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Why do so many bass rigs have to be so ugly?

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Billy3000

Dec 18, 2008
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#1
I don't mean to crap on anyone's tastes here or anything, but why is it that at least half of all bass rigs are covered in carpet instead of tolex, or covered in green or yellow (Trace Elliot and Mark bass). You go to a guitar center, and all the guitar amps and half stacks look pretty classic and normal, but you go into the bass room and other than the ampeg stuff it's all covered in carpet, monstrously ugly metal speaker grills, and green and yellow everywhere! I know these brands have their fans, I'm not particularly a fan of the sound of any of those brands, but even if my Mesa Cab or Ampeg amp which I love the sound of, were covered in carpet, I'd be disappointed about how they looked. Also, the large portion of non-fender basses that look like coffee tables. I just don't understand it, and am wondering if anybody out there is actually a fan of the way that these rigs and basses look, or if they just like the sound so much that they're willing to play hideous gear? I'm also wondering, if these other brands were to go for a more classic design to their rigs, would they become more common at shows? It seems as though I only see Ampeg gear at shows that I play, with the occasional Mesa head or cab.

And also on a similar, but somewhat unrelated note, Why in the hell is a Markbass 8x10 more expensive than an Ampeg 8x10?!?!?
 
#2
You might also ask why cars are so wildly different. They all have four wheels and move down the road.

Personal taste. I like basses that sound, feel and look different from each other.

The reason you see only Ampeg gear might be because everyone thinks an SVT with an 8x10 is cool. So that ends up on the backline for touring bands.

You probably don't see enough players to have a good sample. Off the top of my head, I can think of a half-dozen local part-time players...none uses anything from Ampeg.
 
#4
Well I play Markbass gear, A lmk 1 head (which is a bright yellow early model) with 2 4x10 cabs ( bright yellow and black.. capret texture cover). I don't find it hideous at all, I quite like that it, it's lightweight, sounds awesome and the carpet material doesn't get all scratched and scuffed like my guitarists rigs do. ( they play ENGL amps and quads with the tolex covering.) I personally dont like the look of the ampeg cabs mesh, especially the vintage silvery mesh, i like to see the speakers in a bass cab. I'm also not into big bulky heads like the ampeg svt 2 pro ect.

but this is one of the things that makes bass far more interesting, most guitar players variate between 3 or 4 brands of amps with maybe a bit more range in their guitars but I find them pretty predictable. many bass players play completely different gear which i love to see.
 
#8
Rick Auricchio said:
The reason you see only Ampeg gear might be because everyone thinks an SVT with an 8x10 is cool.
Click to expand...

I think it's less that they're "cool" and more that they are top-of-the-line sound (whether thinking subjectively or objectively).

In any case, I find myself thinking the same thing. But that's why I go for vintage :) Ever wonder why a '71 Firebird looks way better than a '99 Sunfire? Same with bass amps.
 
#9
I agree, lot's of bass gear is ugly, but so is lot's of guitar gear! Especially metal guitars, pointy and in odd colors...

I blame it on the 80s!

But you have the more classic looks of Ampeg, Ashdown, Mesa, Aguilar etc... You maybe just don't see them often in shops (except for ampeg)

Also, I guess guitarists are much more conservative and want the old school look :P

But taste is preference, no point in arguing about tastes... It's like cars, yeah... and coincidentally, compare 50s/60s and 80s cars... and then 50s/60s and 80s guitars. You will see similarities in trends of both products!

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#11
I kinda get when he's gettting at. My main gripe is that 90% of guitar heads and cabs are simply sized to look nicely together, even if they're completely different brands. But they're still the same width/height/depth. Except for an Ampeg and Acoustic, I can't think of and companies that their heads match their cabs in size.

My first head, a Behringer, was so small width-wise I put other stuff on top of my fridge just so it didn't look funny. Before I got a rack mount my SVT-4 sat on top and it was too long so the back legs hung off the back. I was constantly worried about it sliding down the back.
 
#13
I don't like bright colors or huge logos, but I think Orange amps are okay, and I don't mind the Marshall logo (although most guitar players I know will remove the Marshall logo from their cab). So I guess I have mixed feelings.

I also don't mind the Ampeg badge on the corner of my 8x10... if it was huge, I probably would. I don't want to advertise for a brand of gear (unless I am getting gear for free, which isn't going to happen anytime soon!)

Bass gear is generally more ugly than guitar equipment (with exceptions on both sides, of course)
 
#15
A lot of bass amps look like DVD players, maybe one day bass amp manufacturers will understand that not everyone wants to rack their gear or put it in a small carrybag, I agree that guitar amp manufacturers seem to try to make the amps look nice more than their bass counterparts.
I like the Orange bass terror it is modern but still kinda classy looking without compromising the convenience of transporting it.
 
#16
Billy3000 said:
I don't mean to crap on anyone's tastes here or anything, but why is it that at least half of all bass rigs are covered in carpet instead of tolex, or covered in green or yellow (Trace Elliot and Mark bass). You go to a guitar center, and all the guitar amps and half stacks look pretty classic and normal, but you go into the bass room and other than the ampeg stuff it's all covered in carpet, monstrously ugly metal speaker grills, and green and yellow everywhere! I know these brands have their fans, I'm not particularly a fan of the sound of any of those brands, but even if my Mesa Cab or Ampeg amp which I love the sound of, were covered in carpet, I'd be disappointed about how they looked. Also, the large portion of non-fender basses that look like coffee tables. I just don't understand it, and am wondering if anybody out there is actually a fan of the way that these rigs and basses look, or if they just like the sound so much that they're willing to play hideous gear? I'm also wondering, if these other brands were to go for a more classic design to their rigs, would they become more common at shows? It seems as though I only see Ampeg gear at shows that I play, with the occasional Mesa head or cab.

And also on a similar, but somewhat unrelated note, Why in the hell is a Markbass 8x10 more expensive than an Ampeg 8x10?!?!?
Click to expand...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I kinda like some metal speaker grills, especially Mesa's. Part of that is because in my opinion they're sturdier than cloth grills.

I agree on carpet. I can't stand carpeted cabs. I won't buy one.

As for weird colors, I'm not a big fan of Markbass' yellow thing, but I do kinda like the green thing that trace has got going on. The V6 and V8 look amazing.

If nobody thought the stuff you don't like looked good, they wouldn't make stuff that looked that way.

People are different and so have different tastes and opinions as to what looks good. Lots of people like Orange. I think it's garish (unless it's one of the ones with black or white tolex). Lots of people like rackmounts. I hate the way equipment racks look. I want my amp to look like an amp, not a computer or internet router.
 
#17
I think the new Aggy gear looks as classic and sleek as any guitar stack out there. But, looks are really irrelevant to me. I'd play the mothman bass through a toaster into a cab made from roadkill and lead.....as long as it sounded good :p
 
#18
Billy3000 said:
I just don't understand it, and am wondering if anybody out there is actually a fan of the way that these rigs and basses look, or if they just like the sound so much that they're willing to play hideous gear?
Click to expand...

Nope, absaloutly nobody likes them, not at all...


Thats why they make so many, because nobody likes them, and they don't sell.
 
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