The basses you love to hate thread.

[harleyheath]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1351013477' post='1846247']
when you say laminate, i assume you are talking about 3/4/5/6 piece necks, and not encasing the necks in plastic?
[/quote]

Yep, thats the kiddie!

[StephenFerguson]

ive played a couple and the build quality was awfull and even with adjustment and replacement pups i found them watery? yeah...watery sounding, the lindo jazz basses I have tries (everyone who I know who gets a first bass tends to get a stagg or lindo btw) is possibly the worse bass I have held, remember when everyones first basses used to be squires, arias or tanglewoods? sigh.

[Dave Vader]

Friend of mine has a 5 string fretless stagg and swears by it. He got rid of everything else and just plays that now. Horses for courses and all that.

[Bilbo]

Not read the whole thread but......

Dean Basses - dreadsul looking things

Alembics - like the Series II shape but most of the custom models look (and, IM humble O, sound) feckin hideous

Anything that is pointy (Thunderbirds, BC Rich etc). Might be okmwhen you are in a HM metal band but as, everyone grows out of that eventually, you are left with an unusable piece of comic book art

JayDees - little more than Alembic copies but why copy an Alembic when it looks and sounds hideous (see above)

Ken Smiths - fugly, every one of them

Gibson Les Paul basses - ain't right

Gibson Grabber - no-one had one except Kelly Groucutt

Ovation Breadwinnder bass - yeeeuch

[Rich]

http://www.loewenherzbass.com/english/manual.html
Uglier than a bulldog chewing a wasp. Ocean waves and lobster claws, my arse.

[harleyheath]

Whooooh, that is ugly!! That lion head bridge is awful!! I'm deffo not one to run down any one who makes hand made basses but that is very over the top ugly!! Nicely made thou, in a ugly kind if way! Still each to there own his selling them so some people disagree! Lol

Edited October 24, 2012 by harleyheath

[paul torch]

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1351039596' post='1846624']
[url="http://www.loewenherzbass.com/english/manual.html"]http://www.loewenher...ish/manual.html[/url]
Uglier than a bulldog chewing a wasp. Ocean waves and lobster claws, my arse.
[/quote]

I'm sure I used to have a belt buckle back in the 70's with the same lion's head.

[thumperbob 2002]

[quote name='StephenFerguson' timestamp='1351011489' post='1846228']
What? when did I mention a Fender Roadworn in this post, if you read mine back you will see I am a fan of Fenders. I was saying that some basses are simply poor regardless of the adjustments you make to them (Stagg and lindo for example) and that some have no excuse for needing such major adjustments (gibsons) So no, im not kidding you, I just don't think you caught my post right.....I was refering to the last bit that said its not what you play. Thats an admirable sentiment but you are equating a Fender to a cheap bass, which it isnt unless you consider a fodera or Wal bass normally priced, I was pointing out that some basses are simply rubbish and a good bass with versitility does add to a bass players arsenal regardless of developement or talent.....if not we would all play £80 lindo basses.
[/quote]

Good one- actually I would agree that £600 is a cheap instrument- though I suppose a RW Jazz retails for £1000+ ( not that I would pay that for one). Still take some setting up though.

[Schwartz]

Thunderbirds... why does everyone laugh at me when I try and play it up high slapping it? Either way, horrid tone to boot.
Phoenix bass by LTD (same reasons as above)...

Bonus turd; Fleabass, crap design, crap neck, crap sound... did I mention crap enough?

[harleyheath]

I'd love to see a thunderbird ramped up high mark king style an slapped like larry graham on speed, that would be awesome! video please!!

[bremen]

Harleyheath: [quote] "Theres no such thing as cant......" [/quote]
Dictionary: [quote]
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cant [/quote]

[bremen]

I was looking for an image of a Flying V but found something even worse:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/80s-Kramer-Flying-V-Bass-USA-Aluminum-Neck-Black-Electric-Guitar-No-Case-/160898748799?pt=Guitar&hash=item257650117f

[harleyheath]

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1351076101' post='1846925']
Harleyheath:
Dictionary:


[/quote]

LMAO!! well it seems there is! im screwed! lol

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1350984817' post='1845766']
You told!
It's a Levy's strap, mine has been used on three successive long scale basses including the infamous Epi EB3 - and being about 3 ins wide (75mm to the metrically minded) and suede on the inner it doesn't allow neck dive....................................... so far!
Though it's still to pass the T-bird test.
[/quote]

[url="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lysator.liu.se/~wizkid/music/thunderbird_mod/pics/before.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lysator.liu.se/~wizkid/music/thunderbird_mod/&usg=__0CJHau6Nzq-qq73r2pCRULY3pfg=&h=382&w=254&sz=38&hl=en&start=78&zoom=1&tbnid=SIvwgBWovRcRtM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=82&ei=xtGHUPWpKYqe0QW62oD4Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgibson%2Bthunderbird%26start%3D60%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dvss%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1"]http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.lysator.liu.se/~wizkid/music/thunderbird_mod/pics/before.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.lysator.liu.se/~wizkid/music/thunderbird_mod/&usg=__0CJHau6Nzq-qq73r2pCRULY3pfg=&h=382&w=254&sz=38&hl=en&start=78&zoom=1&tbnid=SIvwgBWovRcRtM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=82&ei=xtGHUPWpKYqe0QW62oD4Aw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dgibson%2Bthunderbird%26start%3D60%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dvss%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1[/url]

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='harleyheath' timestamp='1351074195' post='1846889']
I'd love to see a thunderbird ramped up high mark king style an slapped like larry graham on speed, that would be awesome! video please!!
[/quote]

Not slapped, but at least 2ft too high IMHO; Thunderbird: You're doing it wrong!

[arthurhenry]

The TM Stevens and Steve Bailey signature Warwicks are hideous.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Pelle Einnarson' timestamp='1351078503' post='1846967']If you don't want to drill a new hole in your bass, you can try what Ahmet Tekneci did. He simply replaced one of the neck screws on the back with a longer one and put a strap button through it.[/quote]

Amazing how many folk don't try this first; though I have vague memories of having to drill out the hole in the button a bit to get the longer screw to fit thru it.

[4 Strings]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1350986680' post='1845797']
It's not just about strength - it's about stability. A one piece neck can move. Three piece neck means any movements are further minimised because the movement of one piece of wood has to works against the movemnet of another 2. Net result? They generally don't move anywhere near as much as a one piece. As for glued timber, you only have to look at a Gibson headstock break. It breaks once. You tightbond it. Drop your Gibson again, the headstock will tend to break anywhere but where the glue is.
[/quote]

Thought it was more about resonances and avoiding the Fender 'deadspot'

[4 Strings]

Years ago I loved to hate Gibson EB0 type basses, well the copies anyway, because I thought they played and sounded so awful. Andy Fraser did much to improve their reputation.

Now things are more about image and I love to hate single cut, extreme bottom cut, coffee table joinery with lots of strings. You know the sort of thing.
[attachment=121923:Horridbass.jpg]
Unfortunately it leads to me prejudging the player too.

[fender73]

Warwick Jonas Hellborg bass, wonder how many they've sold? Also as mentioned on a post above, the Steve Bailey one too.

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='harleyheath' timestamp='1351003589' post='1846076']
I'll put my tupence in if nobody minds,
Yh I totally agree, I feel a laminate neck is stronger than a single piece neck if constructed properly, I feel that unless a single piece neck if perfectly quarter sawn right though-out its entire length then it much more liable to move, even if it is its still not as good as a laminate, and if its not perfectly quartered then theres even more chance of movement, where as a laminate neck you can remove that chance by opposing any variation in the quarter and thus off setting movement against movement kind of thing, and the glue joint isn't a problem (not that it ever should be) because its not parallel to the neck tension. This isn't such a problem in good quality mahogany as the grain pattern isn't such a winter/summer growth pattern more of a continuous even grain with little winter hard grain, probably why it was used so much on single piece guitar necks?

[/quote] I remember reading on of the luthiers who frequents on here saying that he felt that quarter sawn was too stiff and a well made flat sawn neck would sound better

[harleyheath]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1351078722' post='1846970']
Not slapped, but at least 2ft too high IMHO; Thunderbird: You're doing it wrong!


[/quote]

lol, awesome! that is high for a bird, given that its normally a knee warmer, Love it, thank you!

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1351078722' post='1846970']
Not slapped, but at least 2ft too high IMHO; Thunderbird: You're doing it wrong![/quote]

That's a "I just bought this at the weekend so I'm going to show it off for a bit" pose.

[harleyheath]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1351086337' post='1847131']
I remember reading on of the luthiers who frequents on here saying that he felt that quarter sawn was too stiff and a well made flat sawn neck would sound better
[/quote]

Thats fair it is stiffer, buy far, I guess it each to his own, flat sawn does give a different sound, but so does bolt on, which I don't really do either, if you go to a good luthier supply and buy neck wood off the shelf it will be quarter sawn as standard, so quarter is the standard of choice, but as said in another post it didn't matter much to Fender who as to date I've yet to see one quarter sawn neck from.
Horses for courses, but in my humble and trying not to tread on people toes option the stiffer the neck the more resonance, sustain and balance, but thats me.
The reason Fender and some other companies had to put in two way truss rods is that with one piece flat sawn it can go any way and you have to be ready for that. now laminating flat sawn will help but as I said its all about what you want your bass to sound like, an what you feel is right for your bass. If I personally thought flat was the way for me I'd do it because its bloody way cheaper!! but again horses for courses!

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='paul torch' timestamp='1351064526' post='1846715']
I'm sure I used to have a belt buckle back in the 70's with the same lion's head.
[/quote]

So did Les Gray out of Mud!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUXsi9SD00&feature=BFa&list=AL94UKMTqg-9DfCNavvztCgeaqVqY--KZ8"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzUXsi9SD00&feature=BFa&list=AL94UKMTqg-9DfCNavvztCgeaqVqY--KZ8[/url]

Edited October 24, 2012 by Big_Stu