Preferring the cheaper (inferior) model

[Guest MoJo]

Anyone who knows me will know that I have championed the Yamaha BB414 since it's introduction to the Yamaha range. I have bought and sold them here on the forum. Whenever boredom sets in and I go and buy something else, but it's not long before the longing for another BB414 sets in, so when one popped up on my eBay search alert a couple of weeks back, I went for it and won the auction.

Then, a few days ago a BB1024 in Vintage White appeared on Gumtree. The seller was asking a very reasonable £400 and was prepared to drive down from Yorkshire to meet me. I raided the wife's Christmas present fund and set off to meet the guy yesterday. The bass looked brilliant and the seller was a lovely guy. I drove home, excited.

Now comes the killer punch. Having chance to A/B them, I actually prefer the BB414 over the BB1024. The neck profile feels more comfortable to me. The 1024 neck is slightly chunkier. I am desperately trying to like the 1024 as I've wanted one for ages. It's clearly a better quality instrument. The bridge, pickups, nut, tuners and dual-action truss-rod all appear to be upgrades from the 'lowly' 414 / 424. The bass-snob in me wants to like it because having a 1024 around your neck at a gig rather than the 414 feels like the difference between wearing a bronze or silver medal.

Has anyone else faced this dilemma? Squier over Fender perhaps? What did you do? I need to make a decision soon or Mrs.Mojo is going to be very disappointed on Christmas morning.

(edited for grammar)

Edited November 13, 2016 by MoJo

[Lozz196]

I`ve not encountered this but I know a good few guitarists who have bought Tokai Love Rocks as backups to their Gibson Les Pauls and the Gibbo being relegated to the backup status.

[Pinball]

Thats great that your already happy 414
I swapped loads of basses before finding my favourite which is a 5 string Stingray. Having said that I recently owned a Tribute G&L L2000 model that was purrrrfect except that it had only had 4 strings and I use 5
Once a bass is in your hands the cost is irrelevant, it is how it feels and sounds that matters.

Edited November 13, 2016 by Pinball

[Twincam]

Lol @ you raided the wife's Xmas gift fund.

And I don't see what the issue is if you genuinely prefer a cheaper version of something. That's savvy buying and not that you can't afford something.

Ok I'm currently using an old ashdown mag head. I could afford an abm or even a higher end brand. But I like the old mag over the abm range which I find the eq hard to use. I got the head cheap its loud sounds good to me.

I also once wanted an svt 3 pro and I tried a few but then seen a similar(ish) amp the bugera did so I gave it a try and found I liked it better so I bought it.

As a contradiction to myself I do hate the fact my bass says epiphone on it. Even though its a classic version and supposedly very very similar to the recent gibson models. But then again if they are really so similar I suppose again I can put it down to savvy buying.

[karlfer]

Mark, use the one that fits best.

FWIW I only gig my 2 Mex FSR P/J's They fit.
The Ricks, SEIs, Alembic, Sadowsky, all gone.

Not missing any of them.

[stu_g]

I bought a cheap bb614 and really liked it, so I bought a bb424x then a bb1000s and I prefer the neck of the 614 over the other two. I sold the bb424x

[kodiakblair]

Mojo

You know I felt the same recently with the USA Millennium Vs the BXP version. Still feel the same.

Yes the USA has a pretty neck,variable mids and better hardware.Maybe a 1lb lighter too. The BXP's though play and sound fantastic.
Plenty other basses don't have variable mids so it's not critical,
35" scale ? It's a 4 string so does it need that extra inch to improve the E. My opinion is no.
Gotoh tuners and ABM bridge Vs slightly cheaper Gotoh tuners and mono saddle bridge ? They both hold their tune,intonation and are easy to set up.

The USA cost me the same as my 2 BXPs combined. All I can take from this is the BXP Millennium ACs are fantastic basses :-)

Different story with my BXP Cirrus Vs the USA ones,definite improvement with the USA models.

[Japhet]

I know Walter Trout has played a lowly Squier Strat for donkeys years. I'm sure he could have any guitar he liked but wouldn't be without the Squier.

[FinnDave]

I tend to use my £150 Ashdown touring 300 combo for gigs instead of my ABM 500/ Barefaced rig as it sounds so good in a band situation. Bloody heavy to lug around though!

The Wirebirds' guitarist will often play his unnamed strat copy (that he found in a skip!) preference to his Fender Strat or Gibbo LP.

[lurksalot]

I have a similar thing with my Spectors
I have a legend 4 that I bought ages ago and love it , I then ordered a Euro4LX , a beautiful guitar with a fantastic usable tone range ,but, the neck being through , is a tiny bit thicker , hard to measure and slightly fatter than the bolt on legend neck.
To me the difference is chalk and cheese and the legend is my go to. I suppose I should have played a few Euros before I ordered a new one!!

Edited November 13, 2016 by lurksalot

[visog]

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1479032916' post='3173374']
I know Walter Trout has played a lowly Squier Strat for donkeys years. I'm sure he could have any guitar he liked but wouldn't be without the Squier.
[/quote]

Robert Fripp and his Tokai Les Pauls after owning and using the real thing throughout the 70s. (He had a couple of nice vintage black beauties...).

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='visog' timestamp='1479034649' post='3173391']
Robert Fripp and his Tokai Les Pauls after owning and using the real thing throughout the 70s. (He had a couple of nice vintage black beauties...).
[/quote]

I've seen one of Robert Fripp's Gibsons at a local luthiers shop. It was this one.



It was, so I'm told, the one that Robert used on the King Crimson recordings and the luthier in question slept with it under his bed while it was in his care because of the iconic / sentimental value of the instrument.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='stu_g' timestamp='1479031138' post='3173355']
I bought a cheap bb614 and really liked it, so I bought a bb424x then a bb1000s and I prefer the neck of the 614 over the other two. I sold the bb424x
[/quote]

The necks on the 414/614 are better IMHO than the 424/1024. If they used the 414 / 614 profile on the 1024, it'd be a killer instrument. I'm almost tempted to swap the necks over

[Norris]

The expensive basses sit in their cases. The Squier gets gigged - because I like it

[Painy]

I gigged expensive Warwicks for years and they were fantastic sounding basses, lovely to play and looked very nice too.
However my Squier VM P5 is by far the most comfortable bass for me that I've ever played and the sound I've had out of my Sterling SUB Ray 5 at my last few gigs has probably been the best tone I've ever had too.

[RhysP]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1479035523' post='3173399']


I've seen one of Robert Fripp's Gibsons at a local luthiers shop. It was this one.



It was, so I'm told, the one that Robert used on the King Crimson recordings and the luthier in question slept with it under his bed while it was in his care because of the iconic / sentimental value of the instrument.
[/quote]

I would have slept with it IN the bed.

[Woodinblack]

Yeh, the squier CV P Bass. I tried the Squier, MiM and American in the same shop (I don't know what versions, presumably standard, they were the only ones they had). The american had the best neck feel and clearly better componants, the Squier seemed to have more life and a nicer neck to look at. The MiM (which is what I was considering) was not as good as either.

[Mister RLP]

Sold the Rick 4001. Sold the MIM Jazz. Kept the Matt Freeman Squire P-Bass. Only bought it as a back up...

[barkin]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1479035646' post='3173401']


The necks on the 414/614 are better IMHO than the 424/1024.
[/quote]

Better? Or just different, but more to your liking?

[VTypeV4]

The Squier VM Jazz I own mauls any number of Fender models I've tried including a couple I owned. It's certainly the best passive Jazz I've owned even though the Japanese and US basses cost me far more.. So on this occasion, yes, I prefer the cheaper model.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1479052198' post='3173547']
Better? Or just different, but more to your liking?


[/quote]

Yes, sorry, better for me. The neck fits my fretting hand better, feels more comfortable, faster. The neck on the 1024 feels more substantial. If I preferred a chunky neck, although the neck on the 1024 is by no means 'chunky', I would probably say that the neck on the 1024 was the better one.

[Dan Dare]

Lucky you. A cheap instrument that really does it for you is the Holy Grail. Who cares about the label? Imagine you were blind. Which would you have? Any fool can hock the house and buy a Fodera or similar.

[landwomble]

I got a Squier CV 70s P last year. Not really picked my Fender Jazz 75RI with a John East pre up since. There's just something right about it.
I suspect the Sterling Sub I got last week will be the same, it just makes you grin when you pick it up...

[Dan Dare]

I find I'm spending more time playing the bitsa P that I built recently. Originally intended it as a knockabout instrument to have round he house, but liking it more and more. Will not sell the old Jazz, but it does fewer gigs these days.

[martthebass]

My main gigging bass at the mo is a mm sterling sub usa. Been through a few full fat Stingrays and a US sterling but the sub just seems to have 'it'. Missing it badly as it is currently in the shop being transformed from an ugly duckling to a swan.....

Edited November 13, 2016 by martthebass