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Basses that just sound BAD...

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#224
well, i have an ampeg fretless scroll bass that has, what i can only assume is a stock fender p-bass pickup from the time the bass was new (this was ,im told, quite common when the scroll basses were in production), and it sounded bad......at first; then i worked with it, tweaked the highs on the amp and compressor and so on, and now it sounds really cool!

you just have to give it some tlc and a little imagination and im sure you can get interesting, useful tones out of any bass.
 
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#227
I personally dont like the Squier P basses, never heard one of thier jazz's

And i dont like the lower model SR's (with active pickups), a friend of mine had one that ounded just blah

Love the ergodynes personally (especially the EDA and the newer models of the EDC that were made with the triple coil), everyones gotta love the Ibanez ATK's tho :smug:

Dont like BC Rich basses that ive heard, and i dont like the sound of any gibson basses ive heard (altho not heard a ripper yet)
 
#228
i like tictacs said:
Cort.

Absolutley disgusting.
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depends. I have a Josh Paul 5 (with Bartolinis) as my back-up to my Bongo 5 - I think my JP5 sounds pretty good! at first, I thought the B string was a bit dull, but I changed strings and bingo, nice sound.

I find the JP5 very vibrant, yet warm. A nice guitar! so not sure what you mean.
 
#229
My Soundgear 5 (purchased used) actually gets a great sound...as far as the active electronics go. Very versatile, clean, and punchy. (I almost like the sound as well as my Spector Euro through an identical rig!) However, the bass has other "issues", such as a screwed-up truss rod which can't be tweaked any further, and a low B that sounds like dookie, even with DR Hi-beams. But as a 4-string bass, it sounds great! (LOL) Hey, why is it that the E string on a 5 string bass sounds Sooooooooooooo good? Is it just THIS bass, or is that common? (Since my 5-string playing experience is limited to my Ibanez, and ones that I've played in stores.) I'm serious, that bass's E-string (regardless of brand/gauge) has the most defined, and bright tone I've ever heard!
 
#230
Squier PBass definitely sounds like crap, maybe it was just the one I played, but the action was super high, the tone control did virtually nothing, and it had absolutely no punch or real low end whatsoever.

Maybe the 'P' stands for p*ss bass. :eyebrow: They shouldn't even market these things IMO. Get something that you can grow into, not out of.


Oog :hmm:
 
#231
that being said, I was very underwhelmed by Dean basses - but of course they don't cost very much!

Clearly, you get what you pay for. I never thought a couple of years ago that I would really rather play a $1300 bass - but now I am. yes, there IS a difference (Love my Bongo 5)
 
#233
I would also add that my Rick 4003's Bartolini replacement neck pickup is THE ABSOLUTE WORST sounding pickup I recall having ever heard! I only use the bridge Bart, then crank the bass a bit on my Sansamp Bass Driver to get the sound I want. That neck pickup is COMPLETELY uselss - nothing but mud! (Very reminiscent of an old, hollow-body 60's bass -with crappy flatwounds!) And I ain't talkin' punchy mud, either! Could it be that there is a problem with the installation? I DID have the bridge pickup installed in the neck position, and vice-versa on the advice of Mr. Bartoloni, himself. (Back in the day when he wasn't too busy to bother with taking tech-related phone calls!) Unfortunately, that switch is now irreversible, bacause I had to actually "force" the pickup into the Rick's chrome pickup ring, resulting in tearing up the outer surface (skin) of the pickup. I simply haven't bothered re-installing the original Rick pickup, because it frankly sounded lousy too, and I like the sound of the bridge alone just fine - much more bottom than the original. Anyway, that's my vote for worst sounding "pickup", whether the fault of the installation or the characteristics of the pickup, itself.
 
#234
geshel said:
Simon Gallup of the Cure gets IMO great sound from an EB-2. Distinct and round.
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Actually he plays a custom made Eccleshall semie accoustic bass. Similar to the ones used by Peter Hook of New Order.

It differes from a Gibson by having a full scale 34' inch neck, and active electronics

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#236
Oogenstein said:
Squier PBass definitely sounds like crap, maybe it was just the one I played, but the action was super high, the tone control did virtually nothing, and it had absolutely no punch or real low end whatsoever.

Maybe the 'P' stands for p*ss bass. :eyebrow: They shouldn't even market these things IMO. Get something that you can grow into, not out of.


Oog :hmm:
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exact same with the one i played (it was a friends)

a proper P is good tho
 
#238
Flat out, the Ibanez SR305DX.
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That bass just has NOTHING going for it. Unslappable, and I just found out yesterday it was an active bass. My school's had it for 5 years, running on the same battery (Which was obviously dead)
I just can't stand this bass, the B string is too floppy, and gets it in the way all the time. Gah. IMPOSSIBLE to get a half decent sound out of it, could be the amp though.
 
#240
I tried out a $4000 Tobias six string... it sounded horrible, I was sorely dissappointed

I also never liked the feel and playability of Inbanez, Schecter, Spector, or Washburne. I have tried higher and lower end models of all these and never found anything positive about them.

But worst sounding? I'd have to go with Spector, I pretty much found them unplayable
 
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