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What Bass Was The Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT?

#301
Just Thumpin' said:
his dream bass and ended up with something less than that.
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The problem with dream basses are that they are just that. Quite often, the expectations are so high that nothing on this earth will live up to them.

A very large problem can be that the user simply doesn't know how to spec the bass to fit them like a glove. If the user doesn't know what they want, it's pretty hard to expect the luthier to build it "correctly".
 
#302
spade2you said:
The problem with dream basses are that they are just that. Quite often, the expectations are so high that nothing on this earth will live up to them.

A very large problem can be that the user simply doesn't know how to spec the bass to fit them like a glove. If the user doesn't know what they want, it's pretty hard to expect the luthier to build it "correctly".
Click to expand...

Or you can know exactly what you want but the finished product does not live up to you expectations.

I have brewed my "perfect" beer (of different styles, primarily sours) multiple times as both collaborations with very well known brewers and by myself and not once has it ever lived up to the expectations
 
#303
Aspidites said:
Or you can know exactly what you want but the finished product does not live up to you expectations.

I have brewed my "perfect" beer (of different styles, primarily sours) multiple times as both collaborations with very well known brewers and by myself and not once has it ever lived up to the expectations
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It can be that the luthier didn't do a perfect job, but I think more often than not, it's the user picking it apart and dwelling on certain things.

I've had a few beers that turned out perfect. Those are the ones I don't share. ;)
 
#304
spade2you said:
The problem with dream basses are that they are just that. Quite often, the expectations are so high that nothing on this earth will live up to them.

A very large problem can be that the user simply doesn't know how to spec the bass to fit them like a glove. If the user doesn't know what they want, it's pretty hard to expect the luthier to build it "correctly".
Click to expand...

I see it more as putting together all the ingredients you like, but the end result just doesn't work. With a recipe, you can try again. With a bass, you're stuck with a three thousand dollar mistake.
 
#305
plangentmusic said:
I see it more as putting together all the ingredients you like, but the end result just doesn't work. With a recipe, you can try again. With a bass, you're stuck with a three thousand dollar mistake.
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DSC01152.jpg


No mistakes here. :smug:
 
#309
kcole4001 said:
Bingo!
It doesn't seem to matter what it is, someone loves it and someone hates it.
It's all opinion.
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Sometimes it's the same person who will switch their prefs, too. I don't look down on people who can't find a bass they like, but going to zombie threads, you can see a bass that someone is claiming is the best, they sell it because it sucks, then something new is way better, but it gets sold because they were no longer in love with it, rinse and repeat as needed.
 
#310
It's never mattered much to me what someone else likes.
It's a good place to start to try out different things, but I don't buy anything based solely on popular recommendation.

I guess the only bass that was a huge disappointment was one I didn't buy anyway.
It was a 4001 copy, black, in not bad shape, but it played and sounded really bad.
The TRC had 'Electric Bass' on it, I've never seen anothr Rick copy anywhere in person, and I haven't seen one of these on ebay or anywhere as yet.
I already had my 4000, so I was just curious to see if this was any good.

I would be Ok if you just wanted to hang it on the wall, but even then it wasn't in really good enough condition for that.

I understand lots of people love their Rick copies, and everyone says the Ibanez copies were very good especially, but this one wasn't one of those good ones!
 
#311
Recently a Carvin SB4000-terrible and unusable tone and the body was hard ash not swamp ash and weighed a ton. Sent it back for refund.

G&L 5 string-Tree trunk neck.

A used MIM Fender J-Bass- Just terrible in all respects. Parted it out and recouped my money.

Carvin walnut body 5 string fretless-no mwah or Jaco tone. Sent it back.

Others but too long ago to remember.
 
#312
The reason for starting this thread was threefold...

To share a relatable lament.

To get an understanding of what others like or dislike and why.

To have a little fun.

And maybe, just maybe, it'll give others a perspective on what to think about before investing in that "dream instrument." I started out as a drummer and went through 20 snare drums before settling on the one I started out with! It's a common quest and a common conclusion.

I've learned some things from this thread and I'd imagine others have too.
 
#313
kcole4001 said:
It's never mattered much to me what someone else likes.
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I really don't, either. My gear is fully tailored to me and nobody else, although I LOL'd when some guy told me that my Conklin's pickups were in the wrong place. Not quite. I told them where to put the pickups, which they did exactly, and it sounded about the way I'd expect them to.

I don't know about you, but I see a lot of complaining, but not much in terms of solutions. Besides, I've seen too much of people completely switching things around and coming full circle....but I'm still happy with my first bass, so what do I know......
 
#314
I think the problem with a lot of disappointing custom basses is that the people ordering them over-specify rather than letting the luthier guide them to the right bass.

I ordered my Sei fretless because I liked the body shape that Martin offered. For the rest of the bass specifications I had a photo of another bass who's colour-scheme I liked and I said I wanted to sound as much as was possible like Mick Karn. Martin did the rest.
 
#318
Oh, just remembered another one! My Conklin Groove Tools 5....just wasn't working for me! I tried one that I liked quite a bit, but when I had returned to the store to purchase it, the darn thing was sold. They had another one available, and I played it for 5 mins and was out the door with it. Never could get the feel of it, unlike the first one I tried.
 
#319
My Alfonso Iturra 5 string is the first "real" boutique bass I have owned - unique, one-of-a-kind. I did not have an opertunity to try before purchase but I trusted the reputation of the Luthier and did not make a mistake. The action is super low and I can easily play the whole bass. If I was to have special-ordered this bass thinking that I knew how it should be built for me it may not have been as good. I also want to add that Brian Barrett of "The Low End" was very helpful with information on the builder as he sells Alfsono Iturra basses. It is always good to get info from someone who knows what he/she is talking about (experience).
 

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