Gigging with a cheap bass

[bonzodog]

I use 2 jhs vintages as my main gigging basses and cant fault quality. Good pickups and stay in tune for an eternity. One was 50 quid off ebay and other was 200 quid brand new.

[Lozz196]

For a while I was gigging a 90s Korean made Squier Precision. Great bass, and as it`s now strung with flats, I`ll use it again for depping, so will gig it again. Only really stopped gigging it due to wanting a bass with maple neck, these being easier to see where you`re playing under bright lights (which we seem to get at the venies we play).

[steve-bbb]

here is my main gigging bass - it comes out with the intention of being the back up to my status, but more often than not it's the status which stays in the bag



pre-loved squier affinity 140 from t'local music emporium - sounded fine just stock but now it has wizard hammers the status doesnt stand a chance tbh

[inthedoghouse]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1411404865' post='2559201']
Agreed. Plus, the punters wont know (or care) about the price of your bass.
[/quote]
Another + 1 here

[FuNkShUi]

I have a Warwick streamer from the 80s, this is my most expensive bass, and the one I use the least.
It is a better bass than the 2 I swap between, but like people have said, mr punter off of the street ain't going to notice thie difference between it and the 2 I use.
I switch between a limelight p, which isn't cheap I grant you. The other I'm using is a Squier Silver Series jazz.
Great bass. Sounds good.Not an issue for me to gig either of these and I don't have to worry about damaging them, like I would with the Warwick.
If it feels good to you, and comes through the mix, play it.

[inthedoghouse]

I think all that I was going to say has already been said - if you're happy with it and the band are happy with the sounds and your playing ... who gives a sh*t what the Friday night drunks who wouldn't know a bass from a Strat think?

As for other players who may be watching you - well, you're playing that night and they're not. I'd be surprised if you found many here who would put you down for your choice of instrument :-)

I guess most of us who are 'old enough' started off gigging on cheap instruments and could only dream of affording something with an F on it. The cheaper instruments available these days are a world away in value and quality from then.

Edited September 22, 2014 by inthedoghouse

[BetaFunk]

This is a strange thread because it seems that the basses are being judged on what is considered cheap at the moment rather than their cost when they were sold sometimes many years ago. For example i was recently looking at prices of basses in 1990 and of the basses listed one was only worth 10% of one of the others. It's not only quality that has to be taken into consideration when deciding on 'cheap' basses but also fashion which is always so important.

[sprocketflup]

Play all my gigs on a £100 Squier PJ with a little of Klogons magic inside, and a £75 Westfield B*st*rd that I defretted with a blunt hacksaw and a bolster.

No-ones complained yet

Edited September 22, 2014 by sprocketflup

[BILL POSTERS]

Still gig my 1973 Eros Jazz copy sometimes. Was cheap £65 when I bought it, as cpmpared to a white Fender P which was £125 in the same shop.

[size=4]I really like the Eros, and I still keep going back to it. Copies can be great quality sometimes, [/size]

Edited September 22, 2014 by BILL POSTERS

[chrismuzz]

I always get compliments on my tone and I only play Peaveys... Currently through a Harley Benton amp (ok, and a Markbass cab )

You'll benefit from fresh strings, and if the sound is a bit dull at that point I'd recommend trying new pickups, but you can definitely get world class tones without breaking the bank !

[lurksalot]

Last Saturday I played my first gig with the bitsa I built , it was great , no problems and to be honest because it looked so odd it got more attention than my Spector



[quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1411411546' post='2559306']
here is my main gigging bass - it comes out with the intention of being the back up to my status, but more often than not it's the status which stays in the bag



pre-loved squier affinity 140 from t'local music emporium - sounded fine just stock but now it has wizard hammers the status doesnt stand a chance tbh
[/quote]

I don't often get taken aback , but this is just a beautiful looking bass , just stunning .

[TimR]

This is a fantastic thread that goes someway to answer your question (or not):

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/231907-what-does-it-mean-to-outgrow-cheap-but-good-for-the-price-basses

Cheap is a difficult quality/quantity to define.

I've gigged a £400 bass for ten years. Is £400 cheap? £40 a year, maybe £2-£3 a gig?

Don't know.

[Funky Dunky]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1411410726' post='2559298']
Don't even start me on some of the snobbery that gets thrown around, I find it pretty disgusting to be honest. An instrument is either good or it isn't, according to the person playing it and no-one else and it doesn't matter a jot where it was made or who made it.
[/quote]

This. This ends the debate for me. Well said mate.

[BetaFunk]

I bought a Bass Collection about 25 years ago for £250. Around the same time i also bought a 1970s Fender Jazz for £400. Nowadays the Bass Collection would go for less than what it cost all those years ago and would be considered now a cheap bass while the Fender would probably be 5 times what it was bought for.

[paulbass]

I've gigged with a hohner bass for 10 years and although its not worth much it i'd never sell it. I've since had Warwick and Fender and what i've found was the sound produced from these basses are a different class altogether. It inspires you and the action is makes it easier to play. The best guitarist i ever played with uses an unbranded guitar and the action is stupidily high and yet he makes it sound awesome! He does use quality amps and cabs which helps but he is comfortable with his guitar. I did wonder if he was to use a higher branded guitar how much would his playing would improve...he's bloody good now,would it make him sound/play more awesome?
Its not what you got its how you use it

[blue]

I don't think there is anything wrong with using inexpensive bass guitars at gigs if it's giving you the sound and tone you desire.

I'm not sure and it's really a case by case decision, but if your gigging a lot, play something that looks good, makes you feel good, plays good and sounds good. You can pay a lot or a little and get all those things.

Me, I only gig with name brand easily recognized bass guitars;[list=1]
[*]1951 Fender P Bass MIJ re-issue ( usually seen in butterscotch with black pick guard and Tele head stock)

[*]1959 Fender P Bass MIJ re-issue ( Sting Bass )

[*]Gibson Gold Top Les Paul Bass

[*]Gibson 1991 Thunderbird

[*]Hofner Limited Club Bass ( not the violin body style ) made in Germany

[*]Gibson ES-335 Bass ( vintage faded cherry )

[*]G&L ASAT ( Tele body style with active pre-amp )
[/list]

These are middle of the road basses in terms of price.

I use only name brands because as a kid I struggled financially and had to use cheap basses that didn't play very well for years. As an adult I treat myself to what I can afford at any given time. It's different now, I think you can pick up a very giggable bass for not much more than $300.00

Blue

Just a side note. I think some of us can get caught up in the romance of the [i]"vintage bass guitar".[/i] Back in the early 70s I owned a 1957 pre-CBS Fender Precision Bass. Action and intonation was a chronic struggle. I would bet most current Squires would be a much nicer bass to play.

Edited September 22, 2014 by blue

[flyfisher]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1411405214' post='2559210']
Let us face it. The weakest part of the signal chain is the player.

sh*t player + amazing bass & rig = sh*t bass.
Amazing player + sh*t bass & rig = amazing bass.
[/quote]

Exactly. And not just for bass either. I dread to think of the noise I'd get out of a Stradivarius.

I suspect there is a tendency to obsess over gear because it's easier to change what we play than how we play.

[Bolo]

Disgusting. I sold kidney, blood and bone marrow to have a decal on the headstock that the birds can fawn over! Musicians dragging random assortments of garbage onto the stage cheapens the experience for both band and public!
We, the entertainers, are artists. We have standards to maintain!

[KingPrawn]

i love my cheaper basses. I have two that regularly get gigged, one was £40 and the other a very steep £70, I've put Delano pups on both. I love messing with them i call them my " KIngPrawn" series, when tech heads ask, i had decals made! I do use my higher price basses but usually when i know they will be safe and not have booze tipped all over them.

[BigGuyAtTheBack]

Just about to gig a £40 Peavey Milestone 3 from evilbay. New strings, a setup and a change of the neck vol pot to a switch (don't like 2 Vol's). Sounds good in the mancave. I don't give a flying feck what anybody thinks of my basses. My regular gigging basses are a Westone Thunder 1A (£80) and an Aria SB600 (£150). Its all good! Oh and I am a tight lefthanded Scotsman.

[Spike Vincent]

As long as it stays in tune and sounds ok I don't care how much it costs.I've gigged with a (comparitively) cheap Squier plenty of times recently

[sellisnba]

it's nice to see a lot of different opinions on this thread. I have always suspected that on BC there is a love for "cheap" basses and why not. There are some really nice basses out there for not a lot of money, once they have had a proper set up their ready to go. There are some nice high end basses out there to. I'd like to put out there, I'd be happy with any bass that i'm comfortable with whether it be an Fender american deluxe or a Harley benton jb (wish i could afford a deluxe).
Thanks for all the great response's to the thread.

[BetaFunk]

I knew a bloke who had an Alembic and a WAL. I once saw him gigging with an early 80s USA Fender Jazz. When i asked him why he wasn't using the Alembic or WAL he said that he only took his cheap basses to gigs in pubs.

I suppose it's all down to what you think 'cheap' is.

[miles'tone]

[quote name='sellisnba' timestamp='1411403046' post='2559173']
Hi all.
A question that's been floating around in my head for a while "who gigs a cheap bass". I just thought i would try and get some feedback on this. I've been looking through a few forums (probably not the best thing to do) and the attitude of some people has surprised me a bit. The fender forum was interesting, a majority of people seem to think anything that hasn't got the F logo on the headstock might as well be used as fire wood.
There seems to be (on other forums) a particular hatred for anything Chinese or Indonesian and for that matter short scale is a swear word to some people!?
So whats the feedback from the Basschat mind?
[/quote]

For me, one of the best things I've personally got from surfing all the bass forums is how to put together a fantastic bass for very little outlay.
Looking back to when I was a young player, it's almost embarrassing to remember that at one point I felt that unless I had a big name bass, a "real" bass, then it meant I wasn't a ""real" player!
I've had many nice, expensive basses but I'm getting the most pleasure from my Squier VM P5 that I've modded a bit. Probably because it's tailored to suit my needs (I know exactly what I want from a bass now - sound, feel, setup), plus I feel more secure about my musical ability these days.
Great if a person can easily afford more expensive instruments but ultimately it doesn't matter what it says on a bass' headstock, it only matters what it says when it comes out of the speakers.

[inthedoghouse]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1411424500' post='2559488']
This. This ends the debate for me. Well said mate.
[/quote]
Yep!