Worst chronic bass design flaws?

[BobWestbrook]

What do you think is the worst design flaw that is almost universally present in production basses?

My vote would be the truss nut mechanism - often a pain to use, and easy to strip.

 

[TolerancEJ]

Neck-dive. When a company doesn't bother to weigh if the neck is heavier than the body. (There's a whole thread on this, so I'm not gonna open the debate again.)

The manufacturer sending instruments to stores without proper setup (intonation, etc.)

 

[hover]

the almost universal dependence on the intonation being adjusted soley at the bridge.

 

[fu22ba55]

Putting preamps in them? Or putting more than four strings on them?



I kid.

 

[MPica]

As much as I love Fenders, I think the fact that they all require a string tree to keep the string(s) from popping out of the nut to be a bit of a flaw. Not really a big deal though.

 

[Adam Wright]

big chunky heelblocks on a bolt-on

 

[Jefenator]

Wood selection. All the nice hardware & electronics in the world won't revive a piece of lumber that is lifeless, IMHO.

 

[hover]

I thought the question was

"What do you think is the worst design flaw that is almost universally present in production basses"

which connotes a constant, not a variable.

 

[Handyman]

the almost universal dependence on the intonation being adjusted soley at the bridge.

Yes, most fretted instruments suffer from this. The solution to this is pretty wild, though.

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[BobWestbrook]

I thought the question was

"What do you think is the worst design flaw that is almost universally present in production basses"

which connotes a constant, not a variable.

My guess is that you are a mathematician, a programmer, or a scientist.

 

[hover]

a bit of each, I'll call it an engineer.



My post wasn't so much to the OP, but to the suggestions being made. lumber, preamps, string trees, etc. Those are variables.

 

[calebbarton]

Yes, most fretted instruments suffer from this. The solution to this is pretty wild, though.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

lol try taking that to a tech to have the frets dressed. I would love to see the expression on their face.

 

[hover]

Yes, most fretted instruments suffer from this. The solution to this is pretty wild, though.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Oh, definitely. LEt's just say the Feiten System of tempering the related tones is a good step in the right direction, but still....and that link, I feel, combines genius and insanity in the most astonishingly complete way possible.

 

[Tropic]

Wood selection. All the nice hardware & electronics in the world won't revive a piece of lumber that is lifeless, IMHO.

True but it's a lot harder for the larger companies like Fender to check every piece of wood for its acoustic, weight, and tonal qualities. I can't see this being any issue with smaller ones like Sadowsky or Lakland or Wishbass but with the large companies with factories spread all over the world, how do you fix that?

 

[TolerancEJ]

When basses are contructed with n frets but they are difficult to reach due to lack of cutaway.

 

[Phalex]

As much as I love Fenders, I think the fact that they all require a string tree to keep the string(s) from popping out of the nut to be a bit of a flaw. Not really a big deal though.

+1

I'm also not a fan of inline tuners. The first one is too close to the nut, and the last one is too far from the bridge IMO.

 

[Spleenface92]

I feel like I'd have the true temperment thing...and everyone would be like..."WHOA! Who did that to your frets?!"

 

[Admiral Axtell]

Neck Dive is the only issue I have with my Epi Tbird, well that and reaching the higher frets while standing up is really hard to do.

 

[plangentmusic]

If horns went to the 10th fret, a lot more basses would be better balanced.

 

[TolerancEJ]

If horns went to the 10th fret, a lot more basses would be better balanced.

This one goes to 11. (Sorry, it just seemed like the right time.)