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Whackiest mass-produced basses?
- Thread starter Doctor Roberts
- Start date
So Anyway, there a Rail for sale on St. Louis CL.
It's been there awhile.
Saw one in a Polka band many years ago.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,953
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Could do w/o the clumsy pg and P-bass bridge cover on what was almost an accurate RI of the '85 Squier Katana.
I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the Gibson Thunderbird for this thread! Here's why it's wacky:
1) The reverse body shape that's an ergonomic nightmare
2) The overly long headstock
3) The 3 point bridge that makes intonation and setups a nightmare
4) No strap peg on the upper horn (because it doesn't exist in the first place!)
5) Neck dive
1) The reverse body shape that's an ergonomic nightmare
2) The overly long headstock
3) The 3 point bridge that makes intonation and setups a nightmare
4) No strap peg on the upper horn (because it doesn't exist in the first place!)
5) Neck dive
Gosh, I guess all of us with Gibson and Epiphone basses equipped with the 3-point bridge had better remember to be terrified the next time we need to adjust our intonation.
I'm glad these two were mentioned already.
The Ovation Magnum...and woo-boy what an archetypal "Seventies" name that is...always struck me as one of the most over-produced basses out there. Between the metal pickup frame, dual outputs, multiple knobs, a bridge that probably weighs as much as my bicycle and that oh-so-'70s-era Earth-tone/woody brownness, all it needs to do is come with a complimentary nylon pant-suit and "Rich Corinthian Leather" platform loafers!
And then, there was the Ovation Magnum II, which looks like someone wearing a Magnum slipped and fell into their Radio Shack/Realistic Hi-Fi Stereo!
As for the Fender Performer, let's just say there are certain songs and TV shows that I refer to as "More Eighties than the actual Eighties". (I'm lookin' at you, "Moonbeam City"!
) To me, the Performer and the Katana, are the bass-world's perfect embodiment of that sensibility. 
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Actually, it kinda-sorta was...Pretty sure it was a B2. In my defense, I was a huge sci-fi nerd, and was probably drawn to it because it looked like a prop from Star Wars.
View attachment 5417462
Having been a normal 8 year old in the 80’s, of course I wanted to be a Ninja. First time I saw those basses, I immediately thought of these…
Indeed, I had black matte sais... Had alot of ninja stuff. Ordered the Chinese stars out of the Karate magazines, the full black suit, made my own chux. Still pretty hyper, but arthritis slows me down now---my kill count is low.
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Speaking of longhorn basses...
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I don't own one, so I couldn't tell you, but it looks to me like they would be wound the same way as the E and A tuners.
And the inevitable response that someone (like me) actually likes its ergonomics.
The Rickenbacker should be whacky, too, with its stereo output and dual truss rods. Which I also happily rock
Agreed! As of 2022, new 4003s have single truss rods, which makes them less wacky than their older counterparts.
