Is a new mass-produced bass ever worth more than £1500

[Beedster]

Just asking, prices are getting silly?

[Cato]

As always the market decides.

 

If something is truly over priced then it won't sell.

[miles'tone]

Depends how the economy is doing I suppose. 

[Waddo Soqable]

To the original question, imho No. 

That said I'm the classic "Johnny Skintbloke" so couldn't even contemplate such a purchase anyway 

[Reggaebass]

I paid more than that for one of my fender jazzes which I suppose is mass produced and imo it’s worth every penny 

Edited March 30, 2023 by Reggaebass
Spelling

[Roger2611]

Yes, and IMHO spending £1500 plus on a mass produced bass may well leave you happier than spending £3000 plus on a custom built bass, unless you have the skills to be able to explain exactly what you want out of your custom build.....have a look at the sheer amount of custom shop instruments that are out for sale on eBay, all of them would have been dream basses for someone that didn't turn out to be the bass they dreamed of?

[Old Horse Murphy]

£2,999 for a Stingray. I love Stingrays but that is just nuts...

[mr4stringz]

I dunno. For a start £1500 isn’t worth what it was…

[mr4stringz]

21 minutes ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

£2,999 for a Stingray. I love Stingrays but that is just nuts...

 But I do agree with this too.

[Burns-bass]

Yes.

 

[Cato]

Not mass produced but...

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/martin_guitars_d_200_deluxe.htm

 

Btw. I'm not totally sure that the price on this isn't a typo.

 

The only new guitar I've ever seen with a comparable price had real diamond fingerboard markers and a mammoth tusk ivory nut.

Edited March 30, 2023 by Cato

[Grahambythesea]

It depends - if the workers are being paid a proper living wage commensurate with the cost of living where they are based, then maybe it’s justified. California is very expensive, my daughter happens to live in San Luis Obispo where Musicman is based and it’s one of the highest cost areas in the state. 

[Burns-bass]

6 minutes ago, Grahambythesea said:

It depends - if the workers are being paid a proper living wage commensurate with the cost of living where they are based, then maybe it’s justified. California is very expensive, my daughter happens to live in San Luis Obispo where Musicman is based and it’s one of the highest cost areas in the state. 

This is an excellent point. If everyone involved in making my US built Fender got well paid then I’m happy to carry the premium. 
 

It was bang on £1500 and is the nicest bass I’ve ever played and I love it.

[Grahambythesea]

Perhaps more companies should do what Taylor have done and convert to be employee owned. They are also made in California but with a second plant in Mexico for the cheaper non-solid wood versions.

[TheGreek]

It is if it's on a Spector

[jezzaboy]

The world has gone mad. £3k for a Musicman, £1800 for a P bass and slightly off topic, Mexican Fender Nate Mendel P £1300, Squire £400 + and even a Harley Benton at £400+.

 

Bloomin madness!!

Edited March 30, 2023 by jezzaboy

[Saul Panzer]

Better chance of finding a mass produced model to test in a store so at least you'd get to figure out whether you feel it's worth the money.

With a custom you're banking on it being worth the extra money without ever touching it until the money is spent and it survives shipping.

[Dad3353]

I might be wrong, but I read the question as being 'are £1500 basses worth so much more than £150 basses that are equally mass-produced..?'

[iconic]

Off course not, a bass is 20% about the material item, 80% the romance factor. 

[stewblack]

No

[Oomo]

I've wondered that about Dingwalls, I've never tried one but heard nothing but praise for them.

 

From what I understand, they're made in China, then shipped back over to Canada for quality control / setup, then on to wherever.

 

Not sure if that counts as mass produced, but they seem to sell for around £2400 which seems huge for a non custom instrument.

[Nicko]

Anything is worth what people will pay for it. 

 

Having said that I struggle to see how a P bass is good value at the prices they charge.  I don't think it takes many hours to assemble one and the components are pretty simple when you actually look at them.  I can't think of any other item where such basic construction and components commands a similar price.  

[tegs07]

Are the prices of instruments going up or is the purchasing power of currency going down?

[Boodang]

£1500 is reaching a point where you can get a custom made. Putting a slab of wood through a cnc machine and slapping on cheap hardware hardly warrants that price though. 

Custom basses can be a roll of the dice though as you really don't know what it's going to be like until it's too late! Having said that, at these prices I'd rather get a luthier to make a custom to standard specs, you won't get a name brand on the headstock but you will get attention to detail, a better finish and probably better hardware. 

I got a custom jazz made recently from my local luthier, just specified I wanted it to the '62 spec and gave him the hardware..... £1000 all in and puts an American made fender to shame.

 

[SteveXFR]

To be perfectly honest, I don't care whether it's mass produced or hand built, I'd rather judge the value of the finished article than how it was made.