You can get good basses for cheap

[jj1234]

A little realisation I thought to myself just now. I've recently sold a Warwick Corvette for under £500 and bought a Sandberg fretless for the same price. I also have a fretless corvette.

Now I don't know about you. But the way that all of these basses are put together with very nice wood that doesn't warp, have well designed, strong hardware, hold their tune indefinitely, have dead straight necks with very low action, and sound lovely is really striking. It seems there's quite a lot of basses like this that go for 700-900 new, 400-500 used, and are near-perfect bass purchases. Anyone agree?

However, I've never tried a Wal, or a Fodera, or a Ken Smith. Can someone describe what they're like?

[Soloshchenko]

Not tried any of the above but you've kind of hit the nail on the head there. The Warwick and Sandbergs you speak of are awesome instruments, adding 2000 quid onto the price tag might not get you something better.

Bass perfection for me is currently in the shape of a £190 second hand Squier CV precision bass. Absolutely lovely thing.

[OutToPlayJazz]

Quite true, yes you can.

As for the more expensive hand made stuff, it's all down to personal taste. I like my Status basses because they're all honed to perfection. They feel amazing in the hands and work with the player, rather than fighting against you. The sound is exactly what I'm after on all levels and they cover a multitude of styles. For me, there's nothing quite like them.

It's like comparing a new Ford Focus to a Bentley Flying Spur. You know the Ford will do the job just fine, but the Bentley has that extra something that makes you love it and does everything within an inch of perfection.

[bubinga5]

I think you have to experience a Fodera, Sei, Smith etc, to know what MIGHT, be missing from a bass of lesser value..it also comes down to how the bass is set up..personal tone preference is a big factor also..there are so many variables in an instrument...

[lojo]

I had a tanglewood stingray copy, through body strung and played fantastic, gigged it loads

[Pete Academy]

There have been a few past threads on this subject. Opinions seem quite divided. Personally, I like the more expensive stuff.

[chris_b]

I’d start at the bottom and work up. You’ll reach the level and cost of instrument that you need and not end up with an expensive mistake!

An expensive, high end bass only becomes worth it if you can hear and appreciate the difference and if that difference matters. If you want to play punk or heavy rock, for instance, then a Ken Smith isn't going to be better than a cheap Precision.

I haven't played anything that my P bass couldn't master, so if I hadn't moved to 5 string I'd still be using it. I could have saved a fortune!!

[bubinga5]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='787994' date='Mar 27 2010, 04:48 PM']There have been a few past threads on this subject. Opinions seem quite divided. Personally, I like the more expensive stuff.[/quote]
Ha ha i just spilled my beer..that last bit was funny

Edited March 27, 2010 by bubinga5

[Vibrating G String]

I think you can get great basses for cheap. I have a Peavey and a Fernandes, both bought used for $250 each, that are much better than 2 of the very expensive brands mentioned in this thread judging by the ones I've personally owned. I'm of the school of thought that thinks "hand made" is synonymous with inconsistent.

At the risk of being banned from the internet I'd suggest that the price of a bass tells you less about the quality and more about how cool it is.

[molan]

As someone who's owned quite a few high & lower end basses all I can say is that you really can tell the difference as you move up the scale.

Of course there will be some expensive basses that don't hit the mark, or simply don't suit the player but others just get better & better.

My current favourite is a Celinder and I think this sums this maxim up perfectly. At the end of the day it's simply a J bass 'copy' but it's just soooo much better than any other J derivative 4 string I've ever played. Nothing flashy, no expensive custom wood top, no great bank of tone controls and switching options etc. but just a fabulous bass to play.

I recently 'tested' it fairly extensively over a period of a few days against a very good £700 value bass and another worth around £1,100 & it just killed them both in so many ways. Both of them were really very nice basses in their own way and if I could only afford the £700 one I would be more than happy with it, same goes for the £1,100 (these are used values by the way, probably £950 & £1,800 new).

New it would cost about £3.5K - is it 'worth' more than a £700 bass and/or is it 5 times better, absolutely not. Would I choose it ahead of the £700 bass - every time. . .

[Sarah5string]

I had a 5 string Shine bass off ebay for £130. Loved it to pieces and was actually the 2nd one I'd had in my bass playing career. Great tone, build and looks for the price. I only got rid of it (begrudgingly) when I upgraded for a £500 Dean Edge pro 5 which is a million times better.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='787994' date='Mar 27 2010, 05:48 PM']There have been a few past threads on this subject. Opinions seem quite divided. Personally, I like the more expensive stuff.[/quote]

Is that why,despite owning an Alembic,Steinberger,Tobias,and currently a Roscoe, you say that your
Jazz is the best purchase ever?

[Bankai]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='788641' date='Mar 28 2010, 04:48 PM']I had a 5 string Shine bass off ebay for £130. Loved it to pieces and was actually the 2nd one I'd had in my bass playing career. Great tone, build and looks for the price. I only got rid of it (begrudgingly) when I upgraded for a £500 Dean Edge pro 5 which is a million times better.[/quote]
<---- Don't suppose it was one like this was it? Bought it off 'Footballmerseybird' on eBay about a year ago. Best bass I've ever used!

Edited March 28, 2010 by Bankai

[alanbass1]

It depends on what someone is looking for in a bass. Fine craftmanship, superior woods and hardware can be found with high end basses, and if they have the feel and sound you are after can be the best buy you can make. But, I have a number of high end basses and my favourite is still my '62 P Bass, although the Yamaha 2024X I have just got is not too far behind. Ah, but many people would point to my P Bass and say it's vintage and therefore high end. However, my dad paid 100 pounds for it in '75 and it just happens to be a good one, which sounds and plays perfect for me. I recently had a Wal (got it from Beedster) but the sound wasn't what I was after; I had a Celinder and it was nice but never sat well in a band mix for me - so it seems a P Bass (or derivative) suits me best. Doesn't stop me wanting other high end basses - which I have a number

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Soloshchenko' post='787697' date='Mar 27 2010, 11:26 AM']Bass perfection for me is currently in the shape of a £190 second hand Squier CV precision bass. Absolutely lovely thing.[/quote]

FWIW I've been gigging a Squier Jazz recently and I had no complaints about it whatsoever. Yesterday we went into the studio to record four tunes and I tracked everything with the Squier, then the engineer noticed I'd also brought my Thumb bass and insisted that I re-record everything with that. "Fair enough" I thought and did what I was told. When we were tracking the brass parts today I heard the rhythm tracks properly for the first time and the contribution of the Warwick over the Squier was very obvious. There was one beat in one song where just the bass guitar is heard and it was just killer tone.

So I'm now convinced that the extra quids are worth it, at least if you're recording. Live is different and I could probably continue to live with the Squier to be honest!

[Vibrating G String]

One thing I think makes expensive bases feel so much better is that as a general rule they are set up well with perfect fretwork. I've found most any decent quality bass can be made into a winner with a great setup, sometimes including a fretboard planing and refret in the extreme cases like my OLP. Now I would put my OLP's playability above many high end basses I've played. It's resale value not so much And since I've blacked out the logo some people think it's a real Ernie Ball and praise it as a high end bass.

[Conan]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='788917' date='Mar 28 2010, 09:44 PM']I tracked everything with the Squier, then the engineer noticed I'd also brought my Thumb bass and insisted that I re-record everything with that.... the contribution of the Warwick over the Squier was very obvious.

So I'm now convinced that the extra quids are worth it, at least if you're recording. Live is different and I could probably continue to live with the Squier to be honest![/quote]

Good example. But I can't help wondering how much is simply down to the [b]difference [/b]between the tones, rather than one being "better" [i]per se[/i] than the other? Also, it would depend on the style of music and how the other musicians play too. In a very busy mix I guess that the middly "growl" of the Warwick would cut through better than the slightly scooped J? But as you can add or subtract so much at the mixing stage I'm not sure how much the original tone matters as long as its been played accurately!

Thumbs have an amazing tone, but I'm not sure they are perfect for everything. A J is almost the bass world's "jack of all trades" - a "jazz of all trades" as it were!!

Edited March 29, 2010 by Conan

[Grand Wazoo]

I have been biting my tongue reading this, I didn't want to be controversial and respond to these findings, but I agree, a decent Jazz bass sound should pi$$ it, if mixed properly.

As said before in other zillion threads, the Squier CV series basses are extremely well made cheap Chinese copies and as a result the pickups issued on these are not the leading edge, slap some decent p/ups. period correct pots and wiring loom in them and you will have yourself a bass worthy of a class similar to that of an american reissue.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Vibrating G String' post='788368' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:48 AM']I think you can get great basses for cheap. I have a Peavey and a Fernandes, both bought used for $250 each, that are much better than 2 of the very expensive brands mentioned in this thread judging by the ones I've personally owned. I'm of the school of thought that thinks "hand made" is synonymous with inconsistent.

At the risk of being banned from the internet I'd suggest that the price of a bass tells you less about the quality and more about how cool it is. [/quote]

I agree about the "coolness" part. Some manufacturers/luthiers are deemed "cool", and this allows them to charge premium prices (and have mega waiting times (Thinking Rickenbacker and Fodera!)
The inconsistency factor exists, but is a double edged sword;
If inconsistency means each one is well made but subtly different, then great.
If it means some are well made and others less so, then that's not so good.

As a corollary, try a relatively expensive instrument from a lesser (or un-) known maker. You certainly aren't paying for the name then!
About 15 years ago, I tried a bass I'd never heard of before, and bought it. It was my first big budget instrument. I still have it, and it's STILL one of the finest I've played.

Turns out that Vigiers are extremely good. But not quite in the "cool" league!!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Conan' post='789110' date='Mar 29 2010, 08:17 AM']Good example. But I can't help wondering how much is simply down to the [b]difference [/b]between the tones, rather than one being "better" [i]per se[/i] than the other? Also, it would depend on the style of music and how the other musicians play too. In a very busy mix I guess that the middly "growl" of the Warwick would cut through better than the slightly scooped J? But as you can add or subtract so much at the mixing stage I'm not sure how much the original tone matters as long as its been played accurately! [/quote]

Perhaps, but isn't it easier to just have a good bass sound at the start and not have to do all that processing?

[quote name='Conan' post='789110' date='Mar 29 2010, 08:17 AM']Thumbs have an amazing tone, but I'm not sure they are perfect for everything. A J is almost the bass world's "jack of all trades" - a "jazz of all trades" as it were!! [/quote]

I didn't suggest it was perfect for everything. The nice thing about the Thumb this weekend was that it was audible in the mix without having to be forward, it just found its little niche in there and purred away, plenty of clarity to the notes, plenty of punch on the attack. Honestly I didn't think it would suit the tunes which is why I used the Jazz first but the engineer was 100% right it sounded badass. So maybe they actually are perfect for stuff we wouldn't expect them to be perfect for.

[Conan]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='789221' date='Mar 29 2010, 10:39 AM']Perhaps, but isn't it easier to just have a good bass sound at the start and not have to do all that processing?[/quote]

You're right of course, but the "original" bass tone is the one selected by the bass player. The tone that appears on the finished recording will have been influenced by the engineer and/or producer so that it fits the "sound" that the band or producer are going for. Often the bassist is not consulted on this process, but obviously it depends on the scenario...