The benefits of being cheap!

[ajish4]

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I realize the concept isn't new, I thought it would be neat to get as much information as possible in one thread.

While I love my RICS, and have had a long affair with Alembic basses, sometimes the job calls for (and I hate to use the term cheap) but....how about frugal?

I'm hoping we can get a nice list of EVERYTHING a musician might like, from strings to drum machines, home recording equipment to a large PA setup, and everything in between...without breaking the bank.
I thought with the economy being what it is today, the timing was right.

I'll start it off with the ONLY thing I know a little about.

Ok, there isn't any other way to put this, but CHEAP BASSES that play well, STAY IN TUNE, and make the grade in a live playing situation.

#1) Washburn Lyon LB-40 4 String bass.

They can be found every once in a while on Craigslist on Ebay for under $100.00. I have two of them, both cost me less than $75.00 DELIVERED. Made in Korea, they have a REAL THIN NECK, the sound is BETTER than a MIM Jazz and they don't look bad either. I play this bass often. PERFECT when the wife wants to stop off at the stores and I don't want to freak out about leaving a RIC in the car....You really can't beat it for the money. The darn thing stays in tune forever! Stock wiring Volume, volume, Tone. I had a MIM Jazz bass, and tried dozens of other "cheapie" basses, but this thing won hands down.

Washburn Lyon LB-40

#2) Peavey T-40 Bass or T-60 Guitar.

Ok, I'm having a ball with my T-40. These basses or T-60 guitars can be had from $150.oo to $300.00 easily. Great instruments that will last forever, have a wide range of sound possibilities and a STEAL for the last of the USA made monsters. Made from 1978 to about 1984 +/-. There are volumes written about these guitars, all I'll say is they are great. They are HEAVY, but a LOT of fun.

Peavey T-40

#3) Yamaha BBN4. Made in Korea.

Great sound, great thin neck, worth at least TWICE the selling price. I bought one for my daughter for about $300.00. Can even get a decent RIC tone out of this bad boy. Well made, quiet and reliable. Also available in a 5 string version.

Yamaha BBN4

Ok, I'm hoping this thread takes off, I know there are SO many others out there.......Lets see where this goes.

[weemac]

I'm with you on the T-40 Tony! My first bass was a 70s one and while it was heavy it could get get just about any sound apart from a P bass (yes even a passable Rickenbacker tone). Great neck too!
I miss it and will someday get another........
Eden.

[rickenbrother]

It's always nice to have that cheapo bass or guitar that you can keep in the truck of the car for that "just in case". I would n't do that with a Rick.

[kiramdear]

Jay Turser makes a beatle bass that is very nice playing, looking and sounding. I found mine in a pawnshop for $160. Worth every bit of list price at around $500. Pawnshops are my budget saver. Sometimes you find the real deal for cheap. My other cheapo is a squire mini (I do like those shorties) that I modded and hot-rodded into a pretty great little ax. I don't think it was cheap, though, if you count the hours I spent making it work for me. Changing the neck angle, raising the bridge, swapping pickups, losing the controls and moving the switch, you get the idea. But it's worth it.
A little sweat equity goes a long way to stretching the budget. If you have more time than money sometimes, you can make a cheap thing work better.
Let me add my other secret: Behringer amps have served me well for a fraction of what a "real" amp costs. I use them in my recording 'cause they sound great. And when they die, the price makes them almost disposable. The AC112 modeler is a great little workstation for $250. The versatile midi foot controller board FCB1010 from them is rated tops at a third of the price of some other names ($150). I spent less on my whole rig than a lot of people spend on just their stompboxes.

[rickboy88]

Appreciate that summary, Tony. Very good reference and info.

I'll put my vote in for the "Rogue" Beatle bass, which is a Musician's Friend house brand. I did some sleuthing and was pretty sure it was/is made by the Un Sung factory in South Korea. I like the Rogue's sound with the neck pickup only.

I've always liked the sound of my various 1960's Hagstroms (great single coil pickups), but they can be delicate with their guitar-like size and small necks. The market prices are also more like $500 to $1000, so probably too much for your category.

[woodyng]

the one bass i won't consider selling is my korean made danelectro hodad. this one has the deepest bass tone of any instrument i've played. 3 pickups,lots of great sound combinations,really nice full scale neck,and a cool looking shape,and it probably weighs 6-7 pounds. it stays in tune well,and since i switched from the dano strings to some ghs flats,a really thumpin',hollow tone-i love it. i have not had the opportunity to play one of the latest dano '63 reissues,but i would suspect they're pretty nice,too. oh yeah,i bought it on ebay for $180 shipped.

[jps]

I have my fairly inexpensive Fender California Precision Special for those gigs I do not want to bring my Ricks to, and I keep my Yamaha BX-1 bass at work for those down times.

[ajish4]

Thanks for the replys everyone,

Kira, I've been thinking of getting one of those Hofner knock off's but wasn't sure, they look so fragile. I'll have to take another look at that one!

I've been playing with the idea of a midi or a set of Geddy like pedals, but they are just too expensive for something I'm not sure I'd ever use.

To add to my list a little, a FANTASTIC, inexpensive bass amp is the Fender Rumble 100...yeah, the one with the funny red light that flashes on the bottom when you play. Great amp for about $300.00.

FENDER RUBMLE 100

Also, a fellow forumite suggested an OLP MM3BKR 5 STRING, that sells new for under $250.00.
OLP also makes a MM32 5 STRING with two pickups for about $350.00.

OLP MM32 5 STRING

ANYONE have any input on recording toys for computer? How about a starter guitar for under $500.00? Anyone...I was hoping this list would grow a bit as to be a useful reference tool for everyone.

[wmthor]

... ANYONE have any input on recording toys for computer? ...

I was given a MXL Desktop Recording Kit for Christmas last year and I use it with GarageBand. I plug the guitar into the iBooster which then plugs into the Mac's mic jack. For the vocals and/or acoustic, I plug the mic into the iBooster.

http://www.mxlmics.com/Comp_Recording/drk.html

[qwezirider]

I just picked up a Cort Curbow 6 string bass this past week. They can be found for $200-$300 fairly easily. I gigged it the night I got it and it was easily the most potent sounding bass in my fleet. Still in tune the next morning. I think it'll be in the fleet for a while.

Recording gear, I like to remain a generation or seven behind the curve of what's going on in software. A generation or two behind what's new and hot will still get you incredible bells and whistles at a much more reasonable price. How bad am I? I'm still using Logic 5.5.1 for Windows and they're up to version 8 right now. I have yet to get even close to choking my recording rig with too many tracks. So it does the job for me nicely cheap.

[qwezirider]

I've been playing with the idea of a midi or a set of Geddy like pedals, but they are just too expensive for something I'm not sure I'd ever use.

If you go with something like a used set of Roland PK-5 pedals, you can pretty much get back what you paid for them. They seem to be a fairly safe bet on that these days.

[cheyenne]

Any used Carvin.

[rickboy88]

I've got the Fender Rumble 100 as well Tony. I really like the amp, and also recommend it.

[chuck_king]

For cheap basses, SX (from www.rondomusic.com) makes some pretty good instruments for really cheap. I got a P-style for about $125 delivered, brand new. Lots of people use them as platforms for mods, but they're not bad stock. Pickups are a lot better than you'd expect at that price point.

For bass amps, the new Acoustic line is full of great bargains. I think they're GC/MF only, but don't let that scare you.

When it comes to guitars, Rondo's Agile line gets very good reviews but I haven't played one myself. In the under $500 range, for new guitars, you could do a lot worse than a regular old MIM Strat or Tele. Particularly if you have the opportunity to play a bunch of them---usually there will be a couple that will really stand out.

One of the better bargains I've gotten lately (on new gear anyway) was on some Behringer XM8500 microphones. For band practice in the basement, we have two of them and two SM58s, and while I'm no cork-sniffing audiophile, I think I can tell "good" from "bad" and these are not bad---they are actually pretty much indistinguishable from the 58s. Except that they only cost $20!

[kiramdear]

Kira, I've been thinking of getting one of those Hofner knock off's but wasn't sure, they look so fragile. I'll have to take another look at that one!

I've been playing with the idea of a midi or a set of Geddy like pedals, but they are just too expensive for something I'm not sure I'd ever use.

My Turser bass is sturdier than some of the old, real, Hofners I played. Stays in tune better, too. Very solid (well, for 4 or 5 pounds that it weighs) and nicely finished, too, for a cheapie. In general the quality of Turser is pretty good.
The best deal in midi foot contollers is the Behringer FCB1010. At $150 it's got more features than the big boys' models, built like a tank, is versatile too. It has two expression pedals and a dozen switches. None of them is easy to program but this one's worth sitting down with the manual, for the money you save.