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

[Stub Mandrel]

It's a false comparison to use a mondeo/ferrari as an analogy.

 

If a basic bass is set up well, you can play anything on it.

 

A better analogy would be to compare a Gildan t-shirt to a Gucci one.

[chris_b]

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

We say "Good tone is subjective", because we don't want the hassle of telling someone their tone stinks. We are thinking, "Wow, if you think that god awful noise is a good tone, good luck to you".

 

We tell people what they want to hear, then we smile and carry on with our lives.

 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

We say "Good tone is subjective", because we don't want the hassle of telling someone their tone stinks. We are thinking, "Wow, if you think that god awful noise is a good tone, good luck to you".

 

We tell people what they want to hear, then we smile and carry on with our lives.

 

 

 

Doesn't the fact you think some people's tone is awful when they are quite happy with it, prove it  is subjective?

[Woodinblack]

7 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

Nah, I have listened to many people rave over some tone on here when it is a dull thuddy sound, wondering why it could be described as good, but seeing as noone is going to be polite about some random track on the internet, I guess they must think it must be good.

So not only is it subjective to people, but it is also subjective in the context of a song.

[chris_b]

2 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Doesn't the fact you think some people's tone is awful when they are quite happy with it, prove it  is subjective?

 

I guess a lot of people can be happy with a bad tone.

[Terry M.]

38 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

It's a false comparison to use a mondeo/ferrari as an analogy.

 

If a basic bass is set up well, you can play anything on it.

 

A better analogy would be to compare a Gildan t-shirt to a Gucci one.

I agree with all of this 100%

[Terry M.]

17 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

We say "Good tone is subjective", because we don't want the hassle of telling someone their tone stinks. We are thinking, "Wow, if you think that god awful noise is a good tone, good luck to you".

 

We tell people what they want to hear, then we smile and carry on with our lives.

 

 

I personally have no problem being honest about what tone I like or dislike. We just like different things so I can like a tone that you don't and we're both right for example. There's a reason I stay away from flatwound strings but others swear by them as another example. 

[Terry M.]

10 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

I guess a lot of people can be happy with a bad tone.

My take on this is some folks aren't interested in the best bass tone,they just chase the tone that featured on their favourite albums and expect to hear that regardless of tonal developments made since. 

[tegs07]

Not sure if it’s worth judging tone in isolation. Listen to the latest Cure album for example. Some of Gallup’s bass tones are hideous but work perfectly for the song.

[SimonK]

38 minutes ago, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

We say "Good tone is subjective", because we don't want the hassle of telling someone their tone stinks. We are thinking, "Wow, if you think that god awful noise is a good tone, good luck to you".

 

We tell people what they want to hear, then we smile and carry on with our lives.

 

 

 

No - I'm of the tone is subjective camp - I know what I like, but quite often hear some very highly rated bass players whose tone I don't like, which then gets me worrying that maybe I'm missing something... but then I think back to the many years I did live sound where about 75% of people said they like my mixes, and then there were always about 25% who didn't - some of whom I respected as musicians but clearly we had different opinions...

[peteb]

5 hours ago, tegs07 said:

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.

 

I bought a secondhand Fender Precision, about a year or so old, from a shop for £200 in December 1979 when I was 18 years old. I'm still gigging that same bass today! 

 

[Musicman666]

1 hour ago, tegs07 said:

Not sure if it’s worth judging tone in isolation. Listen to the latest Cure album for example. Some of Gallup’s bass tones are hideous but work perfectly for the song.

interesting you should say that ...on first hearing i was also a bit put off by the gratuitous distortion but my god does it grow on you to the point that my appreciation of bass tone has evolved somewhat. 

[peteb]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

We say "Good tone is subjective", because we don't want the hassle of telling someone their tone stinks. We are thinking, "Wow, if you think that god awful noise is a good tone, good luck to you".

 

We tell people what they want to hear, then we smile and carry on with our lives.

 

 

 

I kinda agree with you. There are many great bass sounds and in the right context, even a 'bad' tone can work. However, some people just sound f***in awful without doing anything about it. Of course, we just dismiss them as being cr*p without saying anything and thus they never reach their full potential (even in something as trivial as sounding good while playing an electric bass). 

 

The OP asked should they buy a new bass for £1.5k or a number of cheaper instruments. My advice (and yours) was to buy the best secondhand instrument for that budget, for which they can get something really good. I speak with a fair amount of experience, but it's up to them if they listen to me or not. I think the point you're getting at is why aim for mediocrity? To be good at anything, you have to commit to it. That means putting in the hours learning to play, doing loads of gigs with lots of different bands and getting decent quality gear.

 

There's nothing wrong with having fun playing a budget bass in your bedroom and hanging out in bass forums. But if you want to take it further then you have to have a bit more commitment, and that includes buying better quality gear to enable you to get the gigs you need (that's the easy part). 

 

Edited March 15 by peteb

[Musicman666]

On 09/03/2025 at 20:40, 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 

 

 

having a larger war chest just means you can pick from a wider selection of basses ...it doesn't mean you have to blow 1500 quid for the sake of blowing it but generally  the more you blow the nicer it gets however there will be exceptions. 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

I guess a lot of people can be happy with a bad tone.

 

And isn't that the essence of 'subjective'?

[Stub Mandrel]

42 minutes ago, peteb said:

There's nothing wrong with having fun playing a budget bass in your bedroom and hanging out in bass forums. But if you want to take it further then you have to have a bit more commitment, and that includes buying better quality gear to enable you to get the gigs you need (that's the easy part). 

 

When I've been complemented on my tone by other bass players or pro sound people, it's often when I've been playing cheap basses.

 

Festival soundman: "You sounded just like Jack Bruce" - Epiphone Embassy.

 

Fellow bassist: "Your Musicman sounds amazing" - Harley Benton with £40 Wilkinson pickup.

 

Recording engineer: "Use your headless not the Fender, it sounds way better" - Hohner B2.

[bremen]

1 minute ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Recording engineer: "Use your headless not the Fender, it sounds way better" - Hohner B2.

I had one, it does record really well.

 

[Bassy]

You should be able to buy an American Fender in nice condition for £1000 or less. The quality will be good and you know what you are buying - feel and sound. Drop in an East preamp if you want an active bass. This will equal any sub £2000 bass. 

Or, any of the UK luthiers build very good quality basses. Unfortunately they do not always hold their new value, so there are bargains out there. But each luthier has their own style for neck shapes, and that can be a deal breaker if you can't play the bass before you buy. You can always try a Fender in any music store.

[jd56hawk]

If I had to start anew, I'd start with a Squier Sonic Precision bass.

I'm a big Squier fan, I've owned half a dozen, but when the Sonic first came out, I had a hard time believing a $200 bass was even worth considering...until I actually played one.

Right now, I have five basses and don’t need another one, but if I see this hanging up anywhere, I'll jump on it.

Other than that, there's absolutely no reason not to buy a bargain bass and then buy something special later on.

I did.

Not to mention, you'll have plenty of money left over to buy a quality amp, and gig bag or case, etc.

Edited March 18 by jd56hawk

[Terry M.]

4 hours ago, Bassy said:

You should be able to buy an American Fender in nice condition for £1000 or less. The quality will be good and you know what you are buying - feel and sound. Drop in an East preamp if you want an active bass. This will equal any sub £2000 bass. 

Or, any of the UK luthiers build very good quality basses. Unfortunately they do not always hold their new value, so there are bargains out there. But each luthier has their own style for neck shapes, and that can be a deal breaker if you can't play the bass before you buy. You can always try a Fender in any music store.

Yes to this. In fact I've just got a used Mexican Fender Player Plus V modded with a Sadowsky on-board preamp and so far I'm very pleased with it. Nothing wrong with it at all.

[Sean]

Do we have a winner yet? 

 

I’m still waiting for the winner of that working 5 string thread. 🤔

[tauzero]

On 15/03/2025 at 13:33, chris_b said:

Try this for size. . . . good tone isn't subjective. It's either good or bad. Most times we are just too polite to be honest.

 

At Friday night's gig, the bass was run through the PA as well as backline. The sound guy said that it was too bassy, so I backed off the bass quite a bit (it was already backed off). The sound wasn't to my liking, rather harsh and lacking in bass, but it went down well. So I would say that good tone is subjective.

[Terry M.]

Totally subjective. It can't be otherwise 👍

[bremen]

There are two types of bass sound: the one I like, and the one that 99% of sound guys apparently like 😟

[JoeEvans]

Buy a secondhand ACG. Simple.