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What Bass Was The Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT?

#21
lucas vigor said:
Musicman Sterling. I really wanted to love this bass, but it had a hollow and sharp sound that could never be tamed. The construction and build were top notch, of course...but that tone..to bright and trebly. Absolutely wrong choice for any roots style music (or blues).


+1. MM really let me down. It was my dream bass growing up, then I got one and took it back the next day after playing it through my rig.
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#22
Every Fender Jazz bass I've ever picked up. I love the narrow neck...I have 4 Precision hybrids, Pbass body, narrow neck, PJ p'up configuration...but every time I play a straight J bass it just "feels" all wrong. As much as I'd love to add a Jazz to my collection, every time I try one...MIA, MIM, MIJ...I can't warm up to it.
 
#25
I'll go with my Human Base BaseX.oc5. Loved other people's soundclips, couldn't stand the sound generated by my fingers :)

A close second would be the wenge neck Warwick Corvette I had for a while. I lvoe me some Warwick, but that smaller profile was not for me. Also, contrary to what others say, I noticed no tonal difference between that one and my 2006 ovangkol-necekd 'Vette.
 
#27
1971 Tele bass (single coil).

I like the look very much, but the tone only sounded good alone, and it couldn't cut through in a band setting with the help of a chainsaw.

And the neck was basically a (barely) rounded off 2X4 which I could never get flattened out enough, and when I tried it buzzed everywhere.

Looked nice, and I'm partial to slab bodies, but totally impractical for me.
 
#28
I've been disappointed by a few that I've owned.

Spector Rebop: Love the look, love the feel and playability, hate the tone. I could occasionally dial in a good tone with a healthy amount of tweaking, but if I made any slight changes it was lost.

Warwick Corvette Standard Ash: I love Warwicks. I've had several, played several more. I absolutely hated this bass. It was a 2009 model I believe, and had the new thinner profile neck. I couldn't stand playing it. I much prefer the thicker, chunkier necks by far. And the tone, it was dull and lifeless. It was passive. While it was definitely punchy, after that initial punch it just sounded flat and didn't go anywhere. Couldn't wait to get rid of that (have since replaced it with a Corvette standard bubinga active, and I don't think I'll ever give it up. I love it!)

G&L L-2500 Tribute: Another bass which looks great and felt great, but the tone simply did not do it for me at all. Some people love it, and that's great, but again I found it too difficult to dial in the tones I liked, and even when I did, I only liked them at best. Never loved them. I just traded that a few days ago, looking forward to its replacement (P-bass ftw!)
 
#30
A few years back I was obsessed with getting a Guild Pilot. I remember wanting one as a teenager, and I decided to finally get one. I scoured the local stores and eBay for a month before I found a pristine flame maple Pilot on the bay. I overpaid for it a bit too.

When I got it, I could never warm up to it. I didn't like the sound or the way it felt and ended up selling it for a loss a couple months later.
 
#32
I sold off my Fender Urge basses because I could never get impressive action out of them. I tried a lot, too. The active pre was a bit outdated and not particularly useful/flexible. Briefly had a Sterling and couldn't get the action low without horrible buzzing no matter what I did.

For the most part, my luthiers do a phenominal job and I don't really worry.
 
#33
Ibanez Soundgear 5-string.

I saw it in GC. It looked great, and it had a super slim neck that felt very comofortable. I went back and looked at it every week for probably 3 months before I finally pulled the trigger and bought it.

I discovered that the neck was so thin, and whatever wood it was made of was so soft, that with just a little pressure from my left hand I could pull it back far enough that the strings would lay flat against the frets. Or, with a little push, I could double the height of the action.
 
#34
I know this will errupt in fireworks around here.

Just about every "legendary" bass produced.

I've owned over 600

Rickenbackers are clunky
T-40s felt uncomfortable and clunky
Sadowskys just seemed like a Fender with more handwork
Fenders all seem to have a lower cost knockoff that sounds and feels better (this is my constant suggestion for a USA Fury)
Ken Smith didn't seem like it was worth the extra money.
Warwicks seemed clunky
Gibsons seemed clunky

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Out of most of the bassees I've played that folks rave about, it seems like setup and fine tuning are what make the differnence -- not the name on the headstock.

Many of the lengendary basses are not that comfortable
 

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