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#1 pet peeve with basses.

#103
Lo end PUNCH said:
Fender designs....why? Too many out there.

Tight string spacing on the mass produced instruments, who decided this was best?

Boutiques costing well over $3500 is beyond reasonable comprehension for me.

Never, everevereverever will I do or understand relic'd instruments.
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There is no reason an electric bass should cost more than $1750. Ever. Feel free to adjust for inflation, but that is the absolute limit. For that, you should get the whole shebang and a hardshell case.
 
#104
1. Neck dive

2. Lack of neck angle

3. Heavy instruments

Once you've played an instrument that resolves the above three issues, it's really hard to go back. It's just too bad that instruments that fix these issues things tend to cost a lot of money. In my opinion, basses that are mass produced could address these issues, but I have yet to see a manufacturer that does.
 
#107
-poor shielding/grounding
-inferior components...is using crappy pots really worth it to save ten bucks?
-extremely cramped control cavities
-batteries only accessable via screwdriver
-sticky glossy necks
-front-mount jacks
-unnecessarily large routes under pickguards
-bridges that need to be bored out to accomodate normal-sized strings
-completely useless strap buttons
-truss rods that can't be adjusted without removing the neck
 
#109
Heavy basses - I have tendonitis in my shoulders, and even a wide strap doesn't always help with a really heavy bass.
Neck dive - I prefer a well-balanced bass.
big frets - smaller frets work better with the way I play
floppy low B string - one reason I'm looking forward to getting a Dingwall Combustion in a few months - plus the Dingwall also has magnets keeping the battery compartment closed, so you don't have to use a screwdriver or allan wrench to open it.
basses without a passive/active switch. Mind, two of my basses are passive (the p and the j) which is better than an active bass without the active/passive switch, but...
I have fairly small hands, so a fairly narrow/thin neck is pretty important.
I have three basses that have front jacks; I much prefer those that are on the side or the back. Obviously not a deal-breaker in my case, but a minor annoyance...
Agree with installed strap locks rather than the plain buttons, and ones with longer screws to hold them into place! I don't know ANY guitarists or bass players in my area who don't either switch out to straplocks, or put a rubber washer over the strap buttons to make sure the straps don't come off.
 
#112
I posted this exact question a few days ago in the luthiers corner and I believe that is where Cliff picked up on it. The question is what is your #1 PET PEEVE with basses, not your top ten pet peeves and short list of all your rants about basses. :D
 
#113
bongomania said:
Why, does being comfortable bother you? :p


Knobs do not always provide fun or tonal possibilities. Sometimes they distract a player from discovering and developing the tonal control their hands can provide, and sometimes they quite literally harm the tone by introducing too much loading into the circuit, or being part of a preamp that causes unwanted compression or distortion. IOW the only thing "stupid" is assuming that tonal variety or enjoyment comes from knobs.
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I live in a windy area. when my starter bass moves around when I'm wearing it outside, I become afraid of possible injury.

and I know all about how the tone can be chosen by hand position, but I like my tweaking. as much as the hand helps, sometimes, you want to combine the sounds, if you boost bass on an active EQ then you play with a pick down by the bridge, you get a glassy boomy kind of noise, you can't really get that with a single volume, can you? I like getting different sounds, most of my tones have a defined hand position and knob setting.
 
#115
MooseLumps said:
There is no reason an electric bass should cost more than $1750. Ever. Feel free to adjust for inflation, but that is the absolute limit. For that, you should get the whole shebang and a hardshell case.
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Moose ... You're my HERO! $6000? Jerzy Drozd (and many others) are sweet looking axes, but YIKES!

[edit] I'll add Rosewood fretboards, fret dots and Maple/Ash/Alder basses with ONE piece necks. Dear lord are these the ONLY woods available?
 
#116
I know this asking alot; for me its always the same two things that I check first on a bass (I prefer Fenders)..

Cosmetically:
1.) Neck pocket gap: I know you want a little space in there but Ive seen some ridiculous spacing before.

2.) Bridge pick-up routing on J-basses: I have seen a lot of $$$ Fenders with a huge gap on on (or both) sides of the bridge pickup.

3.) Crappy looking wood: Ok- on a $200 instrument I understand, but on a +$1k I shouldn't see knots and un-uniformly matched body pieces on sunburst finishes.

I have seen $200 Squiers with tighter neck pockets and better cut bridge pick-up routing than higher end Fender models from time to time.

Functionality:
1.) Frets: In general, I should not notice them being high or buzzing or cutting my hands up.

2.) Truss rod: It should work, period.

3.) Bridge: both placement and functionality.

Economics aside, as Fenders prices increase- so do my expectations :bassist:
 

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