Budget basses, anyone else fallen in love with their's?

[cocco]

[quote name='Thor' timestamp='1324373127' post='1473413']
I can relate to this, I had purchased new what I considered the bass of my dreams about 4 or 5 years ago - a Streamer Stage 1 5 string (£1700) - I'd had a 4 previously which was superb quality and sounded fantastic (should never have moved it on), the 5 in comparison was extremely heavy, sounded very dark and didn't cut through the mix at all well - highs/mids were simply lost!?

I persevered with it and would always start a gig with it - however 5 or 6 songs in and I always found myself reaching for my back up bass - a Squier Jazz Bass, by comparison this sounded amazing - even the guys in the band noticed my fills and commented how good the Squier sounded.

I still have it today and up until recently had always been my back up on stage - I recently sold a Marcus Miller 4 as again I was finding it would be lost in the mix and have since replaced it with a Geddy Lee Jazz - this I would say is on a par with the Squier - perhaps even marginally better.

I'd picked up the Squier used for £130 - so definitely consider it budget.
[/quote]

I had the exact same experience with a streamer stage 1 5 string. I think it's the reason I haven't even looked at a 5 string since. Twice I've spent big money (over £1000) on a bass and twice I've been disappointed.

[RandomBass]

My used BB414 gets regular gig time. Fab tone and a delight to play. However it made me buy a 1024. So the 414 ended up being not so budget in the end lol.

[Cat Burrito]

My first purchase in years was the Squier 50s P bass and I love it. I've owned several £1000+ basses and I can't believe how much fun you can have with a cheap bass. I was going to mod it but actually once I changed the strings and had it set up it plays so well the only mods were cosmentic.

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[Bassman666]

Recently picked up a Washburn Taurus T25 5 string for the low sum of £100. After replacing the strings which must out-date the first bass ever made, it sounds awesome. Looks great, thru neck, good weight to it, and great low end definition for a 'cheap' bass. I enjoy it as much as my US jazz and German Warwicks!

[stimpsons-lost-son]

I picked up a fretless SX p-bass for £50 including a case off a well known auction site several years ago. When I had a (baby imminent) clear out the SX was kept but the MIM p-bass went. No regrets at all.
My other bass is a Squier VI. Again, this is a budget bass by most standards, but along with the SX it covers everything I need.

[JTUK]

Can't say I have had many.... but they weren't very good which is why I sold them.

And out of all the basses I've sold, I'd only half consider having one back..and even then I wouldn't go through with it
I've tried a few sub £500 ( new ) recently and one or two weren't truly offensive, but I don't see the point
of having something like this because it is cheap... if that is all there is to them.

[lazybones]

no i want the best i can afford,yeh the are alll playable but why would you want budget anything..nope wrong ,get a really good guitar and keep it for years when you get bore sell it for same has you bought it

[Bassman Sam]

[quote name='lazybones' timestamp='1380671213' post='2228893']
no i want the best i can afford,yeh the are alll playable but why would you want budget anything..nope wrong ,get a really good guitar and keep it for years when you get bore sell it for same has you bought it
[/quote]

Capital Offence. [size=4] [/size]

[hamfist]

I prefer playing a low cost (but highish quality) bass which I have modded , painted, tweaked, whatever. I feel more emotionally linked to it. I'd rather play something like that than a new, perfectly formed boutique bass which, for me, I would feel no personal link with, even though it might play and sound perfect.

Hard to explain but I hope you understand what I'm on about.

[Mornats]

[quote name='lazybones' timestamp='1380671213' post='2228893']
no i want the best i can afford,yeh the are alll playable but why would you want budget anything..nope wrong ,get a really good guitar and keep it for years when you get bore sell it for same has you bought it
[/quote]

Hmm, my new Yamaha TRBX retails for £480 (street price between £380 and £430) if you would consider that a budget bass. When I was trying out basses in the shop I tried a £1500 Sandberg, an £1100 MIA Fender Jazz and also an MIA Fender P and the Yamaha beat them all in terms of playability, feel and sound for me.

So I'd argue that "get a really good guitar" can include a "budget anything". Fender, in my opinion, have quality control issues with a lot of £1000+ basses and I've found it rare to pick up one in a shop that was worth over a grand to me. That Sandberg was indeed a lovely bass in every respect but it just didn't suit me. I do have a budget (£290 new) Dean bass that isn't anywhere near as nice as my other basses and could not be compared to the likes of the Sandberg at all. But in all honesty, I held that Sandberg up against the Yamaha and compared them in every respect and the Yammy won out. They could have had the same price tag on and the Yammy would still have won.

[JTUK]

£1000 on a new bass is no garauntee of anything... so I'd be thinking that amount to a SH bass would be better spent.
It is all about finding what works for you and how much money you can or will commit to it.

[Dingus]

I want to believe in budget basses , and I can enjoy playing on other people, but when it comes to choosing a bass for myself I have always gravitated towards the top end of the market , I am afraid.( When I left school I had two major ambitions, the first one being to save up enough money to buy a Wal bass , and the other one was to do with a girl who worked in the local delicatessen . At least I ended up getting my hands on the Wal , anyway. This set a pattern that has been repeated throughout my life. ) .

To my sensibilities , you can get a brand new bass that is can offer many years of playing satisfaction starting at just over a grand ( and a lot less than that for the same bass secondhand ) , and in light of that , it always seems to me that spending around £500 on a budget instrument that is often a compromise and ultimately second rate in performance and construction is a bit of a waste of £500 that could be put to better use saving for something better.

[Bassman Sam]

I've just borrowed a Legend branded P bass from my niece. It hadn't been used for years. I've given it a shim, a clean, new strings and a set up. I'm enjoying playing it daily as much as my RA will allow. With my limitations, it would be daft to spend out on a more expensive bass, it wouldn't make me a better player or relieve the RA.

[Mog]

Gigging tonight and I've a choice between my two throwabout basses, an early 90's CIJ jazz or a VMJ. The VMJ is in the gigbag. For a budget bass the quality is amazing.

[Dingus]

Bear in mind , despite what I have said already, that the circumstances of peoples lives dictate what is a "budget" bass to them . I have never had any children, so that immidiately means that I have never had those kind of overwhelming financial responsibilities to other people, thus enabling me to continue in this state of retarded adolescence indefinitely . For people with families to look after , the price of a so-called budget bass can be a lot of money to find for what is a non-essential item . Another side of the coin is , despite my penchant for quality basses, spending a lot of money is no guarantee of satisfaction . I have played basses that cost thousands of quid that I thought were rubbish , and I have played some Squiers that were perfectly good instruments that you could easily do gigs with and use while you improved as a player.

[Mornats]

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1380822086' post='2231147']
it always seems to me that spending around £500 on a budget instrument that is often a compromise and ultimately second rate in performance and construction is a bit of a waste of £500 that could be put to better use saving for something better.
[/quote]

Totally get what you're saying, it's a false economy buying a string of budget basses and ending up spending the same as if you'd bought a top end one. But check out what I was saying above about my latest shopping experience. I pitted a Sandberg against that Yamaha and the Yammy won. There was no compromise involved.

[franzbassist]

I used a Squier Matt Freeman P bass for a while a couple of years ago. It was a terrific bass, lighweight, good balance, and wonderful tone.

[Mook]

Deeply in love with my Fender Precision Lyte...Only stopped using it because the electronics have got a bit unpredictable and need a bit of work otherwise it would have been my only bass for 20 something years.

[Grreth]

I've had a coupla Overwater basses, Fender deluxes, Fender re-issues and StingRays. I've still got an '88 StingRay but my 'go to' bass is an '05 MusicMan SUB. I've got a T-40 that I want to sell and might sell the '88 Ray but I'm replacing it/them with a Sunn Mustang that I've just paid £40 for. It needs a good clean and I'm replacing the white plate with something else but apart from that, I don't need anything else anymore. Although I am drawn to expensive Fenders/Overwater, I know that I'd still be unhappy with something on them. The SUB is basic but has a great circuit and, in white, it looks fantastic! Classic StingRay tones for less than half the cost.

[12stringbassist]

I bought this Westfield P bass for £75.00 for other people to use at a jam night that I run.
It's so nice to play and feels and sounds just like a fat 70's P.
Will have to think again about letting mortals touch it.

Edited October 5, 2013 by 12stringbassist

[Grassie]

Paid £185 for my ATK310. I've finally decided it's a keeper after to-ing and fro-ing as whether to sell it on again. It's good for certain venues but not for others, whereas my P-bass is also good for some venues and not for others. They balance each other out see? My P-bass (a VM Squier) was £240, but I spent £35 on a Tonerider pickup for it. Still a bargain though innit?

[TomDuff]

I love my Fender Modern Player Jazz, at £365 maybe not budget but certainly a bargain in my opinion. Its keeping my Stingray in its case for the time being.

[White Cloud]

I picked up a Yamaha BB714bs a few months ago for a steal and it is my go to bass. I echo the sentiments of the OP - it's not exactly lightweight but balances perfectly and the neck is just right. It also sits in the mix in a band situation like a dream (the neck woofer pup too!).

I will never sell it as they are like hens teeth these days..

[martthebass]

£246 for my Squier jazz VM77 that I picked up for Jam Night work. Much better than I expected, about the only thing I'd change is the pups at some point as I sure the bass could accept some better ones. I'm sure it'll get used on gigs just as much as my Rick and Status....it certainly doesn't feel £1000 cheaper than the 75RI Jazz I used to own.

[Si600]

I've only got one bass, a Korean Aria Pro II Magna 5 I got off the 'bay and I can't see myself without it. I'd like a real Fender at some point, but that would just be for bling factor and the name more than anything else.