Your gear should always be uglier than you. It makes you look better.Like, "I'm with the gear..."
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Gear too ugly to play :-p
- Thread starter tshapiro
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LOL.........ha ha ha. I'd like to try one out (not really) but for a few thousand dollars more..............I can get a real car!
Back in the late 60s and early 70s, I used to drive VW Beetles. I had my fill of "toy cars".
I apologize for going off topic and going on a tangent with this thread. I just could not help myself. (not an acceptable excuse!)
You got it partially right; the Orange amp line emerged from a well known London music store, much like Sound City(from which Hiwatt was spun off). In the late 60's/early 70's, all sorts of new amp companies popped up in Britain(besides the three already mentioned, there was Laney, Simms-Watts, Vamp, etc; WEM came before)to challenge Marshall's dominance. But the Orange(and related Matamp)line was highly respected and utilized in those days...
but yeah, other than a quick buck trading in nostalgia, I don't know why the line was revived in an already crowded amp market, but the new ones have found quite a bit of favor. Regardless of where they're made, they're more than pawnshop crap, but I'm not sure why they sound any better than anything else available. I've got a few old Sound City pieces, in fact my Bass 150, in spite of the inherent hiss, is one of my favorite tube heads, however, I question why the brand was brought back a few years ago.
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... hmmm , don't think i actually have any "ugly " gear ,
but i have unusual tastes anyway ...
but i have unusual tastes anyway ...
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Aaachhh! Worse product name Ever!!
Is that the Aguilar Choad Hammer, Prototype 2.0?
"Can't wait to Rock My New Choad Hammer 500!"
Not ashamed to be seen with my Univox stack (like this, but with two cabs):
I dig it, but I like the old Lace basses...... hmmm , don't think i actually have any "ugly " gear ,
but i have unusual tastes anyway ...
View attachment 3773639
...I've got one...
But I also like the St. Vincent guitar, so constructivist...
The Choad Hammer Amp. The only amp worthy of The Moth Bass.
I always liked the look, it somehow struck me as an art deco vibe, but hated the way they played(plus the price). But I picked up one of these(Waterstone)...
Every time I see this amp posted I think that could have played that amp in my younger days. I've played worse. And uglier. [Luckily without photographic evidence.]
But on topic: I made it kind of a thing that whenever I'm in a store that has a lot of basses, I will not only try out the ones that I like or those that are speaking to me in some way, but also the ones I find most ugly. I've often been surprised, sometimes the bass I liked most by looking at it would clearly loose against the bass that made the very bottom of that list as soon as I tried them out. IMO a piece of gear gets re-evaluated when you get first hand - hands on experience. Looks do play a role, but when you found the perfect fit, with everything where it should be, perfectly balanced on the strap, the neck is just squeezing into your palm like it was made for it, the action could not be set any better and the sound is what you've been looking for for ages - will you pass on it because the lower horn is bent in the wrong way? I would not.
Okay ... I would totally pass on that bass if (and only if) I found one that felt, sounded and played the same, but looked more the way I like it. I DO factor in looks. I just prioritize ergonomics and sound.
I don't care if the audience likes it or not, they're not the ones paying for it. If I don't like how a bass looks, I ain't buying it.
For me, it's Stingrays. I am aware they are well made basses and they can get good tone, but I personally highly dislike the looks.
Precision basses I go back and forth on. Sometimes I see one that is pretty, sometimes I think they are boring to look at. Since I can get a Jaguar which has a P/J pickup and is also better looking, I see no need to spend money on a P bass. But still, sometimes...
There are too many choices out there to feel forced to play something you don't want to look at.
Have to disagree on that. I once took a train to Orlando to watch a space shuttle launch, rented a Smart Car at the station and drove it down a high speed freeway to Cape Canaveral. Never again. At least it was easy to park.
For me, it's Stingrays. I am aware they are well made basses and they can get good tone, but I personally highly dislike the looks.
Precision basses I go back and forth on. Sometimes I see one that is pretty, sometimes I think they are boring to look at. Since I can get a Jaguar which has a P/J pickup and is also better looking, I see no need to spend money on a P bass. But still, sometimes...
There are too many choices out there to feel forced to play something you don't want to look at.
Have to disagree on that. I once took a train to Orlando to watch a space shuttle launch, rented a Smart Car at the station and drove it down a high speed freeway to Cape Canaveral. Never again. At least it was easy to park.
And the Tiger King tie-in cross marketing starts....
I understand relicing, but I don't like it. I can sort of see the appeal if it's a direct copy of a classic bass, but something like a 5-string Valenti or Lakland, loaded with active electronics and Nordstrand Big Singles just doesn't resemble anything made in the 1960s, I'm sorry. It's not a grizzled veteran of a thousand bar shows, where every scar tells a story. It's a $4000 premium instrument that hangs on the wall of a successful businessman who plays once a month in his local church. Stop pretending.
There was a while when a lot of people were putting Jazz bass single coils right up against the bridge of whatever bass they happened to be playing. I find that looks horrible - I really prefer pickups to be the same width, so I struggle even with a PJ bass, but I've seen 51 P-basses with the standard little single coil in the middle, and then a big jazz coil at the back, and it looks horrendous. Equally, things like the Fender Tele bass with that mudbucker up at the neck and then a jazz pup at the bridge looks pretty grim to me.
Tractor is so fugly it's come full circle back into cool though. I mean, it's a mess, but sorta lovable.
Peace,
SoundSupport
There was a while when a lot of people were putting Jazz bass single coils right up against the bridge of whatever bass they happened to be playing. I find that looks horrible - I really prefer pickups to be the same width, so I struggle even with a PJ bass, but I've seen 51 P-basses with the standard little single coil in the middle, and then a big jazz coil at the back, and it looks horrendous. Equally, things like the Fender Tele bass with that mudbucker up at the neck and then a jazz pup at the bridge looks pretty grim to me.
Tractor is so fugly it's come full circle back into cool though. I mean, it's a mess, but sorta lovable.
Peace,
SoundSupport
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