Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
things you bought that didn't work out for you
- Thread starter pcake
- Start date
I’ve got a Presto hot air popper that I bought some 40 years ago. Made in USA and it still works perfectly. They literally don’t make them like that anymore. Not in the USA anyway. I don’t know what I’ll do if it ever quits working.
I bought a game camera which was stupid because I can literally look out my back window and see deer everyday. The close up photos are terrible compared to the pics I take with my phone.
I must be in that percentage. My wife has no problem with progressives. I got a pair, and in a few minutes, I was ready to puke. Now I have a pair of regular glasses and a pair of readers. All is good.
In the late 90s I upgraded my film camera system that Id been using for about 15 years, to all new equioment. I spent about $2,500 on a body, three lenses, a speedlight, and some miscellaneous stuff. I was doing photo shoots as a side hustle and I thought I needed up to date equipment with autofocus, autowinding, autowxposure, and all the bells and whistles.
I rarely used the newer gear. It was just too complicated and I was so used to my old, manual equipment (which was high quality stuff from a previous generation) that I just got better results from it with a lot less effort.
Around 2010, when digital had pretty much replaced film, I sold all my newer gear for about $200. I was lucky to get that for it.
I rarely used the newer gear. It was just too complicated and I was so used to my old, manual equipment (which was high quality stuff from a previous generation) that I just got better results from it with a lot less effort.
Around 2010, when digital had pretty much replaced film, I sold all my newer gear for about $200. I was lucky to get that for it.
Well, we can't all impress them by putting on a "gun show" in an exquisitely well-fitting leather jacket...
My very first bass was a violin bass from Lafayette! Two strikes against it right out of the gate! I do have a Hofner Club (Asian model) that I will probably keep forever. I so prefer the shape over the violin bass.my arm always fell into the waist, which immediately started stabbing me in the wrist LOL btw, as gorgeous as the red violin bass was - surprisingly since i don't find them that compelling usually - it was only an icon / ignition, but it looked great and sounded SO good while stabbing me in the wrist
while i've never bought a wood chipper, that's a great story that reminds me of my regret purchases. shoulda worked, sorta did, but somehow didn't work out...
i didn't know anyone but me still remembered lafayette LOL
my ex had a quad system. it was great except for the very few albums available in quad.
BBB
Almost everything that resides or has resided under the deck at my house. All of the basses, amps, cabs, and combos I no longer own. I worked for a Behringer dealer for several years and at one point bought literally a pallet load of gear at a ridiculous dealer/personal use discount. I have one little 1x10 modeling guitar combo left.
BBB
BBB
Same experience. I’ll add exhaust fumes to your accurate list. I have 135 trees on 2.5 acres, and thought the chipper would make things easier. I’ve used it a half a dozen times in the two years since buying it, and only did that much mostly for the purpose of bagging the wood chips to use around the trees. ( and to help justify the purchase to my wife’s satisfaction and “don’t you have enough equipment already “comment ). Now it sits under a tree with a cover on it. Probably won’t ever use it until I need wood chips again.
Another one that I’ll never forget, was a bike I just had to have. I was about eight years old (55 years ago) and saw this bike with full suspension, and looked like a motorcycle, on display in a department store. I got home and told my mom and dad, pestering them all the way till Christmas. Not wanting to disappoint their oldest son, along with me taking advantage of them having not yet learned to say “NO”(that mostly applied to my younger siblings) they had it sitting in front of the Christmas tree, ready for me to ride. I quickly discovered the look and the experience were completely opposite. Every ounce of energy my eager and willing legs could produce, was mostly absorbed by the suspension. Combined with a bike that was twice the weight of a regular one, I was huffing and puffing with only five minutes of ride time. I only rode it alone for short distances because I couldn’t keep up with my friends on their bikes. I ended up selling it to a kid who lived down the street, who thought it was awesome when I rode past his house on it.
I kinda wish I would’ve kept it, as it would have been perfect to add a gas engine to replace the leg work.
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
I also have the monopod mixed feellings issue. A guide that have been out with on his boat many times developed a system using a monopod that is actually pretty cool. I use it occcasionally.Heh. You're not alone. The head-on-the-monopod thing seems like it'd be a best of both worlds solution, but I don't run into may people for whom it works for very long. A carbon fiber set of sticks, though... that's money well spent! Better still, if they have the unlock tabs at the leg joints, so they can be quickly adjusted outward for uneven terrain, while not having to fiddle with the sliding leg locks all the time. That bit of flexibility is quite nice.
Curiosity piqued, I just went and looked at B&H, and see Manfrotto now has monopods with tiny little sets of feet that pop out of the ends. I guess those are for folks want a "monopod" that can stand up by itself. The pedant in me calls that "a tripod with a tall stick on top."
This is it
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
Weird. I have been wearing them for years with no issues. And I'm nearsighted. Actual bifocals make me insane, though I can't stand them.
Last edited:
Boss ME-50B
Boss Noise Suppressor.. 3 of them and they all did nothing..
MXR 10 band eq... that was defective...
Maton jb4 fretless bass. Never found a use for it with the stuff I play.
Every single class D amp ive ever owned... im constantly fighting with the eq for a pleasing tone thus making my musical experience an unpleasant one to say the least. I simply won't have one.
Every 210 cab I've ever owned and every Markbass 410 cab.
Lost count of the amount of 10" speakers I've destroyed.
Boss Noise Suppressor.. 3 of them and they all did nothing..
MXR 10 band eq... that was defective...
Maton jb4 fretless bass. Never found a use for it with the stuff I play.
Every single class D amp ive ever owned... im constantly fighting with the eq for a pleasing tone thus making my musical experience an unpleasant one to say the least. I simply won't have one.
Every 210 cab I've ever owned and every Markbass 410 cab.
Lost count of the amount of 10" speakers I've destroyed.
Last edited:
Hey, good news. On my dog walking scene today, I talked to the local landscaping friends of mine down the street and they are gonna buy my Stihl weed whacker. Alright. 
My brother and I share an RV lot rental every summer on a lake in Wisconsin and we go fishing there about every other weekend each summer from May through October.
We each have our own Jon boats so we can fish where we want to independently on the same lake.
My brother has always used a trolling motor powered by a deep cycle battery, while I've always been content to row my boat with oars, despite my brother insisting that I should buy a trolling motor because of how vastly more convenient and easier it is. So, three years ago, I gave in and bought a motor and battery.
I used it maybe three times before getting rid of it. For one thing, I have to charge the battery pretty much after each use, which requires me to slog it back and forth between the boat and RV, which is about a ½ mile hike through the woods, and includes an enormous hill with a 35% grade!
Going down is easy, but carrying a really big and heavy battery up that hill, while also carrying fishing poles and tackle, plus everything else at the same isn't just harder, it's impossible to do in one trip.
After I went back to rowing the boat with oars, I realized that I actually kind of liked it, plus it's tremendlessly good exercise for your upper body.
We each have our own Jon boats so we can fish where we want to independently on the same lake.
My brother has always used a trolling motor powered by a deep cycle battery, while I've always been content to row my boat with oars, despite my brother insisting that I should buy a trolling motor because of how vastly more convenient and easier it is. So, three years ago, I gave in and bought a motor and battery.
I used it maybe three times before getting rid of it. For one thing, I have to charge the battery pretty much after each use, which requires me to slog it back and forth between the boat and RV, which is about a ½ mile hike through the woods, and includes an enormous hill with a 35% grade!
Going down is easy, but carrying a really big and heavy battery up that hill, while also carrying fishing poles and tackle, plus everything else at the same isn't just harder, it's impossible to do in one trip.
After I went back to rowing the boat with oars, I realized that I actually kind of liked it, plus it's tremendlessly good exercise for your upper body.
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
Things that didn't work out.
1. A German Hofner violin bass. Fortunately I didn't buy it but was loaned to me for several months. Just couldn't get used to it.
2. A Rickenbacker 4003. Bought one about ten years ago. It gave me horrible carpal tunnel pain no matter what I did. I really wanted to like it.
3. A G&L bass many years ago. Just couldn't get used to the sounds.
4. In 1994 we bought a new "cab forward" rather futuristic looking Dodge Intrepid ES, trying to support the US automakers. This car was awful. A lot of mechanical issues and expensive repairs. And breakdowns. I also bought a Ford Minivan the following year which was a good vehicle and served me well.
5. Line 6 Bass Pod Express: Just couldn't get any sounds out of it that I liked. Returned.
6. Lind 6 G10 Digital wireless system: I bought one and it worked really well, I liked it a lot. But in a month or two the input jack for the charger failed and fell inside the unit. I returned it and got a new one and the same thing happened again within a few weeks. Too bad, it was a nice unit.
PS I have a Stihl gas powered chain saw that I have had for at least 25 and closer to 30 years. It needs service/maintenance every couple of years as it gets gummed up and parts wear out, but it is a beast!!
1. A German Hofner violin bass. Fortunately I didn't buy it but was loaned to me for several months. Just couldn't get used to it.
2. A Rickenbacker 4003. Bought one about ten years ago. It gave me horrible carpal tunnel pain no matter what I did. I really wanted to like it.
3. A G&L bass many years ago. Just couldn't get used to the sounds.
4. In 1994 we bought a new "cab forward" rather futuristic looking Dodge Intrepid ES, trying to support the US automakers. This car was awful. A lot of mechanical issues and expensive repairs. And breakdowns. I also bought a Ford Minivan the following year which was a good vehicle and served me well.
5. Line 6 Bass Pod Express: Just couldn't get any sounds out of it that I liked. Returned.
6. Lind 6 G10 Digital wireless system: I bought one and it worked really well, I liked it a lot. But in a month or two the input jack for the charger failed and fell inside the unit. I returned it and got a new one and the same thing happened again within a few weeks. Too bad, it was a nice unit.
PS I have a Stihl gas powered chain saw that I have had for at least 25 and closer to 30 years. It needs service/maintenance every couple of years as it gets gummed up and parts wear out, but it is a beast!!
Last edited:
Ironically, I got that jacket from eBay over 20 years ago (still have it, and it's my all-time favorite), and it's the standard by which all other leather jackets I buy are measured.Well, we can't all impress them by putting on a "gun show" in an exquisitely well-fitting leather jacket...
I got really lucky with that one. It was like the jacket was tailor-made for me. And it was just $45 shipped!
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
Qualifying statement: IF they are made correctly. I have sent more than one pair back to the local optician because I couldn't see out of them. Believe it or not Costco and the online guys I use now make them perfectly.
edmidlifecrisis
Registered mediocre bass player
One more non-bass related thing.
About 20 years ago we bought a set of 6 very expensive leather dining room chairs from a national chain that is still around. We also bought two expensive leather couches a year or two earlier from a local family owned furniture importer. Within a few years the leather on the chairs began flaking off, and soon the leather was crumbling on all chairs and we had to make slipcovers. And vaccuum under them frequently. I went back to the store and they brushed me off and told me to contat corporate. I did and they flatly stated that they didn't warrant any soft goods. Including leather. We had to junk them. Needless to say I will never shop there again (we bought other stuff from them too at the time).
Meanwhile flash forward to 2024 almost, 2025 and the two leather couches we bought from a private store in about 2002 still look brand new and are heavily used!!!
About 20 years ago we bought a set of 6 very expensive leather dining room chairs from a national chain that is still around. We also bought two expensive leather couches a year or two earlier from a local family owned furniture importer. Within a few years the leather on the chairs began flaking off, and soon the leather was crumbling on all chairs and we had to make slipcovers. And vaccuum under them frequently. I went back to the store and they brushed me off and told me to contat corporate. I did and they flatly stated that they didn't warrant any soft goods. Including leather. We had to junk them. Needless to say I will never shop there again (we bought other stuff from them too at the time).
Meanwhile flash forward to 2024 almost, 2025 and the two leather couches we bought from a private store in about 2002 still look brand new and are heavily used!!!
Last edited:
@Chris Fitzgerald , try the HX editor that runs under Windows before selling your Stomp. You might change your mind, or just have some fun using it via the editor before selling it.
Odd how different each individual's experience can be, eh? The first two times I tried progressive lenses, I could not get accustomed to them and had to have my optometrist change the order to bifocals. And then, like the old saying goes: "Third time's the charm." Not only did I finally adjust, but later, after having cataract surgery, I had to wear over-the-counter (non-Rx) reading glasses for a couple of weeks before I could order new Rx eyeglasses, and I HATED those single-vision lenses. I was putting them on, then taking them off, then putting them on, etc. all day long.
Last edited:
