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What Bass Was The Biggest DISAPPOINTMENT?

#141
Both Ken Smith basses I used to own - sounded like a duck passing gas. Just an annoying always-prominent, upper mid-rangey honk that could be tamed but never shaken through much EQing. As Tendollarcat stated about his AC, shockingly little bass of their own accord, again - EQ to the rescue. :hmm:

The other was a Low End Jazz bass for the same reasons - IIRC, someone on TB stated that Kent Armstrong supplied pickups for Low End Jazz at some time as well as Ken Smith basses. That could have contributed to the midrange honk I heard in that too. Either way, the preamps these basses were or are currently using were way too treble-y and definitely were was not doing justice for those pickups in either bass. :spit: They had to go...

As far as little Fender complaining going on - IMO, it's hard to fix what ain't broken.
 
#144
My Aerodyne. From the feel to the tone. Loved the weight, should've felt better, bad electronics and I had nonstop problems from it. I think I must've got a lemon, but a student of mine also bought one (the J version, another had the P and it was a lovely instrument) and her neck was far chunkier, the bass had more 'meat' to it and just sounded awesome.

That's why I never special order anymore, I was dumb to do it, but it had all the specs that I loved.
 
#146
Phalex said:
Peavey Cirrus.
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Me too. Mine was a Cirrus BXP 5. Now, I'm a four string guy, so I needed to adjust to the B. OK - that wasn't too big of a problem. Problem was, I couldn't get on with the string spacing (too narrow, even for a Jazz bass guy), and I also seemed to have issues with the 35" scale.

Shame too, 'cuz it was cheap (200 bucks, new, blowout), looked great, sounded great, was well made and well balanced and VERY light.
 
#148
Alembic Europa 5.
I was getting back into playing when I bought this,& must admit,I was going in rather blindly,relying more on reputation than anything.Other Alembics I've tried have really impressed me,but the Europa just couldnt justify what I spent on it.
 
#149
Bijoux said:
I like this thread!
if I had any GAS left, now it's all gone!!!
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+1 I was thinking the same thing! This thread should be renamed "Cure For GAS."

I have loved every bass I've ever owned, including the two I sold. Maybe I just don't buy enough basses.

For a little while, I was displeased by the tone of my old Carvin LB50, which lacked bottom and punch before I put in active EMGs. I have loved it for 25 out of its 26 years though. (I do need to sell it, if I adapt to the fretless I am getting tomorrow, but I'd keep it if I felt I could.)
 
#150
I tried to love and buy the Hofner Beatle-Bass. There is no sustain and depth to it at all - even if you play it in a tiled-bathroom.
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I also tried to find a warm spot for a Rickenbacker - nope. I really wanted to gt one of these for nostalgia and great looks. Too brassy/tinny. Sounded like a piccolo trying to take the place of the Sousaphone in a marching band.

PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE FROM CG - FOR SOME ODD REASON?


I also tried to find some attraction to a Musicman. It sounded OK but I was afraid that I'd be embarrassed to play one in public; it might look like I was having intercourse with a Teletubbie.
632866241269924858.jpg
 
#151
TechJunky said:
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.
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Same here! My Rebop had a zebrawood top and was a great looking bass. I also loved the curved body shape. However, I just could not get a tone I liked out of it no matter what I tried.
 
#154
Where do I start? (By the way, please don't take offense, these are just my personal experiences):

F Bass BN5 - It was 34.5", but felt like 36"; it had a lot of body dive (watch Alain Caron playing his F Bass and you'll know what I'm talking about), and the finish was a piece of !@#$ resin that dented with the slightest touch. Sounded pretty much like a Fender jazz, which was it's only redeeming quality. I couldn't believe I paid so much for it (lots of upgrades).

Fodera NYC 5 (newest version w/ Pope Preamp) - Weirdly huge body, the noisiest singe coils I've ever heard (Seymour Duncans), most expensive non-US made bass I've ever bought, but the neck was awesome.

Warrior Signature 5 Neck Thru - This bass came damaged from shipping, but when I first held it, I was shocked at how much it weighed (felt like 12+ lbs.), so I didn't bother to weigh it nor even plug it in. I filed a claim with FedEx and received a refund.

DP Custom 6 - Baseball bat thick neck, crude design and construction overall. Don't wanna sound mean, but it looks like just a weekend hobbyist made it.

I liked all of my other basses for the most part (Fender, Tobias, Yamaha, Stingray, etc.), but the one that blew my socks off and I still have is the Sadowsky NYC 24-5 modern. I can't comment on the Metros, but the NYCs are nothing like Fenders, IMO.
 
#156
Honestly, the first time I played a real gibson thunderbird...I flat out hated it. Hated everything about it. I loved the way it looked, though. However, my opinion has changed dramatically. I do like them again. But, having said that, the biggest disappointment EVER was the Rickenbacker 4004 Cheyenne. I plugged one in at my local guitar center (They NEVER have Ricky's...I was excited)....and it sucked. But that's just my opinion.
 
#157
This is based on my experience (No Offense Please),

Bought a CT no frills 4 for $3400 Brand new..and with shipping + tax to Indonesia, the total price was close to $4200.

Can't adjust the string action low, dead spot on 11 th fret, Buzzing everywhere, bass neck wasn't installed properly (need shimming). REALLY HUGE DISSAPOINTMENT
the bass feels and made like a $300 - 400 bass
 
#158
That is a real bummer to hear. When did we build it? What were you looking for tonally that you did not get? Did you do the pup swap or did we? Did it help at all? What pup swap did you make? Which preamp model do you have in the bass? Please feel free to PM me or email me at:

[email protected]

There are a great number of things that we can tweak tonally on the instruments even after they have been built to dial-in the tone you are trying to get. Of course if you are an Ash / Maple guy and the bass we built you is Mahogany / Rosewood, we may have some problems, but barring that kind of thing we ought to be able to get you the tone you desire if you come and spend some time with us in Brooklyn,


plangentmusic said:
Have you ever gotten something that you thought would be just perfect -- and then the more you played it, the more you hated it?

I've had two.

One: The Fodera: That was going to be my dream bass. Everything built to my specifications. Cost me a bundle. I WANTED so much to love it. I just don't like the sound of it. Changed the pickups. I still don't like the sound of it.
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#159
No question it was my Gibson Flying V bass. I bought it new in 1981-ish, in a rare moment of impulse consumerism. It looked awesome, but didn't sound so great. "Never mind", sez I - "it will kill through the SVT." Not. :rollno: I ultimately traded it for a Kramer Pioneer bass (P-Bass thingie). Suitable for wall art or as a decorative doorstop, these things now sell for a ridiculous amount of money. Who knew?
GibsonVBass2.jpg
 

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