Buying expensive gear and finding I liked it more than cheap gear - how ashamed should I be?

[tauzero]

I've been buying basses since about 1975. My first expensive bass was a Warwick Thumb in 1988, which cost £900 (beer was about 50p a pint, as a yardstick). It remains the best four-string bass I've played. I started buying 5-string basses in the late 90s, and the two Seis I own are the best 5-strings I've owned (and, indeed, played), far, far better than the crappy Squier 5-string I bought in 2007. The Esh Poseidon V is also rather good.

However, everybody else on BC seems to buy expensive stuff and then find out they like cheap stuff better. Am I unusual? Should I be ashamed, or at least a bit guilty?

[Lozz196]

Not at all. Although I`ve found some treasures along the way - Vintage V4 Precision/Korean Squier Precision - and realised that in amplification I`m happier with less expensive (but much better sounding imo) Ashdown ABMs, with basses my preference is for the US Standard Fender Precision. Ok not super expensive, but for me the 2012-16 Series are the best I`ve ever played, much better than any Mexican/Japanese/other US that I`ve had. So I have 3 - one for home use and recording, the other 2 for gigging. I could easily gig with MIM Fenders or Squiers - indeed I have - but to me I want to play the best instrument for me, so I do. 

[Guest oZZma]

5 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

However, everybody else on BC seems to buy expensive stuff and then find out they like cheap stuff better. Am I unusual? Should I be ashamed, or at least a bit guilty?

IMO comparisons between stuff with too different features are pointless. 

I highly doubt that if you compare the same model in Fender and Squier version the Squier would sound better or feel more solid/better built.

 

Edited January 25, 2019 by oZZma

[Mickeyboro]

I have a preference for Precisions - and while I have never considered parting with my 71 I have owned several ‘imitations’.

I’ve been happy with Lakland, Bass Centre Bruce Thomas and Squier Classic Vibe, all of which are worth less - some considerably less - than a ‘real’ Fender. The standard of budget bass these days is very high indeed, and certainly all those named measure up to MiM Fenders - in fact better.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Mickeyboro

[Paul S]

I'm in a similar position - although it wasn't a great deal of money by many people's standards the bass I have paid the most for is the one I like the most.  It is my Maruszczyk Jake 5. 

I need a very light bass (8lb/3.6kg ideally) because of my back.  I need 5 strings and prefer narrow string spacing.  Just a combination of those three things filter out the overwhelming majority of basses on the market.  Add to that I wanted a passive Precision basses both in terms of sound and aesthetics.  As far as I could find there was nothing off the shelf that ticked all these boxes.  Using the Public Peace custom shop website I was able to make choices that mattered the whole way through and have the exact bass I have been looking for.  Got change out of £1500 including a hard case and shipping.

I've played and own/owned other lightweight 5 string basses, some very cheap, but there has always been a compromise somewhere along the line.  The Jake is exactly what I want.

[TheGreek]

How ashamed?? Not at all...

Check out the various blind tests from the SE and Herts Bashes - it's generally the low end items which have come out the best. We all know the only people we're kidding with high end gear is ourselves - don't let that stop you though.

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

However, everybody else on BC seems to buy expensive stuff and then find out they like cheap stuff better.

Not everybody!

 

[ubit]

20 hours ago, oZZma said:

IMO comparisons between stuff with too different features are pointless. 

I highly doubt that if you compare the same model in Fender and Squier version the Squier would sound better or feel more solid/better built.

 

There are comparison videos on YouTube between very expensive basses and ultra cheap basses and it’s hard to hear a difference. I was shocked!

[ubit]

19 hours ago, chris_b said:

Not everybody!

 

Indeed, I like more expensive basses because of the way they feel. I have a Squire, which sounds amazing, but I still like my Fenders and Spector just because of how they feel and look 

[dmccombe7]

I also have a Warwick Thumn NT89 and it is one of the nicest basses i've ever played. The quality of workmanship is 2nd to none IMO. However it does have a down side in that is a heavy bass to play all night. Still great to play.

I also have a £3k Overwater Custom 6 string fretless and again the quality is sublime but its not a bass i bought for gigging. It was a 50th birthday pressie to improve my technique and enjoy a bit of fretless at same time. Sad to say i don't really play it much these days.

I have Fender Deluxe P/J MIM gigging bass that does the job but certainly isn't the best quality bass i've ever had. Fret edges had to filed down and proper set up. The P pickups are a bit unbalanced volume wise but the Norstand J on it is perfect. I think at some point i might look for either a passive PJ or try a few US PJ basses. If i can't find a good one i'll end up with a Sandberg of some kind as they have really impressed me a lot

My fav bass and my goto bass however is my CIJ Jazz bass. Brilliant neck and pick ups are first class. Its certainly as good as the 80's P bass or my J bass from that era.

I've not tried the Squier CV basses but i'd be happy if it played and sounded good.

I do like my expensive basses but i prefer gigging with something a bit cheaper.

Dave

 

[Guest oZZma]

2 hours ago, ubit said:

There are comparison videos on YouTube between very expensive basses and ultra cheap basses and it’s hard to hear a difference. I was shocked!

The difference may be very subtle, I think between two versions of the same bass you could appreciate more the higher quality electronics, the more accurate build, stability, hardware, durability, materials, etc

I'm not saying there will be a HUGE difference in sound, only I doubt that, if there is any, It will be in favor of the cheaper one

(I don't own any expensive piece of gear... I'm a beginner so I'm not worth a 3000€ bass or amp, It would be pretentious of me buying stuff like that)

Edited January 26, 2019 by oZZma

[lownote]

I have owned several Squier and other P bass clones.  These were fine. The one real P bass, an MM Fender, I owned was like a different instrument altogether in every respect. This was when I learned a useful lesson. 

I have owned Markbass, Vanderkley and TC cabs.   At bedroom levels they're all lovely,  turned up to gig levels it's immediately obvious which is the cheaper cab.

So...YMMV but in my experience, you don't need to pay top dollar but you do need to get over the 'down to a price' threshold.  Wine buffs make the point that if you buy a £5 bottle of wine, after tax and duty and other overheads you're actually getting a 47p wine. Buy an £10 bottle and you're getting a £2.82 wine - 6x the quality for twice the price.      

Edited January 26, 2019 by lownote12

[Dad3353]

2 hours ago, oZZma said:

...I'm a beginner so I'm not worth a 3000€ bass or amp, It would be pretentious of me buying stuff like that)

I can understand from a personal budget point of view, but it can make a big difference when starting out to have a decent instrument. I have a younger brother who decided to play sax. He saved up for a Selmer Mk VII, thinking, rightly, that if it didn't sound good, it was the player, not the sax. He was right, and recently gave it its first overhaul, thirty-odd years later. He's ecstatic over the result, as it now plays as good as new, and he now plays it with thirty-odd years more experience, having taken lessons from the outset with a top teacher. It cost more at the start, but was a sound investment. Whilst saving up, he studied the fingering by using a piece of wood..!

[dmccombe7]

when i started playing bass in mid 70's the cheap basses really were rubbish. Things have changed quite a bit with some great cheaper basses out there.

For me its down to trying the bass to see what its like before buying.

Dave

[Guest oZZma]

7 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

I can understand from a personal budget point of view, but it can make a big difference when starting out to have a decent instrument. I have a younger brother who decided to play sax. He saved up for a Selmer Mk VII, thinking, rightly, that if it didn't sound good, it was the player, not the sax. He was right, and recently gave it its first overhaul, thirty-odd years later. He's ecstatic over the result, as it now plays as good as new, and he now plays it with thirty-odd years more experience, having taken lessons from the outset with a top teacher. It cost more at the start, but was a sound investment. Whilst saving up, he studied the fingering by using a piece of wood..!

I don't have "entry level" stuff either. I have gear in a reasonable price range for someone who doesn't play at "High" level and doesn't even have gigs, yet. I don't buy crap but I'm very down to earth. 

Moreover, I think that you need some experience to make the "right" choices soundwise, so there's no rush to get the best bass money can buy after a few months of playing. IMO  

 

[ubit]

8 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

, he studied the fingering by using a piece of wood..!

Ooer missus, I did this when I was younger too 😉

[NancyJohnson]

I've got a pair of Lull basses (combined purchase price c.£9k), a Hamer (lowish purchase price, but a high book value) and an old Aria Primary Bass that owes me about £100.00.

I love the expensive stuff; nothing wrong in having some pride in owning gear you've shelled out a fortune for.  I've been buying and selling since the early 80s and while the Lulls are amazingly good instruments, at the same time the Aria is a wonderful thing too.

I can't quantify why I'm so attached to the Aria; its not a type I particularly like (a Precision style thing), but it plays wonderfully and I don't really have to worry about dinging it.  Perhaps it was just that the stars aligned somehow when I got it.

[lownote]

10 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

I can understand from a personal budget point of view, but it can make a big difference when starting out to have a decent instrument. I have a younger brother who decided to play sax. He saved up for a Selmer Mk VII, thinking, rightly, that if it didn't sound good, it was the player, not the sax. He was right, and recently gave it its first overhaul, thirty-odd years later. He's ecstatic over the result, as it now plays as good as new, and he now plays it with thirty-odd years more experience, having taken lessons from the outset with a top teacher. It cost more at the start, but was a sound investment. Whilst saving up, he studied the fingering by using a piece of wood..!

Now you see, to me that's odd. I do agree it can be easier to sound amazing on a top instrument so there is an argument for starting further up the food chain, but that doesn't need to mean very top.  I'm learning sax and went from a Trevor James (£300) to a Yamaha YAS25 (£400) and found the latter FAR easier to play because it's far better made for just a £100 more. And top end doesn't always mean great. One of my sax teachers, a former pro sax tech, wrote a long article on how Selmers can be vastly overrated and dire. Just as Scott Devine frequently points out a hugely expensive bass, presumably he means Fodera,  doesn't always cut the mustard.   

[Osiris]

I currently gig a variety of basses the cheapest of which was £150 and two others that each cost 10 times as much. While the more expensive ones have noticeably more attention to detail in their construction, the cheap and cheerful one (which has had a pickup upgrade and a new bridge but is otherwise stock) still holds its own. And I'm less precious over it on the odd rowdy gig. As @dmccombe7 has already said, there are some seriously good cheap basses available these days. 

I have also played some expensive basses that were simply terrible, e.g. I once tried a Fender custom should jazz that was up for £2800. The neck pocket had a noticeable gap of 2 to 3 mm and the logo on the head stock was wonky. 

For me, I'll judge an instruments suitability on how it plays, feels and sounds and not by its price. In my experience there's good and bad gear available at a variety of price points. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by Osiris

[Dad3353]

11 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

Now you see, to me that's odd...

You're 'on the money', and so much the better, but, at the time (late '70s...) there was not the same choice of instruments, at these price points, as today. It helped, too, that, at the time, I was working in a music shop, and got my brother's Selmer at a greatly reduced price compared to its 'street value'. Between a Mark VII and a student Boosey & Hawkes, there was quite enough difference to be worth the saving up, proven by the excellent condition of his sax all these years later. There's no 'right' or 'wrong', of course; we all deal with the situations we find ourselves in.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Dad3353