LABELS are they really worth it?

[pricechris10]

Hi there,
I would like to ask all of my fellow basschatteers if they prefer well known labels to lesser known and other manufacturers, and why?
Please indicate your own preference and please add a little bit about why you prefer to follow that route.
( I know this probably is old hat and I've probably duplicated a topic. But I'm relatively new to the forum and just would like to get to see what other peoples views are. )
Many thanks for taking part, in advance!
Chris

Edited March 24, 2009 by pricechris10

[Adrenochrome]

See my sig!
I've never been able to afford any but perhaps the cheapest Fenders anyway so I've never had the option...
Also I'm quite happy for my cheap stuff to get bashed around in some of the grotty pubs we play.

edit for spelling

Edited March 24, 2009 by Adrenochrome

[Clockworkwar]

If I had the money I would be a gear snob, but I don't, so cheap and used stuff is the only way.

[Machines]

I prefer named brands because most of the time - I know what i'm getting. Also when it comes to selling it on, everyone else does too !

I'm not tied down to the brands being fashionable, i'm more bothered about them being known of.

[OldGit]

Name stuff, generally, throughout my playing career, because it's generally better put together (gawd save us from Chinese screws - why do they get that so wrong?) and it sells for more when you sell it.

However my EUB is a Stagg and not an NS because I didn't know if I'd take to it - and now it's perfectly fine for the job it does. I'd not play a Stagg bass guiter on stage though.

[Dubs]

I think there’s a case to argue that some instruments are amazing value for money, such as the new Squire basses, and that these basses can sound and play as well as their USA counterparts on which they are based (no pun intended), but I’d also say that you pay for what you get – a £200 bass will generally be cheaply mass produced in an Asian factory using cheaper cuts of wood and budget components. The £800/£900 USA Fender version will generally be made from nicer cuts of better quality wood, have much higher/better quality components, be assembled by a more skilled workforce (so we’re told), and be supplied in a case that would cost you over £100 at retail anyway. It’s arguable that they might play and feel the same, but you’re buying the snob factor of the USA Fender. It boils down to the buyer’s prerogative – “you pays your money, you takes your choice”.

A £2000 instrument can be hand made by a skilled luthier to your custom specification and made from amazingly beautiful cuts of finely selected woods and using high quality preamps and components/hardware. If you can afford it, then why not? If you can’t afford it then there are fantastic instruments out there for a 10th of the price. Everyone’s catered for in the market place – you can buy brand new instruments for under £100 – it’s not like there’s a budget that’s not catered for – if you don’t have much money then you can buy a mass produced budget bass, and if you do have a lot of money then you can commission a build for whatever your heart and mind desires.

Personally I’m likely to always buy up to the maximum that my budget can afford – why not? On the other hand, I’m unlikely to spend over £500 on anything “new” and would much rather buy expensive gear at used prices because you get so much more for you money – some poor bastard has already paid the retail premium

[johnnylager]

Labels are great, especially [url="http://www.labels4kids.com/product.php/37/7/"]these[/url].

[RussFM]

I use what sounds good and looks good - for me, the Fender Jazz is the best looking bass out there, but I don't have to buy US for it to sound good.

[neepheid]

I've never spent more than £300 on a bass and on average it's below £200. I then mod the hell out of them. It's all part of the hobby to me. I probably could have afforded a couple of USA built basses by now with what I've spent on mods, but I'm happy with my Squier based Fecker Imprecision for instance - it's got a wicked low action, quality hardware and it's different, not unique but definitely different. So what if the body is made from some ugly, knot infested lump of driftwood? You can't see it under a solid finish

[Stylon Pilson]

I've always felt that expensive basses are for good players who know how to get the best out of them.

Which is why I've never spent more than £300 on a bass.

S.P.

[OutToPlayJazz]

I don't worry about labels at all, and as most know of me, I do like to support the smaller luthiers. At the end of the day you have to play what you like to play & I like Status. Nothing else does the job like them, whether it be my £260 Groove 5 or a £2000 S2-Classic.

The other thing you have to remember is that the smaller outfits will generally take better care of their clients. I'm in the design phase of a bass with Alan from ACG at the moment & the sheer amount of time he has spent talking to me, taking pics and sourcing woods for me is astounding. The guy hasn't even seen a penny from me yet, either. At the end of the day, I don't mind waiting a year for a bass to be made if I'm going to be treated like that.

So play what you like playing and what sounds best to you. The badge is irrelevant.

And as a little footnote, my last two cars have been Skodas. My Skoda Suberb was ten times better made than any Merc or BMW I've ever owned.

The badge means nothing!

[Jase]

I prefer to use and buy second hand Fender, only because I think they're over priced for what they are. My reason for using Fender is the simplicity of a J or P.

[Balcro]

The older I get I'm less inclined to look for a label.

When I grew up, there were few products available and so you tended to become Fender brained. Back in the sixties, if you'd asked the average Joe (general public + guitarists) about makes of guitar, he'd have said Fender or Gibson, with a few mentioning Hofner of Rickenbaker. The latter 2 names were only on the horizon because of Paul McCartney. Because the "stars" had them, these brands acquired a special status and desirability. Or if you want to be a bit more upmarket, they had a certain "cachet". Move forward 40 + years and look at Ipod. How did it take off - because David Beckham and other celebs had one or were given one to promote. The name Ipod has become like Hoover was to vacuum cleaners. The brand is the object. .... then along came Dyson.

Development over the years has been slow and most basses/guitars still (hark back to/look reminiscent of) the early Fender designs. Even the hand-made designs.

I must agree with "OutToPlayJazz", Status basses do apear to be an honourable exception. A definite technological step forward. Does that make them more desirable to me: not especially, mainly because in my present circumstances I couldn't afford one, but I would be interested to hear or play one and then make up my mind. There's a lot of choice out there, so cast around. If the bass does the job and is rewarding to play, go for it.

Balcro.

Edit: PS . Did I spell Hofner & Rickenbaker correctly?

Edited March 24, 2009 by Balcro

[Rich]

In my 2p-worth, labels are only really [i]essential[/i] if you're particularly concerned about a} resale value (an expensive custom will be easier to sell if it's a Wal or Alembic than if it's an ACG or Shuker) or b} snob value.
Obviously there's always brand loyalty (e.g. "I love Rickies and would never play anything else"), but that's more a case of the label being preferable rather than an absolute must-have.
That's what I reckon anyway.

[Geek99]

[quote name='RussFM' post='443557' date='Mar 24 2009, 11:10 AM']I use what sounds good and looks good - for me, the Fender Jazz is the best looking bass out there, but I don't have to buy US for it to sound good.[/quote]
Agree totally - at the notts bass bash I saw an instrument that prosebass made and may well call him when I need new one

[Krysbass]

If I had not only the funds, but the space, I would probably have more of a collection of basses. But I don’t, so when I bought my first good quality bass, it was features and the tonal variation it offered that sold it to me – with build quality and looks thrown in for good measure!

My thinking was that if I can only have 1 bass, I need it to be as versatile as possible.

I can honestly say that the name on the headstock was an irrelevance to me and I rejected a Fender Jazz in favour of the bass that I’m still playing 24 years later. A 1984 Fender would be worth a lot more money now, but then accountancy is probably best kept as far away as possible from music!

[xgsjx]

I voted the 4th option.

I always prefer to spend that bit extra to get something that's well made & is going to play and sound good.

I was interested in getting a Rockbass at one point as on paper they should be good. I went & tried one & was shocked at how cr@p it was made.
I've tried other basses of similar price that don't have a "heritage" type label (Ibanez etc) & found these can be in a higher league than basses with a label costing twice as much.

[josh3184]

I'll generally go for good brands but to be honest thats only because they truely are better. Also, as a lefty the best cheapo instruments are truely asstasstic.
Saying that I was playing instruments that were worth £800+ and now I'm very happy with a £500 instrument (the $$). Its value for money personified!

[peted]

I have owned Squire, Tanglewood and Warwick, and am now getting a custom luthier build from Jon Shuker.

I think that the build quality between the big brands and lesser known ones has become far less an issue since I first started buying basses. Modern production techniques and I suppose increased competition in the Far East has created some amazing basses to be delivered that beat the big brands at their own game.

I think what you really pay for now with big brands is the after-sales service. Warwick usually have a great reputation for keeping their customers happy with their instruments with some free replacement parts and a warranty neck replacement for bolt-on necks (after all, we pay enough for them, and certainly don't buy them for their resale value!!).

I've gone custom this time so I can get a bass which is a bit different to 99.9% of basses out there, and still get the customer and after-sales service.

[pricechris10]

[quote name='Geek99' post='443719' date='Mar 24 2009, 01:05 PM']Agree totally - at the notts bass bash I saw an instrument that prosebass made and may well call him when I need new one[/quote]
I can personally recommend Paul ( Prosebass ) if you're after a 5string Jazz he's got one almost ready to go! Lakland neck, custom jazz body, Bart pups and it plays and sounds like a dream! I own 2 of his basses and I can't say a bad word about either.
Thanks for taking part,
Chris

[pricechris10]

[quote name='johnnylager' post='443553' date='Mar 24 2009, 11:06 AM']Labels are great, especially [url="http://www.labels4kids.com/product.php/37/7/"]these[/url].[/quote]
NICE ONE!

[thisnameistaken]

I have tried Shine and Vintage and Stagg basses in the past, just in case they were a bargain and not simply "cheap", but I was disappointed each time.

[BigRedX]

The important questions (all of equal importance) are:

1. Does it suit my playing style?

2. Does it sound right?

3. Does it look right?

4. Can I afford it?

I only keep instruments that I can answer yes to all 4.

What's written on the headstock is completely irrelevant.

[johnnylager]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='443870' date='Mar 24 2009, 03:13 PM']The important questions (all of equal importance) are:

1. Does it suit my playing style?

2. Does it sound right?

3. Does it look right?

4. Can I afford it?

I only keep instruments that I can answer yes to all 4.

What's written on the headstock is completely irrelevant.[/quote]
No, no, no.

1. Does it have a famous name on the headstock?
2. Does it have kudos in the bass playing community?
3. I agree on 3.
4. Can I get it in the house under the wife-dar?

Edited March 24, 2009 by johnnylager

[chris_b]

I don't care about labels but I do care about reputation. I wouldn't buy anything "on spec", or anything that didn't get good reports for at least 12 months.