Unpopular Basses - do you happen to like any Basses others on here seem to not like?

[Mr. Lovejoy]

*please keep this civil*


I tried many Basses today and the one that stood out to me the most was actually an American Special P Bass in a lovely CAR finish. The tone was incredibly fat and Bassy ("greasy" if you will) and the neck was quite comfortable. Very unique to say the least. I have played many Fender P's and this is the only one that actually made me go "wow."

I then came home and decided to check out what TB had to say about it and found the reception for the AmSpecials unanimously negative. The things said were: "weak tone," "tuning issues," "a MiM for twice the price," etc. Were we even playing the same Bass?


I also tried a Gibson Grabber today. I know many people have nothing good to say about any Gibson Bass on here, so I was not expecting much. I picked it up off the wall, and it was very light (I thought all Gibsons were heavy). I plugged it in and the tone and playability was pretty decent (I thought all Gibsons were muddy messes). What is so wrong about these Basses exactly? They seem pretty usable, and Eddie from Thrice uses one and has some of the best Bass tone around.



This then got me thinking: do any of you have positive experiences with Basses people seem to froth at the mouth in disgust over?

[ATK Geoph]

I have played quite a few basses that people told me sucked. I always liked it when they would come up after a Gig and say, "Hey, I heard that Bass is supposed to suck, but it sounded great... "
I have quit making judgements based soley on what everyone else thinks ( not that I discredit everyone else's opinions) and do what you did today. Pick it up and play it for myself. In fact, my new Favorite is the MTD CRB, which seems to be on the Very Ugly list....
If it sounds good to you and plays well for you, I'd say you found a winner.

[Mr. Lovejoy]

Yeah, that American Special was something else... maybe it was just the one I tried though. Who knows, the rest might all be terrible.


It sounded like the amp I played it through (a Warwick x-treme 10.1) was straining itself to push out all the frequencies that P was dishing out (I had the EQ basically flat). It was sloppy, huge, and barely restrained. I have never heard anything like it. It was like the huge low-end you hear on mixed records brought to life.

I'm not sure the tone would be at all useful, but it was a fun diversion for the time being. One party piece is that every place on the neck has the same definition, volume, and general tone. Does not matter if you are playing open strings or at the 12th fret, it sounds like getting hit in the face with a sledgehammer every time.

The volume and tone controls on that Bass are downright weird though. They don't change the tone whatsoever, they just kill the definition as you turn them down.

[puddin tame]

In my country (new zealand) there seemed to be, for a while, this enormous hatred for warwick. No one seemed to like the damn things.

I'd been playing for 8 years before I started really paying any attention to forums or what gear OTHER people liked so it came as quite a shock to me as i'd been playing them for like 5 years and absolutely loving them.

Now they seem to be getting pretty trendy

[tuckomf]

I have a Peavey Cirrus BXP. I bought it used at Guitar Center after jamming along to the radio for about 45 minutes; I couldn't replicate every tone I heard, but I could approximate everything. Since it sounded good. looked gorgeous, and the price was low, I brought it home before somebody else could. When I got here, I read a handful of reviews that would have made me pass if I had read them before going out. I'm glad I let my ears and personal preferences make up my mind for me.

[JimmyM]

I don't know if I've ever owned a bass that someone didn't goof on for some reason or another. Screw 'em. That'll be the day I let some nimrod pick my basses for me.

[SoVeryTired]

The wonder of the internet is that if you look around, you'll find negative opinions on any bass (and any thing, come to think of it).

The dream is to find a bass that you really love but is unpopular, thus undervalued and a great bargain. Then wait for fashions to change and sell it at a nice profit when it's suddenly the best thing ever.

[IngerAlb]

Hmmm...probably the Ibby K5 would fit in that category. Ppl seem to resent that bass, but I love it

[SoVeryTired]

Originally Posted by IngerAlb

Hmmm...probably the Ibby K5 would fit in that category. Ppl seem to resent that bass, but I love it

Give it time - it'll be a much sought-after vintage model before you know it!

[Immigrant]

This

[45cmckay105]

Dean USA Built ML Custom back in the early 90's.



I was in an original pop band at the time too.
This thing was so loud and up front in the mix, I had to have it!!

Mine was all white (ivory), but you get the idea!

[kurosawa]

I love this thread! I have always been clueless about what's popular, including bass gear.

[fasto]

i love my MM Big Al (4 string, SSS pickups) ... most people hate this guy because of that "ugly" body shape.

[davidgoldman]

I have a Dean Edge Q4 Bart. It's no longer my number one but it has a great neck and cuts though the mix. Besides playing great, it is a looker. Every time I take it out, someone turns their noise up.

[NecroticImbecil]

I have found that strong opinions of any particular piece of equipment on Talkbass are often inversely proportional to my own.

[Stinsok]

HA! The Blacktop Jazz!

[IngerAlb]

Originally Posted by SoVeryTired

Give it time - it'll be a much sought-after vintage model before you know it!

I hope not - that way I'll always manage to buy a used one for peanuts ^^

[bassguitarthund]

Originally Posted by Immigrant

This

That is awsome!!!!

[overdrivethree]

i play an Epiphone Goth Thunderbird in my power pop/soul originals band. a lot of other bassists don't like the mud, the weight, or the neck dive (to be fair, i also hate the neck dive). i'm not even necessarily a fan of the flat black finish.

but in many respects, it's perfect for what we do. it records REALLY well. our guitarist sits in the treble-y end of the spectrum, with the electric keys/organ in the middle. so the Goth-bird sits way low and covers that ground well. it's funny...we're the kind of band that, by all appearances, a sort of metal-reimagining of a Gibson bass would be the last thing that would sound good.

[Stephent28]

I have an Ovation Magnum 3 lined fretless that gets a few odd looks but mostly it is because people say it sounds more like a double bass that any electric fretless they have heard.

Butt ugly bass but plays like butter and sounds fantastic.