Who Regularly Gigs With CHEAPEST Bass?

[thebrig]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][size=4]Don't know whether this has been done before, but following on from a suggestion by Baxter on the "[/size][/font][color=#323232][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Who on Basschat has the most expensive bass?" thread, I thought I would ask the question. [/font][/color]

[paul_5]

I put both of my basses together for less than £100 each and gig the, both fairly regularly. There's probably some folks on here that can beat theat though...

[miles'tone]

Harley Benton HB550fl deko - £46 all in delivered.
I just added a set of D'addario tapewounds and it's bloody brilliant! Some people have thought it's a 'boutique' bass and think I'm taking the pi$$ when I tell them how much it cost.

[FinnDave]

Can't compete on cheapest bass, but our guitarist sometimes gigs with a strat copy he found in a skip! Can't get any cheaper than that unless someone pays you to take it away.

[Highfox]

I do sometimes, my Retrovibe Rick copy gets used a bit.
I like to rotate and give them each a gig once in a while.

[leschirons]

I used to gig an 85 quidder until the weight became a problem.

[Woodinblack]

I have gigged a harley benton, the sound is great but the weight is a bit too much for continued use.

[discreet]

I regularly gigged my Sue Ryder P (£60 I think it was) in a pro function band culminating in a New Year's Eve gig in the ballroom of the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane. No-one batted an eyelid.

[lefrash]

Harley benton jazz bass... 100 quid. Easily giggable.

[DBerriff]

I have a G&L Tribute JB-2 I gig with. I have a USA MJ-4 but superb bass that it is, it usually gets left at home.

[Maude]

Aria P copy (£40 s/h) with 1/4lbs and Chromes fitted.
Did loads with that including weddings and beer festival with 1200 audience.
I love it.

[Roger2611]

Battered Mike Dirnt Precision that I paid £80.00 for, I have repainted it and upgraded most of the parts but it sees far more action than any of my more expensive basses

[upside downer]

Westfield VB960 violin bass that I won at an auction for £32 is my current gigging weapon of choice.

[ambient]

A bass is a bass, is a bass.

As long as it's set up OK, what does it matter how much it cost ?

It's how you play it that counts surely ?

I recently did a dep jazz gig on the drummer's £60 Aria bass.

[rushbo]

I love putting together bitsas...my current favourite is a Pretend Precision consisting of a £20 encore bass body and the neck off a £25 Squier P bass. Hardware and pick up are from god knows where and it's strung with a set of ancient flats. It's painted seafoam green with two tins of rattlecan paint from Fleabay (£9.99 for two...) I absolutely love it and it sounds like a Motown Machine. I may splash out a tenner for a white pearl pickguard, but I'm afraid I might upset its thrift store mojo...

[rushbo]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1474566343' post='3138895']
A bass is a bass, is a bass.

As long as it's set up OK, what does it matter how much it cost ?

It's how you play it that counts surely ?

I recently did a dep jazz gig on the drummer's £60 Aria bass.
[/quote]

I could not agree more.

[blue]

I don't own or gig with a cheapest bass. However, I won't gig my German made Hofner Club, Les Paul Gold Top or Custom Shop Gibson ES 335 bass at certain bars. It's too risky.

For those bars I have a couple of what I call my "work horse" basses. MIJ Fender Ps.

Blue

[sykilz]

Thought my £150 Yamaha BB would be among the cheapest, but apparently I've been gigging a vastly overly expensive bass !!!!

[Bassassin]

My CSL Jazz copy cost £60, it's my go-to bass for pretty much everything.

Our guitarist has been known to gig with a Sunn Mustang Strat I gave him for his birthday a few years back. Cost me £5 from a car boot.

[ivansc]

Does free count? My prototype Epiphone Explorer bass came FOC from Massman Drive waaay back when.

Forgot to say I still have it & it gets gigged regularly when I am not playing my 62 reissue P bass in my rock and roll band.


Here it is, recorded in 1988...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhrcSNYLTjw

Edited September 23, 2016 by ivansc

[Painy]

My first bass (Hohner B2A) was actually bought for me by my best mate so that we could start a band as he'd just gotten a drum kit for Christmas, on the understanding that if I sold it I give him the money back.
It cost him £60 which is pretty cheap anyway but when I later sold it I got £70 and he let me keep the £10 profit so therefore it cost me -£10 net.
However we only ever played one gig which hardly constitutes "regularly" so I'm guessing it doesn't actually win - more hoping for an honorable mention .

[alyctes]

I've gigged the Sonderberg PJ and the red no-name J-style I got from here. Cost £130 between them, IIRC. But I don't gig often enough for this to count, probably.

[lojo]

Not a contender , by my £125 yahama BBN5 sees a lot of action

[Conan]

J&D brothers 1975 J bass. £119 brand new! Although I have gigged it from the day it arrived, it is no longer totally stock as one of the pickups packed in and it now features Toneriders. A few small mods and the whole shebang cost less than £220. It is my main and favourite bass, in fact I sold a Mayones Jabba and a CIJ Geddy Lee as I play this one all the time!

[mr zed]

[quote name='miles'tone' timestamp='1474559774' post='3138835']
Harley Benton HB550fl deko - £46 all in delivered.
[/quote]
I bought the fretted version for the same price and it is a cracking bass. We both got massive bargains with these.