I think Allen Woody had a great tone... fat, yet unlike most EB-2s every note was distinct. The sound fit Gov't Mule's music perfectly. He sometimes used Gibson Thunderbirds, and they had a great tone, too. I guess everyone has different taste...
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Basses that just sound BAD...
- Thread starter uglybassplayer
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I think Allen Woody had a great tone... fat, yet unlike most EB-2s every note was distinct. The sound fit Gov't Mule's music perfectly. He sometimes used Gibson Thunderbirds, and they had a great tone, too. I guess everyone has different taste...
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
- 4,014
- 65
- Disclosures
- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
I really think any bass (design, some individual ones can be total crap of course) can sound "good" given the right context. Simon Gallup of the Cure gets IMO great sound from an EB-2. Distinct and round.
I can't think of any bass that I just can't stand no matter what.
I can't think of any bass that I just can't stand no matter what.
If I might be so bold as to take back what I said earlier, I must say that any bass will sound good in the hands of someone who knows how to play it properly (i e in a way that suits the genre in question, not Jaco good). I don't care what bass James McNew plays (even though I've seen him with a Fender J), for example. It really isn't that important, is it? Great music is great music, no matter what.
That just sound BAD? Sounds like a that 70 doller rouge to me. as far as expensve models that don't live up. Hofner. maybe it's just me. but i didnt find them worth THAT much money.
hey there Theodore ,
i must let you know that there was at least one soundgear with actives that you would probably have liked , the one ive had SR1100E , the oiled ash body gave it a warmth no other SR gave , maybe it was a one off ??? , i used it soley for 9 years of pub gigs , 2 albums and even a car drove over it in its case [ no jokes please ! ] , i first heard it when a friend of mine owned it , going through a Boss parametric pedal straight into a 300 watt power amp out of one 15 . totally narly.
i must let you know that there was at least one soundgear with actives that you would probably have liked , the one ive had SR1100E , the oiled ash body gave it a warmth no other SR gave , maybe it was a one off ??? , i used it soley for 9 years of pub gigs , 2 albums and even a car drove over it in its case [ no jokes please ! ] , i first heard it when a friend of mine owned it , going through a Boss parametric pedal straight into a 300 watt power amp out of one 15 . totally narly.
Planet Boulder
Hey, this is a private residence...man
- Nov 10, 2001
- 4,014
- 65
- Disclosures
- I once had impure thoughts. Oh, and I pluck my ear hair.
I vote Gibson Les Paul for the worst sound. Sounded like a fart in the bathtub. I have been playing 40 years now and have owned about 500 basses. My fav's are Fender Jazz, Fender P., Warwick Thumb bass and Hofner violin bass of Hofner Club bass. If you know how to uses the basses for the sound they naturally project you will do well. I play with fingers 80% and Pick the other. I can make a Hofner Sound just like and upright with a SanAmp and an Aleis nono comp.
There are no bad basses, just bad players. I have a hondo defretted p-bass copy that I wouldnt sell for anything. Ive played it for so long that Ive gotten used to the little nuances that can make it sound truly unique. If anyone else plays it though, it sounds like mud. Just because you cant make a bass sound good or that it doesnt fit your style doesnt make it bad.
Ya know, I used cheap SR's back in the day and loved them. I have a Lakland Skyline that I am selling, so I need a new backup. I went over to GC and played a nice looking SR485 and thought it was great for the money....hmm, I will probably buy it. It doesn't compare to my ZON, but it is about 1/5 of the price, and about half as good, works for me!!!
-Chris
-Chris
I agree that in the right hands a good player can get a good sound out of a bass that may sound terrible in a less experinced player. However, I could not get what I would call a decent sound out of a Les Paul (beautiful looking) bass. Unless you like the bubble sound it makes.
It's hard to find an instrument I can't get a useable sound out of if I had to, and the LP bass certainly wasn't the worst I tried. But I generally dislike most neckthrubody basses, many exotic hardwood basses, bad-preamp basses, most Washburn basses. These also include Alembics, Ken Smiths, Spectors, Warwicks, Yamahas, Ibanez's.
I've heard good sounds coming from most basses mentioned by posters here, including all kinds of horrible Gibsons (J.Bruce, Carles Benavent), Hohner (McSomebody), Washburn (Paul Simon's guy).
In case you wonder: I like Fender, Lakland, MM for instance. In a pinch, I'd rather do a gig on a borrowed Squier or OLP than an Alembic.
> I had one in the early 80s and the ONE thing I did dig was the pickup "In phase/out of phase" toggle switch. It was the only bass that could get that tone Ross Valory (who was playing a T40 at the time) was using all over Journey's Escape album (see: "Don't stop believing" & "Who's crying now").
However the neck on mine went to hell in about 2 years.
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>MAN! I always wondered how he got that tone! It was in my old T-40? I gotta get another one!
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I always thought Don't Stop Believing was done on his Steinberger XL-2.
Basses w/weak pups or faulty electronics (buzz, crackling) sound bad. Some older cheap imports came w/ weak pups, most new ones seem ok to me. Sorry, no specific brands in mind.
However the neck on mine went to hell in about 2 years.
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>MAN! I always wondered how he got that tone! It was in my old T-40? I gotta get another one!
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I always thought Don't Stop Believing was done on his Steinberger XL-2.
Basses w/weak pups or faulty electronics (buzz, crackling) sound bad. Some older cheap imports came w/ weak pups, most new ones seem ok to me. Sorry, no specific brands in mind.
Those rogues, they just sound hollow.
But on a more positive note, those Carlo Robellis or what not sound pretty decent for the money.
But on a more positive note, those Carlo Robellis or what not sound pretty decent for the money.
Though one of the worse basses I ever played was this used MIJ Jazz Bass. I was looking for a fretless bass at the time and wound up going to the local music store because they said they had a used Jazz. I walked up to it and it was scratched so bad, you could see the woodgrain underneath. It had flatwound strings on it that were so old they were pulling apart. (I wish music stores would just slap on the cheapest set of Snarling Workdogs strings they have when they get used instruments. How are you going to tell what the bass/guitar should sound like when it has 10 year old strings on it 
) But the best part, was the rear pickup was grounded with some wire that was hanging out of the body. Every 3 or 4 notes, that pickup would decide to cut out and back in. To top it off, the guy who owned it before the store was there trying out a Telecaster and was proud to say it was his. If that was my bass, I would have been ashamed to admit it. It's sad that what was once a nice bass was abused and is now a piece of crap.
As far as models I just hate, not to many. I've played some Samicks and Rogues that are just totally disappointing. I think it's more like situations for me. Love to here a Rickenbacker in a Rock setting, but I don't think I would care for it to much if a jazzer was playing one. Of course, I could be wrong. Never really heard someone play Jazz with a Ric.
) But the best part, was the rear pickup was grounded with some wire that was hanging out of the body. Every 3 or 4 notes, that pickup would decide to cut out and back in. To top it off, the guy who owned it before the store was there trying out a Telecaster and was proud to say it was his. If that was my bass, I would have been ashamed to admit it. It's sad that what was once a nice bass was abused and is now a piece of crap. As far as models I just hate, not to many. I've played some Samicks and Rogues that are just totally disappointing. I think it's more like situations for me. Love to here a Rickenbacker in a Rock setting, but I don't think I would care for it to much if a jazzer was playing one. Of course, I could be wrong. Never really heard someone play Jazz with a Ric.
My vote is for the Yamaha BBN5. (the older models with the thin j style pickups.) no mids, no clarity at all.
This might not count, but I also had a strange dream where I took a chainsaw to all of John Turners basses. And of course non of his basses made a good sound at that moment.
This might not count, but I also had a strange dream where I took a chainsaw to all of John Turners basses. And of course non of his basses made a good sound at that moment.
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