Ever had a cheapo bass that you just keep going back to?

[PaulWarning]

for quite a few years I thought my Hondo Professional II was very good, even when I had a Stingray and MIM Jazz, kept going back to it, when I got a MIA P it stayed in it's case for a while, when I got it out again I have to admit it didn't sound as good after all, it's still my back up but I've never needed it, what I'm saying is you can get comfortable with certain sounding bass, nothing wrong with that but it could explain why.

[Fisheth]

I keep going back to my Squier's, just fantastic workhorse basses.

[yondergo]

I've had a week or two of forced separation from my SX p bass and I've gone over the fender with a fine toothed comb, I feel more at home playing it but I'm going to make the next gig the test, if it doesn't feel right on the night it's a goner (or cupboard fodder at the least)

Weirdly one of the big changes I made which has actually made a difference was adapting the strap I use on the fender, I added a strip of leather to the underside which has stopped it slipping while playing. I figured out that the wide suede strap I use on the SX was really stable, allowing a lot better left hand movement due to not having to support the neck at all. The fender, by contrast was slipping all over the place, requiring more left hand support which seemed to be slowing me down a noticeable amount.

Funny the things you notice when you really look at these things in detail.

[dannybuoy]

I only use suede-backed straps for that very reason!

[Marc S]

[quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1443546019' post='2875720']
I think we have technology to thank for this phenomenon! As commented above Fenders were designed to be mass produced but years ago "cheapies" were hacked out in dreadful factories by unskilled workers, but now computers can do much of the work so a factory in a developing world with low cost labour can make just as good an instrument as a skilled craftsman in the western world provided they a careful not to skimp on the quality of the materials.......
[/quote]

Yes, I agree. The quality of the new CV Squiers for instance is just brilliant
Although I have to say, back in the 70's and early 80's there were some awful instruments out there
But there were also some really well made ones too (I'd put my Shaftesbury alongside any Rick, and challenge you to pick the better bass!)

Re the OP question. I just did a re-build based on a MIJ P bass copy (see my thread in build diaries) It took me an afternoon
and a couple of hours tweaking the following day, but I ended up with a roadworn P bass copy, that sounds & looks great
I took to to 2 rehearsals and an open mic, and even the rest of the band thought it was great

However, I have too many basses already - so I decided to sell it on
Because, I could foresee me taking that bass out for gigs at certain pub venues
So it is / was a cheap "old dog" that sounds, looks & plays nicely, and I'd keep going back to it, if I didn't need to sell....


(the body, complete with electrics cost me £20 - I flogged the tuning keys from the old split neck for £15 - so the body only cost me a fiver!
the replacement neck cost me £35 I think - new jack socket was about £3 Total cost = £43 - happy days )

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1443346220' post='2873935']
I currently own 8 basses ranging from £150 to £1500ish. I make sure to play them all equally, otherwise there's no point in me having them. I take a different one to every rehearsal/gig and I even keep a spreadsheet documenting which basses I've played at which gigs to keep a record and an eye on how the love is being shared. If I'm picking one up on a whim for a noodle at home it'll be more a case of "haven't played you for a while" rather than a favourite (regardless of the cost of it). The cost is irrelevant when you like them all for various reasons. The only favouritism I have (which basically covers the order in which they'd get sold in a financial meltdown) is based on sentimentality and ease of replacement vs. ease of selling.

So, no then
[/quote]

You keep a spreadsheet* to make sure each gets equal time? That's so mental yet so sensible. Love it 😁

*let me guess - BassEqualityMatrix.xls

[Roland Rock]

You've got me wondering now. I'd allocate points as follows:

Noodle: 1 point
Practice: 3 points
Short gig: 5 points
Long gig: 7 points

A formula keeps tabs on the total for each bass, and a traffic light colour system alerts you if any are being a bit neglected.

I'm tempted, but only use two basses 😕

[alembic1989]

Not sure it counts as a cheap one...but I still love playing my Vox Standard...my first 'proper' bass.

[Marc S]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1444126748' post='2880438']

...A formula keeps tabs on the total for each bass, and a traffic light colour system alerts you if any are being a bit neglected.

I'm tempted, but only use two basses
[/quote]

Only 2 basses? - How do you practice such restraint?
I've got several, and I'm always GASsing for more - even when I've just been good and sold one

[Conan]

My go-to bass at the moment (as it has been since I bought it last July) is my Jack and Danny brothers J bass. It cost all of £119 (including delivery) and is just so damned playable! In fact, my son has asked for a four string bass for his upcoming 18th birthday (he already has an Ibanez fiver) and after playing all of my basses (including a Majones Jabba and CIJ Fender Geddy Lee) has decided that he would like a J&D too!

That said, it is streets ahead of anything that was available in the seventies, eighties and even nineties at a similar (or even great price point). I have done several gigs with it and it records well too.

If, for any reason, I had to downsize my (modest) collection of five basses, this would be the last one I'd sell.

So that's a YES then!

[Callumjord]

I've only ever owned 3 basses in my whole 10 years of playing bass, a Stagg warlock (BC Rich Copy), Yamaha rbx775 and a Vintage Musicman copy. I would say that all of these are "Cheap" guitars, the RBX cost me £350 second hand. Anyway, what I am trying to say is that my two main basses probably play and sound better imo than other guitars 3x the price. Although this doesnt stop me saving up for a Warwick Thumb.

[Conan]

[quote name='Callumjord' timestamp='1444307333' post='2882080']
my two main basses probably play and sound better imo than other guitars 3x the price.[/quote]

Possibly.... indeed [b][i]probably[/i][/b] - but you'll never know until you try!

[gafbass02]

I've owned around a hundred basses and fifty guitars, and I've come to realise in recent times that I'm just as happy with more budget stuff. I used to insist on 'boutique' kit, but I just found the quality or tone or feel not always what it should be for the price.
Cases in point, a Harley Benton 335 copy has become my main gigging guitar! It's replaced my amazing fender, it just is very very good; and the sterling sub bass I recently bought is easily one of the most incredible musical instruments I've ever played at any price. Much better than any I played in shops prior to buying this one sight unseen.
It kinda blows away my current stingray tbh. (I've owned five or six)

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1444347761' post='2882546']
.Cases in point, a Harley Benton 335 copy has become my main gigging guitar! It's replaced my amazing fender...
[/quote]

You will probably find that quality of materials aside, the process involved in manufacturing the Fender and the Harley Benton are not that disimilar...

[gafbass02]

Yeah, totally agree !

[cameltoe]

Squier Silver Series P bass I bought from here in May. Had previously owned a Silver J bass, but the ceramic pickups made it difficult to use as they were so uneven in volume. Traded it on. Great player though so swore I'd get a P one day.


The only things I can fault with this bass were the weak pickups (sorted now), the fact I'd prefer a 7.25 radius, and that the contours are a little bulky compared to the vintage deep ones I like. Other than that, it's light, incredibly well put together, and plays great.

Oh and the bridge screws are a little long.

I'd say these basses are easily worth the £300 they go for on eBay with no hesitation and having played MIJ and CIJ fenders, this is right up there.

[alyctes]

[quote name='alembic1989' timestamp='1444151837' post='2880711']
Not sure it counts as a cheap one...but I still love playing my Vox Standard...my first 'proper' bass.
[/quote]

I love mine, but the neck is too thick and the thing weighs a ton... I dig it out occasionally if we're playing something ska-ish.

[Woodinblack]

Not basses, my favourite bass to play is one of my most expensive ones, but I have an old guitar that hangs around which I notice I tend to play more than all the others, just seems to work better for me.
But ultimately price is only really significant when you are buying or selling, so I don't really think about it in those terms much.