Mrbigstuff

Really surprised by that. My second ever bass was an ETH and it was awful. Sound was pants, setup was awful, couldn’t get on with the painted neck, the neck dive meant it was like wrestling a whale even with a low strap. Quickly traded it for an Ashdown amp but is there a cooler bass?

Both the bass gallery and bass direct have plenty of choice in budget. In terms of what is best for you, only one person can make that choice.

If you can get the JV series…. They’re still nothing like the real thing but neither were the US Fullerton reissues.

I was comparing prices of the past to current prices - in GBP. Fender is an easy comparable and the Mexican range have seen just as high and increase as the US.

I don’t think you read what I was commenting on. I said there were some good instruments coming out of South Korea but the examples I provided were expensive and not for beginners. Reverend aren’t priced at beginners, neither are Lakland whether Indonesia or US built. This thread was to illustrate the above inflation shift in instrument pricing over the last decade, not what is the best bass.

Not particularly good though. Think Squier is made there now and mine is sh*t quality. Some good basses coming out of South Korea but Moollon and vintage modern around £2k. Sire seem to be breaking the mould but that can’t keep up with demand.

For the record, I do not need a new P bass as my £300 Mexican fender from 2006 is fantastic. But the point is that prices are out of reach for some and if I was 16 now I would only be able to look at Harley Benton’s and Squier if I wanted to buy new. A Fender US P bass was the gigging standard so I used it as an example. Second hand values have basically followed. About 10 years ago I sold a Fender AM deluxe jazz V for around £500 which is around what I paid for it and a MM stingray for similar amount, about half what I paid for it. I’d get over £1k for each now.

That’d be £1.23 in todays money 😜

Prices of basses are now crazy IMO and even the standard US made basses now feel out of reach. Take the standard series US made Fender P. In 2008 it was listed at $1600 - roughly £850 at the time. Now the professional II are nearly £2k on their website. Where’s the difference? If the price had followed inflation since 2008, BoE calculations has 2021 price at £1.2k. With many salaries not following suit, it’s no wonder (pandemic aside) instrument sales have been declining.

The Squier VMJ I have is in natural and it has the most obvious block joins you will ever see. I think Sibob might be right that the difference is down to the colour of the wood underneath.

Or is it because that music has a bigger marketing budget and increased exposure? There are plenty of great songs in the charts but also lots that is only there because of who the artist is.

Have you seen the prices of US instruments now? Those vintera series are the same price an US Deluxe was 10-15 years ago. Then MM US special are nearly £3k. You could get those US SUB basses for £350 brand new before they were discontinued

You’re in but you’re wife can no longer take part. I’m sure she is devastated 🤣

A lot of assumptions here. They’re all basses; different basses have differences and even the same basses have differences. If there’s more availability on the market, more power to the consumer.

I disagree with this from my experience. My first basses were wanted purely because the musicians I liked played similar. I’d be surprised if I’m alone in wanting to look and sound like my favourite bands.

janek Gwizdala has given his take on having a signature bass in a recent podcast. He goes through potential benefits for a musician and benefits he experienced.

All old bands that likely have a similar age audience. Vulfpeck are hardly new but a few decades younger than those mentioned.

On all the basses he played the notes aren’t clear because his action is too low. More buzz than buzz light year

He’d get more from his tone if he raised the action a bit so he could dig in with choking the string.

What is bass mastery? Being able to recite Jaco’s portfolio or being able to improvise and write music in all styles? I don’t think anyone has achieved the latter, it’d need more than 10k hours

Funny how this pretty much confirmed my pre existing thoughts of my own preferences . I prefer the sound of rosewood to maple boards for finger style. I prefer passive sound over active. The Alleva was slightly richer sounding than the MM and had a much tighter sounding B string and is probably the one I’d have overall.

Look at Stuart Clayton’s books

Yep, all burners are jap made

It’s probably sounded great for nearly 60 years… Is shim GAS going to be the next basschat craze?

Try something like the Rotosound flats. It’s such a deep warm sound but like trying to move a boat