Price of Instruments

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katman

The Fly
Joined
Mar 8, 2004
Messages
82
Just got in a chat with someone...
How much does Adam's bass cost ? (the last one, used in Elevation) Is it custom made?

What about the rest of the band?
Just general info thanks
 
Big bucks........for instance edge's les paul goldtop a regular would go about 2500$ but i heard that its limited to 300 or so.....go figure the price
 
Adam has lots of basses and used at least four that I can think of right now on the last tour, and I'm sure there's more, but the one he is most commonly associated with is his Fender Precision which he has had since day one. It's had the neck removed and a Telecaster bass neck put on it because the standard P-neck is fairly wide and he finds wider necks harder to play. It has had the crap beaten out of it but is otherwise (to the best of my knowledge) pretty much standard, i.e. nothing special has been done to it that I can tell either by observation or listening. I recall reading somewhere that it's a late 60s or early 70s model. Ebay is a good place to find prices but I would guess you could pick up an late 60s P-bass in decent condition for about $2,000 - $2,500. Ones made in the 50s command anything up to $5,000 and even more if they are older and in good condition. A new P bass would cost anywhere between $400 to $2,000 (guesstimate) depending on country of original, options and finish. Adam also used a couple of Fender Jazzes which again appear to be from the 60s; costs are similar, as well as a maple finish Lakland Jazz which again looks very much like all the other Jazz basses that Lakland makes. The only bass I can think of that Adam had specifically made for him is the yellow Popmart bass which hasn't been seen since that tour. Otherwise his basses, while tastefully chosen, are fairly unremarkable in terms of eclectic design, electronic circuitry and all that stuff.

Hope that helps.
 
Just for the record, On the Elevation tour Adam used his late '60s model sunburst Fender Jazz (as on the song Elevation)
He also used a Lakland "Joe Osborne" custom bass in natural finish and maple neck. And his famous main axe that has been with him all these years is a 1964 Fender P Bass (CBS era) with a 1966 Fender Jazz maple neck. THis is the one with a mirrored pick guard, Bad Ass bridge and as of this writing almost all of the original sunburst finish is gone. (most recently seen in the Beautiful day video and played on Bullett the blue Sky during Elevation tour).

He also owns and has used a 1950's era Pbass white sa in Pride on Rattle and Hum Video (often mistakenly referred to as a "Tele" or "Telecaster" bass; these were originally called Precision or "P" basses and were first introduced in early 1950's) the "Tele" design evolved int othe now familiar Pbass design aprox. 59-62 more or less.

If you are wanting to know the prices Adam paid for these, you'll have to ask him :) As for how much you would need to buy them, prices posted by others here are close, thousands of dollars basically.

However, if you are wanting an affordable option that gives you a close replica of Adam's basses, consider "Mexican" made Fenders (usually sell for $350-$500) They are of fairly good quality and sound and play almost as good as the American Made; they are available in Natural, white, black and for a few bucks more a "simulated" sunburst. An American made Fender will run ya about a grand.

If you are really on a tight budget and not needing absolute authenticity, look at Fender's Squire pbass, (about $200)
cheap, not a "seroius" axe, but not bad for just startin out or as a back up bass.
In fact if you were handy with a paint sprayer and such and had the time and patience, you could by a cheap Squire or Mexican P Bass and strip it, repaint it and attempt to mimic Adam's old '64.

some great resources for bass stuff:
thebassplace.com
geartrader.com
oh and ebay of course


good luck,
happy bassing
"Adam"
U2JT.com
 
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