Basses that just sound BAD...

[lousybassplayer]

No.

Perhaps a majority of posts and threads are ridiculous in "Basses."

Nearly all "tone" discussions are ridiculous. Think about it.

Too true, too true. Perhaps we need to specify that we are looking for which cheap basses sound like crap for metal compared to a Fender, but why you should buy that SX instead of the Fodera anyway? I mean the tone is all in the color of the set screw on the tone knob, ain't it?

 

[Tim Schnautz]

Clearly some of you are having problems understanding the concept of a bass being DESIGNED to sound a certain way. Just because YOU don't personally find that sound useful to YOU, that doesn't mean it is a "bad sound".

Take the EB-O for example. It was never designed to give a "piano like bass tone". It was designed from day one to give a big, fat, thuddy low end rumble, and if you need a bass that gives that sound, it is a amazing sounding bass.

Stop trying to fit "square pegs into round holes" and you will be much happier in life.

Well, before the flaming starts, I may as well have taken the "E" sting off my slot-head EBO-L. Even jack-hammering on it with a heavy pic, for all practical purposes, it was non existent. I think Gibson put it on there for looks. but playing finger-style, it did make a good thumb rest.

 

[Yakob]

Lakends and Older Fender Precision basses sound pretty horrible! That famous session bass player lady Janes Jameson had a pretty dead awful tone on those old Detroit funk tunes like by The beach boys, Mavin Gaines and the Supremes Stevy wonder. She Used an old Fender, just awful. What do you guys think? I like 6 string basses with really low action and accentuated highs and high mids, especially when it is a blues bass player that is slapping alot of the time!

I know. Who wants a warm, pleasant tone that will be remembered by generations?

Like that stupid Mr. Carver Kaye... YEESH!

 

[Tim Schnautz]

And Hofner's are horrible beyond words. ZERO sustain. Horrible tone. Bad intonation. By FAR the WORST bass I ever played irrespective of price. And Oh yeah. Just as icing on the cake, you get slide switches for that intermittent static on your tone that we all know and love.

Eh, IMHO I don't know about that. McCartney made his sound pretty good, and he also made a lot of cash with it too!

 

[Krügmeister]

Back in the 90's I was in Boston and had my Foundation, I loved that bass and people were like.. dude, get rid of it... it's not a REAL bass, so I took it into a music shop and considered hollowing the pickups out and having some humbuckers custom -fitted.
As we went over the price and everything the guy said, yeah it'll sound different.. but it will still just be a peavey.... I packed it up and walked out in disbelief ... had these people even played a Peavey.
MANY years later as I look over my foundation bass , I wonder what carnage I would have brought to my old friend... as I got older I realized that the super-ferrites were incredible sounding and I was letting brand names dictate how i felt about basses.
Ironically enough I placed my foundation in the case and bought a Jackson Concert custom with JUST the piezo bridge pickups to get the right "playing credit"... it was THE WORST sounding and playing bass I have ever heard or played.
On my bass rack today I can still hear my Foundation laughing at me for being such a gear snob sell-out... my Jackson bass would have served me better as a wall decoration than a bass... seriously what a horrible bass that was... BTW My foundation has forgiven me and continues to be my best sounding bass I have EVER played.

 

[nostatic]

Take the EB-O

[henny youngman]
Please!
[/henny youngman]

 

[punkjazzben]

This thread is really old... I was 14 when it started, now I'm 22.

I wonder if opinions have changed? I mean, in 2002 there were a lot of posts about Ibanez basses and their bad sound. Has that changed?

Are Rogues still around?

Wow... old thread.

 

[Mudfuzz]

Good question.

I still think Alembics and Padulas sound bad.... [well the few I have played did, but they aren't very common, so I might have just run into "the" bad ones]

 

[Tim Schnautz]

Relax Ben, you'll get over it. when you're my age, this thread seems like it started last month.

rogues? probably under a whole different names. Same bass, different brand

 

[punkjazzben]

Relax Ben, you'll get over it. when you're my age, this thread seems like it started last month.

rogues? probably under a whole different names. Same bass, different brand

Haha, good point!

While I'm at it, I'd have to say a couple of Ashton basses I used to own were pretty horrible. A five string with a not-quite-right PJ configuration (I have this awful feeling the P and the J were designed for a 4 banger; the string spacing WAS awfully tight) and a floppy as hell B string, and a fretless 4 that was just dead - despite being active.

Also, I can't seem to make a Fender J sound good - but, I love the way other people play them. Go figure!

 

[Ric5]

In 1980 I owned a short scale Gibson EBO in candy apple red. The single, large humbucker at the neck was the proverbial "puddle of mud."

I had an EBO about 1972 ... that bass did one thing well and couldn't do anything else.

 

[nostatic]

I had an EBO about 1972 ... that bass did one thing well and couldn't do anything else.

Paper weight?

Fungo bat?

Kindling?

 

[cynical-rabbit]

This gross Samick bass I have to play in jazz band. It just sounds bland.

 

[Captain Scrummy]

The first bass I ever owned, an Ibanez sb900le. Not only was the tone just plain weird, the bridge sucked (as did the action), the input jack was kinda sideways into the body, and the neck as well as the body where way skinny, making it feel like it was gonna break in half.

 

[ghostjs]

epiphone EB-0...

 

[BobKos]

Stingray. Clank, clank. Except for the G string which makes no noise at all.

 

[no1likesme]

And Hofner's are horrible beyond words. ZERO sustain. Horrible tone. Bad intonation. By FAR the WORST bass I ever played irrespective of price. And Oh yeah. Just as icing on the cake, you get slide switches for that intermittent static on your tone that we all know and love. Feh.

I could not possibly disagree more. The absolute greatest sounding bass I have ever come into contact with was a '66 hofner 500/1. As far as sustain, I agree that it doesn't have much. However, I see that as more of a pro than a con. I absolutely despise the sterile modern "piano" like tone.

 

[lneal]

THE PEAVEY T-40 IS THE WORST SOUNDING BASS EVER! END OF DISCUSSION!

Gotta love them n00bs, eh.

 

[slopeshoulder]

I don't like basses that have no high end of sustain, AND basses that have too much high end.
I like full range round tone.

 

[TripleDouble]

I had a late 70's P and an early 70's tele bass, both of which i really wanted to not sound totally wretched. But they did. Just awful. Bad versions of what should have been classic fender tone. I have a Hondo P these days that I keep in the trunk of my car with no case that sounds a lot better than both of them put together. And Like krugmeister says, my peavey foundation (why did i sell that?) and subsequent MIM and CIJ fenders have all sounded better than those basses that are going for top dollar around here. and I am now old and ugly and don't care what I look like, so...