What's the most you would spend on a bass???

[Schnozzalee]

I think my limit would be £1600 but it would only be for home enjoyment...I might even use it for home jam sessions but that would be it! I reckon after 4-8 years you'd get your moneys worth back and i'd relax like I do about laptops over £500 = 3 years use and i'm happy, its probably out of date by then too nowadays. I would definitely pay £1600 for a guitar because I tend to use them more playing in my bedroom whereas bass I like to practice with others. HOWEVER, with basses you tend to notice the quality difference between boutique and stock much more than in the geetar market I think. If I could pick any bass it would be this :

[url="http://www.frays-basscorner.com/instock/new_used/WT_ZoidVM.html"]http://www.frays-basscorner.com/instock/ne.../WT_ZoidVM.html[/url]

OR this:

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/official-skjold-club-part-5-a-532590/index30.html"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/official-...90/index30.html[/url]

...But I'm guessing their both like £3k

Edited August 24, 2011 by Schnozzalee

[Linus27]

I think for me its also around £1600 which would be something like a Stingray or Fender Jazz/Precision. I can't see any benifit in paying much more for a working bass unless its for a very specific personel reason like a super rare African wood that only sounds good in your hands

[Kaasa]

I think a real 52' Precision (aka. telecaster bass) would be something i could save up to get in a couple of 4-5 years.

[Clarky]

People will happily buy cars which - in most cases - immediately depreciate more than the £1600 mentioned in the OP. Its all about what makes you happy. I have spent £3k on a beautiful double bass and similar on a year-of-birth (1963) Fender Precision. To me they are worth it as they make my life better

[BigRedX]

However much it costs so long as I can afford it. There is no upper or lower limit. If there's an instrument I like and want to own and I have the spare cash, then I'll buy it. I've yet to spend £3000 or more on a bass, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't at some point in the future. At the same time if I see something cheap that I like I'll buy that too.

As Clarky says people spend far more money on things with massive depreciation and don't blink an eyelid.

Edited August 24, 2011 by BigRedX

[Lozz196]

Up til now, the most I`ve ever spent was £650 on a 2nd hand Gibson Les Paul bass.

I`ve a specific plan in mind on a new bass, but until the actual event happens that it`s to do with, I`ve no idea what the cost will be.

[Bigwan]

Most I have spent was £1800 for a custom built bass. Wouldn't do that again, however I would be prepared to spend significantly more than that on a vintage P or J. I wouldn't go above a grand any more for anything else. I say that now...

Edited August 24, 2011 by Bigwan

[Highfox]

Whatever I can reasonable afford or save up for with out putting my Family in strife.
If you have the money then why not (just that I don't)

[dc2009]

What BRX said. I'd gladly shell out 10,000euros for a ritter if I had the money to spare...

[MoonBassAlpha]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1350198' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:15 PM']However much it costs so long as I can afford it. There is no upper or lower limit. If there's an instrument I like and want to own and I have the spare cash, then I'll buy it. I've yet to spend £3000 or more on a bass, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't at some point in the future. At the same time if I see something cheap that I like I'll buy that too.

As Clarky says people spend far more money on things with massive depreciation and don't blink an eyelid.[/quote]
Aren't your lovely Gus basses getting on to the 3k mark? In my mind, they LOOK it!

[Doddy]

As little as possible.......

The only instrument I have that cost me over a grand is my electric upright,and even that was only
just over.

[BigRedX]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='1350210' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:22 PM']Aren't your lovely Gus basses getting on to the 3k mark? In my mind, they LOOK it![/quote]
The current new price of a Gus G3 is around the £5k mark depending on options.

None of mine cost that much because they were
1. bought almost ten years ago when the list price was a lot less.
2. an ex-demo model.
3. second hand (and very battered).

[chris_b]

Depends on the instrument. If I had a budget and found something I wanted which cost more then the budget would change.

I practise and rehearse at home but the primary purpose of every piece of gear I own is to gig. Everything I buy has to sound better than the last purchase so nothing gets bought on a whim or because of it's looks.

[fender73]

These days - it would be £500 max - i've sold on any expensive basses i've had (Status.Jaydee) as i've been too scared to take them to some of the more 'rough and ready' gig venues i have/stilldo play at.

incidently - just bought a Warwick Corvette for less than the above...mmm...bubinga....

Cheers

Graeme

[lojo]

Up to around £500 , unless I could be sure of it being a cash investment I could recover, then the amount is not limited, although I've not exorcised this more than £1250 to date

[funkypenguin]

I'll be looking at between 2 and 3k when i eventually comission Jon Shuker to build me something...i wouldnt mind spending more for the right bass though

[Wil]

I once spent £1500 on a new Status. It was lovely, but as a tool it wasn't worth that much to me so I sold it on. Now, I wouldn't spend over £500, ideally less. I'm perfectly happy in terms of tone and feel with my parts bass, which came in at under £200.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Wil

[Mr. Foxen]

I pretty much wouldn't spend more that I think I can get back. Pretty much accepted gear moves on. Exception is bitsas I guess, although reckon I could generally cover them parting them out, minus any work I had to pay for (like routing).

[daz]

Depends how much money i had to spend. Lets say i won 10 million on tonights lottery. Id think nothing of spending £10,000 on a bass. Otherwise maybe £1,000.

[chris_b]

When you're a lottery winner £10K is change.

Even the £350K for my 2 Aston Martins would be small change!

[daz]

[quote name='Johnston' post='1350513' date='Aug 24 2011, 05:38 PM']If you dropped £10k on a bass would it be to play or as an ornament?

Just asking because I can't honestly imagine spending big bucks on a bass to play.[/quote]

makes no diff, if i saved for years or won [i]el gordo[/i], bases are for playing. Guitars [i]on the wall [/i] as ornaments is silly, unless they are just hung there to keep them from the dog chewing or cocking a leg on them, or the missus knocking it over whilst doing the hoovering.

Edited August 24, 2011 by daz

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Clarky' post='1350180' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:00 PM']People will happily buy cars which - in most cases - immediately depreciate more than the £1600 mentioned in the OP. Its all about what makes you happy. I have spent £3k on a beautiful double bass and similar on a year-of-birth (1963) Fender Precision. To me they are worth it as they make my life better [/quote]

Yes. This.
I'd rather spend a £1k on an instrument than on a blingy pair of 18" wheels and tyres etc.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1350198' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:15 PM']However much it costs so long as I can afford it. There is no upper or lower limit. If there's an instrument I like and want to own and I have the spare cash, then I'll buy it. I've yet to spend £3000 or more on a bass, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't at some point in the future. At the same time if I see something cheap that I like I'll buy that too.

As Clarky says people spend far more money on things with massive depreciation and don't blink an eyelid.[/quote]

Which is why I buy cheap(ish) s/h cars. They're always going to get battered around carrying various pieces of musical equipment, anyway. I've yet to top £1.5k on an instrument, and I've got some good ones to show for it.
A grand or so well spent on the f/s section will go a [i]very[/i] long way in the current climate...
If you have a grand or so right now...

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Clarky' post='1350180' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:00 PM']People will happily buy cars which - in most cases - immediately depreciate more than the £1600 mentioned in the OP. Its all about what makes you happy. I have spent £3k on a beautiful double bass and similar on a year-of-birth (1963) Fender Precision. To me they are worth it as they make my life better [/quote]

This was what happened to me, I needed a new car but pretty quickly found you need to spend £18K to get something big enough to carry gear in and some nice options. So I bought a 10 year old Mondeo estate for £3k and spent some of the money I saved on some very nice basses that get played most days and I'll keep till the day I keel over.

It was definitely an extravagance for me but made more financial sense than a new car depreciating 50% the moment I drive it off the forecourt. Add to that someone ran into it while it was parked two days after I bought it, and again last week so I'd be really fed up if it'd been a new one.

Edited August 24, 2011 by Fat Rich

[purpleblob]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1350198' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:15 PM']However much it costs so long as I can afford it. There is no upper or lower limit. If there's an instrument I like and want to own and I have the spare cash, then I'll buy it. I've yet to spend £3000 or more on a bass, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't at some point in the future. At the same time if I see something cheap that I like I'll buy that too.

As Clarky says people spend far more money on things with massive depreciation and don't blink an eyelid.[/quote]

This

[quote name='Highfox' post='1350204' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:18 PM']Whatever I can reasonable afford or save up for with out putting my Family in strife.
If you have the money then why not (just that I don't)[/quote]

And this.

With regards to W&T Zoid in the original post, I seem to recall one (or maybe it was that one) on sale on BC a year or so back - lovely looking bass.

[JTUK]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1350228' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:35 PM']Depends on the instrument. If I had a budget and found something I wanted which cost more then the budget would change.

I practise and rehearse at home but the primary purpose of every piece of gear I own is to gig. Everything I buy has to sound better than the last purchase so nothing gets bought on a whim or because of it's looks.[/quote]


This ...pretty much.

I'll spend what I want to spend..and that depends on how much I want it.