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Basses that disappointed you...

#301
perfektspace6 said:
Assorted Roscoes I have tried. Sounded "hollow", like they were missing something.

They all had swamp ash bodies which I am not partial to so this may have been part of the issue.
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Wow your the first person to say a Roscoe sounds hallow. The tone on a Roscoe is what bass many players love that are into the modern sound. I love the super punchy sound they produce that cuts through any mix and the slap tone and finger style is to die for those barts sing on those basses. What rig did you have it hooked up and also what eq setttings were you using?
 
#305
Biga173rd said:
Man Sting Rays are not getting alot of love and I agree that is the number one bass I dislike big time. I hate there necks hate the electronics and there too dam heavy the string spacing on there 5 string to narrow. Also Warwicks as well if your a big wide guy the corvette and the thumb bass looks tiny the design are to small and narrow and there necks feel like your playing on a 2x4 not feeling there necks period. Conklins there fugly as well lol.
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I've sold a couple of MMs in the past year - 2 SRs and a Sterling - because the electronics are quite aggressive and suited pretty much for rock and funk only. But, I did find the necks quite comfortable to play and quite liked the narrower string spacing on the 5-string. They were also very heavy instruments and the low B on the 5 was loose and flabby-sounding. However, the limited electronics was the biggest reason I sold them.

I recently bought, for less than half the cost of a new SR5, a Kingston MTD KZ5. This is a fantastic bass, built to a very high standard (in China!), quality tone woods, very comfortable to play and good electronics suitable for a range of musical styles. Although at some stage I may replace the stock electronics with Bartolinis, this bass beats my old SRs hands down.
 
#306
Megazap63 said:
Seriously?
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I played a Sandberg once and I prefer a nice Squier anytime, too...

Also this:
ksandvik said:
True. People get a cheaper non MIA Squier or something similar, replace the bridge with a Badass II, new tuners, new pickups, new pickguard, new nut, fret job and whatever and hey this is now the same price as a low end MIA...
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But I gotta say, the Squier CV and VM are also pretty solid stock instruments.
 
#310
+1 to playing what you want and like. We all are going to like some basses and not others. It really is personal perference when it comes down to it all. I play Fender Precision basses, not because everyone else does or because it says Fender on it, but because I love the feel and tone of them. I find it kinda funny for those who cannot believe some are choosing Squier's over Fender basses. The Squier's that are coming out these days are huge improvements over the ones released in the past. The Vintage Modified Squier basses for example are phenomenal basses and a great value. It's all what our ears hear and sound best as well and we all know we have different tastes there too and perhaps some of our ears are tone prone and some are experiencing a bit of hearing loss ;)
 
#313
Carvin BB75 from about 1992. Everything about the craftsmanship (read: fit and finish—I'm sure it was largely mass-produced) seemed right. It was even quite pretty. It just played and sounded "wrong". I have no words to describe it any better than that.
 
#314
DogBone said:
You know, I would also blame Paul McCartney for all RIC gas.

Lemmy, Geddy, Chris Squire, Cliff Burton, etc,

And how many folks today want Rics because of one or more of those guys?
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I'll admit first guy i saw playing a ric was Paul McCartney. But he wasnt the one who got me hooked on the bass. But i loved it cause they were so hard to find in montreal.

I settled for a copy cause the 4003 series that i tried at local music shop didnt cut it for me(expensive obvs. and didnt feel right for me compared to my rickenfaker)

But i guess Paul Simonon of the clash got me hooked just a little bit on the ric body shape.
 
#316
Big fan of Geddy Lee. So, jumped at the chance of playing a Rickenbacker (4003?).

Most uncomfortable bass ever. Heavy as hell, uncomfortable balance, sticky neck finish, the pickup holes got in my way, couldn't get good tone out of it to save my life, everything felt just wrong.

/now I have a maple-fingerboard Jazz Bass and am finally happy. Though there's some gas in the direction of a vintage (2-band) Stingray due to Pedro Aznar... :P
 
#317
Sadowsky 4 string, every part of me wanted to love this bass. Looks were great, strung it with new Sr2000 strings, but couldn't get a good sound out of it. Felt very lifeless and blah sound wise.

Also didn't like the ric at all, played one from 1977. Couldn't see why anyone would want that thing. Then I came to talkbass and saw 500 threads on why people want them!
 
#318
In 1985 I ordered an Ibanez RB850 from the catalog in the Music Store where I worked on looks alone, and the fact that Ibby basses had served me well at that time. Bass arrived, I unboxed it, set it up and it was the worst feeling bass I've ever held. Felt like the body was balsa wood, neck felt hollow, the strings flopped around, and it possessed the worst acoustic tone I've ever experienced. I never got as far as to plugging it in. It went up on the wall and some kid bought it couple of weeks later.
 
#319
Fender Jazz Base USA (the one with the s-switch)
The s-switch keeps getting stuck, the strap button screw is loose (the hole is bigger than the screw), and sounds dull and dead. All this since the first day
ANY of my cheap Asian basses has a better build quality.

Is Homer Simpson working at Fender?
 
#320
kombi said:
Sandbergs? Hm... I try to not care about the looks of a bass (on the inside we all do anyway :P), but I don't really like the look of them. Well, I didn't like sound, didn't like the look, it played well but that's it. Nothing compared to my Rickenfaker or the Squier CV (except the fat neck)...
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For me, looks are def a part of buying a bass. If it looks ugly, I will be mad everytime I pick it up. Even it it played great...I just couldnt do it. The same thing with motorcycles.(anyone who rides knows what I mean) The look is part of it. I guess im picky but when I get a bass it has to look, feel, play, and sound great. Otherwise its not worth my hard earned money.

And I agree that PART of the reason I dont like fenders is that they have been the same for 50 years and as someone else said, they "are selling like hotcakes."
 

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