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Bass Features: Top Ten Personal Turn-Offs

#41
1. Lack of pickguard. Very, very few folks here would identify with this one, but I just don't like the looks of basses without that big hunk of plastic.

2. Bridge pickup only. Screw that. I needs me some neck pickup beef.

3. Anything over 34" scale. I prefer 30", but I can get by on more. 35"+, however, is out of the question.

4. Little tiny headstocks. No.

5. Angled tuners.

6. Super-thin/super-flat necks.

7. Wide string spacing- I'm talking Fender and higher here.

8. Ultra-modern bridges, especially the 'monorail' kind.

9. Active EQ. Passive only for me.

10. Soapbars.
 
#44
Wood-grain finish - I've just never liked the look of wood. :hiding:

Chrome or Gold Hardware - Either looks cheap to me, I like plain black.

Passive Basses - They just sound lifeless to me.

Poorly Designed Bettery Access - I hate having to find my small screwdriver and worry about losing tiny screws in a crowded and dark backstage.

Poor Truss Rod Access - For obvious reasons.

Four Strings - Not enough range for me.

Lined Fretless - I just don't like the look.
 
#46
1. Gold hardware. I just don't like it. Looks tacky to me.
2. Elaborate inlays on the fingerboard. The crushed-pearl triangles on a Rickenbacker are as "elaborate" as I wanna get. Dots and blocks are great! Weird sprawling vines, stars, tribal thingies, etc... are not so great.
3. Pointy metalhead designs. Ick.

All in all, though, I have a strong preference for "classic" designs like Fender, Rickenbacker, etc., and I have a tendency to include only these types of instruments in my collection. The "modern" designs don't appeal to me so much, and thus I'm much less likely to consider them for my collection.
 
#48
I don't like...........

1. Heavy Instruments!
Why? What's the point? With current technology and modern CNC machines, can't we build a frikkin' bass of 9lbs or less! Geez!

2. 20mm string spacing!
Do you really need a bass with string spacing that wide?

3. Noisy electronics!
We have the technology.....use it dammit!

4. 18v pre-amps!
Isn't 9v enough?

5. Why no true active bypass switch? (Or just an on/off switch)
This should be a standard option on all active basses.
 
#49
My dealbreakers:

1. Sticky necks (why would anyone like that, I don't get it)

2. Painted necks

3. Wide string spacing at the nut end (J-Bass spacing fo' life)

4. Bad fret jobs

5. Bridges that don't allow you to adjust all 4 saddles individually (retro ones)

6. Crappy tuners that slip/rattle

7. Bad workmanship/fit/finish

8. Faux/Gravure tops (if you like the look, get the real thing)

9. Blend knobs (I actually prefer volume/volume)

10. Basses where the pickups impede your playing (like the Warwick $$, sure, it sounds amazing, but it messes up my technique)

Bonus: Basses w/ no place to anchor my thumb. Part of the reason I have never gotten down with P-Basses (aside from string spacing) I find I get the best feel and sound playing towards the bridge, but I need someplace to put my thumb.
 
#51
A couple of mine, and strictly just personal.

More than 24 frets on a fretted (can't slap on most like that, fretless is fine to have 30 some frets)

less that 18mm spacing, preferably 19, but not real wide at the nut (thank you f bass)

more than 6 strings (only cause I suck at it, I suck on a 6 as well, maybe I should include that? ;) )

Jacks NOT on the face (Rob, that was for you ;) Seriously, I hate the idea putting down my bass on a stand and possibly having the line hit the ground, my r bass confirmed that for me, but completely know I might be in the minority. Don't care)

NO passive tone control (love active eqs, but there is a certain curve you can only get from that control)

No active/ passive switch on active basses

gloss or painted necks

weight (if its heavy, it better have a tone that justifies it)

non-quick release bridge (whoever brought that up got me thinking, yeah they suck)

P bass like necks, don't like em real beefy, but comepletely know they have their pros.
 
#52
I don't like (opinionated preferences, not absolutes):

Active pickups requiring batteries. I would like to have an outboard like Link Removed as an alternative.
P/Js - oddly enough, I almost bought one before someone pointed out to me that it can be a P but can never be a J. I now prefer J/J with series switch (maybe justifying what I have; so what?).
More than 5 strings and I am not even sure I will ever go to a 5.
Bright colors.
Odd shapes.
Cable jack on the side (I like it on the face so it doesn't get in the way when messing around with the bass sitting/lounging around).
 
#53
1. Pickguards. Who the hell plays bass with a pick? That's not a bass player. I wanna see that freakin wood! So many basses that had great finishes, and then slapped a pickguard on it. BLECH. Hell... even on guitars! Who the hell hits their strings hard enough to chop into the body and scratch it all up? WOOOOORST is when I see a Randy Rhoads replica Flying V with a butt-ass ugly "gold" pickguard. Or a white body flying V with a black pickguard. That just screams "Amateur Construction".

2. Tiny little dots on the side of the neck. I CAN'T SEE THEM! I take my glasses off on stage cuz I don't want them flying off my head when I'm thrashing around like a windmill. I used that Liquid Paper DryStrips to rub on some big fat white bars on the side of my neck. Works great especially in crappy stage lighting. I want those big fat huge Billy Sheehan fret markers. I'll be doing a really interesting idea for my project bass to make the inlays wrap from the top to the side all in one piece.

3. Solid black basses. So boring. I'm already sick of mine, cuz EEEEVERYONE's got one, and they've got no style. Yes, fully functional, but come on!

4. Wide string spacings. Sorry, I ain't got 27" fingers and I can't reach across the Grand Canyon and still be able to play as fast as I need to.

5. No electronics or preamps. I do not want to reach over to my amp to give myself a midrange boost for a fill or solo. I wanna reach right down and get it instantly. I also don't want to tweak my amp's settings too much from show to show, I'd rather just quickly touch my bass for cleaning up the sound. If the house acoustics is really that bad, then I'll have to tweak my amp, but that's very rare.

6. Diving headstocks. That's why I extended the top horn of my current project by 1-1/2 inches so that thing stays level on me. Widen out my strap to stay balanced.

7. Standard bent steel bridges. AAAAAMATEUR. Those things have no sustain, and are terrible to replace strings. I can't believe an American made Fender will still have that crappy old stamped steel bridge. If I pay $1000 for a bass, I want a bridge that doesn't suck!

8. Glossy painted necks. My hand sticks to those like glue and slows me down. Satin finish or oil finish. And if I can get it unpainted, excellent.

9. Tree trunk necks. Sorry Warwick, I know you make a great product, but you guys make your necks wider than Oprah Winfrey's thighs. Wider than Rosie O'Donnell's ass. Wider than Celine Dion's ego.

10. Four stringers. I feel completely clumsy only having four strings. 5 or more for me for the rest of my life. I need to be able to drop low for really thick chords.
 
#54
Deal-breakers

1. Neck dive
2. Narrow string width at bridge - I can't fit my fat fingers between the strings
3. No place to anchor my thumb - this is more a function of my own lack of technique, but if there is not an edge where I can put my thumb at a place that my hand naturally wants to be - it is not worth the effort (and no one wants to listen to the result)
4. Inaccessible truss rods - previously covered by others, I got spoiled with the truss rod adjustment in my USA Millennium.
5. Really chunky necks especially from front to back - my hands can handle wide but have trouble with deep.

Things I am not fond of but can (and sometimes do) live with

6. Bad battery compartment doors - 2 screws on the Millennium
7. V/V/T control layout - I prefer a blend knob
8. Too much radius - I prefer flatter
9. Tone pots that seem to have all their adjustment power over 1/4 of their sweep.
 
#56
Kelly Lee said:
1) "Photo flame" tops
2) Cheap tuners
3) Input jacks on the face of the bass
4) Thick baseball bat type necks
5) Pickguards
6) Gold hardware (unless it's on a black bass)
7) Tone control(s) that only allow you to boost and not cut.
8) Cheesy inlays
9) Sharp edged bridges
10) Heavy basses
Click to expand...

Those are excellent additions... but what is a "photo flame" top?
 
#57
1) 4 string nut less than 1.62", 5 string less than 1.87" I need wide necks.
2) Unlined fretless
3) 1 and 2 are about it, really.

You guys are a tough crowd. Gloss neck? Sure. Thunderbird body shape? Gimme neckdive. Gold hardware? Can be swapped out. Pickguards? Sure. Heavy? Just means you gotta play it like you mean it. Funky truss rod access? I've got five minutes. Thick ass neck? Gimme beef. Cheap hardware? Replaced.

I mean, on one bass, that'd be a lot, but a cheap tuner or a gloss neck isn't a deal breaker for me. Looks good, sounds good, but is heavy and isn't properly balanced? Let's go. One pickup, wired straight to the face mounted jack? Party at my house. 3 strings? Let's do eet. 7? Baby got back.

But, it looks like I'm easy.
 
#59
let's see if I can come up with 10...

1. Over elaborate preamp congigurations. I don't believe in onboard eq'ing, probably why I prefer passive electronics. I can see why some people like onboard eq'ing but I have never felt like I need it.

2. Changing batteries - I have that!

3. Painted necks

4. Anything other than black hardware. In some cases gold harware looks good.

5. Pastel/neon colored basses.

6. basses with less than 4 strings.

I tried, but couldn't think of 10.
 
#60
I'll agree with the general theme in a lot of posts:

1) No reason for basses to not have easily accessible AND usable truss rods... every luthier should look at the Sadowsky design... classy, you can hardly see it, totally usable!

2) Battery compartments.... Everyone should look at Chris Celinder's design ( or at least what he uses... probably not his design)... a simple flip up battery compartment on the rear route cover... so you don't have an extra route in the back wood, but still have easy access to changing the battery.


On a pure personal note... I hate when basses get too over the top with wooden pickup covers AND multilaminations AND wooden knobs, etc., etc..... starts losing the vibe of what the bass is all about to me. Any one or two of the above is OK, but then it starts to get silly IMO!
 

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