I've seen several posts here that refer to Johnson basses in a negative light, but I never seem to see any specific reasons given. What's wrong with them? I have a Johnson sixer, and I haven't found anything glaringly obvious yet. What have I missed? You won't hurt my feelings, as I bought this on a whim, as a beater, and to see if I would like a six, figuring on buying a better one at a later time. It looks good, feels good and sounds good. As far as my frame of reference goes, I've been playing for about 30 years, and currently own a Lakland Skyline 5501, Spector NS2000/4, Spector NS2000/5, MIM Fender Jazz w/ J-Retro pre, and a '72 Fender Jazz (not RI, I've owned this one since about '82), as well as this Johnson.
If it plays well, the brand doesn't matter. I have a Johnson gui...uh..er..stringed instrument that I picked up for $50 (!). Sounds decent, plays decent - it does what I need it to do. I haven't tried their basses though.
Oh, I agree, that's exactly the way I felt when I bought it. I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I often see Essex, Brice, and a few others considered as good value in a entry level or backup instrument. But the few times that I see Johnson metioned, it is in the context of a bad example. Since I have no experience with Essex or Brice, but have had a generally positive experience with Johnson, I wonder is my experience unusual? I believe that every manufacturer , regardless of price, turns out a "special" unit every now and then, and they all occasionally turn out a "stinker". Did I get a special one, or is mine closer to the average? It's just a curiosity thing for me, nothing posted here will change my opinion of the particular unit that I own. I'm just curious about how others arrive at their opinions.
Oops! I thought this thread was about that herbal enhancement stuff that I see advertised on TV all the time. But since you asked, there's nothing wrong with my Johnson unless I have been overdoing on the sauce. Try cutting back on the booze and see if that helps.