How good are High End Basses?

[chilievans]

While looking around the web I came across the Ritter website. Some of these basses are absolutely stunning but is the price tag really worth it?
I'm not just talking about Ritter I'm talking about all the really high end stuff.
I've got a Shuker Jazz with which I've just fitted an East J-Retro which in my opinion is the mutts nuts, it's the one bass to rule them all and I am the lord of the strings.
The quality of sound and craftsmanship are superb. It wasn't cheap by any means but what I'm saying is are these TOP end basses so much better that they cost in excess of 4,5,6 times the cost of my Shuker? Can they really play and sound that good?

[Lfalex v1.1]

Some are monumentally good, but anything with a mega price tag run the risk of being "bettered" or matched by less expensive basses (Statii, Vigiers,Shukers, zoots, etc.)

[hubrad]

If it really talks to you, you'll know whether it's worth it.
If not, why worry?

[bassicinstinct]

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1322323960' post='1449435']
If it really talks to you, you'll know whether it's worth it.
If not, why worry?
[/quote]

Give that man a cigar!!!

[Ou7shined]

They are worth it. The more expensive your bass the righter you are on bass forums.

Seriously though, I suspect a lot of the uber expensive bass' price tags are unjustified in terms of incremental real-world improvements. I'd hope that a portion of the price goes toward an exemplary after-sales service.

[chilievans]

One day I'll have the cash to find out
I'm off too buy a lotto ticket

[chris_b]

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]They're not worth it to me, but these basses are not made for fun. They are made to sell and they do so that's fine by me. [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color]
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]I've played Mustang Sally on a Wal but I guess that Alembic, Ritter and Fodera should be used by a different category of player.[/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color]

[skej21]

The worth of any bass is in the way it plays to each person. Money is just the (variable) obstacle in the way of purchasing it once you've fallen in love.

[chilievans]

[quote name='skej21' timestamp='1322324717' post='1449448']
The worth of any bass is in the way it plays to each person. Money is just the (variable) obstacle in the way of purchasing it once you've fallen in love.
[/quote]
Deep

[JohnFitzgerald]

My Squier Jazz is the best bass in the world.







For me.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1322333833' post='1449611']
An Item is worth whatever someone will pay at that moment
[/quote]
Unless you think you got a bargain, in which case it was worth more.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1322324452' post='1449445']
[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]They're not worth it to me, but these basses are not made for fun. They are made to sell and they do so that's fine by me. [/font][/color][/size]

[size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]I've played Mustang Sally on a Wal but I guess that Alembic, Ritter and Fodera should be used by a different category of player.[/font][/color][/size]
[/quote]

That's an interesting perspective.
I'd have [i]hoped[/i] that the makers of any bass made them to be played. They are, after all, a tool to do a job.
In an ideal world, we'd not be too hung up on whom is playing which tune and with what instrument.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Johnston' timestamp='1322335471' post='1449638']
But it's only worth more if someone is prepared to pay more for it .
[/quote]
So, does that mean that there's no such thing as a bargain price?

[Lfalex v1.1]

Sorry?! which is this? The philosophy of economics or the economics of philosophy?

[molan]

I've just bought a Ritter - for me it's worth every penny.

Simple difference for me on some of the more expensive basses I've owned I that they allow me to play stuff I struggle to play on other basses.

I love my three main basses - Ritter, Fodera & Alleva Coppolo. Each is quite different from the other but each gives me great pleasure every time I play them and, for me, that's what it's all about

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1322336571' post='1449654']
Sorry?! which is this? The philosophy of economics or the economics of philosophy?
[/quote]
Not sure yet, I'm trying to work it out.

[stingrayPete1977]

I try and avoid these discussions as one mans high end is another mans mid range, all relative and unless someone forces you to buy them a bass I don't see as its anyone else's business. I have my eye on a few basses around the 2k mark is that high end? I don't know.

[paulconnolly]

If I could afford it and not miss the money then I'd probably buy an Alembic or Vigier tomorrow. They won't make me a better bass player but they'd be nice in the collection.

Spending £2K and upwards won't make anyone a better bass player - its in the fingers, brain oh and practice, practice, practice.

[Wylie]

[quote name='JohnFitzgerald' timestamp='1322332553' post='1449596']
My Squier Jazz is the best bass in the world.



For me.
[/quote]

My Squier Jazz is also the best bass in the world! How did that happen?

[Acebassmusic]

[quote name='paulconnolly' timestamp='1322342091' post='1449770']
...... its in the fingers, brain oh and practice, practice, practice.
[/quote]

Oh GREAT!!!! Now you tell me!!! .....lol

[Bassman Sam]

I drive a Ford Fiesta and it does the job I need of it. I wish it was a Ferrari but I doubt I could handle one. I don't think a high end bass is that much different. It wont make me a better player but would satisfy my GAS.

[retroman]

[quote name='molan' timestamp='1322336603' post='1449655']
I've just bought a Ritter - for me it's worth every penny.

Simple difference for me on some of the more expensive basses I've owned I that they allow me to play stuff I struggle to play on other basses.

I love my three main basses - Ritter, Fodera & Alleva Coppolo. Each is quite different from the other but each gives me great pleasure every time I play them and, for me, that's what it's all about
[/quote]

Nicely put

My Alembic Orion 5, and Vigier Arpege have made my move into the world of five string bass so easy, as they are a real joy to play. I can get the action on both seriously low, which is important to me, as I love playing chord melodies way into the dusty end. Both are very easy to get a great sound from straight away, with a minimum of fuss. Out of all the basses I own, these two inspire me to play more the most, so they're worth every penny to me.

Another point for me is that these basses ooze quality, and attention to detail, as do basses from other high end manufacturers. I've been playing bass now for around 20 years, and have had the opportunity to try many different basses, and have found that even in the £1k-£2k price range there are a lot of basses that come up seriously lacking for me, or just have little niggles that leave me feeling uninspired. Quite recently I tried an AV 62 reissue Jazz, as I love the Jazz bass, and it was poor to say the least......Maybe I was just unlucky enough to pick up a bad one? I had gone there with the funds to buy as well, had it been "the one".

I tried quite a few £2k plus basses when I eventually bought the Vigier, and I didn't find myself thinking "that's wrong with it, this is wrong with it" at all. It was a straight forward choice of which one I liked the most.

[JTUK]

Being exceptionally well-made can get to a point of diminishing returns in terms of how playable it is.
Of course, not all basses are equal and £2000 to a very small band of luthiers can go a very long way..as opposed to £2000
for a production type bass which has distribution costs factored into the price, but for me a well put together piece
stands a better chance of being a good bass. Not entirely a given there, though, either.

There are some basses that I wouldn't dream of touching unless I saw them up close and could play them..as I just don't think you can trust
most makers all of the time. There are a few horror stories here to illustrate that point..and unfortunately those stories are not as rare, it seems, as you would hope.
I am talking about £1500-2000 plus basses as well.

Your money, your call.

[Schnozzalee]

Depends what it is, I don't notice much difference between a £100-£200 Precision bass and a £1200 one...The Marleaux I owned however...

[BigRedX]

"Good" when it comes to the upper end of the musical instrument market (which IMO for a bass is £2000+) is entirely subjective.

At the mass-produced end of the market the instruments are designed to appeal to as many players as possible. Beyond that the luthiers who make "high end" basses are catering to a much smaller audience of players who want specific features from their instruments.

At this level the basses only have two things in common:

1. The attention to detail/fit/finish/construction will be exceptional.

2. They are stringed instruments capable of producing low notes.

Everything else is down to the tastes and ideas of the luthier making the bass. That's why you can't compare "high end" instruments to each other because they are made to appeal to different people. What you are buying into at this level is not just an instrument that will do the job, but one that satisfies you on every level - sound, playability, looks.

If you've found a cheaper bass that ticks all the boxes for you then that's fantastic, but many of us want something more or different and that's where the more expensive basses come in.