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What Bass Was The Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT?
- Thread starter plangentmusic
- Start date
Okay let me see...
1. SX basses - probably the worst disappointment I've had in basses, and I didn't have high expectations to start with. Crappy hardware, thick necks and generally just cheap. All of them have ended up in the dumpster or sold.
2. Ibanez - I've had several of these, both SR's and SRX's. In each case there were massive dead spots on the necks, couldn't get any kind of usable tone out of them, and they felt a bit flimsy.
3. Rickenbacker 4003 - Okay, so I've had two of these. Just not an ergonomically happy bass. Bridge assembly is ludicrous. Pickups crooked, paint so thin it chips by practically looking at it. Hard to get some really good bottom tone out of them. And yet, every time I see one of these I want another one. It's a disease, I tell ya.
4. Warwick - Thick, thick necks. Bodies built for space aliens. Although I have to say that the tone is awesome, the basses themselves could definitely do with a redesign.
1. SX basses - probably the worst disappointment I've had in basses, and I didn't have high expectations to start with. Crappy hardware, thick necks and generally just cheap. All of them have ended up in the dumpster or sold.
2. Ibanez - I've had several of these, both SR's and SRX's. In each case there were massive dead spots on the necks, couldn't get any kind of usable tone out of them, and they felt a bit flimsy.
3. Rickenbacker 4003 - Okay, so I've had two of these. Just not an ergonomically happy bass. Bridge assembly is ludicrous. Pickups crooked, paint so thin it chips by practically looking at it. Hard to get some really good bottom tone out of them. And yet, every time I see one of these I want another one. It's a disease, I tell ya.
4. Warwick - Thick, thick necks. Bodies built for space aliens. Although I have to say that the tone is awesome, the basses themselves could definitely do with a redesign.
My old SX '57 P. Heard stories of "replace the pup and electronics and you'll have a kick ass bass..." so I did and it wasn't. Sold it a while ago.
Oh not at all. I think people are afraid they'll get attacked by the SX lovers on here if they say anything negative about them.
Bought a walnut Ric 4003 used about 15 years ago. Looked cool but sounded pretty wimpy compared to my Jack Casady and P Bass so I sold it. About 4 years ago my local music store got in a brand new Jetglo 4003 so I bought it for $1299. Used it a couple of times for recording, it was okay, used it a couple of times at rehearsal, it was OK but it mostly sat on a stand looking awesome in my living room. Sold it last year for $1299.
I don't own any American made basses that cost many thousands of dollars. I do have a Reverend which I love and have gigged with many times. Many have said their SX is gig-worthy. Mine wasn't even close.
Wow, Ready Freddy...I'm a big fan for sometime now. I didn't realize we had heavyweights on this forum. Take care from ATL.
I'm sorry, I didn't notice this post. Allow me to explain.
First of all, this is the thing with conversing with (assumed) anonymity. It's thinking out loud and not realizing that someone might take personal offense to it. And I understand it's your business, so for that, I apologize. I realize it's a personal thing and Fodera is not a big company like Fender.
Thank you for your gracious offer, but the truth is, I've had the bass for over 10 years. (MAybe longer) I used it for about 2 years but it never quite worked for me. When I played a MM it gave me what I wanted so I put the Fodera on a stand and treated it like my "special instrument." It was the one I always played at home.
A couple of years back I started doing home recordings and figured that might be the time and place for the Fodera to get back to work. But honestly, it just didn't cut it. Now you say the wood combination isn;t a good one. But that combination already existed. You already made it before I even ordered mine. I didn't ask for it, but I liked the idea of it. Everything else was to my specifications.
I've done some alterations to the point the resale value has been diminished, so it makes sense for me to keep it as a reminder of an instrument that feels incredible but simply isn't what I want.
I know many people who absolutely LOVE their Fodera, but as we've seen in this thread, it isn't so much that a instrument is inherently bad -- it just doesn't work for the individual.
Obviously, I wasn't expecting to directly address the builder! it's a little embarrassing but I want to be as truthful as possible. Your instruments are beautifully crafted. But as a working musician, that sort of thing is secondary in my life now. Function and practicality are more important.
Maybe Fodera has changed. Again, it wasn't meant to be a personal attack. It was just an academic statement.
if you're telling me you'll take this one back and build me another...GREAT!
Just kidding -- I realize that's ridiculous. So let's just have a cyber-handsake and call it difference of opinion with no hard feelings? Thanks.
Oh my god, those were the exact words I was thinking when I saw this thread. A BIG +1 to you!
So does the absence of the name Squier in this thread count as a win?
i think it just means people weren't really expecting anything special from them.
That's actually a valid point. When Ibanez was considered a "cheap alternative" they were a pleasant surprise. But when they tried to get into the higher market, they took their lumps, because, they do often have a flimsy quality to them. Squires are unpretentious. Solid. Basic. And at that, they're very, very good.
Damn right! These SX fanboys tell the tallest of tales, too!
1. SX kicks ass over any other bass out there.
2. You can't tell the difference between a pre CBS Fender or an SX, sound wise.
3. For $129 dollars you get a bass that is an equal of anything else out there, so much so, that if you happen to own a real Fender or a boutique Fender clone like Sadowsky, you still choose to bring your SX to the studio and to large stages for live shows instead of the good bass.
Yes, the SX people really believe this stuff, ludicrous as it sounds!
But, I am not fooled. I know there is a not-so-secret agenda the SX boys have. And that is to prove that they are so good at the bass, and have such a golden touch, that they can take a $129 dollar bass made in a Chinese Sweatshop out of green, inferior wood and make it sound just as good as the real deal. They take great pride in this, (but would never, ever admit it). Instead, they make comments like "It's a poor craftsman who blames his tools". This, despite the fact that every craftsman in any field of endeavor always uses the best tools possible!
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Wow! It's nice to have someone finally agree with me!
The interesting thing is that when I bought the Sterling, it sounded great in the store (at least as far as I could tell with all the noise), but once I got it home and had a chance to really play it and record with it, the more I did not like it!
One big factor was the tone controls: I could never turn the treble down enough to eliminate harsh string noise. I know there are actives out there that will bring it down a lot, but not my Sterling. I could get "extremely piercing treble" or "Medium treble" and that's it.
If the Sterling had J style PUPs, and maybe passive electronics, it might have sounded different.
My Carvin has the same style PUP in the bridge position as a musicman, and I don't have these same issues for some reason.
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I think it's the preamp. I would love to have jazz bass pickups in my Sterling too because I think the high end is just really hard to tame. I even thought about putting a P bass pickup in front of the MM pickup just for fun, but I know that would kill any resale value.
Warwick Thumb 5. If a bass can sound depressing this one did. Absolutely no life, couldn't cut in the mix, low end just farts out at you and the balance was off.
