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Bass Features: Top Ten Personal Turn-Offs
- Thread starter Debased
- Start date
Turn Offs:
1) Short horns: I just dont like the look.
2) Non flamed / quilt finishes: I dont like solid colors, but love bursts too.
3) Ugly pick guards covering up nice wood.
4) Nuts wider than 45-47mm (5 string basses only).
5) Wide / thick necks: I insist on narrow / thin / preferably unfinished necks.
6) No dots: Looks like somethings missing without them.
7) 35 scale / less than 24 frets: 34 scale only with light bright round wounds.
8) Bridge string spacing wider than 16mm.
9) Non soapbars.
10) 2 volumes, no blend, no treble / bass boost (non active EQ).
1) Short horns: I just dont like the look.
2) Non flamed / quilt finishes: I dont like solid colors, but love bursts too.
3) Ugly pick guards covering up nice wood.
4) Nuts wider than 45-47mm (5 string basses only).
5) Wide / thick necks: I insist on narrow / thin / preferably unfinished necks.
6) No dots: Looks like somethings missing without them.
7) 35 scale / less than 24 frets: 34 scale only with light bright round wounds.
8) Bridge string spacing wider than 16mm.
9) Non soapbars.
10) 2 volumes, no blend, no treble / bass boost (non active EQ).
No particular order...
1) Rigs that look like an exercise in wood shop 101 - big goofy horns and strange woods
2) Rigs that are raw wood, are just oiled or have a natural look - so 70's looking! I like to see a little woodgrain through the paint but a bass shouldn't look like it blends in with a set of kitchen cabinets.
3) Fanned fretboard designs & angled pups - stupid looking and harder to play IMHO
4) Side input jacks - I like mine on the face so you can see where you're plugging the damn thing in!
5) Really heavy rigs - just too hard on the back!
6) Gritty feeling strings - is it so hard to engineer strings with a good feel in this day & age?
7) Rigs with more than 4 or 5 strings - how freaking many strings do you need to feel like a man? Just play that funky music white boy.
8) Any rig that does not use a EBMM type truss rod adjuster - shame.
9) Active electronics - I have a couple actives and a couple passives - I really just wish everything was passive (yet hum free) - so much less complicated.
10) Necks that are too damn chunky - I like J & Sterling style necks SO much better.
1) Rigs that look like an exercise in wood shop 101 - big goofy horns and strange woods
2) Rigs that are raw wood, are just oiled or have a natural look - so 70's looking! I like to see a little woodgrain through the paint but a bass shouldn't look like it blends in with a set of kitchen cabinets.
3) Fanned fretboard designs & angled pups - stupid looking and harder to play IMHO
4) Side input jacks - I like mine on the face so you can see where you're plugging the damn thing in!
5) Really heavy rigs - just too hard on the back!
6) Gritty feeling strings - is it so hard to engineer strings with a good feel in this day & age?
7) Rigs with more than 4 or 5 strings - how freaking many strings do you need to feel like a man? Just play that funky music white boy.
8) Any rig that does not use a EBMM type truss rod adjuster - shame.
9) Active electronics - I have a couple actives and a couple passives - I really just wish everything was passive (yet hum free) - so much less complicated.
10) Necks that are too damn chunky - I like J & Sterling style necks SO much better.
1. glossy finshishes, I dont like having to look at fingerprints and stuff all day
2. Less than 24 frets
3. Cookie-cutter body chapes like J and P basses, I love my ibanez btb cuz it looks so unique.
4. Frets that aren't in line with the neck so when I get lazy and my palm touches the bottom of the neck I am punished with scratches fom the frets(I know this sounds dumb but my first bass that was given to me had such frets, at keast it helped me play right).
5. Big ol ugly clover tuning knobs
6. Neck heavy basses(thunderbirds really tick me off, nikki sixx can keep'em)
7. Neck through basses, simply cuz they always have those ugly neck lines going through the whole body.
8. Heavy basses
9. Basses with awkward strap holder placement
10. No tone controls on the bass
2. Less than 24 frets
3. Cookie-cutter body chapes like J and P basses, I love my ibanez btb cuz it looks so unique.
4. Frets that aren't in line with the neck so when I get lazy and my palm touches the bottom of the neck I am punished with scratches fom the frets(I know this sounds dumb but my first bass that was given to me had such frets, at keast it helped me play right).
5. Big ol ugly clover tuning knobs
6. Neck heavy basses(thunderbirds really tick me off, nikki sixx can keep'em)
7. Neck through basses, simply cuz they always have those ugly neck lines going through the whole body.
8. Heavy basses
9. Basses with awkward strap holder placement
10. No tone controls on the bass
1. Basses with bodies that look like the top of an end-table.
2. Black basses.
3. Soft finishes such as those found on the Highway 1 and Warwick Ash models
4. More than four strings.
5. Basses with more than 2 pickups
6. Fretless basses.
7. Non MM truss rod adjustment.
8. Non MM pickguard material. MM pickguards don't seem to show wear.
9. Glued up bodies with mismatched wood grain.
10. Gold hardware.
2. Black basses.
3. Soft finishes such as those found on the Highway 1 and Warwick Ash models
4. More than four strings.
5. Basses with more than 2 pickups
6. Fretless basses.
7. Non MM truss rod adjustment.
8. Non MM pickguard material. MM pickguards don't seem to show wear.
9. Glued up bodies with mismatched wood grain.
10. Gold hardware.
My pet peeve is P style pickups where the bass side (E & A) is nearer to the neck than the treble side.
I always find that I have to have them a certain way around...
Strange, but true !!
I always find that I have to have them a certain way around...
Strange, but true !!
My top 10 in no particular order:
Fender Copies: Fender already makes them - how many more are needed?
String Tees: Just seems to bind up the string from moving - looks like an afterthought. Tiltback headstocks look nice and have more even string pressure on the nut.
Headless Basses: It looks like something is seriously missing. I can't stand 'em.
No Low 'B' String: I gotta have it - it's a BASS. Even if it's a 4-string, I want it BEAD.
7+ Strings: It doesn't work for me - necks are too wide, I don't need strings higher than the typical 'G' on a bass.
Short/No Upper Strap Horns: I don't like the look, or the head dive.
Painted Basses: I like to see the woods.
Maple Fretboards: Ebony or Rosewood, or.. something interesting (Birdseye Maple can be OK).
P-style Pickups: OK, I just don't care for the Fenders. I admit it.
Retro Looks: I just like more modern basses. What else can I say?
Fender Copies: Fender already makes them - how many more are needed?
String Tees: Just seems to bind up the string from moving - looks like an afterthought. Tiltback headstocks look nice and have more even string pressure on the nut.
Headless Basses: It looks like something is seriously missing. I can't stand 'em.
No Low 'B' String: I gotta have it - it's a BASS. Even if it's a 4-string, I want it BEAD.
7+ Strings: It doesn't work for me - necks are too wide, I don't need strings higher than the typical 'G' on a bass.
Short/No Upper Strap Horns: I don't like the look, or the head dive.
Painted Basses: I like to see the woods.
Maple Fretboards: Ebony or Rosewood, or.. something interesting (Birdseye Maple can be OK).
P-style Pickups: OK, I just don't care for the Fenders. I admit it.
Retro Looks: I just like more modern basses. What else can I say?
I'm late, but I'll play:
1. Neck dive
2. Dead spots/notes
3. Amish wood furniture looking basses - guess I'm old school here
4. Basses that sound great solo, but don't blend in the band/track
5. More than 4 strings - for the music I play, a bassist with more than 4 strings is like a drummer with a Neil Peart kit.
6. Basses with playability faults that can't be corrected by setup
7. Hygrometer/thermometer necks - action that changes excessively with slight temperature/humidity changes. This could be 6a.
8. Headless basses
That'll do.
js
1. Neck dive
2. Dead spots/notes
3. Amish wood furniture looking basses - guess I'm old school here
4. Basses that sound great solo, but don't blend in the band/track
5. More than 4 strings - for the music I play, a bassist with more than 4 strings is like a drummer with a Neil Peart kit.
6. Basses with playability faults that can't be corrected by setup
7. Hygrometer/thermometer necks - action that changes excessively with slight temperature/humidity changes. This could be 6a.
8. Headless basses
That'll do.
js
1. Headless Basses. Never liked the looks of them.
2. Basses with 37 or so knobs. More and more I'm finding that anything other than a volume knob (and a blend knob if there's two pickups) is useless to me.
3. Active electronics. They've always sounded sterile to me, and they're just one more thing that can go wrong.
4. Old school Fender bridges. I just hate 'em. They look cheap and ugly. They should be covered with those ashtrays.
5. Maple fingerboards. Just never liked the looks.
6. Plastic. For my money basses are about wood and metal. I (usually) don't like pickguards. I hate plastic knobs. I don't care for plastic looking nuts. Plastic just isn't organic.
7. Bright 80's colors. I'm old enough to remember the 80's.
2. Basses with 37 or so knobs. More and more I'm finding that anything other than a volume knob (and a blend knob if there's two pickups) is useless to me.
3. Active electronics. They've always sounded sterile to me, and they're just one more thing that can go wrong.
4. Old school Fender bridges. I just hate 'em. They look cheap and ugly. They should be covered with those ashtrays.
5. Maple fingerboards. Just never liked the looks.
6. Plastic. For my money basses are about wood and metal. I (usually) don't like pickguards. I hate plastic knobs. I don't care for plastic looking nuts. Plastic just isn't organic.
7. Bright 80's colors. I'm old enough to remember the 80's.
Tpylons: How does a guy from Bethlahem, PA become a devils fan?
My top ten:
10) Inaccessible tone and volume knobs
9) Small horns
8) Neck recessed into the body so much that there is no place to put your thumb.
7) Shoddy tuning machines on an otherwise good instrument (Ibanez)
6) Odd center of gravity when sitting
5) Wide string spacing
4) Stickers on the paint- if you put them on the pick guard thats ok.
3) Sticky Neck - I like quick, sanded necks
2) Output jacks on the front of the body... even though I love Fenders.
1) A bass that is expensive due to the name on the headstock, not because it sounds good.
My .02
GO FLYERS!!!
My top ten:
10) Inaccessible tone and volume knobs
9) Small horns
8) Neck recessed into the body so much that there is no place to put your thumb.
7) Shoddy tuning machines on an otherwise good instrument (Ibanez)
6) Odd center of gravity when sitting
5) Wide string spacing
4) Stickers on the paint- if you put them on the pick guard thats ok.
3) Sticky Neck - I like quick, sanded necks
2) Output jacks on the front of the body... even though I love Fenders.
1) A bass that is expensive due to the name on the headstock, not because it sounds good.
My .02
GO FLYERS!!!
1) Painted of Laqured Neck
2) Unbalanced upper horn
3) Good quality pickups with poor quality electronics/preamp
4) Preamps whose batteries are drained when left plugged in
5) Plastic Nuts
6) Scratchy Pots...ON A NEW BASS
7) No truss rod
8) Gold hardware (eventhough that's what I have on my Cirrus)
9) Chicken head knobs
10) Clover Tuners
That does it for me
2) Unbalanced upper horn
3) Good quality pickups with poor quality electronics/preamp
4) Preamps whose batteries are drained when left plugged in
5) Plastic Nuts
6) Scratchy Pots...ON A NEW BASS
7) No truss rod
8) Gold hardware (eventhough that's what I have on my Cirrus)
9) Chicken head knobs
10) Clover Tuners
That does it for me
for some reason, i don't like fancy. so, my dislikes:
active electronics
single-cut basses
ornate topwoods
quilts scare me
hi-fi sound
4 strings - i like 'em fine, but i play 5ers exclusively, and i don't like the limited options
heavy basses...which is funny since my sexy bass weighs in at 11lbs.
almost forgot, i like exposed poles
so me no likey when i can't see any metal on the pups.
at this point, anything that's not a 3TS jazz bass doesn't really tickle my pickle.
active electronics
single-cut basses
ornate topwoods
quilts scare me
hi-fi sound
4 strings - i like 'em fine, but i play 5ers exclusively, and i don't like the limited options
heavy basses...which is funny since my sexy bass weighs in at 11lbs.
almost forgot, i like exposed poles
so me no likey when i can't see any metal on the pups.at this point, anything that's not a 3TS jazz bass doesn't really tickle my pickle.
not that anyone cares at this point...
1) too heavy
2) weighs too much
3) hurts my back
4) ouch!
5) boat anchor
6) godawful heavy
7) overly sensitve to the force of gravity
8) limping around next day
9) ouch again
10) too small neck
other than those, I can be happy on pretty much anything
/rick
1) too heavy
2) weighs too much
3) hurts my back
4) ouch!
5) boat anchor
6) godawful heavy
7) overly sensitve to the force of gravity
8) limping around next day
9) ouch again
10) too small neck
other than those, I can be happy on pretty much anything
/rick
active electronics (unless it's acoustic electric)
rosewood fingerboard
anything associated with steinbergers (ugly!)
more than two pups
short scales
plain color pick guards on black basses
les paul bodies (ugly for basses)
rosewood fingerboard
anything associated with steinbergers (ugly!)
more than two pups
short scales
plain color pick guards on black basses
les paul bodies (ugly for basses)
1. Head that looks like a guitar head - hofner-like
2. Jack on the face of the bass
3. Big shiny pup cover like on the vintage Fenders - gets in the way
4. Cheap volume and tone knobs
5. Cheap pickup
6. Crappy wood
7. Poor fretwork
8. String-thru body
9. Fat neck
10. Any base with more than 4 strings - can play them, so it annoys me
2. Jack on the face of the bass
3. Big shiny pup cover like on the vintage Fenders - gets in the way
4. Cheap volume and tone knobs
5. Cheap pickup
6. Crappy wood
7. Poor fretwork
8. String-thru body
9. Fat neck
10. Any base with more than 4 strings - can play them, so it annoys me
