Misdee

If it's a vintage P Bass you find it might be twice the price of the Lull rather than half the price. I've got a nice USA Lakland PJ that I play more than anything else. It's probably the equivalent of your Lull. It sounds great, but not really different to a good Fender bass. I've had it a long time and it's a superb amalgamation of the best things about old Fender basses and modern construction. Just a very very useful bass. It's much better made than a Fender but in sonic terms it's essentially the same. That's no bad thing because Fenders sound good, but contrary to a lot of what I see on YouTube from supposed experts, if there is a better rendition of the Fender tone then it's a subtle difference with all of these basses. I'm talking about basses like Moolon and Olinto et al. I'm not including Sadowsky because that's all about the preamp and how it compliments the bass overall.

What about the phenomena of the boutique P Bass? There was a time when you bought a boutique bass specifically because it wasn't a P Bass, i.e it gave you a sound that you couldn't get existing mass-produced instruments. Now that exotic hifi-sounding basses are out of fashion ( have been for a long time now) the high-end bass market is flooded with new versions of the Fender Precision Bass, in one guise or another. Bass makers are lying awake at night trying to think up new ways to sell bass players costly new versions of that venerable design. Lots of the folks buying boutique P Basses already have a P Bass, but they want a better rendition, presumably. I find this interesting because I love a good P Bass myself. I have played and owned some very good boutique P Basses. But no matter how good they were/are in certain respects like overall construction and playability, I just can't get away from the fact that they all sounded like a Precision Bass. In sonic terms none of them offered any advantage over a good mass-produced version. Don't get my wrong, some of them were great basses but if they were/are qualatively better than a good Fender in terms of sound then it's lost on me.

Definitely an Alembic.

I agree, but a cheaper Fender-style bass sounds more like a Fender than a cheap would-be exotic wood boutique style bass sounds like a Fodera or Alembic ect. There's that identifiable characteristic Fender-style tone, even if it's nowhere near as good as a decent Fender. I'm a Fender fan myself, by the way. Just wanted to make that clear.

There's some expensive basses that have a unique sound -Alembic and Wal for instance - and if you want that sound you have to spend that kind of money. There's also lots of expensive basses that, to my ears,don't have a particularly distinctive or unique tone. That's a whole other discussion/Basschat argument. Expensive Fender-style bass can be the most perplexing sub-category in so much as, strictly in terms of tone, a decent inexpensive model can be hard to distinguish from a boutique example, or indeed a genuine vintage bass. I think it's a mistake though, to assume that all people get from buying a bass is something they need to perform a practical task with. Throughout history musical instruments have been regarded as beautiful objects, imbued with magical properties in many ancient cultures. Not aspiring to the best quality basses for practical reasons doesn't justify dismissing the aesthetic dimension of high-end basses. Also, one of the defining characteristics of modern society is that the things we buy or want to buy are symptomatic of our wider aspirations and how we want to imagine ourselves. If you identify yourself as a bass player then buying basses is very much part of that psychology.

Funny thing is, the way trends in bass tone on mainstream pop records have gone recently, a less expensive bass can actually get you a better lo-fi retro kind of sound than a top quality bass. If you turned up to a recording session with a vintage cheap crap bass that looks cool lots of producers nowadays would be absolutely delighted. The more clunky the better. I am not saying for one minute,by the way, that playing cheaper basses is any less enjoyable or fulfilling than expensive ones. Just that some folks are inescapably compelled towards quality instruments. I've got a Harley Benton Shorty that I love, even if one of the tuning pegs fell off the first time I changed the strings. It cost £80 and I've had a hundred times more fun playing it than some expensive basses that I've owned in the past.

I can't tell!😀 I'm a mystery to myself nowadays. I totally agree that there are plenty of expensive basses that are not worth the money and not particularly desirable regardless of price tag. Fashion plays a part too. It's all about choosing the right ones. I very rarely see a bass nowadays that I really want to buy, or even investigate further. Choice has narrowed. Lots of nice basses are no longer new, albeit for a variety of reasons. I'd like a Wal, a Kubicki, a Pedulla, a Vigier with a graphite neck like they were back in the 1980's, an L Series Steinberger. In reality what I've got is a choice of is mostly the usual Leo Fender-derived designs in one form or another. There's very little that wets my appetite. Probably a good job because I'm not a rich man.

I don't know, I can't drive. I've got good taste in basses though. Most folks would think so, anyway. There's no accounting for other folk's eccentricities.

Very true, but an indicator of what's the consensus on good taste is how much people want your cast-offs. I've never had a bass I couldn't sell for decent money and they always sell fairly quickly. Sometimes I've sold basses I bought new for a profit because of their rarity and desirability. The last bass I sold on Basschat was a custom USA Lakland JO that I had made for me. That must be nearly five years ago. In the current market the new owner would be able to sell it for more than he paid me, and good luck to him. Everybody has done well out of the deal, the way it should be. I haven't bought a used bass myself since 1997, in case your interested.

Very true, but I've got good taste too.

When it comes to basses, I'm one of those people who have been cursed with good taste to the extent that the vast majority of basses I would consider owning are pretty expensive. Very few less expensive basses appeal to me, though they might come in useful at certain times. The instruments I mainly gravitate towards tend to cost a fair bit. That's been true right from when I started playing and my bass teacher explained to me about Alembic basses. (I've still never owned one). If I've got the money, I'm perfectly prepared to spend more than £1500 on a new bass. But that doesn't mean I won't pass on buying a bass if I think it's grotesquely over-priced for what it offers. To some extent we're all talking at cross-purposes in so much as what people want from a bass differs greatly from person to person. Some folks want a tool to do a job, i.e playing some songs with a few friends down at the Dog and Duck on a Friday night. That's great. Some people are happy just playing at home for their own entertainment. That would be me nowadays. That's great too. Some folks are aspiring to be professional players. Good for them. In all of these circumstances some folks want expensive instruments, others less pricey ones, and there's no wrong choice, just differing points of reference.

Hi Lozz, I've read your posts about the JMJ with great interest. Unfortunately I'm looking exclusively at a Daphne blue one.

Just let me know who it is and I will blame them quite happily. Give us a clue.

That's about accurate -I bought a JV Squire in 1983- but inflation -based figures don't take into account that on the whole people were poorer fourty years ago than now.

As horse racing enthusiasts would say, there's very little value to be had in the market at the moment. What bass could you say offers good value for it's current U.K retail price? The other day I was contemplating a Mexican-made Fender JMJ for £1250. Still a lot of money but might be an affordable treat if they are as good as people say. I could buy one and pretend I am still trendy and "with it". Then I read on Basschat that I would have to shield it myself to stop incessant electrical hum. I have enough problems already. The higher up the price range you go, the harder it is to find a good deal when it comes to new basses. All this with the caveat that in many cases it's the exchange rate which is killing it. Even with British-made basses. Companies like Wal can charge whatever they like and then close the order book because they are inundated with orders from the USA taking advantage of the weak pound. Other less feted bass makers are having to pay more for parts and materials. Everything has gone up, and prices won't be going back down in any foreseeable future. I remember back in the 1990s being shocked at how much imported basses were in Australia compared to the UK because of trade tariffs. Now we are like Australia was in terms of prices and I'm not sure who or what to blame.

How true that is! There's no doubt that less expensive basses are better than they were. Consumers are also better informed about what to look out for when they buy a bass. Back in the old days you learnt by buying problems you ended up being stuck with.

I'm one of those people who has to get things at least a reasonable price or I can't enjoy it. In the new bass market everything seems to cost a bit more than it's worth at the moment. New pro-level instruments have gone up in price across the board, and then subsequently gone up a bit more on top of that. It's enough to take all the sweetness of anything you buy. Those most effected are actually those people who have got a bit of money to spend but who now have to decide whether to spend it. If you couldn't afford a new bass before the prices all went up, now you really can't afford it. That's one thing. But if you could afford it but hesitated then now you have to decide whether to pay through the nose for what you slept on previously. And while you're deciding the prices are going up more. I think the German-made Sadowsky basses have had two price rises since last autumn. Music Man basses have gone up a bit more too. Both factory-made guitars (albeit really superb quality ones) now at handmade boutique prices . And boutique basses at prices that make it seem like common sense that you can easily live without them, however lovely they might be.

Sounds plausible, but would actually classed as a hate crime nowadays. Switzerland's winning entry made history by being the first victory for a non-binary contestant. Yet another reason to celebrate.

That's brilliant. I can't compete with that. Okay, you win.

The usual tired and predictable default denigration of Britain as a nation and it's stature in the world. It's not a controversial statement to say that Britain is a great country with an extraordinarily rich history and culture. Or at least, it shouldn't be. "There is no resentment felt for Britain across Europe..." None at all? How would you know? You have your own agenda, regardless of what is actually true, and you have created a false narrative around it, namely that Britain is in a state of crisis whereas the rest of Europe, by comparison, is both more rational and thriving in every respect. A complete fiction based on feelings not on facts. "This lie you have been sold by multiple governments and media sources..." ect. You sound like a spotty student handing out leaflets outside McDonald's about the evils of corporate capitalism. Do actually believe this half-baked twaddle? Like all conspiracy theorists, the fundamental mistake you make is overestimating the competence and ability of the supposed conspirators. Multiple governments and media sources can't even sell the truth, let alone a lie. And how you can possibly conflate Brexit with anything in my post is symptomatic of your one-dimensional viewpoint. "He's critical of other European countries so he must believe in that." Brexit or no Brexit, every single country in Eurovision is a non-entity when it comes to making popular music compared to Britain. That is not really up for debate. We all know it and so do they. What Brexit has to do with that only you can tell us, but I would point out just how bad European pop music has always been. Brexit is only a recent phenomenon. We should show some respect by coming up with a better entry? Why do we owe respect to anyone? I think we show ample respect by participating. Oh,hang on a minute, I see what you mean. Maybe we should get the Beatles or Led Zeppelin to reform in time for next year's competition in Switzerland. This is Eurovision after all. Only the best is good enough. Just for your information, I don't mind at all that the rest of Europe is rubbish at pop music compared to Britain and the USA. I enjoy their inadequacy. All countries and all cultures are not equal in terms of achievements. I'm sorry if you find that idea upsetting but that's just the way the world is. And by the way, Ibiza relies on tourism. Without tourism it would be still be an island of poor peasants and fishermen. They should be grateful.

Never underestimate the bitterness and resentment felt towards Britain by so many people across the world. To us Eurovision is a joke. To a lot of the other nations it's a serious matter of national pride, such is their cultural poverty compared to our own. Those hapless Eurovision entries that we tune in to laugh at really are the best they can do when it comes to pop music. They can't forgive us for that. That said, the UK entry was indeed crap. He got what he deserved. Thank goodness. Do we really want to have to stage Eurovision ever again now that it has become this ridiculous political football? Switzerland was the default voting choice because of it's famous history of political neutrality. I'm sure Eurovision will now find a way to try and drag them into World War 3.

That '71 is a beautiful bass and it sounds good, too. Lightweight, B-neck, just about perfect for me in every respect.

And if the new owner has paid £6000 for this bass, in the current market he has done very well indeed. If it was my bass I would have expected at least a grand more than that in my hand before I would let it go. I hope he has a lot of pleasure from playing and owning it. Very special basses for sure.

The point is not so much "it cost less in the past" so much as that Wal basses were much more available. They were always great instruments, but they weren't Holy Relics like they are now. I remember Barry Moorhouse at the Bass Centre in Wapping saying how they had sold 11;Wal Basses in a week and then sent the van up to High Wycombe collect more. They had a display stand with several Wal basses every time you went in the shop. I don't think the new Wal basses are particularly overpriced in relation to the competition like Fodera ect. But you can't buy one anyway. They are definitely proportionately more expensive than they were,though. In a discussion abou the used price of Wal basses that is perfectly relevant. And as to this bass being costing less than a new one...it isn't a new one!

The moral of this story is, if it seems too good to be true then it probably is. I remember when a new four string Wal cost £880, and you could get a deal on that price for cash. Allowing for inflation, that's £2560 in today's money. (GigSounds in Streatham did them for £729 without the case, which would set you back another £90.) I also remember when used Wal basses were hard to sell, and you could pick up a decent one for £600, no problem. Mid to late 1990s. They are without doubt magnificent-sounding basses, but definitely a niche product and not likely to suit everybody. Anyhow, I hope the new owner is delighted with his purchase. Nothing sounds like a Wal, you've either got one or you haven't.( I haven't.)