Vibrating G String Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 [quote name='peteb' post='1342271' date='Aug 16 2011, 10:59 AM']A question for you mate.... what is the cheapest bass that you have used on a pro gig in the last few years?? Genuinely interested to know……[/quote] I'm not Doddy but to hijack your question I gig the rather prestigious Boom Boom Room in San Francisco with an OLP that cost me $115 brand new, delivered to my door. Though I have tripled the cost modding it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vibrating G String Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='BigRedX' post='1342482' date='Aug 16 2011, 02:11 PM']I would also suggest that for us here in Europe a "Made In The USA" mass-produced bass is actually rather poor value for money when compared with the output of the better far-eastern factories.[/quote] It's the same in the US Even with many of the made in USA basses cutting costs by using tons of Asian parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muttley Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Interesting, but not at all surprising, that nearly 3/4 of all responses (71.5%) are in the £100 to £799 ranges. How much is a Precision? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='PerfectionBG' post='1341685' date='Aug 16 2011, 11:28 AM']But thanks for letting me find out what everyone on here thinks a 'proper' bass should cost. Yes it should be one that feels right for you, but a £10 car-boot jobby would rarely be a gigging bassists bass-of-choice, where as Fenders and MusicMans have appeared at the last 10 bands I've seen live, gotta mean something right?[/quote] Indeed, it means bassists have very little imagination. I couldn't vote in this as there are several bands I'd go for - anything from £200 to £2500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think if you're buying new a solid instrument can be had for £500. And by that I mean well put together, great sound and generally unhindered by any inherent faults. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='Doddy' post='1342614' date='Aug 17 2011, 12:52 AM']A Tokai SG that cost me £100 (edit....this was at the Italian Grand Prix last year) For what it's worth,the only instrument I own that cost me over a grand (and not by much) is my electric upright.[/quote] I thought that you had a Roscoe?? For what it’s worth, most of the guys I know who play the same sort of gigs that you do tend to have: a workhorse bass, nearly always a 5 string, often expensive but certainly not cheap; a secondary bass, often a 4 string, something like a stingray or a MIA Fender; and a cheap but cheerful MIM Fender to be used for teaching or the occasional free for all jam session, but you never see them gigging the cheap bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='peteb' post='1343700' date='Aug 17 2011, 09:18 PM']I thought that you had a Roscoe?? For what it’s worth, most of the guys I know who play the same sort of gigs that you do tend to have: a workhorse bass, nearly always a 5 string, often expensive but certainly not cheap; a secondary bass, often a 4 string, something like a stingray or a MIA Fender; and a cheap but cheerful MIM Fender to be used for teaching or the occasional free for all jam session, but you never see them gigging the cheap bass![/quote] I do have a Roscoe. My most used instrument over the last 18 months or so has been my Fender Deluxe Jazz V (Mexican) and my favourite instrument is a mid '90's Japanese Fender Jazz. Every instrument I own has been used on gigs,I don't care how much it is.If I wouldn't gig it,I won't buy it. If someone wouldn't take their cheaper bass out on a gig I think it says more about them than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 If the majority of people are voting under £800, how come there are so many MM stingray/bongo/Big Al, MIA J/P, Status, Wal, Jaydee, Goodfellow owners on this site?? Are they not voting or are they getting their gear extremely cheap from somewhere??If it's the latter can I have the address please?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Just added my vote to what turned out to be the most popular. You can buy excellent gigging/recording basses from Ibanez, Cort, Aria,Tanglewood etc, within that price bracket - it's just that we don't choose to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) [quote name='TheGreek' post='1343739' date='Aug 17 2011, 09:57 PM']If the majority of people are voting under £800, how come there are so many MM stingray/bongo/Big Al, MIA J/P, Status, Wal, Jaydee, Goodfellow owners on this site?? Are they not voting or are they getting their gear extremely cheap from somewhere??If it's the latter can I have the address please??[/quote] Buy secondhand! I got a Warwick Stage 1 from ebay for £435 and a EBMM stingray in a deal worth about £700. Someone has got a great looking bongo up in the for sale section here for less than £800! Edited August 17, 2011 by peteb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Doddy' post='1343735' date='Aug 17 2011, 09:54 PM']I do have a Roscoe. My most used instrument over the last 18 months or so has been my Fender Deluxe Jazz V (Mexican) and my favourite instrument is a mid '90's Japanese Fender Jazz. Every instrument I own has been used on gigs,I don't care how much it is.If I wouldn't gig it,I won't buy it. If someone wouldn't take their cheaper bass out on a gig I think it says more about them than anything else.[/quote] I hope that it doesn’t sound like I’m having a go or anything because I’m not at all, and obviously it works for you, who earns a living as a professional musician. But I am interested that you will take out a MIM Fender when you have a Roscoe, especially as I have never rated any MIM Fenders that I have ever played (or indeed many American ones) and that you could pick up a secondhand Warwick or EBMM relatively cheaper (say £600 to £700)! The guys I’m talking about bought the cheaper basses for a particular purpose, i.e. teaching and use the nicer basses for gigging & recording. They tend not to have too many expensive basses hanging around as (unlike me and many others here) they have to use their earnings from music to pay the mortgage! Edited August 17, 2011 by peteb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='TheGreek' post='1343739' date='Aug 17 2011, 09:57 PM']If the majority of people are voting under £800, how come there are so many MM stingray/bongo/Big Al, MIA J/P, Status, Wal, Jaydee, Goodfellow owners on this site?? Are they not voting or are they getting their gear extremely cheap from somewhere??If it's the latter can I have the address please??[/quote] I voted for the bracket upto £2495 as I felt it would be hypocritical not too as that's the bracket my last two purchases fell into but I could play something in the £799 region for the rest of my days quite happily, But I don't need/have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='peteb' post='1343767' date='Aug 17 2011, 10:23 PM']I hope that it doesn’t sound like I’m having a go or anything because I’m not at all, and obviously it works for you, who earns a living as a professional musician. But I am interested that you will take out a MIM Fender when you have a Roscoe, especially as I have never rated any MIM Fenders that I have ever played (or indeed many American ones) and that you could pick up a secondhand Warwick or EBMM relatively cheaper (say £600 to £700)![/quote] The reason I take out the Fender over my Roscoe (and my Shuker and Tobias),is because I find Fender Jazz basses to be extremely comfortable and easy to play,and I like the sound that I get from them.Plus, they can take a beating-they just work for me.It was also very well priced(s/h) and nicer than the US Deluxe model I tried on the same day. I had a Warwick and got rid of it(one of only 3 or 4 basses I ever got rid of),and Stingrays don't really do much for me. I still take the Roscoe and the Shuker out a lot,but I generally favour my various Fenders(especially the Jazzes) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldslapper Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I love the fact that Guy Pratt's "arsenal" consists of a couple of MM's, Fenders and a Spector. Just ordinary fare. Think what you like of him, but he's done a couple of paid gigs I believe. Whenever I've seen him he's got a fender jazz in his hands (his wedding present aside). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) [quote name='oldslapper' post='1343849' date='Aug 17 2011, 11:36 PM']I love the fact that Guy Pratt's "arsenal" consists of a couple of MM's, Fenders and a Spector. Just ordinary fare. Think what you like of him, but he's done a couple of paid gigs I believe. Whenever I've seen him he's got a fender jazz in his hands (his wedding present aside).[/quote] And Pino Palladino. He's got [i]some[/i] fancy basses but he's got a few Squiers in his collection as well and actually, his set up isn't exactly awe-inspiring. His playing however is some of the best, if not [u]the[/u] best session playing in the world right now. I like expensive basses, but they don't make the world of difference to me or the kind of player I am and I could easily get the work done I need to with a bass that costs less that £200. People tend to put too much stock into paying for pricey instruments and not enough time working out what will make them better players, so whilst expensive hand-crafted basses like Fodera, Sei etc. are nice, I don't see why you'd technically have to spend anymore than £200-300 on a bass if you're a 'pro' getting a job done. Like VGS said, I'd be willing to bet that a large percentage of customers of many high-end brands are not full time professional working musicians but more hobbyists. Edited August 17, 2011 by risingson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='paul_5' post='1341490' date='Aug 16 2011, 08:51 AM']I'm not really a Marxist, but I am sympathetic to a fella called Theodore Adorno who was. He wrote lots of papers/essays on popular culture and its place in society, and talks a lot of sense.[/quote] Bilbo will just love 'On Jazz'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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