My 2 cents

A Skoda will get you from A to B just as good as a Bentley

You know… it's interesting you bring this up. I work hard for my income (hahah, ok, ‘hard’ is an exaggeration), but I don't have a huge checking account that allows me to spend whatever on whatever anytime I want. So I have to make what I do spend work for me.

That being said, a friend of mine has three Taylor acoustic guitars. Each of them costs between $3,000 - $5,000. And he swears by them. I'm not sure there is that significant of a difference in feel, tone, and quality from a $1,000 Martin to a $5,000 Taylor. But he argues there is. I don't know. I don't play acoustic guitars.

My only point of reference are the bass guitars I play and see others play. I rarely see a bass in the $4,000 range unless its some vintage bass with historical significance, or if it's a signature series that's in limited production.

I'd have a hard time shelling out that kind of cash for an instrument that I can just as easily get the same amount of joy from a $400 bass. I don't think I can appreciate the differences in finish quality or resonance for that kind of price difference.

But back to my friend… I'm looking to buy an acoustic bass, and I'm diggin the Washburns. But my friend scoffs at these because they're not expensive like his Taylors. I don't get it. Why is there such a stigma with instruments that don't cost the price of a good kidney?

HA! It would be wrong for me to call my friend an idiot.

But I also wouldn't argue with Marko.

I found a Dean Rhapsody 12 string bass for $677.47 with free shipping on eBay. New, not used

I guess that's why some musicians stop playing after a while. It doesn't feel right, it doesn't sound right, so they sell their instrument. A proper setup and/or a better quality instrument might have kept them playing.