I recently managed to pick up a Vintage Modified Squire Jazz bass from a local cash converters for what can only be described as a little loose change. I wanted a cheaper bass for those upcoming summer festivals where I didn’t want to leave my more expensive basses in unsupervised rooms with loads of other gear just waiting to be nicked...
And crikey what a cracking bass this is, its condition is as new, not a mark on it, it’s light, beautifully finished, powerful, great sounding and great to play, a great sunburst, blocks and bindings in a maple neck, the tuners could be more substatial, but they are not bad....It does make you wonder about the “decreasing returns” principle when compared to more expensive basses, at what point do you get your best “bang for buck”, and is this price point changing as Indonesian and Korean factories are getting better and better at producing quality gear.
The most I’ve paid for a bass is £3500, but that is a vintage jazz so not comparable, but I’ve played and owned pretty expensive basses over the years, and this makes you wonder at what point does the increasing quality become negligible.
I currently have a USA Geddy Lee which is an outstanding bass, but new is about £1950, is it really worth over £1800 more than what I just paid for the Modified Vintage Squire???
I would be interested to hear from other people who have these and how they have found them.