Do you ever cringe at reading others' reviews?

[RAM]

Okay, this is *kinda* related to my other thread about being disappointed with a purchase you made based on others' reviews, but it's different enough I think it warrants a different thread...so, here goes...

Anyway, you don't have to mention names, specifically, but have you ever read reviews of gear and absolutely cringed at what you were reading? I'll give an example - a bass I owned for about 20 years was more-or-less the bane of my existence. So much so that as soon as I could afford to put it in the closet I was glad to do so. In fact, I literally gave it to charity as soon as I decided it would never again see the light of day.

Where I cringe is how I read reviews all the time about people who are ultra-excited about this bass! For me, I had nothing but problems - it was heavy, the electronics had little headroom, the neck warped like a mutha, the hardware felt cheap, the strings sounded dead within a couple days, regardless of what strings I put on and how often I changed them, etc...

I played several of these basses over the years and found the same problems, over and over.

Nonetheless, people 'round these parts rave on and on about how great this bass is (and was), and I've got to think either people have low standards or no taste! I just can't understand how people would ever want to buy one!

Now, I realize everybody's got their own idea of great tone, everybody has a different technique, different fingers, etc, all of which contribute to the tone they like, and I rarely fault anyone for having an opinion on gear...but how people respond to this particular bass is just one I can't seem to understand!

Anyway, I'm not going to mention what bass this is (or was) for obvious reasons. To each their own, right? One take-away I get from this is what's one man's trash is another man's treasure. I get concerned, though, when people get excited about something that may not be right for them based on these qualified reviews.

Anyone else have similar thoughts or experiences?