A bass you would never consider playing

[SpasticTastic]

Short scale or single-pickup (yes that includes Ps and MMs) basses for tone reasons.

V or single cut basses for aesthetic reasons.

 

[calypsocoral302]

Fretless.

If i want to play something without frets, i have an upright that sounds amazing.

 

[sub-commandante]

Blue basses repulse me.

 

[SpitfireCWII]

No Short Scale, (Unless its a Fender Bass VI, but those are the only exception. John Entwistle, John Lennon, and George Harrison all made them sing- is it really a bass ? thats another question.)
No Fretless (Maybe one day, but that day hasnt clicked yet.)
No Acoustics

 

[sharkwagon]

Couldn't plunk down my own money on a 5 or 6 or even a 4 with a particularly wide and or deep neck. I fret E with my thumb a lot (bad habits are hard to break) and wide necks kill my mojo. Also I find anything longer scale than 34 hurts to play after a short while.

Other then that all bets are off! I have owned a lot of the stuff on you guys "no way" list and thought it was all super cool! Interesting topic tho as I am learning as much about you guys from what you don't dig as what you do!

 

[Photobassist]

Anything Fender or similar to Fender (G&L, Sadowsky, Sire, etc, etc, etc). I know they are classics and considered by many as the "Holy Grail" of basses, but those body shapes and mammoth sized head stocks just don't "do it" for me.

 

[mongo2]

Mothman, or anything pointy or Antigua.

 

[shotime]

R Bass

I'm curious about this comment? Bad experience?

 

[alienstarguest]

Anything with a twisted neck (just possibly I can't imagine a worse problem with a guitar) plus many short scales, then most things from that Indonesian factory. The Danelectro and Steinburgers do look hideous. But if they sound nice, I'll play anything. A Rouge brand copy of the hofner Beatle bass was the most unwieldy bass I ever tried. Looks good on wall...wall art. Low end Ibanez have not done good by me either. The odd thing, I have a cheap Rouge frettless that is one of the best fretless acoustics I've played. So I'm not against inexpensive gear.

 

[EdO.]

The Danelectro and Steinburgers do look hideous. But if they sound nice, I'll play anything. A Rouge brand copy of the hofner Beatle bass was the most unwieldy bass I ever tried. Looks good on wall...wall art. Low end Ibanez have not done good by me either. The odd thing, I have a cheap Rouge frettless that is one of the best fretless acoustics I've played. So I'm not against inexpensive gear.

The looks of the Danno's and Steinberger's are part of their attraction, because they ARE different looking, if not also different sounding. Not for everyone and not everyone gets it. No worries, variety is the spice of life eh? There are basses out there that I don't get too. Doesn't mean they're not legit, just means everyone's taste is different.

 

[Az_Rocker76]

Ibanez basses. Non of their bass models really appeal to me. Also any six or more string bass. I just don't like the size of the necks, that's why I sold one I bought impulsively haha. For me a five string bass is also pushing it a little, I haven't found one I like yet.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

Thin-style Gibson Ripper in natural, Gibson Grabber or clear-pickup Gibson G3.

However, I would love to play a fat-style Ripper, black thin-style Ripper or black pickup G3.

(The one on the right.)

 

[tubedude]

View attachment 794547

That is one well endowed bass!

 

[tubedude]

Ric, love the tone but the scrawny neck doesn't work with my bear paws.
other than that ,gibson.

 

[steveinohio]

Anything beyond four strings.

 

[A. D. Fairhurst]

Ric, love the tone but the scrawny neck doesn't work with my bear paws.
other than that ,gibson.

Gibson basses are amazing!

 

[pappabass]

Squier,,,,oh wait, I take that back, I found a jaguar vintage modiied that is made better & sounds better than my old MIM P bass. Ok, wont play some Squiers, some hondos, rogues, wierd looking boutique basses, & ones I can not pronounce.

 

[PaulNichols]

I'm one of the definite non-pointys! Pretty much the only bass I can think of that I'd outright avoid other than something pointy is a Rickenbacker, they've just never done it for me sound-wise for the way I play. I've heard other people make them sound amazing so it's nothing against Rickenbacker themselves, they just don't work for me!

 

[JesseVMT]

I don't like pointy basses like BC Rich. But I'll give almost anything a try. I used to play a 5 string active Ibanez, and one day I tried a Fender P 4 string. (I swore off Fender for years.)

I don't own Ibanez any more.

 

[jamro217]

Definitely:
any Hofner - they just feel like toys in my hands
any thing with more than 5 strings...and rarely 5 strings
anything where I would need an electrical engineering degree to figure out the knobs and switches
basses with no headstocks....just don't like the weight distribution

I have tried many basses in my 30+ years of playing so I feel like these answers are not "reactionary"...they have come from comparison and shopping many different brands and types.

Feel is the most important aspect of a bass for me. I feel like it is the only thing I can not change without major time and money consumption

Sadly, in this quest I found out that I also could never play a Ric 4001. 03 etc, which many of my heroes play. I could not get it to feel right at all. It literally crushed me.

What is it that you can't make "feel right" to you about a Ric? The neck sizes change from year to year, so there is a good possibility that you'd find one to your liking. The string spacing doesn't. The binding can be smoothed at the edges. The controls can be reversed (volumes at the top, nearer the strings, tones closer to the lower body edge) for a more traditional layout. The pickup cover can be (and usually is) removed. Maple is maple, no matter what. Things to consider, don't lose hope.