sh*te Basses - Discuss

[CamdenRob]

I had a Squire P Bass in white with a delightful tortoiseshell scratchplate... Sounded like someone stamping on a frog....

[White Cloud]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1368451034' post='2077181']
I did some work on a Jaydee recently - I was quite surprised. I had the impression that they would be ridiculously well made, sound amazing etc... but in reality... it was kind of... normal. Far from sh*te but nothing to write home about either.
[/quote]
Worst bass I ever owned was also a Jaydee Supernatural with a ridiculously unstable neck. A waste of my money and my time.

[Jono Bolton]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1368367584' post='2076130']
As for worst bass I've played- my mates P shape Rockwood by Hohner. Plywood body, half inch thick gloss varnish on the fingerboard, pickguard seemingly made from old margarine tubs, a bridge that would lacerate your hand if you played with a pick and best of all a tone so dead it sounded like a xylophone!
[/quote]

I learned to play on one of those. I don't remember how it played as I was 8 at the time but it was the first bass I'd ever played, owned by my primary school, along with a wee Park bass combo, and it was enough to have me hooked.

[RhysP]

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1368897989' post='2082825']
Worst bass I ever owned was also a Jaydee Supernatural with a ridiculously unstable neck. A waste of my money and my time.
[/quote]
You didn't buy it secondhand from the Bass Centre in Wapping in the late 80's did you?

[Painy]

[quote name='Jono Bolton' timestamp='1368990196' post='2083774']


I learned to play on one of those. I don't remember how it played as I was 8 at the time but it was the first bass I'd ever played, owned by my primary school, along with a wee Park bass combo, and it was enough to have me hooked.

I guess its all relative really. When I got my 1st 5 string (Yamaha RBX765A) I thought it was awesome and the best bass ever. Got me into 5ers and I've only played ERBs since but compared to the basses I own now it doesn't seem quite so awesome now (although still a decent bass).
[/quote]

[BASainty]

Worst one for me was my starter bass, a Gigsby P bass. I just couldn't get any decent volume out of it, a mouse sneezing would of made more noise and the saddles were sharp and managed to sheer through my E string after a month or so. And yet 5 years on I still miss it (a bit).

[bbrich]

We sometimes do inexplicable things.

I sold my Yamaha BBN5 bass last year having fitted a (second) replacement nut on it. I bought it on Denmark Street back in 1996. I was passing through London on business and had too many expenses in my pocket. It had a natural waxed finish and FIVE strings and was, therefore, going to revolutionse my playing. It didn't. It just irritated me every time I picked it up. It didn't balance too well, the pups were weak and characterless, it had skinny frets and the driest looking rosewood fingerboard that you've ever seen. No amount of lemon oil would put any sheen on it. I love rosewood, but not that piece. The control cavity wasn't shielded either so it would hum and buzz if you got too close to a computer monitor or your amp. Crap really.

Two questions. Why did I buy it and why did I keep it so long?

[greyparrot]

a kay p bass from the 80s learnt on it...had action about a mile high and sounded aweful...but at the time i knew no better...still i think it gave me good finger strength just fretting the darn thing...id love that very bass back now just for ole times sake..

[Kev]

How many bass brands haven't been mentioned in here, i wonder?

[CPBass]

Its just my humble opinion but all of Rickenbacker's 4 string output is just a fat string guitar not worthy of the name "Bass". Others may well disagree but its just an opinion. That hole around the pick up?? WTF

Edited June 25, 2013 by Voodoosnake

[itsmedunc]

My first bass was truly the worst bass ever made but somehow I still have fond memories of it. It cost me £16.00 off a mate (some f**king mate) in 1979. It was some sort of P/J cross. No name to it (as if anybody would have put their name to that). The action was higher than the thickness of my thumb. Whatever strings went on it, they were always really tight and it sounded like the voice of the Boing Boing Boy. It was truly crap. I think my brother may still have it! If he has I will get it back and use it as a pass it on bass on here. You will be surprised what the Japanese can do with a piece of wood...

[cameltoe]

[quote name='Moos3h' timestamp='1359580072' post='1957082']
I've owned only one AWFUL bass and that was an Epiphone EB-3 - I hated it the minute I picked it up, which raises the question why I bought it in the first place. I have no idea, literally none.
[/quote]

Epiphone EB-0

sh*te.

And plywood!

[thisnameistaken]

Those old '70s plywood Jazz copies that were everywhere in the '70s. There's some freak trying to sell them for £300+ on eBay these days, they are truly awful.

[White Cloud]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1368397626' post='2076686']
Worst basses I ever owned were 2 Rickenbacker 4001's & my custom built Jaydee Supernatural.

The Rickenbackers were just shockingly badly made, uncomfortable & sounded like crap & the Jaydee had such an unstable neck that I spent more time adjusting the truss rod than I did actually playing it.
[/quote]
I loved my two Ricky 4001's - but funnily enough hated my Jaydee supernatural too...it developed an incurable back bow on the neck that would have made Robin Hood's bow blush.

Never ever forgave Jaydee basses to this day.

[Twincam]

Awesome thread thought would give it a bump for more stories.
Surprised at the epiphone eb0 hate lol. I have a new one it's not bad at all especially for the price 130 free delivery from guitarguitar nice solid mahogany body and neck etc
Yes serious neck dive and yes they really only have that one tone but what a tone! Lol.

Never had a crap bass as such in my very short life as a bass player but the Yamaha rbx 170 I owned had no bass whatsoever about it.

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1387071926' post='2308031']
Awesome thread thought would give it a bump for more stories.
[/quote]
It's funny how we all differ but i thought this one of the most pointless threads on BC. It just seems like moaning for sake of it to me.

Edited December 15, 2013 by BetaFunk

[Twincam]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387072890' post='2308037']

It's funny how we all differ but i thought this one of the most pointless threads on BC. It just seems like moaning for sake of it to me.
[/quote]

I think it's educational lol and from a human aspect it's great to hear others stories mainly from the past and what basses were played.

Anyhow I'm sick of hearing about how great a certain bass guitar is lol

[Bassman Sam]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1387072890' post='2308037']
It's funny how we all differ but i thought this one of the most pointless threads on BC. It just seems like moaning for sake of it to me.
[/quote]

So every bass you've ever played has been flawless?

You're a lucky guy.

On my bass playing past, I've played some dogs and some greats. The greats were outstanding which made the dogs seem even worse.

I think that I'm doing a service to the bass playing community if I tell them about the dogs.

Edited December 15, 2013 by Bassman Sam

[3below]

Early 1970s Kay (Woolworths brand). Plywood neck (not bad in fairness), plywood body 1" thick. Naff microphonic pickups, cheap bar bridge. The whole thing was crude beyond belief. Replaced by EB2 when EB2s were cheap and unfashionable.

Edited December 15, 2013 by 3below

[HowieBass]

Another vote here for a Columbus Jazz copy that I retired when I got my Westone Spectrum LX; the Columbus was eventually donated to a young guy who'd just started learning. The funny thing is, I now almost wish I still had it just to see what I could make of it now that I know how to set up an instrument properly

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Bassman Sam' timestamp='1387078657' post='2308047']

I think that I'm doing a service to the bass playing community if I tell them about the dogs.
[/quote]
As a part of that bass playing community i can only thank you for such a selfless deed. Truly inspirational.

[Roger2611]

My worst bass was a Warwick Rockbass $$, it played fine but didn't have a decent sound anywhere to be found, I now own a genuine Warwick version which, as you would expect is worlds apart and is a fantastic playing / sounding bass.

Warwick, why sell a bass that is such a poor cousin to the real thing? It is not going to make someone think...."oh that was crap, I am sure the more expensive version will be better, now I will buy the real thing", I ended up with mine as part of a trade, otherwise I wouldn't have touched another Warwick with a bargepole!

[chriswareham]

My first bass was a loaned Marlin Precision copy, the kind you would find in your Mum's mail order catalogue back in the 1980's. Awful action that no amount of fiddling with bridge and truss rod would fix, nowadays I'd get the neck joint shimmed. The width and depth of the neck made it feel like the proverbial tree trunk as well. Then had a bottom of the range Aria, with naff pointy headstock. When I broke the neck I took the electronics from the body, and discovered it was chipboard with some plastic coating on top. Not owned a bad bass since thankfully, even had a few surprises such as my Hondo II Rick copy that I only bought because Hooky had one. Expected it to be crap, but after a setup at the Gallery it plays really well.

[RW1965]

My first Hondo bass was goddamn awful, but then I played a Westone Thunderer (I think thats what it was called) .... truly awful!

[BetaFunk]

I recently bought a Kay for £20 at a car boot sale and was extremely disappointed that it was nowhere near as good as my mate's Alembic. I mean it doesn't even come close to it in build quality. It's plywood and the intonation as all over the place and oh those frets, while the hardware leaves a lot to be desired and don't get me started on the pickups.