Pro bassists using budget gear

[msb]

I have a couple of Epi basses , and a couple of Gibson basses. The Epis are both from the Unsung Factory in Korea and I have no complaints about the quality , they are very well made. I’m ok with the Gibsons too. Same deal with Fenders and Squiers. The US made instruments are worth more , not necessarily a superior build. 

[AntLockyer]

16 hours ago, msb said:

I have a couple of Epi basses , and a couple of Gibson basses. The Epis are both from the Unsung Factory in Korea and I have no complaints about the quality , they are very well made. I’m ok with the Gibsons too. Same deal with Fenders and Squiers. The US made instruments are worth more , not necessarily a superior build. 

Having had a Squier and a Fender, absolutely nothing wrong with the Squier but I felt so much more into the Fender.

[PaulWarning]

I use a USA precision and have got Vintage V4 for practice and a back up, aside from some frets not rolled off properly on the dusty end underside, blind fold me and I wouldn't be able to tell one from the other

[Lozz196]

Those V4s are cracking basses, punch way above their price tag in quality, playability and sound.

[Rich]

1:17 to 2:57, a scarily young Francis Dunnery talks about why he preferred his old Squier Strat to the Fenders.

Warning, prog content.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Rich

[Dan Dare]

17 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Followed by wondering why they bothered?

 

Always a possibility. Best to hang onto that Squier as a spare, eh?

[Bolo]

2 hours ago, Rich said:

1:17 to 2:57, a scarily young Francis Dunnery talks about why he preferred his old Squier Strat to the Fenders.

Warning, prog content.

 

That's a weird look for a bassist 

[Rich]

5 minutes ago, Bolo said:

That's a weird look for a bassist 

 

Steve Hackett, Ron Thorn, Midge Ure and Larry Carlton have all featured in this thread so far. As far as I'm aware, they're not bassists either. 

[chris_b]

People buy bass gear for a number of reasons:

They like the look.

They like the sound.

They think it's better.

Their hero plays one.

That's all they can afford.

They joined the club.

They joined a tribute band.

They have a wad of cash burning a hole.

The became a session bass player in New York.

 

CNC and automation has made the bass we play pretty irrelevant to the sound we make. The players from the 50's, 60's and 70's etc, would still recognise the basses we play today, but the bass gear, amps, cabs and pedals have totally changed the game.

 

In reality, all the songs I've played in the last 30 years could just as easily have been played on a second-hand Squier, Sire or Sue Ryder bass, and would have sounded just as good to an audience, and many of the bands. The basses I bought were actually my vanity project. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[tayste_2000]

On 05/09/2022 at 13:46, dmz said:

Laura Lee from Khruangbin uses an SX Jazz Bass live and has done from start. Don’t know if it is modded in any way.

 

Given their increasing popularity in the past few years I wonder if Fender have ever been in touch 🤔

 

 

It has dimarzio pickups in it.

 

Currently it looks to have been modded to dual stacked knobs like the flea bass (vol/tone vol/tone)

 

But she sounds incredible, one of my favourite bass tones.

[msb]

I have Fender , Rickenbacker , Gibson , Hofner , and MusicMan basses . And Epi , Squier , G&L Tribute , Eastwood , and Yamaha too. And find the offshore instruments are as playable as the US built ones , despite the American built instruments having a much higher resale value.

I should add my opinions are suspect as my primary gigging basses are reissue Danelectros.  

[theplumber]

Had a Rickenbacker for a bit. Just could not get on with it so I now use a kazoo.....

[msb]

I have two older ones , a 4001 and a 4000. Spent years looking for a 4001 , they were rarely coming up for sale in the pre internet days , and then I picked up one visiting Toronto. The sharp edges were never a bother for me and I bypassed the cap and strung it with TIs , I was looking for a thump rather than that prog rock zing. 
It quickly felt like home and became my primary bass for quite some years. 
I mostly play short scales now , but still love a nice Ric. 

[12stringbassist]

A decent bass is a decent bass, no matter what is written on the headstock.

[sykilz]

The guy from Cadillac Three was using an Epiphone Embassy type bass at the Roundhouse the other day.

I think Soundgardens bassist played a Mex Fender (50's style ) P bass on tour.

[tayste_2000]

JMJ uses his Mexi Fender Sig's all the time.

[Guest]

If you buy a cheap instrument and spend your money and/or time getting it just how you want, then it's not a cheap instrument any more.

 

How my used Squier P plays and sounds now I've invested £££ in it bares no relation to how the Squier I took down from the wall in gear4music plays and sounds.

 

If the factory producing Squiers put the same time, effort and attention into every instrument they make as my tech has put into mine, then they would be selling at a very different price point.

[crazycloud]

I'm at a loss why anyone would play live these days with an expensive instrument when an inexpensive modern bass will do the job just as well, (full time) pro or not.

[mikel]

33 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

If you buy a cheap instrument and spend your money and/or time getting it just how you want, then it's not a cheap instrument any more.

 

How my used Squier P plays and sounds now I've invested £££ in it bares no relation to how the Squier I took down from the wall in gear4music plays and sounds.

 

If the factory producing Squiers put the same time, effort and attention into every instrument they make as my tech has put into mine, then they would be selling at a very different price point.

Of course, but one bassists perfect finish and setup is not the same as the next bassist. The guy I use sets up or mods the instrument to suit the player. 

[neepheid]

34 minutes ago, crazycloud said:

I'm at a loss why anyone would play live these days with an expensive instrument when an inexpensive modern bass will do the job just as well, (full time) pro or not.

 

Because the basses are nice?

Because the bass player likes them?

Because they can?

Because it matches their outfit?

Because your definition of "expensive" might not be the same as theirs?

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, mikel said:

Of course, but one bassists perfect finish and setup is not the same as the next bassist. The guy I use sets up or mods the instrument to suit the player. 

 

Yeah, I thought about that after posting 👍 Even my ££££ G+L didn't feel right until it had been set up to be just what I want in terms of action, gauges, and pickup height.

 

Which leads us back to the original point of the thread, the important thing is not that people are playing cheap or expensive basses, but that they're playing basses that are well set up for their needs.

[msb]

I bought my music gear with money made playing music . And for years just had an old Pbass , and then began to pick up some other basses. I wasn’t buying exotic boutique , but many are American made premium brands. When I started just about everybody simply bought a Fender bass , for the most part the cheap stuff was awful , and setting up an instrument was  personal discovery , there weren’t any luthiers around. There was no internet. Heck , there weren’t even guitar magazines in those days.  We used pitch forks to tune up. Tab had not been invented. Most people learned by listening.
Many of the early Japanese instruments were not good . And the cheaper American instruments were not much better.
That was to change.

And is certainly not the case today. But I still can appreciate a historical premium brand , and a vintage one too.

[TimR]

I was trying to have a similar conversation with our guitarist about vocal mics for our singer.

 

IMO the only reason the Sure SM58 is the goto standard mic is that it's the standard goto mic. Plenty of other much better microphones. 

 

I'd suggest availability and ease of having identical and affordable replacements is high on the list of someone touring. Especially as there's not a lot of money around anywhere at the moment. 

 

My dad was selling an old Elka keyboard. A guy called up and said he collect it in half an hour, turned up with an envelope full of £5 notes. Turns out the keyboard player from Elvis Costello and the Attractions keyboard had failed and he needed a replacement of urgently that night. The £5 notes came from the box office takings. They're not the kind of instrument you have a spare of and as an obsolete instrument not possible to buy replacements easily.

 

A Senheiser e845 is 70% of the price of an SM58 and sounds and performs better. 

[rushbo]

A few year ago, I saw The Posies in London and Matt Harris was playing a Squier Dimension bass.* It sounded pretty good to me. 

 

Having inherited a "make do and mend" attitude from my parents, I've always bought and used second hand or budget instruments. I like the process of fixing any faults and upgrading them as and when finances allow. This means I have a collection of oddball instruments that are all modified to my own specs. I feel a real connection to these instruments, and I love playing them.

 

On the other hand, I enjoy gasping in awe at the shiny custom creations and (whisper it) Rickenbakers.

 

I guess the bottom line is, play what you like. If the instrument fulfills your needs and you can still afford to buy a few tins of beans, then all is good. 

 

(* I think it was a Dimension, but it was definitely a Squier.)

[Maude]

4 hours ago, crazycloud said:

I'm at a loss why anyone would play live these days with an expensive instrument when an inexpensive modern bass will do the job just as well, (full time) pro or not.

 

Although I championship the budget bass I'll just as happily play an expensive one. 

My main gigging bass would be well into four figures to replace, for me that's expensive. But it sounds, plays and looks right for the band so why wouldn't I play it?