What is an expensive bass?

[chris_b]

2 hours ago, TimR said:

Makes note to buy £5k bass so that I get offered more pub gigs.

 

If that's the extent of your ambition, go for it.

[tom.android]

If the question were rephrased to ‘a bit posh’ then I guess my answer would be about £1.5k used £2k new

[Misdee]

3 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

I bought my expensive (although < £3k) basses because I wanted them, not with any great regard to what I would be doing with them (other than playing).

There's nothing wrong with a bit of wish-fulfilment if you can afford it.  I really don't go for the idea that anyone has to justify their purchases in terms of how and where they are going to use them. If it's your own money to spend, do as you please and enjoy it how you like.

[Dan Dare]

10 minutes ago, Misdee said:

If it's your own money to spend, do as you please and enjoy it how you like.

 

Yep. You can't take it with you. I would add that expensive doesn't always equal better, depending on what you want/need. In terms of function, the law of diminishing returns kicks in once you get towards £2k and upwards. However, pride of ownership is important. A nicer instrument will make you happier than a giant telly.

[tegs07]

24 minutes ago, Misdee said:

There's nothing wrong with a bit of wish-fulfilment if you can afford it.  I really don't go for the idea that anyone has to justify their purchases in terms of how and where they are going to use them. If it's your own money to spend, do as you please and enjoy it how you like.

Indeed. Personally I would rather own one bass I love  than 5 or 6 mediocre ones anyway. It does seem like one expensive bass attracts more ire than several mid priced ones.. 

Edited 3 hours ago by tegs07

[tegs07]

13 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

 

Yep. You can't take it with you. I would add that expensive doesn't always equal better, depending on what you want/need. In terms of function, the law of diminishing returns kicks in once you get towards £2k and upwards. However, pride of ownership is important. A nicer instrument will make you happier than a giant telly.

True but if you want a new Rickenbacker or Musicman you are going to need a little more than 2K.

[Richard R]

At the risk of adding to the "overthinking this" aspect. 😉

 

"Expensive" is intangible, and so hard to measure. I therefore recommend the following excellent book:

https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/how-to-measure-anything-book-douglas-w-hubbard-9780470539392?

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Richard R

[LukeFRC]

It’s all relative to income too isn’t it? I’ve worked on min wage when a Mexican fender was beyond my means, and I’ve had very well paid friends who could drop £5k on a bass if they wanted - but in careers that probably wouldn’t give them the time to play much.

Ive known people who have a seperate bass fund and spend out of gig earnings, vs hobby funds vs people on here who buy expensive things they can’t afford on credit … all going to affect what you see as affordable.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

To me, expensive means paying more than you need to.

 

So I'm firmly at £1,000 as that's where the law of diminishing returnd really kicks in. These days you can buy a bass perfectly capable of the standard required for any stage in the world for comfortably under £1k. I paid over that for a couple of basses and a couple that would have been more new. The extra pays for things that aren't actually necessary that take them into the realm of being luxury items where you choose to pay more.

 

25 years ago or more, you had to pay proportionally a lot more to get something of the quality you can get for £500-£750 these days.

[TimR]

Just now, Stub Mandrel said:

To me, expensive means paying more than you need to.

 

So I'm firmly at £1,000 as that's where the law of diminishing returnd really kicks in. These days you can buy a bass perfectly capable of the standard required for any stage in the world for comfortably under £1k. I paid over that for a couple of basses and a couple that would have been more new. The extra pays for things that aren't actually necessary that take them into the realm of being luxury items where you choose to pay more.

 

25 years ago or more, you had to pay proportionally a lot more to get something of the quality you can get for £500-£750 these days.

 

I'd certainly not want to be spending a months wages on a bass now! 

[TimR]

13 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

I’ve had very well paid friends who could drop £5k on a bass if they wanted

 

They would still consider it expensive. 

[Stub Mandrel]

Quote

In 1984, the new retail price for a Hohner B2 bass guitar was approximately
$900 USD, though it often sold in stores for closer to $599 USD. 
In today's money (accounting for inflation since 1984), a price of $900 would be equivalent to roughly $2,000. The Hohner B2 was considered a more affordable, "cheap alternative" to the much more expensive Steinberger basses it was licensed from at the time. 

 

 

A Honer B2 is the equivalent of a Steinberger Spirit these days, which retail at about $400.

 

We live in  glory days of inexpensive basses.

[Beedster]

Expensive is, to my mind, linked to the concept of a thing being more than it's worth. A Warmoth Precision with woodwork coming in at around £600 with perhaps another £400 on high quality components, gives me a FCS level instrument at £1000, and IME I'd have to spend upwards of £3000 to get anything better from Fender. So, if I'm buying a Precision, anything over £1000 is not only expensive, but unnecessary expense 

[Owen]

I am afraid that I have not read the complete thread, so forgive me if I am repeating what someone else has said.

 

For me, an expensive bass is one where the difference between what I paid for it and what I sell it for is painfully negative. Brand new G&L and US Music Man Sub (stripped, painted and fully installed with Bongo electrics), I am looking at you. 

 

Given the BC long term loan, sell it for what you paid for it scheme, most basses are kind of cost neutral in my way of measuring expensive.