FunkyFinger Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I've been a frugal bassist in the ten years I've been playing my first full set up cost me £80 and consisted of a carlsboro 100W combo and a washburn lyon bass and a chuck rainey bass book. I later got rid of the combo and got me a Ashdown mag 400 2x10 combo (£600) as I was unable to compete with the guitards. I got a mild case of g.a.s. last year and splashed out on a second guitar a Yamaha rbx 375 £179 got mainly for the fifth string and the active electronics. I've spent alot of time tweaking these guitars and usually get complimented whenever anyone bothers to ask for a go. But they're all with the exception of the Ashdown firmly at the budget end of the market. I've never really spent much time educating myself about what bass guitars are available I've just got on and played them. Then I went and discovered this place and full blown G.A.S. So how much should I look to be saving up? I seem to be lusting after 4 string lightly coloured wood grain bodies and larger fret markers rather than plain old dots. at least a p/j pickup configuration and active/passive switching (didn't even know that was possible till this year) or the lightwave optical pickup system though I'd want to play one before making a decision. Oh and a detuner for instant drop D. and an inbuilt breadmaker for that freshly baked smell Please don't inundate me with offers to buy your guitar as I haven't saved up yet, tho I'll definitely hit the for sale adds when I've got the wedge together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785300' date='Mar 24 2010, 11:00 PM']I've been a frugal bassist in the ten years I've been playing my first full set up cost me £80 and consisted of a carlsboro 100W combo and a washburn lyon bass and a chuck rainey bass book. I later got rid of the combo and got me a Ashdown mag 400 2x10 combo (£600) as I was unable to compete with the guitards. I got a mild case of g.a.s. last year and splashed out on a second guitar a Yamaha rbx 375 £179 got mainly for the fifth string and the active electronics. I've spent alot of time tweaking these guitars and usually get complimented whenever anyone bothers to ask for a go. But they're all with the exception of the Ashdown firmly at the budget end of the market. I've never really spent much time educating myself about what bass guitars are available I've just got on and played them. Then I went and discovered this place and full blown G.A.S. So how much should I look to be saving up? I seem to be lusting after 4 string lightly coloured wood grain bodies and larger fret markers rather than plain old dots. at least a p/j pickup configuration and active/passive switching (didn't even know that was possible till this year) or the lightwave optical pickup system though I'd want to play one before making a decision. Oh and a detuner for instant drop D. and an inbuilt breadmaker for that freshly baked smell Please don't inundate me with offers to buy your guitar as I haven't saved up yet, tho I'll definitely hit the for sale adds when I've got the wedge together.[/quote] Sounds like you need the 5-String Fender MasturCaster Deluxe to me. They've got one in at the Bass Gallery in satin blue-vein. Check 'em out. They're good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 Whisper this gently after me..... "Fodera Monarch".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 At the end of the day it's not about cost. It's about the instrument that fits you best and makes the sound/sounds you want. For some that will be a £300 Squier Classic Vibe model and for others it will be an £5-8000 Alembic or Fodera. If you have full blown GAS, get out to the bigger bass shops and try as many as you can until you reach your own personal nirvana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I'd guess that you'll need about £800 and will look at second hand if need be. Don't need to look much further than one of Leo's old trusty models.. IMHO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 I'm a firm believer that after you've spent much more than £500 per (new) item (so £1,500 for a head, cab and bass) you're not getting the value for money you would be for around that. Ibanez BTB4**, Squier VMJ w/upgrades, various Yammies etc can all be had for under £500 and are perfectly usable and high quality instruments. Yes, there's better for more money, but for around the £500 mark you can get an instrument that'll never let you down and still represents value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 If you watch the used market you should be able to pick up any quality factory-built bass for £700 or less. I don't think I've ever spent more than that on a bass and I've had some really nice ones. But as OTPJ said, it depends on your tastes. Some people have expensive tastes, I don't. Which is fortunate because I'm always skint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='785320' date='Mar 24 2010, 11:13 PM']At the end of the day it's not about cost. It's about the instrument that fits you best and makes the sound/sounds you want. For some that will be a £300 Squier Classic Vibe model and for others it will be an £5-8000 Alembic or Fodera. If you have full blown GAS, get out to the bigger bass shops and try as many as you can until you reach your own personal nirvana. [/quote] Spot on. For me, I have never played a bass that suited me better than my Status series 2, which I bought brand new (as a 19 year old - eek!) in 1986! It's like putting on an old pair of slippers (in that it just fits me and my style perfectly.... er, not that an old pair of slippers is my style or anything.... er... ). I think you know what I mean! But I've also played some fantastic Squire Ps and Js - for three hundred quid or so you seriously can't go wrong - as long as you like Fenders that is... I'm confusing myself now. Night night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785300' date='Mar 24 2010, 11:00 PM']Then I went and discovered this place and full blown G.A.S. So how much should I look to be saving up?[/quote] A million quid should cover it, for the first 10 years anyway .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeselfinflicted Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 personallyi love my sr 605ltd cost me £499 and is as solid and reliable as something really....solid and reliable!! [attachment=45602:ibzsr605ntf.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 How much does a decent bass cost? It depends on your idea of decent. The Squier Classic Vibes are good instruments and are really well priced-but some people won't look at them because they say Squier on the headstock. Some people think £2k for a Rickenbacker is decent,others think they are horrible. Don't go looking at instruments by price. Try them all.... you may be surprised at the one's you like the most. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 well obviously you'll get better value if you go second hand, since it'll be half the price. £400-600 should get you a nice plank without my difficulty, the problem is knowing what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 It depends what sound you're after etc etc Go out and try everything, and i mean everything, whether you think it's pretty or not. A bass that you don't think is that attractive may play and sound amazing - in which case, the looks will probably grow on you. Personally i think the most i've spent on a bass was around £650 for my warwick streamer $$, and it's a fantastic bass. I'd love to be able to afford some sort of custom built bass brand new, but i can't. £600 or less will get you a surprisingly good used instrument for your money. In fact £300-£400 will get you a very nice bass! It all depends what you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyFinger Posted March 25, 2010 Author Share Posted March 25, 2010 mike that Ibanez sr 605 ltd looks very tasty. the sr series is now on my to try list. Realistically I think that the most I'm going to be able to save up is £1500 without cancelling next christmas though if I could find something for less i'd be that much closer to funding a lighweight amp and cab (I always thought Bass stuff= Heavy stuff). So for this year at least a million pounds is definitely out of the question. As is the fodera though they are very very nice. As for the fenders I've tried a MIA jazz and P but unfortunately the pair in question where owned by a player who had set a very high action so whilst I liKed their sounds my fingers felt like they were doing a high wire act. I haven't discounted them yet though as I'm sure there's a very good reason why you see more pro's playing fenders than anything else. to me It seems to be the £400+ mark where the quality basses start unless you get a lucky like some of the ones in the bargains thread. To those that say go try out a few thats what I intend to do, unfortunately Hull is not the best city for bass shopping unless I've been missing somewhere. So where in Yorkshire is the biggest selection of basses? or the densest area of guitar shops? where I can get me mitts on some basses so i can narrow my choices down a bit. Or do I need to head south? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeselfinflicted Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785414' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:43 AM']mike that Ibanez sr 605 ltd looks very tasty. the sr series is now on my to try list. Realistically I think that the most I'm going to be able to save up is £1500 without cancelling next christmas though if I could find something for less i'd be that much closer to funding a lighweight amp and cab (I always thought Bass stuff= Heavy stuff). So for this year at least a million pounds is definitely out of the question. As is the fodera though they are very very nice. As for the fenders I've tried a MIA jazz and P but unfortunately the pair in question where owned by a player who had set a very high action so whilst I liKed their sounds my fingers felt like they were doing a high wire act. I haven't discounted them yet though as I'm sure there's a very good reason why you see more pro's playing fenders than anything else. to me It seems to be the £400+ mark where the quality basses start unless you get a lucky like some of the ones in the bargains thread. To those that say go try out a few thats what I intend to do, unfortunately Hull is not the best city for bass shopping unless I've been missing somewhere. So where in Yorkshire is the biggest selection of basses? or the densest area of guitar shops? where I can get me mitts on some basses so i can narrow my choices down a bit. Or do I need to head south?[/quote] Ta da!!! [url="http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=hp&q=guitar+shops+in+yorkshire&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=2b2a4e6160725d58"]http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&source=...b2a4e6160725d58[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Quality basses start around the £250 mark for new ones. Notably the Squier CV and VM series basses are representative of this, but quite a number of other brands like Yamaha and Ibanez actually try and succeed at producing good instruments all over the price range, rather than doing what some of the bigger names do with their "budget" brands and cull not only the features, but overall quality as well. Obviously it depends on how you percieve quality, I err towards care and attention given to it at construction and finishing over things like flashy woods and better hardware. Plus if you buy a cheaper one, it might only need say a pup upgrade to make it surpass anything else if it's already a good player. Don't be fooled into thinking that just because it costs more it's going to be better, I'd dare say that some of the luthier custom builds from the likes of Shuker and co would probably be of a higher quality than some of the more off the shelf basses that exist in their price bracket. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 £240 can get you an Ibanez SR300. It's what I've got and TBH it is for it's money very good. OutToPlay Jazz rates them, and if you look at his regular kit and that he makes his living out of music, I think that speaks for itself. If you're looking at saving up to £1500 then try as many as you can. You may blow the lot, you may only lighten your wallet by a few hundred quid. Price doesn't seem relate to how an instrument works for a player, especially these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanbass1 Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Loadsofmoney.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785414' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:43 AM']So where in Yorkshire is the biggest selection of basses? or the densest area of guitar shops? where I can get me mitts on some basses so i can narrow my choices down a bit. Or do I need to head south?[/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=70027&hl=yorkshire+bass+bash"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...shire+bass+bash[/url] Yorks area bassbash. Sadly, You'll need a TARDIS as it was last weekend! I'd suggest you invest the time and petrol to and take a day and visit Bass Direct near Warwick. There you will be able to see if a £3000 bass and a top rig are really worth it to you, try a good selection of well set up and papered new basses from £300 up to £way past stupid He also has loads of [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Second_hand_Ex_demo_Bass_Guitars.html"]good used basses and amps.[/url] You get top quality attention and knowledge with no pressure, no shop floor shredders or "I'm just doing this to pay for my beer habit" staff and no "well we only do set up whe you've bought it" basses... No brainer, really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RussFM Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785414' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:43 AM']the sr series is now on my to try list.[/quote] Buying the SR1000 Prestige in my avatar recently has been an eye opener for me. Although my first ever bass was an old SR300, I didn't really know what I was looking for, and spent the next 10yrs going through various Fenders, Warwicks, etc trying to find the right bass for me. I was looking for a decent Spector, buy the Ibanez ticked all the boxes I wanted, plus more. Looks great, sounds great, feels great, and didn't cost the earth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='FunkyFinger' post='785414' date='Mar 25 2010, 02:43 AM']mike that Ibanez sr 605 ltd looks very tasty. the sr series is now on my to try list. Realistically I think that the most I'm going to be able to save up is £1500 without cancelling next christmas though if I could find something for less i'd be that much closer to funding a lighweight amp and cab (I always thought Bass stuff= Heavy stuff). So for this year at least a million pounds is definitely out of the question. As is the fodera though they are very very nice. As for the fenders I've tried a MIA jazz and P but unfortunately the pair in question where owned by a player who had set a very high action so whilst I liKed their sounds my fingers felt like they were doing a high wire act. I haven't discounted them yet though as I'm sure there's a very good reason why you see more pro's playing fenders than anything else. to me It seems to be the £400+ mark where the quality basses start unless you get a lucky like some of the ones in the bargains thread. To those that say go try out a few thats what I intend to do, unfortunately Hull is not the best city for bass shopping unless I've been missing somewhere. So where in Yorkshire is the biggest selection of basses? or the densest area of guitar shops? where I can get me mitts on some basses so i can narrow my choices down a bit. Or do I need to head south?[/quote] Electro Music in Doncaster is always worth a visit. Great staff & prices okay too, and they'll let you try everything with no pressure. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 You can get a decent bass for a lot less than a decent amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='The Funk' post='785611' date='Mar 25 2010, 10:57 AM']You can get a decent bass for a lot less than a decent amp.[/quote] Yeah, but who needs an amp when you have PODs and the like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobpalt Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 Cort GB74. Ticks all the boxes! Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 [quote name='Doddy' post='785394' date='Mar 25 2010, 01:25 AM']How much does a decent bass cost? It depends on your idea of decent. The Squier Classic Vibes are good instruments and are really well priced-but some people won't look at them because they say Squier on the headstock. Some people think £2k for a Rickenbacker is decent,others think they are horrible. Don't go looking at instruments by price. Try them all.... you may be surprised at the one's you like the most.[/quote] I whole heartedly agree. I own a Rickenbacker & it is lovely. It felt like I was buying into a lifestyle when I bought it. However with a good set up etc a £300 bass can play brilliantly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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