MacDaddy Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 My last few basses have all been quality mid range USA made (Carvin, Fender J, Musicman Sub, Guild B-301) but for my last gig I used a cheap Asian Mustang bass - not to be confused with the Fender Mustang. Anyway no-one commented on the change of sound, loss of tone, etc or even noticed there was a cheaper bass. There's no doubt the quality of budget basses has increased severely since I were a lad (to be said in wistful Yorkshire accent) and the budget bass feature in BGM got me thinking, are there any budget basses (for the sake of argument no more than £200.00 as per the BGM piece) that can do a pro job? By pro job I mean sounds good enough to do a decent job at a gig for the player, with sufficient build quality to negate any interference issues, plays well with a decent set up, and to an average member of the audience would be no different sound wise to a bass 2 or 3 times it's value. I realise this may be entirely subjective, but we may find some common ground? Waddaya reckon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraktal Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Do you know Carles Benavent? I met him many years ago, he was playing a fretless Washburn bass that was priced at 240 euros (back in those days the euro didnt exist, but just for the sake of comparison) and the bass came with an extra fretted neck in case you wanted to swap them. That was maybe 15+ years ago or so, and by all means that was an extremely cheap instrument back in those days. Well, Mr. Benavent was playing and all I heard was probably the best tone ever. That day I learnt in shock that, when a minimum quality is attained in the manufacturing of an instrument, the rest is all in the hands of the performer. I have never heard a bass that sounds better than my Rockbass Streamer Standard (around 250 euros cheapest model). There are basses out there, usually 5x its price or higher, that sound DIFFERENT, but no way better. I played around 400 gigs during 5 years with it and got countless sincere compliments about my sound from mixing dudes and musicians. I couldnt help but tell them immediatly the price of the bass and see their faces, heh. This bass was a gift from heaven and it changed radically my perception about budget instruments, I always thought you had to pay big bucks for a pro sound, and probably that was the case until 7 years ago or so, not anymore though. It seems I am naturally gifted with setting up an instrument, so it also has low action with minimal fret buzzing only when plucking hard. Maybe I was lucky to find a particularly good one, but I doubt it cos I tried 4 of them (3 friends bought one from the same shop when I told them to check my bass) and all of them seem to have the same sound. They were all early models, though, just when Warwick decided to start Rockbass... maybe 7 years ago? Could be the quality control is not that high now, but again, I would doubt such thing could happen to a company like Warwick. I dont use it anymore but it is only due to ergonomic reasons, Im particularly picky about neck dive and weight. Its not like this bass is heavier or has more neck dive than the average bass, but I learnt to play with a headless bass that had a perfect balance and low weight and my back and spine are giving me some problems, so it is at home and I only play it while sitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) [url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/14228"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop/flypage/product_id/14228[/url] Put a set of LaBella Deep Talkin' flats on it, do a simple home set up and you're there. Edited January 26, 2009 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I have been playing semi-pro for 13 years now and have played a number of basses, none of which have exceeded £500 and have only been replaced due to my inherent compulsion for change. My current weapon of choice, a Yamaha BB1500a is a tone monster and since I've been using it I have received a lot of positive feedback about 'my bass sound'. My other bass, a humble BB414 (bought for £170 here on basschat) is well up to the job. Lovely tone, well balanced with a lovely neck. That said, I went to see a fellow Basschatter a while ago at a gig in Telford and arrived to see the support, The Counterfeit Kings. I had a neck-craning moment as soon as I heard the bass. What a glorious sound. At the end of their set, I wandered over to have a look at what had produced this huge tone.....a Vintage (as in manufacturer, not age) P-bass with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound pups....Here endeth the first lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_D Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='MacDaddy' post='391390' date='Jan 26 2009, 02:22 AM']...snip...and to an average member of the audience would be no different sound wise to a bass 2 or 3 times it's value. I realise this may be entirely subjective, but we may find some common ground? Waddaya reckon?[/quote] Entirely subjective as it is, depending on where you play, your average punter wouldnt notice on any quality of bass. Its more in the player and amp I think. We worry so much about our nuances in tone and even band members sometimes dont notice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 My Peavey Millenium AC Bxp was £199 and is definitely up to the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 SX compare favorably to any Fender I've played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 £200? well that's me out of the loop then... My Vintage V950B, Tanglewood Warrior IV and my Squier VMJ are all officially above that point based on their as new prices... My Peavey Millenium BXP was only £149... I really regret selling that one, but it enabled me to purchase the Tanglewood Warrior IV... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I’d still tout the discontinued Warwick Std range as the best budget basses out there, and at around £200 for a used 4 string Streamer Std, they’re amazing value IMO. A German built Warwick with the ovangkol neck that gets used on the high end bolt-on Warwicks for £200 – how can you possibly go wrong with that? Mine feels better than a few Thumb BOs I’ve tried, and also better than some FNA Streamers I’ve played as well. Quite weighty though… I’ve also played a few MIM Jazz basses that I thought were fantastic. It’s hit and miss with anything mass produced though, and I think it’s more likely to be ‘miss’ more often than ‘hit’ with cheaply mass produced instruments, but there are gems out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumfrog Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 +1 on the rockbass. I'm currently on the lookout for a replacement bass for it, as I just fancied it, but I haven't played anything with a nicer neck and sound up to £600 yet. I was even more surprised when I much preferred the neck on the rockbass to new fender jazz.... I'm very much a sod what it says on the headstock, how does it play and sound person though, so won't buy a bass just because of the name on it. Unlike my housemate..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 We spend money on more expensive basses because we want to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussFM Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 My modded SX Jazz - bought on here, played it with a band for the first time last week, they all commented on how good it sounded, looked and it played as well as my Fender. Bargain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) I believe that unless a bass a fault such as a stuck truss rod or something that doesn;t allow you to set up an instrument, you can gig with anything. I did several gigs with one of these: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RED-Metallic-Electric-BASS-JAZZ-style-gigbag-Strap-NEW_W0QQitemZ320331959198QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar?hash=item320331959198&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RED-Metallic-Electri...34.c0.m14.l1262[/url] At the time the exchange rate was much better so £35 for the bass and £50 for postage. the first one arrived damaged so they sent me another. This now works out at £42.50 for each one. Basswood body, so no ply rubbish here. Came with an electronic tuner, string winder, a spare set of strings and the second one also arrived with a suede Fender strap. I would recommend one of these as a spare bass. I personally don;t see the point in spending a lot on something that will get used once in a blue moon. As long as its playable. Edited January 26, 2009 by Delberthot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted January 26, 2009 Author Share Posted January 26, 2009 In terms of mass produced gear, what's the difference between a factory in Korea and the USA? Obviously lower wages in Korea, but if the machinery used is the same, and skills and training of the employees is the same, is the difference just a stamp on the headstock? Is this the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumfrog Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='MacDaddy' post='391724' date='Jan 26 2009, 01:34 PM']In terms of mass produced gear, what's the difference between a factory in Korea and the USA? Obviously lower wages in Korea, but if the machinery used is the same, and skills and training of the employees is the same, is the difference just a stamp on the headstock? Is this the case? [/quote] it can be as simple as that. Not always, but it's becoming more the case I feel. I remember when Joe Naylor shifted production of the reverends to korea, all the die hards were saying that they wouldn't be as good as the old usa craftmanship, until people actually got hold of the korean made ones, at which point everybody rejoiced in the fact that they could get the same quality for half the price Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 There's not such a huge difference in hardware these days. My chrome on the bridge of my first bass started peeling off after a year. Also, I don't believe that there's a huge difference between made in Japan and made in China any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Peavey Milestone III [url="http://www.hartnollguitars.co.uk/products.asp?id=748"]http://www.hartnollguitars.co.uk/products.asp?id=748[/url] For a while I had one of these and a Fender Aerodyne Jazz bass - decided there was nothing to choose between them in sound - except the Peavey was quieter for recording - and actually preferred the feel of the Peavey, so sold the Fender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 Take the same analogy and apply it to cars. As long as a certain level of quality is met (ergo, meaning it'll be reliable), whether it's got a 15 billion litre quadruple turbo engine or is a 1.4 with carbs, it gets you to A -> B. And in the eyes of everyone else, as long as you're getting to work in the morning/getting to appointments/doing stuff, it doesn't matter if you drive a Veyron or a Corsa. However, you do need a comfortable ride and one that suits you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 A bass is what you make of it. A pro can make a sh*te bass sound good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 I just bought the Squier Classic Vibe 60's Precision today in sonic blue. It's cost me £220. Not a lot in bass terms, but why? This thing is the best playing and sounding Precision I've ever played, and that includes the [rather expensive] 08 American Standard I had last year. It has the trad P bass sound with a more modern zing with it & a great slap sound, too. The neck is very close to the average jazz neck thickness & the build quality is utterly stunning! Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdphysio Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 (edited) [quote name='budget bassist' post='391971' date='Jan 26 2009, 05:53 PM']A pro can make a sh*te bass sound good.[/quote] Yeah, & i could easily make a £3000 bass sound sh*te!! (this a great thread by the way) Edited January 26, 2009 by kdphysio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='kdphysio' post='391986' date='Jan 26 2009, 06:20 PM']Yeah, & i could easily make a £3000 bass sound sh*te!! [/quote] as could i! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='kdphysio' post='391986' date='Jan 26 2009, 06:20 PM']Yeah, & i could easily make a £3000 bass sound sh*te!! (this a great thread by the way)[/quote] Me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='391981' date='Jan 26 2009, 06:14 PM']I just bought the Squier Classic Vibe 60's Precision today in sonic blue. It's cost me £220. Not a lot in bass terms, but why? This thing is the best playing and sounding Precision I've ever played, and that includes the [rather expensive] 08 American Standard I had last year. It has the trad P bass sound with a more modern zing with it & a great slap sound, too. The neck is very close to the average jazz neck thickness & the build quality is utterly stunning! Rich.[/quote]+1(still not bought one yet tho)if these had been out a year ago i would have saved myself loadsa money ! the cv jazz is as good as my fender imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted January 26, 2009 Share Posted January 26, 2009 [quote name='bassmansky' post='392139' date='Jan 26 2009, 09:09 PM']+1(still not bought one yet tho)if these had been out a year ago i would have saved myself loadsa money ! the cv jazz is as good as my fender imo. [/quote] Yes, I'm hopefully looking at the jazz this weekend if Dave's got it in for me at Electro. Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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