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Totally garbage basses


Black Coffee
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With the modern era of CNC machining and better cheaper electronics, are there any basses which are absolute garbage.

My first bass was an 'Axe' brand four string which I enthusiastically bought form an ad in Kerrang magazine after saving paper round money for about five months. Never in tune as the bridge pulled away from body when the strings were tightened for tuning. Weighed a ton, you could drive a truck under the strings at the fifth fret, horrible instrument. I actually put black insulating tape over the name on the headstock in case someone recognised it from a distance i was so embarrassed by it. But it made me caress and cherish my next bass, a Charvel/Jackson pointy headstock frosted white beauty.

So, almost thirty years after my axe experience are there any that we should totally avoid?
I'm tempted to try the squire range as I've not recently read anything bad about them, is this the case ?

Any other brands to avoid like Katie price on a night out ?

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The only one's I would avoid are those starter sets under names like Rockford and so on you see on eBay for 70 quid, with an amp. TBH that is more because I wouldn't trust the amp.

I think we are very lucky today, my dad still has his first 6 stringer from the 70's when he began playing, and it is completely and utterly unplayable, and it cost him the thick end of a weeks salary.

Now we can pick up fantastic quality from the far east for around the 150 quid mark. My first bass, a Washburn XB120 was about 200 quid, with a 20W Fender amp, tuner, strap and cable. It was then, and remains a lovely instrument.

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[quote name='Black Coffee' timestamp='1426839521' post='2722431']
My first bass was an 'Axe' brand four string which I enthusiastically bought form an ad in Kerrang magazine after saving paper round money for about five months. Never in tune as the bridge pulled away from body when the strings were tightened for tuning. Weighed a ton, you could drive a truck under the strings at the fifth fret, horrible instrument. I actually put black insulating tape over the name on the headstock in case someone recognised it from a distance i was so embarrassed by it. [/quote]

I remember lusting after those Axe basses... I would have been about six at the time. :D

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[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1426846432' post='2722545']


I remember lusting after those Axe basses... I would have been about six at the time. :D
[/quote]

I was about fifteen, and I'd have been better continuing to lust after it until I got my Charvel/Jackson. Then I would have avoided the shocking experience.

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[quote name='Thump' timestamp='1426845972' post='2722538']
I tried one from a brand called Redwood , and it was pretty bad even for £130 brand new.

The Squier Vintage Modern series are well worth a look in my opinion
[/quote]

I tried a redwood in a shop locally and it was shabby and nasty. Woodwork was rough to say the least.

The squire vintage modern series always seem to attract positive comments and as I'm in a vein of playing cheaper basses through an expensive amp currently I might be tempted.

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my friends was given a Rhino88 bass as he wanted to try out bass instead of guitar for a bit, he gave it to me to lower the action that was at least a centimeter plus at the 12 frett, on putting the allen key in the truss rod to adjust it the whole thing slid around 2 inches deeper down the neck, so id say there pretty rubbish! think they sell for around £130 brand new

harley benton basses and guitars have surprised me everytime, my 5 string P is a joy!

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I bought a Jack & Danny J bass last summer, predominantly as it was surf green! I was very (pleasantly) surprised at the general standard of components, fit and finish - and yet it only cost £119 brand new! :o

I have gigged with it and would happily do so again. It has one of the nicest J necks I've played (allowing for the slightly rough/sharp fret ends).

When I compare it to the rubbish I played back in the late seventies and early eighties I shudder at what we put up with! :)

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These days there really seems to be no need to own a crap bass and no real need to spend over 450 for a great quality bass eg. a USA SUB, Japanese Fender, I have a mind blowingly nice sterling sb14 with a nordstrand pickup that I bought for 395 and it could serve me forever if need be.

Having said that I bought 7 basses since, a couple more expensive ones... but I didn't 'need' them.

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[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1426861324' post='2722844']
I bought a Jack & Danny J bass last summer, predominantly as it was surf green! I was very (pleasantly) surprised at the general standard of components, fit and finish - and yet it only cost £119 brand new! :o

I have gigged with it and would happily do so again. It has one of the nicest J necks I've played (allowing for the slightly rough/sharp fret ends).

When I compare it to the rubbish I played back in the late seventies and early eighties I shudder at what we put up with! :)
[/quote]

I got a cheap backup a few years back from ebay. I think it was a Wesley or summat like that. It was well put together and didnt sound too bad after I set it up. Its quiet difficult to get a cheap and nasty unplayable bass in this day and age. ;)

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[quote name='Donnyboy' timestamp='1427019508' post='2724660']



Rickenbacker- obviously.
:)
[/quote]

Unfortunately, an expensive lesson learned already with that brand. Owned three, one had a shabby loose vibrating truss rod, one had a dodgy bridge pickup and one was ok. Two out of three ain't good when it's broken basses at £1500 a pop. Less said the better.

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I think that there is a slight misconception that because they are nearly all made using cnc machines, the quality is more consistent. In order to have consistent quality, you need a good QC operation to keep the programmers and operators on their toes. As a supervisor in a cnc machine shop, I can confirm that shoddy workmanship is more common than you'd think.

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Could there be complacency even in the US workshops then just as easy as the further afield sites ?

Surely it's your reputation your dicing with when you take your eye off the ball. Leo's crew have a bit of a rep of play it before you buy it but I suppose you could say that about any brand.

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[quote name='stubass' timestamp='1427052857' post='2725173']
I think that there is a slight misconception that because they are nearly all made using cnc machines, the quality is more consistent. In order to have consistent quality, you need a good QC operation to keep the programmers and operators on their toes. As a supervisor in a cnc machine shop, I can confirm that shoddy workmanship is more common than you'd think.
[/quote]

Im not a supervisor, in a cnc workshop, but as a technician/engineer who uses a toolroom on site to make parts we need, i can confirm that some parts come back to us so far out of spec we would have been better served scratching the part out with iron files ourselves.
I dont understand how they can be so bad when a machine completed the vast majority of the work, but it definitely happens.

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[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1427050564' post='2725117']
The most "garbage" bass I ever owned was high end, hand made and very expensive. It quickly developed a terminal neck back bow that would have rivaled Robin Hood's weapon of choice.
I shall refrain from naming it....I am over it now. Honestly. I am. I mean it. Honestly.
[/quote]

hint?

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[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1427221578' post='2727524'] Well, I am over it now. Honest. However I could indulge in a game of hangman if you like; 6 letters _ _ _ _ _ _ [size=4]Have a bash [/size] [/quote]

I'm going to go for [b]J [/b]because I suspect it's a UK luthier if you're in Scotland and, because I can't think of any others with 6 letters, I reckon it could be Jaydee.

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