What would you pay for the right bass/tone?

[john_the_bass]

Following on from the "Does your bass make you go Oh YES!?" thread, what would be your price limit on what you'd be prepared to spend on the perfect instrument? Would you pick up a bass, play it and believe it to be the best you had played but put it back because of the price, or would you think, "it's a small price to pay for what it is"?

I thought I could never spend £1k on a guitar or bass, but I've found a guitar that has THE tone that I want but it's more money than I've ever spent on an instrument. I've flipped a load of gear so it's not unnatainable, but it's a lot! I still want it thought and I'm still prepared to pay it (with a bit of negotiation).

[queenofthedepths]

Are you including aesthetic appearance and playability as well as tone?
To be honest I'd be highly sceptical of anything which sounded perfect in the shop but would lose a lot of its value once I'd bought it - how can you decide that it's the perfect instrument until you've owned it for a good while and tried it in lots of different settings? That's why I aim to always buy second-hand (even if sometimes I can't...), so effectively I can try it out on very cheap rental
If I had the opportunity to try out a very expensive bass for a whole year and then I had to buy it or I'd never get the chance again... I would pay as much as I could afford for the perfect bass

[wateroftyne]

I've spent far more than maybe I should have.

Like QoD, I've always tried to buy used stuff for a reasonable price. However, I've just bought a 'new' new amp as I'd be waiting around forever for a used model.

It was a shed-load of money. I feel guilty as hell, but....

[john_the_bass]

I think the question here is - if you found the bass that looked, sounded, did everything you want, etc - what would [b]you[/b] pay for it. Regardless of what it would be worth in 6, 12, 18 months time, regardless of what you could afford and no "money no object, if I won the lottery ideas either"! - I'm assuming everybody has a limit.

Mine was originally based around what the going rate for the bass I wanted was. I always said I would not pay more than £1k for a guitar or a bass but I've tried a Martin HD28 (and ok, it's not a bass), but it does what [i]I[/i] want it to and it exceeds my personal limit. The thing is, that I'd spend the money to get the guitar.
It sort of follows on from my unattainable GAS thread as well.

[jakenewmanbass]

A really fine double bass can cost up to £60000

[Sarah5string]

For me I would never contemplate spending more than £300 on a bass, regardless of tone but that's because I'm a tightass...

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='208753' date='May 29 2008, 12:22 PM']A really fine double bass can cost up to £60000[/quote]


would YOU pay that if it was right for YOU?
This is what I'm trying to ascertain.

You've all seen what vintage Fenders command these days, but I wouldn't pay that for one.

Edited May 29, 2008 by john_the_bass

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='208759' date='May 29 2008, 12:25 PM']would YOU pay that if it was right for YOU?[/quote]
If I had the money, yes without hesitation.

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='208736' date='May 29 2008, 12:10 PM']I'm assuming everybody has a limit[/quote]
Therein lies the problem with the question (for me, anyway) - at the moment, I'm a student with a relatively low income, most of which I'm supposed to be spending on beer apparently... so in order to afford an expensive bass I'd probably have to sell a bunch of stuff - would I sell all 8 of my current basses, each of which has a different use? Probably - it'd certainly save some space!

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='208756' date='May 29 2008, 12:25 PM']For me I would never contemplate spending more than £300 on a bass, regardless of tone but that's because I'm a tightass...[/quote]
Thank God there's someone even cheaper than me on here So far 2 of my basses have cost more than that, with the average price being somewhere under £200, I think... the quest for the perfect bass is a very different process for different people, I think

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='208759' date='May 29 2008, 12:25 PM']You've all seen what vintage Fenders command these days, but I wouldn't pay that for one[/quote]
Vintage Fenders are just historical artifacts though, surely? Not really worth much at all as an actual instrument... I don't mean that they're horrible basses or anything - I mean that most of their value is nothing to do with how they sound - I'm not knocking anyone's decision to play a vintage Fender!!!

[Sarah5string]

My 5 string cost £150, my 4 string cost £139. Love them both although am looking at a new 4 string as not entirely happy with the sound from my current one.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Sarah5string

[Jobiebass]

Dunno, Few grand maybe. Depends on my desposable income at the time.

Thinking about a Shuker in the future and im guessing that will be about my limit.

[chris_b]

Some people drink fine wines but most drink plonk and wouldn't know the difference.
If you understand what makes an expensive bass worth more than a cheaper bass and that difference is important to you then it's money well spent. I believe you get what you pay for so £2,000 for a Wal isn't expensive while £2,000 for a Fender probably is. Even if I won the Lottery, I wouldn't pay £6,000 for a Fodera or £10,000 for an Alembic but I would buy a 100% perfect 1951 Precision for £20,000, for example.

[bass player spinn]

well I dunno about over 1k or whatever your money is. im a 15 year old and i live in the Usa so its a little diffrent. I can only work in the summers and get payed below minimum wage. yeah thats how bad it is plus its manual labor. anways i come out of the summer with about 1k to spend. I have stopped myself from buying any expensive bass just because the fact that I dont have the money and i cant do the whole buy it over 18 months thing. I have pretty much decided that cheap bases sound good with my little rig. I have a little squire pbass which is major started but it sounds decent when i play with my band. I dunno maybe im a tightwad i still havent changed the stock strings on that base for like 8 months. so yeah maybe its just me. that base cost me 178$ which is diffrent for yall but major cheap in the usa. But anyways. the major question is are you gonna be able to afford it and are you going to use it?

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='Sarah5string' post='208772' date='May 29 2008, 12:35 PM']My 5 string cost £150, my 4 string cost £139. Love them both although am looking at a new 4 string as not entirely happy with the sound from my current one.[/quote]
Wow, were they new?! It's stuff like this that makes me doubt I'll ever buy a "high-end" bass, unless I become a lot richer somehow

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='bass player spinn' post='208788' date='May 29 2008, 12:51 PM']I dunno maybe im a tightwad i still havent changed the stock strings on that base for like 8 months[/quote]
I have never changed the strings on my main 4-string in nearly 3 years

[Galilee]

I just spent a grand on a bass. More than I could really spare, but I justified it by looking at other people asking a lot more for the same model. I can't ever see myself spending that kind of money again.

[chris_b]

[quote name='bass player spinn' post='208788' date='May 29 2008, 12:51 PM']....well I dunno about over 1k or whatever your money is. im a 15 year old....[/quote]
Hi, I would imagine that a Squire is a great bass to own. I wish I'd had one when I was 15! In the future if you feel the need to improve the tone just replace the pickups, but you've got many years to build up to an expensive bass, if you feel that is what you want to do.

PS We use £'s, which is pound sterling.

[G-77]

i like status graphite basses so £2000 is about right , the streamline starts at £1350, then theres LED and tints etcc... ohhhh

[Dubs]

I'd say that if you can afford it and you love the tone/sound of a rig/bass then just go for it, it's only money at the end of the day - it comes and goes. The "perfect" setup is priceless IMO so if you ever find it then you should deffo just go for it and sod the cash.

[MB1]

[quote name='G-77' post='208819' date='May 29 2008, 01:20 PM']i like status graphite basses so £2000 is about right , the streamline starts at £1350, then theres LED and tints etcc... ohhhh[/quote]

MB1.
Do you want it Sir?....Do you want it?....OHHH! SUITS YOU! SIR,....SUITS YOU!

[Dubs]

[quote name='queenofthedepths' post='208792' date='May 29 2008, 12:53 PM']I have never changed the strings on my main 4-string in nearly 3 years [/quote]

:O:O *shock horror* I change my strings like i change underwear – almost as often anyway, but you get what I’m saying. No longer than 2 weeks without at least a good old boil up and then a fresh set at least every 8 to 10 weeks.

[alexclaber]

My '87 Warwick Streamer cost £650 including a multi-FX, gigbag, flightcase, strap and some 30' leads. Such a bargain that I knew the bass to supersede it had to be absolutely outstanding for me to spend £1k+. However I ended up with the best bass I could have ever imagined for little more than that!

Do not spend money you don't have, that's the key to all this!

Alex

[alexclaber]

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='208842' date='May 29 2008, 01:43 PM']:O:O *shock horror* I change my strings like i change underwear – almost as often anyway, but you get what I’m saying. No longer than 2 weeks without at least a good old boil up and then a fresh set at least every 8 to 10 weeks.[/quote]

Maybe you need a brighter bass! My old Warwick sounds bright with a year old set of strings - fortunately my RIM Custom is a bit more mellow.

Alex

[queenofthedepths]

[quote name='benwhiteuk' post='208842' date='May 29 2008, 01:43 PM']:O:O *shock horror* I change my strings like i change underwear – almost as often anyway, but you get what I’m saying. No longer than 2 weeks without at least a good old boil up and then a fresh set at least every 8 to 10 weeks.[/quote]
Each to their own - personally I love the sound of old strings (I've never ever bought new bass strings) and if I spent as much as you apparently do on strings, I'd have to either get a job or own just one bass! I'm not sure what's worse!!!