This reminds me of a Bill Burr joke:
Difference being it's my job since decades, I don't compensate because of a failed marriage, never been married !
also I hate wasting my time in shops like guitar centers, in Europe Thomann has shut down nearly all the music shops in towns, They're like China in TT, Thomann OWNS the music market, and the way better consistency in instruments making makes that it's easier to receive any gear after buying it online on the internets. 30 years before I wouldn't have bought any instrument or music stuff like that, anything crafted in China or Indonesia was junk, only Japan and South Korea were making decent instruments in the early 90's.
But now the consistency and the quality is way better with instruments made in Indonesia or China, and with experience I know what I want, and buy many things on the secondhand market when I want boutique stuff... because I wouldn't be able to buy them new.
I've got A 2200€ custom electric bass made by a luthier in Spain with my specifications, my main workhorse, the upright as always is way pricey than anything else, but it's not THAT pricey: only 2500 bought on... Thomann, made in Romania, the best country for value for money upright basses.
With the luthier's jobs (new bridge, some setups), the Realist piezo pickup, preamp and the specific piezo DI, that's what you get at the end. Students in music schools now have to rent their quatuor stringed instrument for something like 30€/month for... years, it's not massive solid romanian ones like mine, it's only 800€ laminated ones made in China. I know I'm lucky. But I've worked my arse off as a pro musician to be able to pay for it. Some guys are not even pros using 8 grands upright basses because they do like the guitars centers dumb folks.
And after that: cheapy stuff, mainly Sire Marcus Miller instruments made in Indonesia, the cheaper is 470 €, the most pricey is still under the 1 grand mark at 800€, I don't care for custom shops signature stupid things, this is lame you're totally right and Bill Burr is right too, if something does the job required for 400 € instead of 4 000, like a Fender Custom Shop Precision vs a cheap Sire precision-like bass made in Indonesia, I'm like everybody: I'll take the one that is cheaper !
I'll tell ya something: Dima can beat Dan with a beginner bat, that's how you know his expertise, his high level. It's the same in music: there are people who will do sh*t with 4, 5 , 6 , 7 , 10 ! grands € or $ instruments, and pros with decades of experience that will make a 100€ Harley Benton sound great with some tweaking (fret levelling, setups, etc.). if I'm at that 600€ mark in average with... okaye I know many many instruments, but still ! I'm fine, I won't pay anymore for any 2200 € instrument that's for sure, it's something you do once or twice in your life, but not more.
