Basses bassists bad-mouth

[Larryfales]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If an instrument performs as it was designed to do, at the price point it was meant to serve why would you badmouth it? What you might view as junk, in the right hands could completely blow you off the stage. A good musician never blames the instrument.

 

[Tubehed]

I think opinions are fine as long as they are expressed respectfully. No harm in saying you don't care for something or it is just not your thing. As long as you can recognize that if someone likes what you don't, their opinion is just as valid. I don't see that as bad-mouthing. Bad-mouthing comes from ignorance, arrogance and/or insecurity.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

About the only bass I'll bad mouth is that damn green Dean that seems to be hanging in every Guitar Center. Neon green body, finger board and headstock. But even then, I'm mostly joking. I hate it and I'll recommend any other bass if you're buying one. But if that's what you play, rock it!

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Funny thing is, I have the bad habit of criticizing certain basses. It's a hard habit to break but...

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I've never heard of Gamma basses, but I like the headstock shape.

They are not the Alphas but then they aren't the Omegas either. They just get the job done whether it is laying down the groove or snagging sheep's feet (JK!).

 

[Leigh Semmens]

Fender has its detractors, Rickenbacker, too.
Some people put down Dean basses and I'm sure there are others, but Gamma gets nothing but gruff, from what I've read.
Haven't played it in over a year.
Only P bass I own.
Stored away with some other gear...I have eight other basses...I took it for a spin yesterday and it was like driving a classic car, no nonsense, it simply gets the job done.
Passive, pure and potent...I couldn’t put it down!

For some reason, it has a very expressive tone control

That Blue pickup looks wild, I bet you get some Really bright tones out of that one!

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Everything I post is a fact or an opinion.

It's for the rest of you to decide which is which.

 

[Dust2Dust]

Out of all my basses (none are over $550/US) my favorite is a simple Squier Affinity, and the Squier Mini P in my avatar is a close second. I really calmed down and quit worrying about what other players thought after I met more than one guy that had a $1800 bass but thought a circle of fifths was a drinking game

 

[Dincrest]

I generally only badmouth gear that's poorly constructed garbage that's a waste of anyone's money.

Otherwise, I'm more of a "it's a great bass, just not great for me." For example, a Spector I used to own was a great bass, but its ergonomics didn't suit me at all, ergo it wasn't great for me.

As for basses that don't seem to get much love on Talkbass... I feel like ESP/LTD basses are kinda slept on. I never set out to be an ESP/LTD guy, but the hands of musical fate put those in my hands and they've been my keepers. 2 of my 3 LTDs were bought to be backups/seconds and ended up being preferred over nicer #1's.

I also find it amusing that the Schecter Stiletto Studio gets a lukewarm reception on TalkBass, yet I've seen a significant number of working/gigging bassists slinging those. Bone stock to boot. They're too busy PlayBass than TalkBass and their Schecter Stiletto Studio basses are the weapons they musically slay with.

 

[Nev375]

If I badmouth a bass it's usually a specific one, not an entire brand. Every maker has their gems and lemons.

And there's usually a reason for it. Like my early 70's EB-0 is a complete hunk of junk with a bent neck that I don't think can be fixed.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

I'm not fond of pointy instruments. I try not to bash tho.
Lol the alliteration of this title is not only a tongue twister it's also a brain twister!

 

[Five or Six]

Some people love Harley's and bad mouth any other brand. Same is true of basses. Some die in the wool Fender guys will bad mouth anything else. Whose the fool in either case?!

 

[retslock]

Fender has its detractors, Rickenbacker, too.
Some people put down Dean basses and I'm sure there are others, but Gamma gets nothing but gruff, from what I've read.
Haven't played it in over a year.
Only P bass I own.
Stored away with some other gear...I have eight other basses...I took it for a spin yesterday and it was like driving a classic car, no nonsense, it simply gets the job done.
Passive, pure and potent...I couldn’t put it down!

For some reason, it has a very expressive tone control

I see plenty of basses that I don’t like on TB and some are highly esteemed. I have commented a few times but I’ve learnt now not to criticise them anymore. Only just to say that they aren’t my preference. It’s all subjective so it doesn’t matter if I don’t like a bass that others like.

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I try to avoid "badmouthing" any instrument, however, I've had enough experience in owning/repairing instruments that I don't mind calling out recognized (not opinion) design flaws. Cheap cast metal bridges, poor fit and finish, noisy electronics, failure-prone preamps, unbalanced (neck heavy)designs... this I don't mind speaking out about, especially if it helps a prospective buyer with this info.

 

[DaveParker39]

At the end of the day, the right player with a bass they vibe, whatever it is, provided it is half-decently set up and intonated, is gonna sound great
Play what makes you want to play. If that's a $200 maligned bass, fine, whatever works.
I guarantee when I pull out my NS-1 no one says "man that sounds about $5k better than the other bass he used the first half of the set"

 

[Grinderman]

I just thought of one, just in case anyone might consider acquiring an Acoustic Model 126; also my first bass amp. It was such a load--a heavy load at that--of farting and smoking not-my-kind-of-amp.


It blows my mind that people still buy or sell these in the 21st Century for between $400 and $800.

How?

Why?

Link Removed



I'm pretty sure the traumatic memories of this amp are why I keep coming back to owning an SVT.

 

[REV]

I have a bassist friend who plays a 70's era MIJ bass. The only thing he has changed on the bass are the pickups. Same crappy tuners, same crappy bridge. He works almost every week and has been playing this bass for at least 25 years.

 

[tb-player]

I bad-mouthed a bass once. Got a warning from a moderator. Lesson learned!

 

[whero]

There are a lot of (bass-related) things I don't like. I'm not a fan of Danelectro Longhorns, Hofner-type violin basses, almost all Gibson basses that aren't Thunderbirds, most very pointy basses, sunburst finishes, tort pick guards... I could go on (and on, and on...)

But while I don't personally like them, I don't badmouth them. I recognise that some people like things I don't, and that plenty of people will not like things I do. The world would be a pretty damned boring place if we were all the same.

Also, I just don't have the energy for it. People seem to put a lot of time and effort into putting stuff down. Meh. Unless it's actually dangerous. Like, if there was a brand of amplifier that would literally burst into flames and burn your house down in the middle of the night, that would be worth the effort of telling people about. Otherwise I'll keep my opinions to myself, until such time as anyone asks for them.

 

[Fender_Bender]

Send her over to me. I’ll keep her company.