Best and worst gear purchase of 2014

Best: Rickenbacker 4003W

Worst: GK SBX410+

 

BEST:
Genz-Benz Contour 500 115 combo and matching 115 extension cab. Great deal and nice 215 rig!

WORST: Nothing. I'm happy with everything I bought this year.

 

Purchased a G&L L2000 and a Genz Benz Contour 210. Love both!

 

worst: bartolini hr4.5 preamp ($150).
best: tone monster 2 band preamp... to replace the bad bart that sounded anemic, and quit on me after a month. ($40). the tone monster preamp sounds much more transparent, has more output, and even "felt" better quality right out the box. maybe it was just my bad experiences with some bartolini products, but i would buy another tone monster over a bart if i had a choice again.

 

Best: EBMM USA SUB Stingray and Status Graphite neck to go with it.
This was a long-time GAS inducer, since buying a Cutlass wasn't going to happen any time soon. It's become my main player, putting my 93 SR4 and 89 SR5 in the cases, as well as the Status Energy Carbon that I have. It's one of the best basses I've ever played and I've owned over 100 in my life.

Worst: Pizza Hut pizza.
I know it's not "gear", but it's the worst purchase I've made this year... so bad, I feel I need to mention it!

 

Best : Fender MIA P Sunburst-tort / MarkBass LM250 (TIE)

Worst: Mooer Yellow Compressor pedal - bought it for it's one-knob ease of use. And found it was useless well err coz it only has one knob hehe



PS:I haven't bought Pizza Hut since about 3 years ago when I ordered 2, repeated the order twice and they turned up completely wrong! wrong base for both and wrong toppings. How hard can it be to tick the right box on their order sheet?

 

Best-no doubt it has to be my Ibanez SR500F--this year I joined the fretless ranks, and I love it.
I didn't get a lot of gear--& I like it all--besides the bass I got a cheap Shure mic, to use to record stuff for fun & a volume pedal.
So worst?
I'd have to say the mic--but it does what I need it to, and as I'm recording stuff for fun, I don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on mics-I also got it on sale for $20--including the cable--so I can't complain--but of my three purchases, I guess it would be in 3rd place.
So 3rd best or worst?--you decide.

 

Best: Squier Jag Short Scale bass. It's a bit cheap feeling, but it sounds good in a way and is really fun to play. Cost $100, and I've gigged it a few times and had a great time doing so.

Worst: Not bass gear, but a Bigsby B50 I directly installed on a guitar I really like(d). Still struggling to get it set up where it works well, setup tricks, roller bridges, stabilizer rollers...

 

Only 4 purchases this year and they all fall under best. American standard P bass. 2012 and 2013 Select Jazz basses. And (still musical but not a bass) Taylor 314c Grand Auditorium Guitar. There is no worst in this lot.

 

Best by far were my Valenti VTP5 and my Fender AV '63 Precision. No bad purchases this year.

 

Worst: cheap, generic tablet mount

Best: Hercules HA300 tablet mount

 

I finally got round to buying a standup bass, and since then the gigs just keep rolling in. So I guess that's a "best"
Other than that, Im sure glad I bought a Cali76.

Worst? I got stiffed on a dead Mutron off ebay, but it's off to Richard Lingenberg to be repaired, so I'm sure it'll work out OK in the end.

 

Best: Demeter VTBP-M800D
Worse: Elixer bass strings

 

Best: Ibanez ATK 310. I changed my starter bass after 8 years Great tone of Stingray and Jazz Bass mixed toegether. And I have to say, that Jazz's tone suits me better.
Second: GK MB 410. Second place because my band took hiatus right after I bought it, so I use it in home right now But it is cool, found it in great price and definitely stays with me.
Worst: Sansamp BDDI. It gives some possibilities, but cuts hi-mid grow of ATK and GK combination. Sold it after awhile.

 

My only purchase this year is a Kustom KXB-500 amp but it is easily the best 'bang for buck' amp i have ever purchased

 

Best and worst: 2013 Gibson EB. Best because I like it. Worst by default because it's the only purchase in 2014.

 

Best of the year:



Worst of the year: any of the four different 6-strings that I experimented with. Not because they were bad instruments, but more towards how stubborn I am to just deal with the fact that I am not a 6-string guy...

 

My best are a MIJ P Bass, and the Buzz Audio Tonic EQ. Happiest I've ever been with my bass tone. Now I just have to be a better bass player to justify gear this nice.

No bad gear purchases this year! Whew!

 

Best: Harley Benton PJ5
Worst: dbx 224 feedback suppressor, which in my experience won't help a double bass in a rock'n'roll band at all.