Would you rather have 8 Harley Bentons or 1 Musicman/Fender (MIA)/Rickenbacker (etc...)

[Misdee]

Funnily enough, I'm in the market for a relatively inexpensive bass at the moment.  Even funnier than that though, is that  all the ones I want turn out to be out of stock and currently unavailable.

 

I've already got a Harley Benton, by the way, and for the money it cost it's been terrific value considering the fun I've had playing it.

 

I'm definitely not knocking less expensive basses, just questioning the aspiration to collect them for the sake of having a collection. Versatility is one of the most overrated qualities in a musician. Most of the greats have developed a unique style because they use their limitations creatively. Most of the best famous players have a signature sound, rather than a plethora of tones for different situations. 

Edited June 3 by Misdee

[Misdee]

 In the days before  internet forums I had no idea that Rickenbacker basses had a questionable reputation for quality.

 

I have wanted a Rickenbacker since before I played bass. In fact, one of the reasons I started playing was so I had a reason to get a Jetglo Rickenbacker. Still never had one though,due to the fact every time I pick one up I'm reminded  of the multiple reasons why I can't play them. 

 

 

Edited June 2 by Misdee

[TheLowDown]

The former. Spending more doesn't necessarily give you more, and the law of diminishing returns of price against quality is pretty low IMO - around £300-500 being the sweet spot - because of cheap labour and CNCs. Basses are simple modular things. The only practical advantage of buying one pricier bass rather than several lower priced basses is that of choice for if you have absolute specific requirements for a particular model, for whatever reason. 

 

Ideally I  would prefer a more middle ground of 3 or 4 basses because it's highly unlikely that I would ever want to have only 1 expensive bass. Tastes change, situations change, requirements change.

 

[neepheid]

Picking a bass to play is the same level of decision to me as picking which shirt to wear.  I don't chase tones, I don't feel like I have to play bass X for any particular reason other than I want to.  I like how all my basses sound and feel, so what is there left to debate beyond the visual?  I enjoy the variety, it's not about having a collection for the sake of having it.  In all my bass playing time I have owned 58 basses and sold 49.  It's fun, I'm having fun.

 

I'm starting to get a judgy feel about this thread.  If you believe in having only one good bass, or pay meticulous attention to the minutiae of bass tone then more power to you, you're not wrong.  But neither am I.  I'd like to bass the way I want to bass, and you're free to do same.

[prowla]

7 hours ago, Misdee said:

Put one string on each and you've got a Rickenbacker 8 string.

I have a copy which was originally an 8-string, but is now a 4.

 

6 hours ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

I once owned one...

 

Never again!

 

Most expensive piece of absolute crap I ever bought!

 

They're the best basses money can buy.

Edited June 3 by prowla

[Paul S]

6 hours ago, neepheid said:

I'm starting to get a judgy feel about this thread.  

 

People being dismissive and scornful over an opinion that differs from their own?  Never!  Not on Basschat.

 

 

[dclaassen]

Sooo....

 

Does the venue determine what value of bass you bring? I would prefer to take a mid-range bass (at most) to a crowded pub gig or an outdoor gig, even though I usually would rather play my best instrument. Is that paranoia or just common sense? It's been a long time since I have seen a drunken stage invasion, but remember a classic that put a pretty good dent in my old RD Artist....

[neepheid]

26 minutes ago, dclaassen said:

Sooo....

 

Does the venue determine what value of bass you bring? I would prefer to take a mid-range bass (at most) to a crowded pub gig or an outdoor gig, even though I usually would rather play my best instrument. Is that paranoia or just common sense? It's been a long time since I have seen a drunken stage invasion, but remember a classic that put a pretty good dent in my old RD Artist....

 

Nope, if it's a wunkay night then it's a wunkay night.  I refuse to live in fear of hypothetical drunken bams.

[Ed_S]

5 hours ago, dclaassen said:

Sooo....

 

Does the venue determine what value of bass you bring? I would prefer to take a mid-range bass (at most) to a crowded pub gig or an outdoor gig, even though I usually would rather play my best instrument. Is that paranoia or just common sense? It's been a long time since I have seen a drunken stage invasion, but remember a classic that put a pretty good dent in my old RD Artist....

 

I personally don't think it's living in fear to mitigate a plausible risk, so I might play my backup bass as main if I thought it was more likely than usual to come to harm at a particular venue.

[12stringbassist]

On 31/05/2024 at 14:43, lidl e said:

Would you prefer a stable of cheap yet playable basses or one single "nice" bass?

A great bass is a great bass. A room full of also rans is just frustrating.
Life's too short to play crappy guitars.

Edited June 4 by 12stringbassist

[Misdee]

A great bass can isn't necessarily an expensive bass though, and an expensive bass isn't necessarily great. You can definitely find some gems that don't cost a fortune but they are few and far between.

 

I've played and owned some excellent inexpensive basses that were useful and satisfying instruments. I've played and owned some high-end basses that were poorly made, badly designed and not worth the asking price. 

 

A great example would be the JV Squire basses I had back in the early 1980's when they were new.  I had a Jazz and then a P Bass too. At the time they were the best I could afford, and I was just waiting to buy something more modern with active electronics ect, as was the fashion at the time. I eventually got through loads of high-end basses, good, bad and  indifferent. Now 40-odd years later armed with knowledge and experience, when I can have anything I want, I would be perfectly happy with the JV Squire basses.

[dclaassen]

8 hours ago, 12stringbassist said:

A great bass is a great bass. A room full of also rans is just frustrating.
Life's too short to play crappy guitars.

Okay...but would you take a irreplaceable bass (let's say, your MK1 Wal) to the Dog and Duck during free beer night? 

[drTStingray]

7 hours ago, dclaassen said:

Okay...but would you take an irreplaceable bass (let's say, your MK1 Wal) to the Dog and Duck during free beer night? 

Yes - but I’d be quite wary - also those chunks of mahogany are formidable if any lunatic drunkard gets too close!! However it’s not that far removed from errant singers and particularly drummers who have a tendency to leave protruding bits of metalwork in stupid places!!! In my experience, guitars are almost always knocked over by singers moving around to start fiddling with PA settings……. no matter what the standard of the audience!! 

[edstraker123]

On 01/06/2024 at 12:53, nilorius said:

This is easy. Everything can be decided after 1 high end whiskey bottle.

But would you get one high end bottle or 8 bottles of Famous Grouse 😆

[Burns-bass]

I have had Mexican Fenders, Japanese ones, Korean ones, Chinese ones, Indonesian Squiers and even a few fake ones and the US ones are hands down the best. Better materials, production quality, finish, fit, playability and durability.

 

I have owned HBs and gigged them and appreciate their quality, but when it comes down to what I want to play and something that I can trust to perform, got to be a US Fender. The recent Pro series stuff is really the top of the line for many years. 

 

People (i.e. me) have spent years buying and selling stuff. But the real magic comes when you get to know an instrument and play it almost exclusively for a long period of time. In may case, I've used the same guitar since buying it new for 5 years. Won't sell it or change it.

[Beedster]

16 hours ago, drTStingray said:

 ....singers moving around to start fiddling with PA settings……. 

 

I'm sorry, a band that lets the singist touch the PA....?

 

Too many questions, the main one being why?

[Beedster]

17 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

I have had Mexican Fenders, Japanese ones, Korean ones, Chinese ones, Indonesian Squiers and even a few fake ones and the US ones are hands down the best. Better materials, production quality, finish, fit, playability and durability.

 

I have owned HBs and gigged them and appreciate their quality, but when it comes down to what I want to play and something that I can trust to perform, got to be a US Fender. The recent Pro series stuff is really the top of the line for many years. 

 

People (i.e. me) have spent years buying and selling stuff. But the real magic comes when you get to know an instrument and play it almost exclusively for a long period of time. In may case, I've used the same guitar since buying it new for 5 years. Won't sell it or change it.

 

Word 👍

[Beedster]

23 hours ago, dclaassen said:

Okay...but would you take a irreplaceable bass (let's say, your MK1 Wal) to the Dog and Duck during free beer night? 

 

If I could afford to own a Wal I wouldn't need to gig the Dog and Duck on free beer night 👍

[dclaassen]

3 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

If I could afford to own a Wal I wouldn't need to gig the Dog and Duck on free beer night 👍

Yeah, but you would WANT to.....:) 

[Reggaebass]

40 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

I have had Mexican Fenders, Japanese ones, Korean ones, Chinese ones, Indonesian Squiers and even a few fake ones and the US ones are hands down the best. Better materials, production quality, finish, fit, playability and durability.

 

I have owned HBs and gigged them and appreciate their quality, but when it comes down to what I want to play and something that I can trust to perform, got to be a US Fender. The recent Pro series stuff is really the top of the line for many years. 

 

People (i.e. me) have spent years buying and selling stuff. But the real magic comes when you get to know an instrument and play it almost exclusively for a long period of time. In may case, I've used the same guitar since buying it new for 5 years. Won't sell it or change it.

Same here apart from the squires and the US ones are definitely the best imo 

[Misdee]

28 minutes ago, Beedster said:

 

If I could afford to own a Wal I wouldn't need to gig the Dog and Duck on free beer night 👍

I know for a fact that back in the day, Pete and Wal took great pride in the fact that their basses were in the hands of "ordinary" working musicians and that they were out there doing pub gigs ect with the basses they had made. I expect they would be a bit bemused by their basses becoming too valuable to gig for some players. A big part of that company was that they were happy to service the basses, whether you bought them new or used. There was no need to treat a Wal bass with kid gloves. And they weren't anywhere near as expensive as nowadays anyway.

[Lozz196]

2 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I have had Mexican Fenders, Japanese ones, Korean ones, Chinese ones, Indonesian Squiers and even a few fake ones and the US ones are hands down the best. Better materials, production quality, finish, fit, playability and durability.

 

I have owned HBs and gigged them and appreciate their quality, but when it comes down to what I want to play and something that I can trust to perform, got to be a US Fender. The recent Pro series stuff is really the top of the line for many years. 

 

People (i.e. me) have spent years buying and selling stuff. But the real magic comes when you get to know an instrument and play it almost exclusively for a long period of time. In may case, I've used the same guitar since buying it new for 5 years. Won't sell it or change it.

Agree on both these points. Similarly having had all ranges of Fenders I’ve found that the US ones are just better for me.

 

Likewise I’ve had one Precision for about 9 years now and although I’ve a few others from the same range I just “know” that one better, and it shows (to me anyway) when I play it.

[nilorius]

2 hours ago, edstraker123 said:

But would you get one high end bottle or 8 bottles of Famous Grouse 😆

For this decision - 1 high end. Too important. 

[Dan Dare]

We're all different. Peoples' attitudes to instruments range from purely functional/utilitarian - it's a tool to do a job - to aesthetic/personal - it's the instrument they feel at home with or the one they had built in exotic hardwoods that they've always dreamed of owning . Nowt wrong with that and we're all at our own particular point along that range of opinion.

 

The original question - would you rather have 8 HBs or one high end bass - is a bit wide of the mark, in that it represents two extremes. Most of us are somewhere in the middle. We have one or two basses we really like and play most of the time, plus a beater or two that are handy for gigs in iffy circumstances or for when the kids want to mess around with them.

[Beer of the Bass]

I can't imagine what I would do with 8 bass guitars. I have one 5 string that I actively use, one fretless that gets very occasional outings (and is unsellable as an old quirky home-build) and a Hofner Shorty that I should probably get rid of as it gets no playing time.