping blanket statements as fact. Edit: Don’t mean to sound as harsh as it reads. That is the trouble with written word., no tone or subtly.. that said standing by the essence of the text. Not everything Fender makes is mediocre, ash and alder are nicer than chipboard and sometimes you really do get better value when you pay more.

You must be right then if scientists say so. Bloody scientists there always sneaking in and meddling with my basses.