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Basses you wanted to love, but couldn't.

jd56hawk

jd56hawk

Sep 12, 2011
18,717
42,162
The Garden State
#1
Fender Vintera P bass.
Best-looking bass in the store the day I tried it out.
th-jpeg-464.jpg

Played it for a nearly half an hour, some of my favorite take-a-bass-for-a-spin songs songs...Everyday People, Strange Brew, Lean Woman Blues, Zombie, Screaming Skull, Blood, Sex and Booze, Cherry Bomb.
I have to say the tone was everything you'd want from a P bass..but it just didn't work for me.
Wasn't actually a comfort issue, wasn't simply the neck, it was something I couldn't quite put my finger on.
(Actually wound up buying an Epiphone Thunderbird Vintage Pro that day.)
So which bass didn't meet your expectations, something you really wanted, something you still wish you'd bought, despite your misgivings?
 
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#2
UGH…Most Ibanez’s I tried out didn’t do it for me bc I wasn’t a fan of their necks which was a shame bc I really wanted one when I started bass shopping…

Had a somewhat similar issue with a Warwick Rockbass-Really liked the sound, but didn’t really like the neck…

For my actual answer though-I’m gonna have to go with A Rickenbacker…

Really wanted to try one out and see what all the hype was about and when I finally picked one up one day in a music store I was just sorta like “Huh”???

Don’t get me wrong-If people like Ricks, then more power to them and great that they like them, but I was just shocked and chagrined that it felt so uninspiring to play and on top of it I didn’t care for the sound…

To each their own, but I just wasn’t a fan of that bass…

Thanks! \m/
 
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#3
my two costliest are still disappointments even after being fitted with flats, bummers.
the most noted Swiss ARMY knives of bassworld, the vaunted T-40 and L2KT fall flat against mere mortal competition in the tone and low end depts. had to have them, glad to have them beautifying the wall now with their fellow contenders who all met their match last year. I was smart to always keep it under $400 so the amazing journey was painless, plus I'd never sleep without knowing the truth, ugly as it is. still saving hopes cos I dig their playability, ripping out the guts is sacrilege but might happen.
 
#4
I also was not impressed with my Rickenbacker. 4003 SW It was beautiful and not heavy and sounded decent but the sound I was looking for just was not there. And the neck was a bit chunky. It was very playable but uncomfortable to me. I am not a Rick hater or basher so don't take this wrong they are just not for me. Also The Fender Roscoe Beck V I had was very uninspiring. The B string was never more than a dull thud and it was heavier than my Peavey T-40 or at least it felt that way. Again not bashing just not for me
 
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#6
MTD Beast, MTD Kingston AG-5. Just can’t handle the 35 scale.

Stingray USA SUB… neck and body too big.
StingRay Special 5HH….. didn’t like what the extra H added.

Ash bodies basses . I prefer the non scooped tone of alder .
 
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#9
Spector Bantam 5. On paper it’s everything I wanted, in hand it is a toy with a honky tone and a $2300 price tag. I tried to love it and even lost sleep toiling over the return. Alas, it went back and I haven’t even thought about it until now.
 
#14
Harley Benton enhanced mp.
There were so many cool things about it like:
Split coil/mm pickups
Zero fret
Ebony fretboard
Bound neck
Beefy hardware

but in the end it was a tank, the mm style pickup was just in the wrong spot to sound good, the neck had a good profile but the binding was uncomfortable. It just didn’t do it for me, now a buddies nephew has it and last I heard he loved it.
 
#16
Ibanez BTB405QM. Sounded great, strong B string, but that neck just wasn't something I could bond with. Felt extra wide because of how thin it was back-to-front - just couldn't get my left hand working with it. Great, great bass but I don't regret letting it go.
 
#17
Bass’s I could not get along with:

Schecter Stage-5 because of the string spacing too narrow and the headstock design. If it were a four string the spacing wouldn’t have been an issue but I got it to learn how to play a five string and my fingers kept tripping over everything. Also, every time I looked at that headstock I felt like I should be in a Gene Simmons costume.

G&L Kiloton Tribute because it was so damn heavy.

Others that I try to like but they just don’t do anything for me for various reasons:
StingRays in general
Rickenbacker/Ibanez on appearance alone
Furniture bass’s
 
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#18
Must have been 40 years ago I was in a music store and there was a slightly used Rick, the fancy one with the triangle inlays and bound body. At $200, I would have taken it home. I played it for a minute and realized that the strings were too close together and too close to the face of the body for the way I played . I was bummed. I really wanted that bass. I think it was a black one.
 
#20
Nighttrain1127 said:
I also was not impressed with my Rickenbacker. 4003 SW It was beautiful and not heavy and sounded decent but the sound I was looking for just was not there. And the neck was a bit chunky. It was very playable but uncomfortable to me. I am not a Rick hater or basher so don't take this wrong they are just not for me. Also The Fender Roscoe Beck V I had was very uninspiring. The B string was never more than a dull thud and it was heavier than my Peavey T-40 or at least it felt that way. Again not bashing just not for me
Click to expand...
I’ll second this. I wanted to love both of these but they wouldn’t reciprocate. I love hearing others play them.
 
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