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Dissapointing High-End Basses

jnammy

jnammy

Sep 23, 2000
993
253
Orange County, CA
#1
Has anyone had a bad experience with an expensive, high-end ($2000+ new) bass? If so, describe the make and model and be very specific about what you didn't like. Please no vague answers like "I couldn't dial in a sound good". Instead, something more specific like "I couldn't get a thick and defined tone at the same time. It was either thick and muddy or defined and thin".
 
#2
I had a Mike Lull PJ that was just a dog. I liken it to a wax figure of a real person.

It was finely crafted, but it was just dull and lifeless. No responsiveness, I didn't care for the neck, and it was heavy as hell. Needless to say I'll never own one again.
 
#4
DSC01152.jpg


Not a problem here.
 
#5
American BC Rich. Nut wasnt glued in, the dimarzio P pups where not potted and had to be replaced. Never had any problem with any import bc rich though. Baddass bridge had no string slots in saddles. Replaced bridge cause I dont like baddas bridges zingy treble tone. But no string slots is just bad workmanship by the company installing it on the bass
 
#6
The only high end bass that was disappointment I ever bought was a used Roscoe that turned out to have a busted trussrod. That said, Keith Roscoe made me a breand new neck free of charge. Remember this was a used bass! I still felt it had a dull slap tone, but I have nothing but respect for the Roscoe brand.
 
#8
Definitely an interesting thread topic! Here are all the ones I can remember. Most of them sucked simply because I couldn't dial in a tone I would call likeable:

Warwick Thumb 6 BO BN - 13 pounds of SUCK! Tone was just super thin and it buzzed up and down the neck. I got it because every time I heard a Warwick they sounded awesome. That thing turned me off to the brand for years.

Roscoe LG3005 - Not entirely sure it belongs hear because I know exactly what the problem was. The wood. The body was Spanish Cedar and the neck was wenge. To me, that adds up to one dead sounded bass. All mids and not much else going on there. New strings did absolutely nothing to solve the problem. Sounded like a Ibanez SR505 on steroids. Some people may dig it but I certainly didn't. All the other Roscoes I tried (mostly ash bodies and maple necks) sounded great though.

Some Ken Smith Fretless - The very definition of a surprising disappointment. I don't know the exact model but the body looked like Walnut, the neck was maple and the body was BSR style. This bass has been sitting in the same store since I started playing bass! It was awful then and it was just as bad when I tried it a week ago. The strings were dead but you know how you can just tell when a bass sounds like crap? this was one of them. The neck was totally screwed up too. It felt good but that did nothing to mitigate the terrible sound it made. Maybe the battery was dead but the pre didn't seem to do much either.
 
#10
Kwesi said:
Some Ken Smith Fretless - The very definition of a surprising disappointment. I don't know the exact model but the body looked like Walnut, the neck was maple and the body was BSR style. This bass has been sitting in the same store since I started playing bass! It was awful then and it was just as bad when I tried it a week ago. The strings were dead but you know how you can just tell when a bass sounds like crap? this was one of them. The neck was totally screwed up too. It felt good but that did nothing to mitigate the terrible sound it made. Maybe the battery was dead but the pre didn't seem to do much either.
Click to expand...



Ever thought that a good overhaul would have done it some justice?

How do you think it would have played and sounded if it was set up to your exact playing specs?
 
#11
I had a chance to mess around a good while on a bolt on 5 string ken smith. I had an alembic at the time and liked it a bit and the smith was cheap, going for less than 1500$ if I remember correctly. Excellent craftsmanship. I couldn't get the deep fat round tones im used to dialing in with my bartolini equipped basses which is the sound i mostly go for. Even when using my stingrays I dial the treble way back because thats how I like it and on my hh use both humbuckers to get a nice round tone. I don't think the smith fit my style of playing very much (metal, ska, hardcore, punk). Its tone was to clean and hi fi for my taste to put it into better words.
 
#13
I once tried out an epiphone sg 5-string bass at a guitar center about 7 years ago. the bass costs $800 and it sounded terrible. the bass sounded like rusty coil springs. the Ibanez basses I oftenly try out whenever I go to a guitar center sounded much better and they sound more smoother too. I've tried out some other high-priced bass guitars. some of them were okay sounding. others were not that great. the only high-priced basses I ever liked are musicman stringray basses and high-end Ibanez soundgear basses. other than that, I personally don't need to spend like thousands of dollars on a good playing bass. the best basses I ever played are actually affordable.
 
#15
i think it would be easier to name off the ones that i liked than the ones i didn't:

spector ns-4
fodera monarch
guitar factory
alleva coppolo
lull

there are a couple i'd probably like if they didn't have bartolinis stock, like older tobias basses, but i generally don't like most high end boutique basses because they usually have too much sustain, or the fancy woods and styling turn me off, or they're too even sounding. i like basses with anomalies, too, and most bouqitue basses smooth out those anomalies too much for my tastes.
 
#16
I've encountered an Alembic that I don't like. If I remembered correctly it's a spoiler. I can't really tell why, but it didn't feel like the others I've played.

I've also played some Roscoe, which I also don't like. But I've played more that are just to die for. I also can't really tell why.
 
#20
Sincerely, I do not understand why some people at Tb intrudes in a thread with incoherent statements. In this thread for exaple the sentence "no problem here" and the show of a bunch of expensive gear...THIS THREAD IS INTERESTING BECAUSE WE ARE ASKED TO TELL ABOUT BAD TOP-OF-THE NOTCH GEAR, not the good one. At Tb there are too many threads talking about the pluses of a certain bass or brand. For us working bassists maybe some exception could be more useful. :o
 

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