Pro bassists using budget gear

[SteveXFR]

I've seen a few pro bassists now using Epiphone vintage pro Thunderbirds and a couple using Sterling Stingrays. The most surprising was Chuck Garrick from Alice Coopers band using an Epiphone Thunderbird, I'm fairly sure he's got Gibson money if he even has to pay for them. It got me wondering what other pro bassists are using budget gear? Has Sting been seen with a Harley Benton or Victor Wooton with a Stagg?

[Lozz196]

On the punk/Oi scene I’ve seen a lot of Mex Fenders, Squiers & Epiphones in the hands of pro bassists & guitarists. 

[SteveXFR]

10 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

On the punk/Oi scene I’ve seen a lot of Mex Fenders, Squiers & Epiphones in the hands of pro bassists & guitarists. 

 

Makes sense. After all, a £10k custom shop precision wouldn't be very punk. 

[geoham]

I played a support slot with the Pat McManus band a few years back. Pat himself played Vintage (the brand) guitars, and his bassist Marty had a Squier P (Pino-ish appearance). The guys insisted the gear was good quality and was far more sensible to tour with than expensive equipment. It certainly all sounded good to me.

 

I guess that when it comes to it, a P bass is a rather simple design (as are all the classics) and easy to mass produce. Spend a little time on setting it up properly and maybe shielding it then most will do the job well. All the things that can make a premium bass expensive - rolled fretboard edges, high-mass bridges, graphite reinforced necks, tonewoods, quarter-sawn necks etc - are all of course nice to have, but unnecessary for many.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

22 minutes ago, geoham said:

All the things that can make a premium bass expensive - rolled fretboard edges, high-mass bridges, graphite reinforced necks, tonewoods, quarter-sawn necks etc - are all of course nice to have, but unnecessary for many.

Its easy to add rolled fingerboard edges to a cheap instrument and make it play feel a bit more upmarket. I've done it to various basses and guitars—most recently to a bullet mustang guitar which totally transformed how it felt. Also swapping a BBoT for a Fender HiMass is £30 and is also an easy job.

[Maude]

I have heard that the Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird is better than any of Gibsons current offerings. 

 

I know I've banged on about it lately but my super cheap 90s Encore that I spent a leisurely afternoon rolling the fretboard edges, bevelling, levelling, crowning and polishing the frets, sorted the nut and smoothed the edges/corners, in fact just rounded and smoothed any edge. 

It now feels as nice to play, if not nicer, as any high end bass I've played. 

 

 

A lot of what makes a high end bass expensive is the man hours put in to lift it above the machine finished budget models. 

 

Does it matter if your bass was made in Mexico by Mexicans or made in America by Mexicans? (that was tongue in cheek) 

And let's not forget in the late 70s/early 80s Japan were churning out stuff that embarrassed the likes of Gibson and Fender who'd sat on their laurels and let quality slide. 

[SteveXFR]

8 minutes ago, Maude said:

I have heard that the Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird is better than any of Gibsons current offerings. 

 

I've got a vintage pro because I went in to PMT to buy a Gibson and thought I'll just try that Epiphone to see how much better the Gibson is. I'm glad I did, saved me £1200 

[Maude]

39 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

I've got a vintage pro because I went in to PMT to buy a Gibson and thought I'll just try that Epiphone to see how much better the Gibson is. I'm glad I did, saved me £1200 

I bought an Epiphone Embassy as it's an VP T'bird in all but shape. 

Can't remember exact price but I was considering one and then a black Friday deal came up last year, well under £300, absolutely cracking bass.

T'birds do look exceptionally cool though. 

[OliverBlackman]

Marcus Miller plays his Sire basses

[TimR]

Quality control of budget gear is very good.

 

One major reason to use Pro gear is reliability and that's determined through the quality control processes during the build. 

 

If the reliability of budget gear is high, what are the other realistic considerations influencing purchases?

 

 

[Maude]

18 minutes ago, TimR said:

If the reliability of budget gear is high, what are the other realistic considerations influencing purchases?

 

 

Rightly or wrongly, brand name aspirations. 

[jimmyb625]

If you look at the number of posts that go out about bands having gear lifted, either from the venue, or the tour bus/van, it makes sense not to take ultra-expensive/rare instruments out on the road.

We're touring in October and November and even though I'm planning on keeping my bass with me, there's no way I'm thinking of taking my '73 P-bass. I'll use my main Warwick Sklar rockbass, but even then, I'll be watching it like a hawk.

 

Edit to add: I'm not a pro bassist by any description

Edited September 4, 2022 by jimmyb625

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Roger Glover mentioned how impressed he was with the Squier Classic Vibes and records with one (amongst others).

 

[Bolo]

I was reminded of the Golden Earring, and recent Eurovision winners Maneskin using Danelectro Longhorns.

[AntLockyer]

7 hours ago, jimmyb625 said:

 

We're touring in October and November... I'm not a pro bassist by any description

If you aren't touring for free you are 😀

[AntLockyer]

7 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Roger Glover mentioned how impressed he was with the Squier Classic Vibes and records with one (amongst others).

 

Not surprised, I thought tge CV Jazz was a really great guitar and all the ones I tried felt exactly the same. Unlike Fender which all needed a setup done.

[Bassfinger]

Dunno about bassists, but read a piece recently about Steve Hackett who got stranded abroad during covid.  He had no gear available so his guitar tech went about bought 3 or 4 Squier strats.

 

Hackett was apparently blown away with how nicely they played, even more so after a change of electrics, strings and setup.  Mr Guitar Tech offered to remove the Squier logo and replace it with a more socially acceptable one but Hackett had him leave it. "Its nothing to be ashamed of!"

[King Tut]

I saw progress ‘Lifesigns’ a few months ago.  They’ve got Jon Poole on bass. He was using a couple of Squiers and made them sound rather good. Could we all stop talking about Thunderbirds please? You’re triggering my GAS!

[AntLockyer]

1 hour ago, Bassfinger said:

Dunno about bassists, but read a piece recently about Steve Hackett who got stranded abroad during covid.  He had no gear available so his guitar tech went about bought 3 or 4 Squier strats.

 

Hackett was apparently blown away with how nicely they played, even more so after a change of electrics, strings and setup.  Mr Guitar Tech offered to remove the Squier logo and replace it with a more socially acceptable one but Hackett had him leave it. "Its nothing to be ashamed of!"

Just watched a live show of his from 2021, he was playing a Fernandes Les Paul

[SteveXFR]

11 hours ago, Maude said:

I bought an Epiphone Embassy as it's an VP T'bird in all but shape. 

Can't remember exact price but I was considering one and then a black Friday deal came up last year, well under £300, absolutely cracking bass.

T'birds do look exceptionally cool though. 

 

Even used VP Thunderbirds are selling for more than that!

[casapete]

1 hour ago, Bassfinger said:

Dunno about bassists, but read a piece recently about Steve Hackett who got stranded abroad during covid.  He had no gear available so his guitar tech went about bought 3 or 4 Squier strats.

 

Hackett was apparently blown away with how nicely they played, even more so after a change of electrics, strings and setup.  Mr Guitar Tech offered to remove the Squier logo and replace it with a more socially acceptable one but Hackett had him leave it. "Its nothing to be ashamed of!"

On the last Genesis tour Mike Rutherford used an ordinary ( Affinity model?)  Squier Strat.

 

2 hours ago, Bolo said:

I was reminded of the Golden Earring, and recent Eurovision winners Maneskin using Danelectro Longhorns.

I’ve used a Longhorn for years too. Quite popular basses in the 60’s and 70’’s - I think John

Entwistle used one on  ‘My Generation’, famously breaking strings during the recording.

Edited September 5, 2022 by casapete
Spelling

[PaulWarning]

a pro player will sound good using almost any gear, just as a poor player will sound rubbish not matter how expensive their gear is

Edited September 5, 2022 by PaulWarning

[BigRedX]

For Fender-style instruments the only reason that "budget" versions would be inferior is because there is slightly less time and attention to detail spent on final finishing and quality control. Remember that these instruments were designed to be made cheaply and easily using 1940s technology operated by (relatively) unskilled labour. With modern CNC machines and a little bit of care at the finishing stage any manufacturer should be able to churn out perfect examples every time.

 

The question we should really be asking is why the "pro" versions are so expensive.

Edited September 5, 2022 by BigRedX

[Cosmo Valdemar]

30 minutes ago, casapete said:

 

 

I’ve used a Longhorn for years too. Quite popular basses in the 60’s and 70’’s - I think John

Entwistle used one on  ‘My Generation’, famously breaking strings during the recording.

John Entwistle tried to record My Generation on a Dano but the final recording is a simplified solo played on a Fender Jazz with La Bella flats.

[dmz]

Laura Lee from Khruangbin uses an SX Jazz Bass live and has done from start. Don’t know if it is modded in any way.

 

Given their increasing popularity in the past few years I wonder if Fender have ever been in touch 🤔