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

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, SimonK said:

 

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...

 

I bought an Artcore. I had been thinking of spending £££ on a Gretsch and tried Ibanez out in a little shop in Ross on Wye. I asked the price and though the guy was joking at first! (N.B. little local shop had the same price as online sellers too!) I made a few changes - a Grestch pickup and a green 80s Di Marzio (mostly hidden in a brass cover), a set of Klusons off a Gibson my brother had replaced with better aftermarket ones 🤣 and a 335-style pickguard. In all honesty thee were mainly for looks/fun it was absolutely fine as supplied.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

Keep the cases in case...

 

The case of the cased in cases in-case cases.

[SimonK]

17 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

I bought an Artcore. I had been thinking of spending £££ on a Gretsch and tried Ibanez out in a little shop in Ross on Wye. I asked the price and though the guy was joking at first! (N.B. little local shop had the same price as online sellers too!) I made a few changes - a Grestch pickup and a green 80s Di Marzio (mostly hidden in a brass cover), a set of Klusons off a Gibson my brother had replaced with better aftermarket ones 🤣 and a 335-style pickguard. In all honesty thee were mainly for looks/fun it was absolutely fine as supplied.

 

Yes I also upgraded the pickups and hard ware (well bridge & nut) on my Artcore as they were cheaper components and the gold-effect tarnished quite quickly on the bridge, but I think (to stay on track with the thread) it emphasises the point that if you find a cheaper instrument that plays well you can always upgrade the hardware to get the spec similar to a much more expensive instrument. The big brand names also come with a premium that is probably only worth it for resale value.

 

Certainly Ibanez (and increasingly Sire) are two brands that make excellent instruments but at surprisingly affordable prices compared to the more famous brands.

[Beedster]

2 hours ago, SimonK said:

Certainly Ibanez (and increasingly Sire) are two brands that make excellent instruments but at surprisingly affordable prices compared to the more famous brands.

 

....and often with better QC....

[prowla]

2 hours ago, SimonK said:

 

Yes I also upgraded the pickups and hard ware (well bridge & nut) on my Artcore as they were cheaper components and the gold-effect tarnished quite quickly on the bridge, but I think (to stay on track with the thread) it emphasises the point that if you find a cheaper instrument that plays well you can always upgrade the hardware to get the spec similar to a much more expensive instrument. The big brand names also come with a premium that is probably only worth it for resale value.

 

Certainly Ibanez (and increasingly Sire) are two brands that make excellent instruments but at surprisingly affordable prices compared to the more famous brands.

It's just I've never wanted an Ibanez.

Nor a Sire (or any other Fender-a-like).

[Franticsmurf]

18 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

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...

I had a run of four dep gigs as a rhythm guitarist in the band I used to play bass in - and for three of them I used a HB kit Les Paul over a Squire Tele.

[stewblack]

On 09/03/2025 at 12:40, Allaboutthebass said:

there any real benefit to buying a brand new £1500 bass

No

[Terry M.]

On 09/03/2025 at 12:40, Allaboutthebass said:

Hey there,

 

I know this might seem like a minor issue in the grand scheme of things, but I've managed to scrape together around £1500 for a new bass.

 

It's not about any specific brand or type; it's more about the principle. While a shiny new bass would be fantastic, I can't help but think that the same amount could get me several cheaper basses, whether second-hand or entry-level. The quality of budget models has improved significantly in recent years (though they might need a bit of a fret dress). Plus, there's always the option to mod cheaper basses to suit your style.

 

So, my question is, is there any real benefit to buying a brand new £1500 bass these days, or should I just go for the more affordable options?

 

Cheers 

 

 

Are you quite fussy with regards to features or not really? If so you can eliminate quite a few basses based on just that and see what's left.

[LowB_FTW]

3 hours ago, stewblack said:

On 09/03/2025 at 12:40, Allaboutthebass said:

there any real benefit to buying a brand new £1500 bass

No

Betteridge's Law of Headlines. 😂

 

Mark

[shoulderpet]

On 11/03/2025 at 10:58, Stub Mandrel said:

 

I bought an Artcore. I had been thinking of spending £££ on a Gretsch and tried Ibanez out in a little shop in Ross on Wye. I asked the price and though the guy was joking at first! (N.B. little local shop had the same price as online sellers too!) I made a few changes - a Grestch pickup and a green 80s Di Marzio (mostly hidden in a brass cover), a set of Klusons off a Gibson my brother had replaced with better aftermarket ones 🤣 and a 335-style pickguard. In all honesty thee were mainly for looks/fun it was absolutely fine as supplied.

I am tempted by the Artcore AGB200, there's a lot to like, SG body shape, binding, short scale, the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger is that I am not after a thumpy tone so I suspect I would need to use quite a lot of EQ to get my current mid heavy tone but for £500ish I am still really tempted.

[Woodinblack]

4 hours ago, shoulderpet said:

I am tempted by the Artcore AGB200, there's a lot to like, SG body shape, binding, short scale, the only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger is that I am not after a thumpy tone so I suspect I would need to use quite a lot of EQ to get my current mid heavy tone but for £500ish I am still really tempted.

 

They are pretty thumpy

[kwmlondon]

Is it worth spending £1500 on a new bass? Well… that depends. If the bass you really want costs that much then yes. If you can find something you like that does what you want it to for less then no. 

[peteb]

On 10/03/2025 at 09:26, NancyJohnson said:

- punters don't care what bass you play,

- punters don't care how you sound,

- your fellow bandmembers don't care what bass you play or what you sound like,

- all basses sound more or less the same.

 

- Some do, but they are only impressed if you play something that they recognise from being used by the bass player of their favourite band - many are impressed if they see a Fender logo, but it doesn't go much beyond that

- No, they don't, but... they will notice if your band doesn't sound as good as the last gig they went (of course, the bass sound is only a small part of that)

- Oh yes they do, very much so - if you sound great and / or play a 'cool' bass, other musos will notice and you are a bit more likely to get called for more gigs (assuming that you can actually play) 

- Not to your average punter, but most musos will notice the difference and will actually care 

 

 

Edited March 14 by peteb

[peteb]

On 09/03/2025 at 18:10, chris_b said:

Personally I'd take that £1500 and get the best used bass I can find. That budget can get you into a different league of basses.

 

I reckon that £1,500 is about the sweet spot for getting a really good secondhand bass! For that money, you are getting something that would cost around £2.5k new, which is pretty much the threshold of getting a really well made bass. 

 

If you have that much money to spend then why would you want three mediocre instruments rather than one top quality bass? You can only play one at a time, if you have one great bass and an OK spare then you're pretty much covered. 

 

Edited March 14 by peteb

[Geek99]

I think my point was that the basses that I named aren’t really mediocre. They’re solid choices for many people and you can cover a wide range of sounds with three 

if you spend £1500 on one instrument you may not have enough for a decent spare and it may be a one-trick pony whatever desirable wood is holding the pickups near the strings 

Edited March 14 by Geek99

[Terry M.]

18 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

If you have that much money to spend then why would you want three mediocre instruments rather than one top quality bass? 

Are there really mediocre basses or mediocre bass players? If a "mediocre" bass inspires the user and makes them raise their game then isn't that what really matters? OP could get a heap of change from £1.5k if the right bass comes along. Don't think you HAVE to spend the full budget.

[peteb]

12 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

Are there really mediocre basses or mediocre bass players?

 

There are both! 

 

12 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

OP could get a heap of change from £1.5k if the right bass comes along. Don't think you HAVE to spend the full budget.

 

Of course, you can get something  playable and sounds OK these days for less. However, my point is that as @chris_b says, for £1.5k or thereabouts you start getting into a different league of basses and you can get something really good that you could gig forever. If you can't afford that, then there are perfectly reasonable cheaper options. However, £1.5k can get you a top quality secondhand bass! 

 

[Terry M.]

1 hour ago, peteb said:

 

There are both!

 

I've heard what some players can do with "mediocre" gear is what I'm getting at. It's the driver not the car.

[peteb]

Just now, Terry M. said:

I've heard what some players can do with "mediocre" gear is what I'm getting at. It's the driver not the car.

 

C'mon, good players will always sound better than mediocre players, regardless of what bass they are playing! But they will sound even better on a decent quality bass... 

 

You could put me in a Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton in a Mondeo and he will easily beat me around a racetrack. But he would lose heavily to any other F1 driver driving the Ferrari...! 

 

[Terry M.]

7 hours ago, peteb said:

 

C'mon, good players will always sound better than mediocre players, regardless of what bass they are playing! But they will sound even better on a decent quality bass... 

 

You could put me in a Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton in a Mondeo and he will easily beat me around a racetrack. But he would lose heavily to any other F1 driver driving the Ferrari...! 

 

I'm sure you can see my basic point. Good tone is subjective anyway and with pickup and preamp swaps there can be nothing to separate "lower" end and "higher" end gear tonally.

And it's not about Lewis Hamilton losing in a Mondeo to another F1 driver in a Ferrari but more about Lewis driving that Mondeo and transforming  it way beyond it's perceived capabilities. That's like suggesting Victor Wooten with his Fodera would wipe the floor with Marcus Miller and his cheap Sire. I'm enjoying this conversation so I hope you're taking it in good spirits 😊 

Edited March 15 by Terry M.

[NancyJohnson]

8 hours ago, peteb said:

 

C'mon, good players will always sound better than mediocre players, regardless of what bass they are playing! But they will sound even better on a decent quality bass... 

 

You could put me in a Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton in a Mondeo and he will easily beat me around a racetrack. But he would lose heavily to any other F1 driver driving the Ferrari...! 

 

 

I'll share a story with you.

 

In the mid-90s, a very close friend of mine was friendly with a guy fairly high up at Warner Brothers; after a Van Halen show at Wembley they went to the after show party.

 

He explained there was a hired in covers band doing their stuff (tough gig!); they were 'a three or four piece with a guy playing a Telecaster into a little amp'.  Van Halen arrive and naturally they're coerced into playing a short ad-hoc set and shouted out requests.

 

My mate said Eddie just took the guitar, fiddled with the amp and the brown sound was there in a few seconds.  They played a few songs and gave the instruments back.  He watched the covers guitarist play the same guitar with the same amp setup and the tone had gone.  

 

There's some credence in the argument that tone is in the hands but there's also the thing about knowing how to get the best out of the kit you have.  Tone, as I've said hundreds of times, is subjective.  One man's ponk is another man's gold dust.

[Terry M.]

34 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

I'll share a story with you.

 

In the mid-90s, a very close friend of mine was friendly with a guy fairly high up at Warner Brothers; after a Van Halen show at Wembley they went to the after show party.

 

He explained there was a hired in covers band doing their stuff (tough gig!); they were 'a three or four piece with a guy playing a Telecaster into a little amp'.  Van Halen arrive and naturally they're coerced into playing a short ad-hoc set and shouted out requests.

 

My mate said Eddie just took the guitar, fiddled with the amp and the brown sound was there in a few seconds.  They played a few songs and gave the instruments back.  He watched the covers guitarist play the same guitar with the same amp setup and the tone had gone.  

 

There's some credence in the argument that tone is in the hands but there's also the thing about knowing how to get the best out of the kit you have.  Tone, as I've said hundreds of times, is subjective.  One man's ponk is another man's gold dust.

Exactly what I'm trying to say. Driver not the car. We know for example Lewis Hamilton won't win an F1 race in a Mondeo (as long as the others aren't also driving Mondeos) but a Grammy award winning album produced using bass parts recorded with a £35k Fodera would still have won that same award if the bass was a £200 Squier Affinity. 

[peteb]

49 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

 

I'll share a story with you.

 

In the mid-90s, a very close friend of mine was friendly with a guy fairly high up at Warner Brothers; after a Van Halen show at Wembley they went to the after show party.

 

He explained there was a hired in covers band doing their stuff (tough gig!); they were 'a three or four piece with a guy playing a Telecaster into a little amp'.  Van Halen arrive and naturally they're coerced into playing a short ad-hoc set and shouted out requests.

 

My mate said Eddie just took the guitar, fiddled with the amp and the brown sound was there in a few seconds.  They played a few songs and gave the instruments back.  He watched the covers guitarist play the same guitar with the same amp setup and the tone had gone.  

 

There's some credence in the argument that tone is in the hands but there's also the thing about knowing how to get the best out of the kit you have.  Tone, as I've said hundreds of times, is subjective.  One man's ponk is another man's gold dust.

 

But surely EVH playing the Telecaster is the same as Lewis Hamilton driving the Mondeo? 

 

12 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

Exactly what I'm trying to say. Driver not the car. We know for example Lewis Hamilton won't win an F1 race in a Mondeo (as long as the others aren't also driving Mondeos) but a Grammy award winning album produced using bass parts recorded with a £35k Fodera would still have won that same award if the bass was a £200 Squier Affinity. 

 

But the guy playing on the Grammy winning album won't have been playing a £200 Squier Affinity, nor is it particularly likely that he would have used a £35k Fodera. However, he might well have been playing a Fender / Stingray / Lakland (or whatever) that he picked up second hand for about £1,500. Which is the point of the thread / @chris_b and my original arguments, i.e. at the £1.5k budget the OP mentioned, you can start to get a bass that is really good and of noticeably better quality of a decent cheaper bass! 

 

[tegs07]

There isn’t a correct answer to this question. For less than £150 you can buy an instrument that is more than good enough to enjoy playing. You might find it a little heavier and less refined than say a Yamaha in the £500 range. At the top end of the budget (particularly used) you can buy an instrument that will last a lifetime, hold its value if you give up playing or see you throughout a musical career, even if you become one of the lucky few making a very good living.

Edited March 15 by tegs07

[Terry M.]

48 minutes ago, peteb said:

 

But surely EVH playing the Telecaster is the same as Lewis Hamilton driving the Mondeo? 

 

 

But the guy playing on the Grammy winning album won't have been playing a £200 Squier Affinity, nor is it particularly likely that he would have used a £35k Fodera. However, he might well have been playing a Fender / Stingray / Lakland (or whatever) that he picked up second hand for about £1,500. Which is the point of the thread / @chris_b and my original arguments, i.e. at the £1.5k budget the OP mentioned, you can start to get a bass that is really good and of noticeably better quality of a decent cheaper bass! 

 

The Telecaster/Mondeo analogy is the same insofar as extracting extraordinary things from seemingly ordinary objects.

 

Maybe don't take the Squier/Fodera anology so literal but instead look at the principle. Regardless of bass used the album will still win the Grammy.

 

We also don't know how cheap or expensive some instruments were that appeared on award winning albums do we really?

Edited March 15 by Terry M.