Al Krow Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Well I fortunately haven't yet, but I've just been looking at a few of the basses in the for sale, with stories along the lines of: I bought this amazing new bass!! ...I've had it 3 months, but it's not for me and I've decided to move it on Lots of nice appreciation from fellow BC'ers on how gorgeous it is But still for sale with not a sniff after 18 months... Ouch!!! I can't get my head around the whole thing. Sure if you've got £3k to blow on a bass and that's what you want to spend your hard earned cash on, go for it. But I'm guessing at that price it's going to be a 'dream bass' for even folk with cash to burn and what a nightmare when it doesn't shape up to what you hoped for and no one else wants it. Is the lesson here a simple one? Avoid designer basses unless you're absolutely sure what you're after and do everything you can to get your hands on something similar by the same luthier to try out before committing to buy? Edited March 27, 2019 by Al Krow Clarifying original purchase was 'new' rather than 'used'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) Apart from Fender Custom shop or maybe top end Musicman stuff there's not that many places in the UK where you can try out basses in that price bracket. I suppose if you don't live near the Gallery or Bass Direct and you want to buy something boutique the only option is to buy blind online. Edited March 26, 2019 by Cato 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Have you never got a bass thinking it would be one thing but turned out it wasn't, or even tried a bass that seemed ok but you didn't get on with it? I know I have. What is the difference between a 3k bass and a £300 bass? Simple answer, one persons lot of money is another persons not impulse purchase. Also if you have a designer bass you can't actually try it until you have it, because it isn't made yet. And obviously on a designer bass you are going to lose a lot, but if it is the thing you want, then that might not matter. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 26, 2019 Author Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: What is the difference between a 3k bass and a £300 bass? You can almost always find the £300 bass you fancy to try before you buy, and even if you can't and it doesn't work out... You can almost always find a purchaser for the £300 bass without losing an arm, a leg, several organs, a couple of fingers... Edited March 26, 2019 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ead Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Just to note that all of my custom ACGs (and I'm a frequent flyer) have cost less than a Fender Custom Shop bass. In fact a number have cost less than a US Professional series. Yes of course there is a risk, and you definitely won't get your money back, but by chosing carefully (both luthier and spec) then you can mitigate some of that risk. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 My solution is to wait until a secondhand high end bass comes along that is close to what I want, then subtly modify or finesse it until it’s exactly what I want. Ends up being a hell of a lot cheaper than a brand new custom, and I lose very little in resale if I ever change my tastes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 2 hours ago, Al Krow said: Well I fortunately haven't yet, but I've just been looking at a few of the basses in the for sale, with stories along the lines of: I bought this amazing bass!! ...I've had it 3 months, but it's not for me and I've decided to move it on Lots of nice appreciation from fellow BC'ers on how gorgeous it is But still for sale with a not a sniff after 18 months... Ouch!!! I can't get my head around the whole thing. Sure if you've got £3k to blow on a bass and that's what you want to spend your hard earned cash on, go for it. But I'm guessing at that price it's going to be a 'dream bass' for even folk with cash to burn and what a nightmare when it doesn't shape up to what you hoped for and no one else wants it. Is the lesson here a simple one? Avoid designer basses unless you're absolutely sure what you're after and do everything you can to get your hands on something similar by the same luthier to try out before committing to buy? Some people are like you are Al, and ask lots and lots of questions on forums like this and researching and trying stuff before spending any money... Some folk just spend the money and take the risk of a hit... I used to be a bit judgemental about people who do the later, and then I realised that it's not my money, and if they could afford it then it keeps various smaller luthiers in business then it's a good thing, in the long run, for me. And of course there's often a bit of crazy thinking in people's sale prices, or they got it cheap and are flipping it or something. I was offered a bass for £1700 recently that the buyer had bought the year before for £650 on Basschat. They obviously think I can't use google to search the site! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 I haven't quite spent that amount of money, but I think on the second hand market in the there is quite a lot of 'Hmmm, I haven't played a 'Bass X' but that looks like a nice bass and the price is much cheaper than buying it new. I will buy it blind and if it doesn't work out I will just list it for sale for the same/slightly reduced price.' In the £3k+ second hand market you are pretty much looking at vintage Fenders, Wals, Foderas, Celinder, Ritters or Sadowsky NYCs with ridiculous amounts of flame or fancy finishes. The price of these basses are beyond most people's buying blind list. The seller (as is their right) is not wanting to take a massive loss on a bass, so the price will remain the same until someone buys it (and someone eventually will). I own 6 basses and just realised that I only played two of them before I bought them. Three have been bought blind and one was bought by somebody else on my behalf on the basis that they were sure I would like it (it was a Fender Precision so not exactly a big jump into the unknown!). I played the Sadowsky Metro before I bought it when I was 23. I have seen some horror stories of buying blind but I have obviously been very lucky as there were no issues with any of the basses I have bought blind. I played my 1974 Gibson EB3 before I bought it in 2000. 15 year old me loved it but 32 year old me somewhat wonders what I was thinking at the time when I could have bought a Fender Jazz or Musicman Stingray, which I didn't like at the time but would bloody well prefer now... (probably 'Free and Cream are awesome!'). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Basses of that calibre hold their value (unlike many custom builds) and if you can afford the price of admission (second hand) you rarely lose money buying and selling them unless you’re in a massive rush. It seems that most people aren’t, but eager to try the next one along when the opportunity arises. Good clean fun if you ask me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edstraker123 Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 (edited) I just love buying guitars and basses - it's what brings me joy and they are forever in and out. No regrets selling any of them. I bought a fret king last night for £250 and this brought me as much joy as spending thousands on the Zakrzewski's, Fibenare's etc. I would say i get as much enjoyment from buying as i do in playing. Edited March 26, 2019 by edstraker123 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted March 26, 2019 Share Posted March 26, 2019 Just now, ped said: Basses of that calibre hold their value (unlike many custom builds) and if you can afford the price of admission (second hand) you rarely lose money buying and selling them unless you’re in a massive rush. It seems that most people aren’t, but eager to try the next one along when the opportunity arises. Good clean fun if you ask me. that's a good point and one of the good things about Basschat. There's a price point, depending on maker, somewhere between £500 and £1200 where a secondhand bass doesn't really loose much value. Basschat is quite good in that a band of similarly minded bassplayers - with a general culture of helpfulness and not trying to rip one another off - can buy and sell and try stuff out often just for a little bit more than the cost of postage. I've tried everything on my GAS list now thanks to you lot and am pretty happy with the instruments I've got. That said I'm not sure I would buy unplayed any more (I used too), just because unless it's better than what I've got I've not interest (nor space) in having it. (When I say no GAS - There is a local bassist with a pre-EB stingray that is phenomenal, but not sure I'll ever justify the money he's (justifiably) after for it) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuzzie Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I think that @Woodinblack‘s point is that the price of the bass to some people can be irrelevant or very relevant. £300 could be someone selling a body part as you say, but similarly £3k could be chump change to someone. As to buying and not liking and moving a guitar on, it keeps the second hand market flowing! What is more head scratching is if a bass is up £3k and someone offers £2999 and it’s rejected. Why offer that to start with and why reject it?! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I have never spent close to £3k on a bass, but my two go to ones were both bought blind (although with a knowledge of their features that indicated strongly they would suit me), I have bought a few after playing them briefly and liking them only to find that a while down the line they sit gathering dust for whatever reason and I move them on. I think you need to live with a bass for a while to truly know if it’s for you and even the best shop is very unlikely to lend you a £3k bass for six months to see if it’s ‘the one’. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HazBeen Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 (edited) I’ve been there! Have to admit. The less I have had to worry about cash, the less care I take in “trying stuff out”. I sometimes get it right, sometimes get it wrong but to me that is part of the “hobby”. The surprise for lack of a better word. Finding the next “best thing”, sometimes it is and if not I sell it again even at a loss. The reason things do not sell is because either the market is too niche, or the price too high. Avoid that and you will sell. All part of the game and I enjoy it. I mainly buy 2nd hand, but have also had stuff built for me. I have set myself some boundaries too as I do not need Foderas or such, but for the rest it is just fun and games not more wastful than going out on the p1ss every Friday and Saturday evening and certainly healthier. It is my money to spend, I have fun with it and it means I have been able to try many many brands and basses over the years, so can even give advice to others based on my experience with an instrument. Nothing wrong with that in my book. Edited March 27, 2019 by HazBeen 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FDC484950 Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 9 hours ago, ped said: Basses of that calibre hold their value (unlike many custom builds) and if you can afford the price of admission (second hand) you rarely lose money buying and selling them unless you’re in a massive rush. It seems that most people aren’t, but eager to try the next one along when the opportunity arises. Good clean fun if you ask me. Not if it’s a Warwick 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 Totally agree that if you're buying second hand at whatever price, most of the price 'hit' will typically be taken by the first owner. I was really thinking (and should have made it more explicit in the OP, which I will do now) about folk buying new £3k basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I'm completely in the boutique world these days, and yeah, if a couple of grand(ish) is a lot of money to you (it certainly is to me), then buying new you need to know what you like, but you'll get something you won't get from anywhere else. If that's what you want. As has been pointed out, other folk don't worry about the money so much, so will have a punt. Don't forget people also simply change their minds - I've bought stuff that was exactly what I wanted, and a few months/weeks later I'd changed my mind... This isn't restricted to basses, or amps and cabs... I bought a new 4003 because I used to love my old 4001 years ago. I don't like them any more - they didn't change, I did*. Luckily, that one went back under GAK's purchasing policy, otherwise I'd have had to try and flog it without losing too much cash... * Although this wasn't helped by the bass in point being a dog... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbora Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I have often wondered the same myself. Why spend so much and put a NBD and its the best bass ever and the week after its up for sale. Well its a hobby and I guess we are all curious and want to try things out. But I am in the group that buys only second hand. There is just something about second hand guitars that I love (not these relic jobbies). And I have always known what I like so I dont need to try every single bass under the sun. So I have managed to get the basses I wanted (4) and I am set for life. All bought second hand and three blind. I rotate them and gig them most weekends so I feel I can justify it and they were exactly what I wanted. But the good thing about hobbyists is that they often spend more than the professionals would and take really good care of their gear so when they move things on the rest of us can benefit greatly. Nothing wrong with that like has been said. Thats what makes Basschat such a great place 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebassist Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 When I commission a new build, I'm happy to accept the risk that comes along with it. I think of getting a build wrong and selling it on at a loss as what it would have cost me to have rented the instrument. I actually have a new build due for completion in June and I've only changed two elements from the bass I have currently. I feel like I can finally say that I'm 99% certain I've gotten the specifications right. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 9 hours ago, Al Krow said: Totally agree that if you're buying second hand at whatever price, most of the price 'hit' will typically be taken by the first owner. I was really thinking (and should have made it more explicit in the OP, which I will do now) about folk buying new £3k basses. You think that is bad, some people buy cars for over 20k and 3 years later they have lost over 10k. In the same time the bass has only lost 1.5k! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted March 27, 2019 Author Share Posted March 27, 2019 11 minutes ago, Woodinblack said: You think that is bad, some people buy cars for over 20k and 3 years later they have lost over 10k. In the same time the bass has only lost 1.5k! Well yes very true... except very few folk will buy a car blind without test driving it and will almost never within 3 months think 'oh this is not for me'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfan Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I commissioned mine last year. After spending a long time agonising over justifying the cost. I’d never played a Status, but I did manage to get to the factory ahead of choosing the s2 body shape over the S3. I knew what I wanted and I couldn’t be happier with the result. It really is a one off. Will it be the last bass I ever buy.... doubt it 😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 I bought a custom shop 55 precision relic, imagine Sting’s #1 bass (actually an exact replica made for a trade show). I’d agonised over commissioning a CS or a Bravewood - it was the most beautiful thing (to me). And I sold it within about 2 months. I don’t know what’s wrong with me really, why I didn’t keep it I can’t recall. I just didn’t give it a chance. Did the same with a Yamaha TRB 5pII. Stupidity is my reason for moving gear, seeking the holy (none existent) grail of bass, like a slightly overweight and uglier Indiana Jones... 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 This one.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
therealting Posted March 27, 2019 Share Posted March 27, 2019 11 minutes ago, AndyTravis said: This one.. I miss my Bravewood 56. Lost all hope of the thieving bastards getting caught now 😔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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