By Mike Ippersiel<\/p>\n
So what\u2019s the big deal about boutique basses? Perhaps this is something that you\u2019ve thought to yourself as you\u2019ve looked at high resolution images of handmade or highly customized basses that cost $3,000 and up.<\/p>\n
Are they worth more than triple what you can spend to pick up a decent bass off the shelf at your local music store? Do all those exotic woods do anything besides look, well\u2026exotic? Are they really just over-priced pieces of furniture fashioned into the shape of a bass guitar?<\/strong> You see, any particular bass guitar is going to be worth more or less money from one person to another. Some instrument collectors will pay outrageous sums of money for rare instruments because they happened to be owned or even were only played a few times by someone famous like Paul McCartney or Jaco Pastorius.<\/p>\n Others may pay to have a bass guitar built by hand that many may feel is either ugly, or even unplayable. It\u2019s true that one man\u2019s trash is another man\u2019s treasure! For me, it was the price tag that really put boutique basses on a pedestal for me.<\/p>\n Here I was, a modest rock bassist playing covers and original music who was happy to go home after a gig with $100 bucks in his pocket \u2013 what right did I have to daydream about a high-end custom bass guitar? The \u2018realistic\u2019 side of me said that I could own a bass like that \u2018one day\u2019 when I \u2018made it\u2019.<\/p>\n While there is a market for boutique bass guitars that look like furniture and that span 5, 6, 7, 8 strings and beyond, a significant chunk of the high end bass guitar market is devoted to what I\u2019ll call \u2018modern vintage\u2019 instruments.<\/p>\n Luthiers like Sadowsky, Mike Lull and Alleva-Coppolo (just to name a few) offer modern takes on the classic Fender Jazz bass guitar – that cost several times more than it would cost to just pickup up an actual Fender bass yourself.<\/p>\n So why pay more for a \u2018copy\u2019 than buying the original bass from the actual manufacturer?<\/strong><\/p>\n The reality is that the art of creating a bass guitar has changed dramatically in the last few decades. Part of the reason for this could be using inferior woods, rushing the manufacturing process and not allowing even the quality woods to age sufficiently.<\/p>\n Perhaps in an effort to trim back costs to compete in the global market place, wages were reduced to the point where it\u2019s not as economically viable for master craftsman and women to be employed at some of the bigger name companies?<\/strong><\/p>\n Whatever the reason, the best advice I\u2019ve heard and often repeated when it comes time to buy a new instrument \u2013 especially one that\u2019s mass produced by one of the more popular brands out there \u2013 is to play as many as you can and let your hands and your ears tell you which one to buy.<\/p>\n In a perfect world, you should be able to just walk into a store and pick the model you like the best and get it in your preferred colour and walk out.<\/p>\n You wouldn\u2019t worry about another bass sounding better because they\u2019d all sound the same right?<\/strong><\/p>\n However, even among the most reputable manufacturers the consistency may fluctuate from bass to bass. Do you see where I\u2019m going with this? Advantages of using a luthier?<\/strong><\/p>\n Time is a huge factor behind why many people are more than happy to pony up the big bucks for a modern take on a vintage classic. They can chat with the luthier about what they\u2019re looking for and get it made to order \u2013 the finish, the string spacing, the woods, the hardware \u2013 whatever.<\/p>\n Compared to hitting every music store in every neighbouring city within an hour\u2019s drive; or camping out on Ebay or classified ads sites waiting for a certain vintage bass to come up for sale, the amount of time saved can be tremendous\u2026and we all know that time is money right? Going the custom route alleviates a lot of those difficulties; many of the luthiers have exceptional warranties to go with the instrument. After all, it\u2019s their name on the headstock and they want to make sure every customer is going to speak highly of their products and customer service. Boutique basses aren\u2019t really about a particular style of music, or the status of the player \u2013 you don\u2019t have to be a celebrity to own these high end basses (and I\u2019d argue that the vast majority of owners are nowhere near famous)\u2013 the instrument just needs to offer that something that you can\u2019t easily find elsewhere to make it worth the cost.<\/p>\n For some, it\u2019s a replica of a vintage bass guitar that they always loved but could never find. For others, a boutique bass is where they get to tailor things like the weight, the neck shape and depth or the number of strings that the mass produced versions just can\u2019t do in an economical fashion. Still others want the best of traditional styling and a 20 fret fingerboard along with modern features like a low b string and active electronics. In the end you might find the biggest pain is not how much the custom basses cost, but the agony of waiting for your boutique bass to be built!<\/p>\n
\nYes and no.<\/p>\n
\nBasses are now mass produced and outsourced to overseas operations all in the effort to keep them as affordable as possible. While this is great for the typical musician, the professionals and perfectionists among us have often lamented that many of the instruments just don\u2019t feel or sound as good as the basses made back in the 60s and 70s.<\/p>\n
\nWith Fenders I\u2019ve heard of some people exclaiming that Made in Mexico basses were as good or better than Made in America basses \u2013 but you\u2019ll only find that gem of a great sounding bass at a more affordable price if you\u2019re willing to hunt for it. So again the advice, play every bass you can get your hands on, play every bass in the store and buy the one that sounds and feels the best to you.<\/p>\n
\n Plus, who\u2019s to say that when you finally do find that vintage Fender that you\u2019ve been pining over for years that you won\u2019t pick it up and find the dreaded \u2018dead spot\u2019 after plunking a few notes?<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThen again\u2026<\/p>\n
\nWhatever your reason, boutique basses are worth a closer look whether you find modern instruments lacking or covet extremely rare vintage bass guitars that are in short supply.<\/p>\n