Is there any real benefit to buying a brand new (£1500) bass, or should I just go for the more affordable options?

[SimonK]

50 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

Punters don't know or care, in general.  You might (as mentioned in other posts) get someone in who knows their shizz and will go, 'Nice bass, man,' but beyond that, nada.  The crowd watch the singer, lesser so the guitarist.  

 

Incidentally, years ago I did a gig somewhere in Kent @Wolverinebass was at that one.  I took a Hamer (current worth, c.£3.5k), I overheard a conversation from the coked-up soundguy and someone else:

 

'What bass is that bloke (me) using?'

'Some cheap Thunderbird copy.'

 

Half right, I suppose.

 

 

...buts thats different from not "knowing or caring" about the overall sound of the bass...

[Terry M.]

7 hours ago, Allaboutthebass said:

 

So I fancy a 35 inch, Jazz (ish) 5 string, a Lakland would probably be the perfect fit

 

Please bear in mind (if you haven't already done so) that B string quality isn't dependent on scale length. Design and construction methods come into play more. So on your budget I wouldn't discriminate against other scale lengths especially if you go the used route.

[Woodinblack]

44 minutes ago, SimonK said:

...buts thats different from not "knowing or caring" about the overall sound of the bass...

 

The bass in general, so if you EQ the bass to get the sound that is acceptable to the crowd, it doesn't matter if it is a P bass or a boutique bass or a rick or whatever. The actual bass makes little difference.

[HeadlessBassist]

9 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I love a cheap bass but as someone who gigs a lot (60-70 times a year) this stuff really matters. Hardware on the Squier, for example, would need to be replaced fairly quickly as a gigging musician and your end up buying a new hardcase which will cost you £100 on top.

 

A very valid point. I do about 25-30 dates a year with the three tribute live show & many other jobs, and when I need to take a vintage looking bass, it's always an American Fender (sometimes it's two!) They really are very hardy when you find a good one.

[Jonesy]

It's a tough choice as it kinda depends on the situation.....

 

- If it was a special birthday purchase, I'd rather have a shiny new one (unless there was something vintage I couldn't get new) 

- If there was a specific finish/model that was out now that I didn't want to wait for 3-5 years for one to hit the 2nd hand market then you'd have to go new.

- For pretty much everything else I'd go 2nd hand and get the best bass I could budget for

 

 

[Jonesy]

On 09/03/2025 at 13:32, neepheid said:

Things have changed a lot in the past 10 years.  I firmly believe that the quality at the cheaper end of the market has improved dramatically, whereas the quality at the higher end hasn't as much - not having a dig, in the sense that it had less room to move up in the first place.  But I have detected a noticeable squeezing of the top end in this regard which makes the question you're asking now even more pertinent.

 

It's a gut shot to be honest, and sometimes you have no choice - for example if you've got your heart set on something like a G&L L-1000, ASAT or SB-1, your only option is to buy G&L USA because they don't make Tribute versions of those models.  But these days I'd have no qualms about taking a Squier over a Fender and trousering the difference, confident in not feeling like I'm missing out on anything.  The current Epiphone Thunderbirds are the best T-birds Gibson have never made.  It really depends upon the bass you're talking about and what the options are but most of the time, I'd be happy to go with the cheaper option.  But if a £1500 bass calls to you and you connect with it, you're not wrong!

 

 

FYI.....not to derail......I only found out in the last year or so that G&L made a MIJ Tribute ASAT. One went on eBay for standard Tribute prices in the past year or so. I was umming and arring over it for too long and missed out. Been kicking myself ever since 

[Machines]

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

Please bear in mind (if you haven't already done so) that B string quality isn't dependent on scale length. Design and construction methods come into play more. So on your budget I wouldn't discriminate against other scale lengths especially if you go the used route.

 

34" can have a decent B, but I find that 35+ means that becomes a hell of a lot more reliable. I can't think of any 34" 5's i've had where they were as good as 35" (and a 37" just wipes the floor). The flipside is that the G string can sound a bit 'pingy' unless you get multiscale.

[neepheid]

17 minutes ago, Jonesy said:

 

 

FYI.....not to derail......I only found out in the last year or so that G&L made a MIJ Tribute ASAT. One went on eBay for standard Tribute prices in the past year or so. I was umming and arring over it for too long and missed out. Been kicking myself ever since 

 

Good info, thanks.  I guess they come under the umbrella of "generally unavailable" though - unless Ishibashi get them in sometimes?

 

EDIT - lool, they've got one, and it has been reduced - snap it up and cure your GAS... - https://intl.ishibashi.co.jp/products/12-2800003033887

Edited Monday at 18:20 by neepheid

[Terry M.]

42 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

34" can have a decent B, but I find that 35+ means that becomes a hell of a lot more reliable. I can't think of any 34" 5's i've had where they were as good as 35" (and a 37" just wipes the floor). The flipside is that the G string can sound a bit 'pingy' unless you get multiscale.

Not in my experience. I've yet to play a German Warwick or an EBMM 5 string with an unreliable B string. One of the best I've owned was a Japanese FGN Jazz bass,all 34". I've even played a 33" ACG with an immense B string. The bad rap in my opinion comes with basic construction and design flaws and neck pocket tightness or lack of. I've played Laklands and Ibanez BTB basses with shockingly bad B strings and wait for it...a Dingwall I briefly owned had a B string that was nothing to write home about. Again this is my personal experience only so take with a pinch of salt.

Edited Monday at 18:56 by Terry M.

[tauzero]

If you find that there is a new model out which is the one you must have, then you haven't got an alternative. If not then there's a huge range of used basses for that much (and almost all of my 5 strings are 34" and they all work, so don't think you have to get a 35" one). Try an assortment out, preferably back to back if you can, and make sure the neck profile works for you and that it hangs well on the strap if you're going to be playing standing up. 

[Franticsmurf]

4 hours ago, SimonK said:

When people are saying "the punters rarely care what the bass sounds like" are they meaning the nuances between different basses, or the "bass" in general?

I was talking about the nuances between basses, which is relevant to the original topic. I've been told my bass is too loud, and too quiet (not in the same gig, thank goodness) but never 'that's a great <insert bass model> bass tone' by anyone other than a few fellow musicians, and even then it tends to lead to a discussion about amps and pedals rather than the bass guitar itself. 

[Terry M.]

15 minutes ago, tauzero said:

(and almost all of my 5 strings are 34" and they all work, so don't think you have to get a 35" one)

This all day every day. Even though I've experienced great B strings on 35" scale I do believe there's a certain degree of marketing hype built into the concept based on a previous post of mine here. 

Edited Monday at 19:13 by Terry M.

[Hellzero]

These days I only play sixers basses and all have a 34 inches scale, but are also all luthier made basses: the low B is just excellent as well as the high C.

 

I've played 33 inches scale basses that had a terrific low B, but again they were luthier basses and I played a lot of 35 inches scale basses with a terrible low B, but most of these were mass production instruments.

 

Is there a link between the quality of the low B and the quality of the craftsmanship: of course.

[Sean]

I just bought a 20 year old bass for £1300 that is £2600-2800 new. I won't lose money if I lose my faculties and sell it, it's got serious vibe, it's defo not a fad bass.

 

I wouldn't buy a new bass. I have in the past and I've still got one of them as it's "the one" (or one of the ones; it's tattooed on me, the tattoo won the tattooist a national prize back in the day...) but the point is, used basses are where it's at and there's so many of them that need rehoming.

 

The moral of the story here is that your £1500 could get you something used that's really special, that's handbuilt and a level above anything new for that money.

Edited Monday at 19:51 by Sean

[Stub Mandrel]

10 hours ago, neepheid said:

11 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I love a cheap bass but as someone who gigs a lot (60-70 times a year) this stuff really matters. Hardware on the Squier, for example, would need to be replaced fairly quickly as a gigging musician and your end up buying a new hardcase which will cost you £100 on top.

Expand  

 

That's a matter of opinion and I think a habit or automatic assumption based upon relative quality available about 10 years ago.  Well, maybe because I only gig 30-40 times a year then I don't wear them out as quickly as you

 

To be honest, I thought the same. I have a 25 year old Squier  bass with all original hardware. The hardware on my 40th anniversary is very good.

 

Thinking about it... my go to had become my Flea signature, as it is such a low stress instrument to play. But of late I'm increasingly turning to my Sire.

 

I've recently realised I am playing my £70 Harley Benton kit P-bass with a £30 Squire neck because it's so nice to play and it sounds killer...

Edited Monday at 20:12 by Stub Mandrel

[Stub Mandrel]

10 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

 

I am 100% not a great snob and I totally get why people love Squiers, but I never understand why people would invest a fortune in loads of average gear when you could buy one or two real quality pieces that will last you. 

 

My basses  cost me between £60 and £2k. I love them all 😍

[SumOne]

The way I convince myself is that if I buy second hand then a Bass usually holds its value, so if I spend £100 or £1500 it is just how much £ I'm putting into that investment until I invariably get bored of it and sell within a year. So you might as well spend whatever you can afford and get the better bass - more expensive ones are almost always* more expensive for good reason.

 

*Apart from 'vintage', but they might actually go up in value.

 

Although, I gig quite often in grotty places so £700 is about the amount where I feel the Bass is good enough but also not so fancy that I'm overly scared of damage or theft. 

Edited Monday at 21:06 by SumOne

[Machines]

3 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Not in my experience. I've yet to play a German Warwick or an EBMM 5 string with an unreliable B string. 

 

I've had several that were 'OK', but I would bet my mortgage on a Dingwall's 37" being objectively better.

[Beedster]

Is there any real benefit to buying a brand new (£1500) bass, or should I just go for the more affordable options?

 

Find the bass that works for you, I've owned basses valued at £150, £1,500, and £15,000. In the final analysis the basses that have worked best for me and which I've kept hold of have been towards the left hand side of that list. But we're not all the same, so we have to do a lot of trial and error, which is where the fun lies 

[Terry M.]

44 minutes ago, Machines said:

 

I've had several that were 'OK', but I would bet my mortgage on a Dingwall's 37" being objectively better.

No such thing as objectively better in this context. Maybe subjectively is a more appropriate term. We all have different tastes and expectations. You find your sweet spot and hopefully everyone else finds theirs. Play your Dingwall in good health (if you have one)

Edited Monday at 22:47 by Terry M.

[SimonK]

12 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

I was talking about the nuances between basses, which is relevant to the original topic. I've been told my bass is too loud, and too quiet (not in the same gig, thank goodness) but never 'that's a great <insert bass model> bass tone' by anyone other than a few fellow musicians, and even then it tends to lead to a discussion about amps and pedals rather than the bass guitar itself. 

 

Yes - pretty much my experience, although it's not uncommon to talk about the bass - although almost always to do with looks and asking what it plays like rather than sound, which fits in with what everyone else is saying on this thread. Perhaps the exception is that I do play fretless a fair amount and people do comment on the fretless tone, although whether it's the actual tone or just the fact I sometimes ham up the "mwah" a bit to make it obvious...

 

[Bilbo]

 Years ago I was out to get a jazz guitar and looked at the Epiphone Joe Pass. It was nice. Then I tried a Gibson ES175. You just know.

 

I have a 7 string Harley Benton that cost about £300. It's not a Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation 6 (£35000) but is the Fodera 100 x better? Of course not. It's a question of relativity. I think most £1500 basses are significantly better than most £500 basses but it is a case of trying before you buy.

[prowla]

18 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

 

Same here, plenty of hard cases in the loft in case I want to sell anything, but I wouldn't want to use one when gigging.

Keep the cases in case...

[BigRedX]

15 hours ago, Machines said:

34" can have a decent B, but I find that 35+ means that becomes a hell of a lot more reliable. I can't think of any 34" 5's i've had where they were as good as 35" (and a 37" just wipes the floor). The flipside is that the G string can sound a bit 'pingy' unless you get multiscale.

 

Not my experience either. The top three basses with the best sounding and feeling low B strings that I have owned were all 34". They were also the three most expensive basses I have owned. The two 5-string bases I have owned with 35" scale length were no better than equivalently priced 34" scale when it comes to low B. IMO it's all about construction. Scale length on its own only makes a difference when you get to 36" or over.

[SimonK]

1 hour ago, Bilbo said:

 Years ago I was out to get a jazz guitar and looked at the Epiphone Joe Pass. It was nice. Then I tried a Gibson ES175. You just know.

 

I have a 7 string Harley Benton that cost about £300. It's not a Fodera Anthony Jackson Presentation 6 (£35000) but is the Fodera 100 x better? Of course not. It's a question of relativity. I think most £1500 basses are significantly better than most £500 basses but it is a case of trying before you buy.

 

Conversly I was after a Gibson ES335 a few years back, but then played an Ibanez Artcore that was a better instrument despite being a third of the price, and really couldn't see how Gibson can justify those prices! Thus said the Epiphones were pretty poor compared to both the real Gibson & Ibanez... but we are digressing...