Basses that just sound BAD...

[Thunderthumbs73]

Bad sounding basses?

Basses that are too loud in the mix. Basses that too soft in the mix. Basses that don't work in the music. I dunno, thinking about some ways basses can sound bad without pissing on someone's favorite, specific, bass or bass tone.

 

[PsyDocHill]

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

Subjective opinions, all of these, but I will rally to the support of my beloved Stingray (Stingray5).

"Clank, clank?" Time for: (a) Selling that bass if you still have it. You've disgraced it; you no longer deserve to own it. (b) Checking your amp and cords. (c) Getting an audiogram. (d) Doing your own thing and respecting others.'

My current five-string and my now-sold four-string fit my funk-bill, and I'm grateful. Specifically: I need to cut through the mix, with some high-end to spare, when I play funk-rock, which is often. And....

Nothing touches my Stingray5 H in that dept. My love of the bass and its sound is subjective. But its ability to funk through the mix is objective: I've got about 50 sound -men and -women to testify. Shall I call them to the stand?

Have fun with your dead strings.

 

[bassramos]

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, Marvin Gays and the Supremes Stevy wonder. She Used an old Fender, just awful. What do you guys think? I like 6 string basses with 18 volt preamps. especially played pby a funky bass player that is slapping alot of the time and can tap efficiently! Victor Wootin and Bill Dicken have incredible tone ad are probably the best bass players in the world

 

[bassramos]

this guy has a wonderful tone in his bass and is a Brilliant solo bass player

 

[PsyDocHill]

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.

Seems that you like the woody "double-bass" muffled thump. Don't you think you're wasting a bit too much psychic energy Absolutely Despising basses capable of producing the "'sterile' modern 'piano' like tone?" After all: Most of those basses can sound totally different with different strings (say, remove the stainless-steels and slap on some alt-set?), and, also, "sterile" is a ridiculous indictment of a sound. What's a "sterile" sound? Funny, the Who's what's-his-name bassist didn't sound "sterile" with his stainless-steel rotosounds w/the treble way up and the bass way down.

Unlike you and me, he revolutionized bass playing.

Hardly sterile, a revolution: That much I know.

Play your muffled bass and enjoy it. Some will share your preference; plenty won't.

 

[Space-Man]

I agree on the Gibson EB-0. Fart bass! Geezer Butler and Allen Woody (RIP) had the worst tone!

I like Geezer's tone, and I've never actually heard much from Allen Woody, but I can think
of a tone that's absolutely awful, Univox Hi-Flyer basses, plywood.

 

[spade2you]

Can we kill this zombie thread? Do we seriously need more threads on what people think sound bad?

 

[PsyDocHill]

How? I mean fuzz bass ain't for everybody, but I can think of Worse tones.

Oh, yeah, Geezer Butler, the guy who dragged blues-bass kicking and, yep, fuzzing into metal and hard rock.

I like his tone on the old Sabbath albums. I don't like to produce it myself.

If I could produce it myself and go back in a time-machine and become famous and influential and own a castle like Geezer, I'd swallow my pride.

There's too much ego among musos anyhow, obscure (like most of us) or ridiculously well-known. Geezer's one of the most modest successful bassists on the planet. Diss him to your heart's content. It's like an English major giving "one star" to a Faulkner novel on Amazon. I suspect the late, great Nobel-prize winner doesn't really care whatcha think, English 101. Or even English PhD. Ditto here.

Every bassist that we love or love to hate has a sound all his/her own (or you wouldn't have noticed him/her/it). Our taste dictates what we like, that's all. And there's nothing wrong with liking a whole bunch of "sounds:" I like Geezer's, I like Larry Graham's, I like JPJ's...Claypool's awesome in my book...boring....

Let's spend our time practicing or going on dates or something instead of dumping on the basses of successful musicians.

 

[Barnabas]

Oh man, I had this Dingwall once...
But really, the worst bass I ever owned was this old Danelectro. Terrible tone, poorly built, yechh.
But it's all about the tone YOU want. Some people like Danos.
Heck, CT himself said he could get nice tones out of one.
Maybe I didn't try hard enough...

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

A bass that isn't played well or appropriately for the music sounds bad: I don't care if it's a pre-CBS Precision bass played through a vintage Ampeg, if you're doing the disco octave thing throughout a country song, or slapping the thing like Flea on a slow country ballad... ...uhh, that's gonna sound bad.

It's not about the gear.

 

[PsyDocHill]

Can we kill this zombie thread? Do we seriously need more threads on what people think sound bad?

I, a member of the jury, vote "kill."

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

Can we kill this zombie thread? Do we seriously need more threads on what people think sound bad?

+1

 

[PsyDocHill]

Bad sounding basses?

Basses that are too loud in the mix. Basses that too soft in the mix. Basses that don't work in the music. I dunno, thinking about some ways basses can sound bad without pissing on someone's favorite, specific, bass or bass tone.

I remember you from another, very different thread (i.e., useful). You're definitely a Virginia Gentleman: You make my former home-state (yeah, I adopted Mizzou) proud.

Rock/Jazz/etc. on.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

I remember you from another, very different thread (i.e., useful). You're definitely a Virginia Gentleman: You make my former home-state (yeah, I adopted Mizzou) proud.

Rock/Jazz/etc. on.

Thanks. It is good to be remembered in a good way. Much appreciated.

 

[t0t0m]

I think fingers and playing technique are the main factor to determine good/bad sounding bass.
I have a friend of mine using a cort made in Indonesia bass, and let me tell you, the sound was so good.

It's the man behind the bass that important.

 

[flipper_gv]

HERE IS THE RULE OF TB:

People think what they have is the best gear in the world, and every thing else is crap!

 

[Revvv]

As far as I am concerned, a Ric sounds like garbage. My opinion.

 

[Jason P Bass]

Can we kill this zombie thread? Do we seriously need more threads on what people think sound bad?

On that topic, I nominate "Fender Jazz Bass". Yuck.

 

[PsyDocHill]

I think fingers and playing technique are the main factor to determine good/bad sounding bass.
I have a friend of mine using a cort made in Indonesia bass, and let me tell you, the sound was so good.

It's the man behind the bass that important.

...if you're Jaco. Not Jaco. That's okay; there was only one and he's sadly prematurely playing bass in a friendlier place, I surmise, thanks to a bouncer with a subterranean IQ. And yet...it's still greatly in the fingers, regardless of who you are. As long as your bass works (even just a bit) and your strings are undead, it's all in your fingers. The rest is nothing but commentary, frosting.

Well put, t0t0m.

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

HERE IS THE RULE OF TB:

People think what they have is the best gear in the world, and every thing else is crap!

So close but no cigar.

Here's how it REALLY goes:

People KNOW what they have is the best gear in the world, and they KNOW every thing else is crap!

You were 90% there.



I KNOW I have the best $40 Harmony Precision Bass copy in the world. And I KNOW your $40 Harmony Precision Bass copy is crappier than mine! (and that's saying something...)