Is a new mass-produced bass ever worth more than £1500

[Woodinblack]

I think i would reserve my judgement for the quantity and quality of their output, not whether they talked while doing it or looked like they were working, that seems to smack more of the presenteeism that is common in lot of UK management styles i have seen - doesnt matter how much someone does as long as they do longer hours and appears to work

[tegs07]

My only contribution to this debate is having spent 20+ years in tech, the lack of technical literacy and outdated workflows in pretty much every organisation I have ever worked in means productivity is always far below its potential.

 

I’m not surprised that the Far East have taken over. 

Edited April 13, 2023 by tegs07

[tauzero]

3 hours ago, Ralf1e said:

Cost cutting in the workplace doesn't have to be replacing people with machines.

Example.

Cut out the unofficial coffee breaks, cigarette breaks, unnecessary phone and texting breaks, talking breaks and here I mean people who do very little but talk ALL day long and think that is work when in fact they are not putting in any effort to do even a scrap of the physical part of their job. i.e. making product.

Wastage by not doing the job properly the first time so it has to be done again (no money in doing it twice)

Teams of overpaid parasitic idiots stood around presentation boards talking testicleese while claiming to be part of 5 or 6 s groups.

Clear away that little lot and you could get over twice as much quality product out the door for less cost.

 

Difficult to see where they'd have the opportunity to do all that here:

 

 

Never mind, there will be something else along for you to have a rant at shortly.

[Woodinblack]

Cerainly a lot more there than when i did the gibson tour!

[Dan Dare]

1 hour ago, Ralf1e said:

Certainly not!

But apparently you are.

Do you not understand that all that first section of time wasting is theft, especially as many manufacturers have a production bonus in place which means you are not just stealing off the company but off your workmates as well.

I am now retired but I spent many happy years in the workplace making improvements to both products and processes which inceased working conditions and profits. It was a win win situation all round. You have no need to come out with negative garbage like the above unless I touched a nerve, which I suspect I did!

 

Judging by the force of your reaction/reply, perhaps Mr Boodang touched a nerve, too...

[diskwave]

On 03/04/2023 at 12:06, Greg Edwards69 said:

At the time, they were just mass produced instruments.

With one major difference from todays manufacturing. They were built using old growth wood which has now all gone. Instruments today are built from fast growth material, necessary of course to keep up with demand. Maybe I'm being unduly romantic with this..but pretty sure I can here the difference.

[neepheid]

12 minutes ago, greavesbass said:

With one major difference from todays manufacturing. They were built using old growth wood which has now all gone. Instruments today are built from fast growth material, necessary of course to keep up with demand. Maybe I'm being unduly romantic with this..but pretty sure I can here the difference.

 

You are

[Greg Edwards69]

1 hour ago, greavesbass said:

With one major difference from todays manufacturing. They were built using old growth wood which has now all gone. Instruments today are built from fast growth material, necessary of course to keep up with demand. Maybe I'm being unduly romantic with this..but pretty sure I can here the difference.

Yamaha released the Attitude LTD3 with artificially aged wood using their A.R.E. and I.R.A techniques.  Along with a revised neck joint, spine joint and pickup change this somehow more than doubled the price compared to the previous 2 versions. Considering I paid £899 for my already excellent LTD2 (end of line clearance - I believe the usual price was around £1600) there's no way I'm gonna fork out around £4k for a LTD3, and I doubt many people (if any) would even hear the difference in the construction techniques.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[dclaassen]

You are , imho, not. I have a LoPrinzi flattop made in 1974. You cannot compare the tone of that guitar with a new one. Same for the feel of my MPV...it's just different. I remember picking up an old Martin D-35 and just being amazed by the feel and tone. Handmade instruments using wood that, as far as I know, is not longer available are superior in both feel and tone. Every new bass or guitar I've played is lots more sterile. 

[Dan Dare]

4 hours ago, dclaassen said:

You are , imho, not. I have a LoPrinzi flattop made in 1974. You cannot compare the tone of that guitar with a new one. Same for the feel of my MPV...it's just different. I remember picking up an old Martin D-35 and just being amazed by the feel and tone. Handmade instruments using wood that, as far as I know, is not longer available are superior in both feel and tone. Every new bass or guitar I've played is lots more sterile. 

 

Difficult to say whether it's the timber alone. An older instrument has had time to mellow and has been played in. I have a 1975 D35 that sounds fabulous, but it's been played (a lot) for getting on for 50 years. I doubt it was as good when it was new. I bought a nearly new Gibson F5L mandolin in the early 1980s. For a couple of years, it wasn't much to write home about, but it steadily improved and is now a great instrument.

 

A friend bought a Martin D28 that was around 25 years old, but had rarely been played and had spent most of its time in the case. It was pretty ordinary when he got it, but improved out of all recognition after a few years regular playing.

[Twincam]

Have prices risen only in the relation with over costs, materials and so on? Because wages haven't or not by much in comparison. 

 

I think companies are exploiting the everything is rising in costs to raise prices even further than they could be.