Basses cost a lot these days

[tauzero]

Even with my penchant for headless 5-string active basses, preferably with through necks, there's a couple on FB marketplace for under £500. Respectable FSO passive 4-strings can easily be had for under £200.

[OliverBlackman]

Is there anything that doesn’t prelude “costs a lot these days”? Basses are just following any other luxury product.

 

Edit: Mini Eggs are now £1.50! An increase of 20% on last year

Edited January 23 by OliverBlackman

[HIPCHIP]

I just purchased a Squier Sonic P bass for $175.  The fit and finish was amazing for a made in China guitar.  The sound is pretty good too.  I just purchased a new pickup and electronics for it that cost the same as the guitar so the cost of the bass is now $370, which isn’t too bad.  I will probably upgrade the tuning machines, and maybe the nut and bridge just for fun in the future.  I don’t know if you can purchase from Guitar Center, but if you can I’d recommend checking them out.

[Machines]

5 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

In my experience that’s usually because one of the scumbag bedroom dealers has got there first.

 

I object to this. I do it from the lounge.

[TimR]

I bought a Jackson Charvel SB2 in 1989 for probably £350.

 

There are similar models on eBay for £500+.

 

I was told to I sure it for £1600 20 years ago as I wouldn't find anything comparable for less.

 

I then spent about 7 years looking for something comparable. 🙈

[Baloney Balderdash]

Also guitars and basses are not a great investment, fa safer and much more profitably investments to be made.

Edited January 24 by Baloney Balderdash

[three]

3 hours ago, SurroundedByManatees said:

Dan Smith era Fenders are actually 10 steps up from their late 70s counterparts in terms of build quality. And cheaper because not '70s

Is that a P Special I see in your avatar?  One of the best basses Fender have ever built IMO.  The Dan Smith era involved an incredible leap in quality as far as I can see... and yes, generally less expensive than mid-late '70s Fenders - all of the latter that have been in my ownership have been crazily heavy 

[mcnach]

On 23/01/2024 at 12:45, asingardenof said:

"Decent" is very subjective though. You could buy what I consider to be a "decent" bass for a hell of a lot less than £1200.

 

Indeed.

 

Yes, prices have gone up a lot in the past few years, but at the same time I don't think there's been a better time than now to buy a cheap instrument that is also decent.

[SurroundedByManatees]

20 hours ago, three said:

Is that a P Special I see in your avatar?  One of the best basses Fender have ever built IMO.  The Dan Smith era involved an incredible leap in quality as far as I can see... and yes, generally less expensive than mid-late '70s Fenders - all of the latter that have been in my ownership have been crazily heavy 

That's one example of a well built early 80s Fender indeed. Though they are not all great; the earliest Precision Specials we're made under the old (lack of) mindset. The worst example I've seen had a body with so little contouring it was almost slab. Later ones were built with a tight fit and finish and sexy curves all around.

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, mcnach said:

 

Indeed.

 

Yes, prices have gone up a lot in the past few years, but at the same time I don't think there's been a better time than now to buy a cheap instrument that is also decent.

 

Where's the line between "a decent bass for the price" and "a decent bass"?

[adriansmith247]

I agree that you get a decent bass for less than £500. I have a few

I know there are gigable basses out there for not a lot of money but for me there is something special about an older well made bass

I guess I am just annoyed that I can't justify buying an Ibanez Musician for the current prices. I should have never let my one go.

I may get lucky I suppose, fingers crossed. 

[adriansmith247]

2 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

 

Where's the line between "a decent bass for the price" and "a decent bass"?

 

It is not what you play. It is what you play

 

I have a great sounding and great playing bitsa bass that would not fetch much more than £150. 

[itu]

One point of view seems to be missing when people talk about gone instruments/amps/etc. and that's nostalgia. Many want to have their youth equipment back. Yes, I paid £400 for a '76 black 4001 from Denmark street in 1986. Now the price would be close to ridiculous. It wasn't that good.

 

Of many instruments I've played I wanted to buy a Vigier Passion. Now I have one and I am very pleased with it. But a Ric? Please no, why bother?

 

If I wanted a good instrument now, I might turn to some luthier ("Dear Overwater..."), or buy some hand made instrument from Eastern Europe (Czech, Poland...). It would be a small investment, but nothing like a Fodera, or a severely beaten Nash. The quality and the price would certainly be very good compared to a Jazz from 70's. Retro is for someone else.

[iconic]

Well, there seems to be a lot of vintage instruments for sale, that aren't finding new homes. 

 

....going the same way as classic car and bike market? 

[mcnach]

4 hours ago, MacDaddy said:

 

Where's the line between "a decent bass for the price" and "a decent bass"?

 

To me a decent bass is one that works the way it's supposed to, reliably. Just that: a bass I would be happy to gig/record with.

 

 

 

 

[SurroundedByManatees]

9 hours ago, iconic said:

Well, there seems to be a lot of vintage instruments for sale, that aren't finding new homes. 

 

....going the same way as classic car and bike market? 

 

That´s because most are overpriced, even in the current market. I´ll use the late 70s Fenders for this example. 

 

Seller A has a high priced ´78 Fender for sale on reverb.

Seller B wants to sell his ´78 and checks reverb for pricing. He decides to add a little to it for some negotiation room.

Seller C wants to sell his ´78 and checks reverb and sees the priced of A and B, and is optimistic so sits a bit higher than those.

 

And there we are; ´78 Fender Jazzes that are listed around 4k... Don´t get me wrong; I like the sound and playability of a good ´70s Fender.  But I can´t imagine why one person would pay those prices while it can get you 3 AVRI basses and a few sets of spare strings.

 

Realistically priced instruments will sell eventually. Some (non Fenders) will take more time probably.

 

 

Edited January 25 by SurroundedByManatees

[Marc S]

Yes, some basses cost a lot these days......

As someone who is on his 2nd bass journey (the first of which started in 1980) what is now considered a "budget" bass or guitar is a hell of a lot better than some of the 70's / early 80's cr@p that was available to me back then. I started with a really really awful Kay's catalogue piece of firewood. Back then the leap to something half decent was a heck of a lot more than I could afford, without getting a bank loan. I know this because, well..... I had to go out and get said loan to get my first decent bass.

Re vintage guitars and basses, yes, I agree there seem to be an awful lot going for too much money, and I'd never take a £2k plus bass to the Frog & Firkin. As it happens, I'm not really one for keeping instruments I never gig,
but if I wanted a vintage Fender / Gibson, I'd play it lovingly at home and in the studio. Then I'd get a 2nd hand Squier / Epiphone to take to gigs. 

Collecting vintage instruments is like anything else. My Dad had an old Mk1 Ford Cortina in the 70's. He paid £150 quid for it. When it was getting ever less reliable and looking even tattier, he scrapped it and got the princely sum of £15. Nowadays, they wouldn't scrap it because in good / restored condition it would fetch £12 - 15k.

 

EDIT: I recall seeing Richard Hawley a few years back. He changed guitars many times. Some of his guitars were vintage Fenders, Ricks, Gibsons, Gretsch - but among them he also played a couple of Danelectro guitars.

Edited January 25 by Marc S

[TimR]

There are a lot more medium to higher range basses around. Looking at £1300-1600 that'll get you a serious amount of bass.

 

Maybe that's what is skewing perspective. Still loads at £300-500, so I think it's just that there is a much wider range. 

[tegs07]

Someone has just reduced a Fender mex P to £370 on BC. So a mexican Fender for the price of a CV not bad.

[adriansmith247]

Who would take a £2000+ bass out on a gig? 

 

I certainly wouldn't but it is all relative as someone has already pointed out. I regularly take a £2000 value double bass out to gigs. It's the only one I have so I don't have much choice there. With DB you have to spend more usually to get a playable instrument. Fitting a new bridge, a pickup and a new set of strings can run into over £800

[neepheid]

15 minutes ago, adriansmith247 said:

Who would take a £2000+ bass out on a gig? 

 

I certainly wouldn't but it is all relative as someone has already pointed out. I regularly take a £2000 value double bass out to gigs. It's the only one I have so I don't have much choice there. With DB you have to spend more usually to get a playable instrument. Fitting a new bridge, a pickup and a new set of strings can run into over £800

 

Me, if I ever own one.  I take my most expensive bass (G&L CLF L-1000) out on gigs - instruments are to be played.  I guess it must be knocking on the door of two grand now, should it ever need to be replaced...

[chris_b]

8 minutes ago, adriansmith247 said:

Who would take a £2000+ bass out on a gig? 

 

I certainly wouldn't but it is all relative as someone has already pointed out. I regularly take a £2000 value double bass out to gigs. It's the only one I have so I don't have much choice there. With DB you have to spend more usually to get a playable instrument. Fitting a new bridge, a pickup and a new set of strings can run into over £800

 

What kind of gigs do you play? If you're playing at places where you are fearing for your and your basses safety, I would recommend not doing those gigs in the first place.

 

The cost of replacing my Mike Lull is about £4000. It has been one of my main gigging basses for 12 years.

 

IMO there is no point in owning instruments if you're not going to gig them.

[Cato]

We're the only ones who know what bass stuff is worth.

 

I reckon you'd be more likely to have a £600 Mim Fender stolen at a gig than a £3000 ACG, just because far more people are aware of the Fender brand.

Edited January 25 by Cato

[Bassfinger]

What's the point of an expensive bass if you don't take it to gigs? An utter waste to play it solely at home.

 

Not only that, what do people think happens to basses at gigs? I've never suffered so much as a nick on any of mine.

[Rosie C]

On 23/01/2024 at 13:12, Doctor J said:

If you avoid the fashionable brands, you can pick up genuinely great used instruments for less than 500 quid. 

 

Or new even - my Squier jazz was a tad under £400, I bought it the day before covid lockdown. I couldn't fault it really, certainly compared to what I was playing in the 1980s.