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Why no love?
- Thread starter Bassmantd
- Start date
Of mass produced bass guitars, Yamaha comes to my mind. I guess consumers think of it as everything else, but a guitar company. That's the price they pay for being so multiversed.
EDIT: It's not that they get "no love", it's just that they don't get love they deserve. Yamaha makes great bass guitars in any cost range.
EDIT: It's not that they get "no love", it's just that they don't get love they deserve. Yamaha makes great bass guitars in any cost range.
+1 for Yamaha. My only slight-beef with them is they generally seem to lack a bit of character. Very competent, but middle of the road. Even the nut width they favour (40mm) is halfway house 
+1 for Yamaha. My only slight-beef with them is they generally seem to lack a bit of character. Very competent, but middle of the road. Even the nut width they favour (40mm) is halfway house
I say the Eighties and early Nineties Yamaha’s had character to spare. The older BB series and TRB were fantastic instruments!
many of the smaller builders are incredible artists and building instruments that often far exceed in quality vs. their price tags
Tom Clement comes to mind
Tom Clement Instruments | Specializing in Hand-Crafted Lightweight Basses and Guitars
my #41
Tom Clement comes to mind
Tom Clement Instruments | Specializing in Hand-Crafted Lightweight Basses and Guitars
my #41
There are lots of name brands that offer high-quality instruments, but don't have a big fan base. Yamaha is a great example. Also ESP/LTD, Schecter, DBZ, and to some extent, G&L.
Schecter seems to get the short end of the stick for "looking too metal" which is just silly, most of their guitars/ basses revolve around Strat/ Tele style bodies, just like everyone else. Some people love Schecter electronics, some people don't.
It seems that the people that don't like Schecters (or P's or J's or [insert name of, literally, anything here] are more vocal than those that do.
Generally, I try to spend more time playing my instruments and creating music than I do espousing the virtues of gear and attacking the perceived weaknesses of others. If I'm discussing equipment with others, it's generally to learn something new or help them learn something new about something that they've asked.
I haven't tried everything, so how could I possibly contribute to a 'what's the best X?' conversation beyond saying, "Hey, you asked about X thing and I have one or one like it and here's what I think of it."? I can only compare it to other things like it that I've personally tried.
I guess it's a pet peeve of mine to see people answering a question like "How does Item A compare with Item B?" with stuff like "My buddy had an Item A back in the 1970's (I think that's right, we were too drunk and high to really remember) and I think he said that he didn't like it. It sounded great to me, but you should definitely stay clear of it! One day Old Tom came out to our show and he puked on Older Tom's boots. Man, I'll tell you what! Older Tom started whoopin' on Old Tom until Dead Tom came over from the bar and opened up a new can of buttwhoopin' on both of 'em. Yup. Item A sucks. Go with B. Right @SomeGuyYouDontKnow @OtherGuyYouDontKNow?"
sorry... let me stop my old-man-style ranting and let this thread continue on it's original track unabated
It seems that the people that don't like Schecters (or P's or J's or [insert name of, literally, anything here] are more vocal than those that do.
Generally, I try to spend more time playing my instruments and creating music than I do espousing the virtues of gear and attacking the perceived weaknesses of others. If I'm discussing equipment with others, it's generally to learn something new or help them learn something new about something that they've asked.
I haven't tried everything, so how could I possibly contribute to a 'what's the best X?' conversation beyond saying, "Hey, you asked about X thing and I have one or one like it and here's what I think of it."? I can only compare it to other things like it that I've personally tried.
I guess it's a pet peeve of mine to see people answering a question like "How does Item A compare with Item B?" with stuff like "My buddy had an Item A back in the 1970's (I think that's right, we were too drunk and high to really remember) and I think he said that he didn't like it. It sounded great to me, but you should definitely stay clear of it! One day Old Tom came out to our show and he puked on Older Tom's boots. Man, I'll tell you what! Older Tom started whoopin' on Old Tom until Dead Tom came over from the bar and opened up a new can of buttwhoopin' on both of 'em. Yup. Item A sucks. Go with B. Right @SomeGuyYouDontKnow @OtherGuyYouDontKNow?"
sorry... let me stop my old-man-style ranting and let this thread continue on it's original track unabated
My first acoustic guitar was a Yamaha. For about $120, the quality was so incredible that my friends and family all preferred it to their own instruments. I tune it roughly once a year and it remains beautiful.
Meanwhile, Ibanez does gets its dose of love, but not as much as I think it ought to. Their finishes are made of magic, they sound pretty much however you want them to, and they’re yours for prices that are actually feasible for regular human beings.
I think Boss could use a little more love too, to be honest. It’s like the Coca-Cola of the effects world- everybody partakes from time to time without really thinking about it much and nobody ever says “man, this is amazing.” And, I mean, usually they’re not amazing, but they’re mostly all ridiculously reliable, and that counts for a lot, I think.
The stuff that stays with you the longest isn’t the stuff that blows you away with how cool it is. It’s the stuff that just simply doesn’t ever quit doing what you need it to do.
... and probably wouldn’t sell for enough to be worth getting rid of anyway.
--^@
Meanwhile, Ibanez does gets its dose of love, but not as much as I think it ought to. Their finishes are made of magic, they sound pretty much however you want them to, and they’re yours for prices that are actually feasible for regular human beings.
I think Boss could use a little more love too, to be honest. It’s like the Coca-Cola of the effects world- everybody partakes from time to time without really thinking about it much and nobody ever says “man, this is amazing.” And, I mean, usually they’re not amazing, but they’re mostly all ridiculously reliable, and that counts for a lot, I think.
The stuff that stays with you the longest isn’t the stuff that blows you away with how cool it is. It’s the stuff that just simply doesn’t ever quit doing what you need it to do.
... and probably wouldn’t sell for enough to be worth getting rid of anyway.
--^@
I think you'll find a decent mix of those who believe in Ibanez, Yamaha, Schecter, ESP, Washburn, Dean, Peavey, Carvin (now Kiesel). I might attribute this to mass production and their relatively low resale values. Others may tend to believe they lack quality.
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Ah, I think I see a disconnect with my views vs. others'! I honestly and truly hadn't considered this until I just read your post [no sarcasm at all!]
When I'm looking at a new (or used) instrument, I'm don't really consider anything beyond:
- Whether or not it pleases me aesthetically - If I can't stand to look at it, I won't play it
- Whether or not I can hold/play it comfortably - There is a good reason that the rockstar in me still hasn't gotten to own a Rhodes style Jackson V
- Whether or not I can functionally use it - If the controls aren't accessible, I can't reach the strings to palm mute because there is some bridge or pickup guard in the way, it won't get in tune/ stay tuned, etc.
- Whether or not I can get the sound out of it that I want - No matter how good it looks, if I can't stand the way it sounds, this interview is over. That said, if it's something that I know that I can handle, such as new strings, new pickups, new bridge, etc. the lack of perfect sound won't necessarily kill the deal.
- Is it built well? - Yeah it looks and plays well, at first blush, but if it's going to fall apart at any minute or requires constant supervision and maintenance , it's not coming home with me! I violated my rule on this once and brought home a Gretsch guitar with a floating bridge and I came to the conclusion that I am not the kind of person that can be trusted with or can give that kind of love to such a touchy and infuriating little detail
- What is its real condition beyond the obvious? Does everything work like it should? - tuners turn (both directions!), bridge isn't corroded into a permanent position, closely check frets, nut, fret board, truss rod, covers, guards, knobs, covers, hardware, etc. Are there any electronics issues like noisy pots, bad pups, etc. The deeper the dive, the better. If I can take it apart, great! If not, I do as much poking, prodding as possible to satisfy any questions or doubts.
- Do I really like the entire package? - After looking at it up close and hearing what it can do and I can do with it, does it still appeal to me as much as it did before?
- Do I really want it? - I ask myself "Seriously, man... was this a total impulse or do you really want this?" Notice I left out need
- Is the price/ trade fair? - I've already answered this before I ever even reached out to the other party but now that I've seen it up close and gotten to evaluate it for myself, is the deal still a good one?
- Can I afford this? / Do I really want to part with that trade item?
For me, an instrument purchase is kind of like a pet. It's "forever". I fully acknowledge that I've sold many used things. Wait, no pets tough!!! I just mean that I don't look to buy an instrument as an investment or to use it for a short time and then dump it later and I need to be able to make sure that I make profit or can minimize my loss, etc. In my 34 years since I bought my first guitar, I've only sold 2 of them. One was my first guitar. Yes. I sold it. And I do not regret it at all, lol! The second was that f*ck!ng Gretsch!!! I still own the other dozen+ instruments that I've bought and have no intention of ever getting rid of them.
Well... looking back on that post, it seems that I am developing a new hobby today... interrupting TB threads with my stream of consciousness narrative on my own personal discoveries
....
I have a late 70s Yamaha BB200. I can't express how much I like this Bass.
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
2013/2014 Gibson EB fall into that category. Not because Gibson doesn't get its share of love and hate. Gibson isn't Yamaha, by any stretch. But those seemed to get dismissed immediately and remain dismissed. For whatever reason, those never found a market, never developed any kind of reputation, and didn't sell well. They are inexpensive, versatile, and American made. A little odd looking if you look at them closely, and there were some finish and shaping quirks. But, considering what they can do and where they were made, I would have expected them to sell better.
The old (80’s) Tokai Hard Puncher P-Bass copies are inexpensive and amazing. Seems like they built for Fender Japan as well, because examples of Tokais and Japanese Fenders of similar years are almost identical.
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G&L gets plenty of love here, but out in the wild they are sadly way under-appreciated. For example, the LB-100 is arguably one of the best non-Fender P's out there. Wish more pros were seen rocking those.
My first acoustic guitar was a Yamaha. For about $120, the quality was so incredible that my friends and family all preferred it to their own instruments. I tune it roughly once a year and it remains beautiful.
Meanwhile, Ibanez does gets its dose of love, but not as much as I think it ought to. Their finishes are made of magic, they sound pretty much however you want them to, and they’re yours for prices that are actually feasible for regular human beings.
I think Boss could use a little more love too, to be honest. It’s like the Coca-Cola of the effects world- everybody partakes from time to time without really thinking about it much and nobody ever says “man, this is amazing.” And, I mean, usually they’re not amazing, but they’re mostly all ridiculously reliable, and that counts for a lot, I think.
The stuff that stays with you the longest isn’t the stuff that blows you away with how cool it is. It’s the stuff that just simply doesn’t ever quit doing what you need it to do.
... and probably wouldn’t sell for enough to be worth getting rid of anyway.
--^@
I agree with Ibanez. They get a lot of love for their sub-$500 basses, but I don't think they get nearly enough credit for their prestige lines. IMO they're competitive with basses costing much more.
Without a doubt! You had both Sir Paul and Michael Anthony playing BBs.
I think the thing with Yamaha is that they have such a small piece of the electric bass market that a lot of people just haven't had the opportunity to play many. I have never walked into a music shop that had Yamaha basses for sale. Not even GC seem to stock these. Only Yamaha instruments I seem to find "in the wild" is low end acoustic guitars and keyboards.
