It’s back from the dead! The TB Mega Thread.

[warwick.hoy]

That is AWESOME.

psssssh. YOU say awesome. i almost committed felony assault.

i think she felt bad she spooked me out and made me sleep cuddling my shotgun the entire time she was at my place. when i was helping her pack up after a couple weeks when she was headed back Nihon she ACCIDENTALLY flashed a boob at me. very nice. MUCH less skeery.

Never played any Ernie Ball. Wayy out of my price range. They look cool though. How the hell do you guys get these 1500 dollar basses?

i'm just in a silly spot where i don't have a lot of expenses and my wiff is out country a lot. so i get a decent amount of expendable income. but i had to find a place that would let me put a 1/4 down and then do payments ofver the 4 moth build time for my Dinger. i dunno HOW cat's that have 19 Dingwalls and 34 Laklands and a couple Ritters laying around do it.

boggling.

They are usually doctors and lawyers who collect/invest but never play.

Or they could play em,...

[foomanfat]

Never played any Ernie Ball. Wayy out of my price range. They look cool though. How the hell do you guys get these 1500 dollar basses?

Graduation present

[Mudfuzz]

i dunno HOW cat's that have 19 Dingwalls and 34 Laklands and a couple Ritters laying around do it.

boggling.

[My name is Mudd]

I'll admit to lusting after a Royal blue w/black pickguard & maple neck SLO Stingray 4, even to my budget won't handle it any time soon.

And part of me goggles at some of the boutique basses Over There*, but then remember that I have a number of expensive bicycles and maybe I shouldn't be talking smack after all.

* y'all have seen jt's family portrait, right?

[behndy]

speaking of JT (actually who i had in mind with the 9 of THESE, a billion of THESE), what's up with everything getting closed? i seriously doubt he's telling people in private and i know he's not saying it on the threads he destroys, but if there's something going on that shouldn't be but it's a useful resource, like..... oh...... LETTING PEOPLE KNOW THERE'S A TWO WEEK WINDOW TO MAKE A WHOLE NEW PRODUCT LINE VIABLE...... just warn people. why shut down everything?

and i've talked to him in PM before. seems a nice enough guy. smacks of the whole "little bit of power" silliness.

[SmallEQ]

Never played any Ernie Ball. Wayy out of my price range. They look cool though. How the hell do you guys get these 1500 dollar basses?

My first question would be, how much money do you have invested in your pedals?

I don't know how old you are, but its all about incremental steps for me. I have a decent paying job (no lawyer, doctor or anything like that), but I didn't straight up buy my Musicman to begin with. My first bass was a cheapo Ibanez when I was 22. Then upgraded to a Reverend for 550 a year later, then a used Musicman a year later for around 900. Then I saved up for a year and bought a Dingwall for 2k. It took a lot of discipline, but it was pretty easy. So after 3 years or so I had about 3k worth of instruments (less than 100 bucks a month and haven't really bought anything beyond that instrument wise since I was 25 (I'm 30 now).

Of course, I didn't have 1k in pedals until the last year and a half, so I wasn't spending money on that kind of stuff when I acquired my nice basses. I got my pedal habit off to a good start though. Found a Mesa V-Twin in a pawn shop for 99 bucks and flipped it for over $300 which I turned into some of my first pedals (I believe a Swollen Pickle, Pork Loin, Micro POG and a Small Stone).

Personally though, If it was a choice between my pedals and my favorite bass, you'd see my pedals in the classifieds in a heartbeat. I'm much more inspired by having a bass I truly love than having a bunch of kickass effects. Hopefully it won't ever come to that though!

[SmallEQ]

And part of me goggles at some of the boutique basses Over There*, but then remember that I have a number of expensive bicycles and maybe I shouldn't be talking smack after all.

* y'all have seen jt's family portrait, right?

It's all about priorities. One of the mods over there that I like, Chef, mentioned in the Rob Allen thread that he couldn't imagine spending more than 1500 on a bass, no matter how good it was...just didn't want that much cash tied up in one instrument. At the time he had maybe 15-20 mid range 500-1000 dollar basses. I pointed out to him that while I had two very nice instruments (Rob Allen Mouse and a Skjold at the time) that I have about a third of what he had invested in my collection. His inventory is a lot nicer these days if not a bit smaller

[bigchiefbc]

Never played any Ernie Ball. Wayy out of my price range. They look cool though. How the hell do you guys get these 1500 dollar basses?

My first question would be, how much money do you have invested in your pedals?

I don't know how old you are, but its all about incremental steps for me. I have a decent paying job (no lawyer, doctor or anything like that), but I didn't straight up buy my Musicman to begin with. My first bass was a cheapo Ibanez when I was 22. Then upgraded to a Reverend for 550 a year later, then a used Musicman a year later for around 900. Then I saved up for a year and bought a Dingwall for 2k. It took a lot of discipline, but it was pretty easy. So after 3 years or so I had about 3k worth of instruments (less than 100 bucks a month and haven't really bought anything beyond that instrument wise since I was 25 (I'm 30 now).

Of course, I didn't have 1k in pedals until the last year and a half, so I wasn't spending money on that kind of stuff when I acquired my nice basses. I got my pedal habit off to a good start though. Found a Mesa V-Twin in a pawn shop for 99 bucks and flipped it for over $300 which I turned into some of my first pedals (I believe a Swollen Pickle, Pork Loin, Micro POG and a Small Stone).

Personally though, If it was a choice between my pedals and my favorite bass, you'd see my pedals in the classifieds in a heartbeat. I'm much more inspired by having a bass I truly love than having a bunch of kickass effects. Hopefully it won't ever come to that though!

No more than 2 grand or so, which took me a good 5 years to build up. The wedding, the ring, the mortgage and having a baby have coincided with that whole period and really keeps my ass running lean and unable to do any real saving up. Every pedal I've bought in the last 2 years has been from selling off something else or trading (admittedly, I got quite a few really ridiculous deals on pedals from scouring ebay). So yeah, I could sell them all off to buy one nice bass. The math just isn't there for me. And I'd have to totally reinvent my band, because I couldn't do what I do in my band without a lot of effects. And a clean bass tone would sound absolutely ridiculous in our songs.

[SmallEQ]

No more than 2 grand or so, which took me a good 5 years to build up. The wedding, the ring, the mortgage and having a baby have coincided with that whole period and really keeps my ass running lean and unable to do any real saving up. Every pedal I've bought in the last 2 years has been from selling off something else or trading (admittedly, I got quite a few really ridiculous deals on pedals from scouring ebay). So yeah, I could sell them all off to buy one nice bass. The math just isn't there for me. And I'd have to totally reinvent my band, because I couldn't do what I do in my band without a lot of effects. And a clean bass tone would sound absolutely ridiculous in our songs.

Nor would I suggest you to. But I think you've partially answered your own question. I'm not married (though I'm heading there), haven't bought a ring, definitely no baby (that I'm aware of) and my living expenses have actually gone down since my girlfriend and I moved in together and there are quite a few people like me out there. People taking advantage of being able to spend on stuff while we still control our own purse strings...

[bigchiefbc]

No more than 2 grand or so, which took me a good 5 years to build up. The wedding, the ring, the mortgage and having a baby have coincided with that whole period and really keeps my ass running lean and unable to do any real saving up. Every pedal I've bought in the last 2 years has been from selling off something else or trading (admittedly, I got quite a few really ridiculous deals on pedals from scouring ebay). So yeah, I could sell them all off to buy one nice bass. The math just isn't there for me. And I'd have to totally reinvent my band, because I couldn't do what I do in my band without a lot of effects. And a clean bass tone would sound absolutely ridiculous in our songs.

Nor would I suggest you to. But I think you've partially answered your own question. I'm not married (though I'm heading there), haven't bought a ring, definitely no baby (that I'm aware of) and my living expenses have actually gone down since my girlfriend and I moved in together and there are quite a few people like me out there. People taking advantage of being able to spend on stuff while we still control our own purse strings...

Yeah, I hear ya. Part of the problem is that I really didn't take music seriously during my post-college early 20's, which was also the only period of my life when I had disposable income. And like I said, I didn't mean for all of this to sound so damn whiney. I love my life. I'm just going to have to live vicariously through you guys in regards to mojo expensive basses, and keep rocking my beat up old Carvin I got for 400 bucks a decade ago.

[My name is Mudd]

It's all about priorities.

This is true...and I suppose I should also mention, for those that don't know, that bikes are my profession and that I didn't pay retail for any of them; actually most were acquired used and/or as a frame only and built up from there with industry-insider discounts.

re, shopping for basses - with care, deals can be found (which is good 'cause most of us don't get rich in the bike biz). My Schecter 004, which retailed new for around $800 or so, was $325 to me and barely used, out of a country studio down in Bakersfield. I've seen some killer deals in the TB class-ads on occasion, and since I've gotten to know some of the crew in GC here (which is basically the only game in town and frankly I'm grateful they're even here), I've been offered quiet discounts on a few items, including an 80's Peavey T-40 that may just end up being a birthday present to myself.

However, as much as I'd love to have an Alembic Triple Omega, I don't feel the need of EXPENSIVE instruments in general and am quite happy with the equipment I have been able to gather together and for the money spent. Aside from that Peavey and flipping my Markbass cab for a Trace Elliot 1048, my realistic GAS is negligible.

[bigchiefbc]

The only GAS I have in regards to expensive basses is for a Ric. I mean, a Wal would be awesome, but it's never happening for the 3-5 grand they're going for now. Most of the other really expensive basses don't really do it for me, and I got to try Alembics and Sadowskys and shit at the gtg last year. I didn't have any real GAS for a Stingray until I saw Isis last summer. Jeff really does have a great tone.

[SmallEQ]

Stingrays can be a pretty reasonable goal to have. A used one can regularly be scored for 800 bucks and I've spied even cheaper ones from time to time. Its hard to rationalize a brand new Stingray when there seems to be so many nice used ones about.

[Joe Gress]

Stingrays can be a pretty reasonable goal to have. A used one can regularly be scored for 800 bucks and I've spied even cheaper ones from time to time. Its hard to rationalize a brand new Stingray when there seems to be so many nice used ones about.

This is exactly my plan. I don't crea if it weighs as much as a boat anchor, 800 seems to be a pretty good deal for a stingray. I've wanted one for quite a long time, so I'm really hoping to nab one some day. (when I make some money)

But as for the prices of boutique basses and whatnot, if the sound fits, play it.

[Mudfuzz]

The only GAS I have in regards to expensive basses is for a Ric. I mean, a Wal would be awesome, but it's never happening for the 3-5 grand they're going for now. Most of the other really expensive basses don't really do it for me, and I got to try Alembics and Sadowskys and shit at the gtg last year. I didn't have any real GAS for a Stingray until I saw Isis last summer. Jeff really does have a great tone.

Yeah RIC is my one big rule breaker [I know by the end of the project I'm going to be in around $1200... I'm just doing it in steps..] for boutique basses, It's not that I hate them or anythng, I just have yet to play one of the big$$$namer$ that I was like WOW! THAT IS WORTH MORE THEN A FENDER OR IBANEZ! never happened I will pick one up now and then and be impressed by the workmanship but I have never thought they really had any more IT then anything else Actually I'm not sure I'd put EB and RIC in the group anyway as I still see then as "normal guitar companies..."