What's the worst bass you've ever owned or played?

[4000]

The worst I've owned have been the Jazzes (ESP, Tokai, Fender, with a special nod towards the ESP), my first Jaydee (looked great but really wasn't!)and 3 of my 4 Status basses. Oh, my 1st Wal was a bit crap too; much preferred my Westone Quantum and Hohner Jack to any of those.

The worst I've played? Probably a Hondo Rick copy and an F Bass. Despite the price there was absolutely nothing about the F Bass I liked.

[Marc S]

[quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1381016420' post='2233522']
My first bass - a Satellite short scale bass. Sunburst, and a slidey switch for each microphonic pick up.
Much like this one in fact although I don't remember an ashtray.

[/quote]

I'd forgotten about these!
A pal of mine had a Satellite guitar, which was the same shape,
with similar electrics, switches and pickups...
... and that was truly awful too

[winterfire666]

the worst i have played was an old no name p/j left handed bass with a neck like a banana, it didnt seem to bother the crazy fool who owned it though.
the worst i have owned was a fretless warwick corvette, big pile of sh**e. bought it cheap in cash generator and though i would give it a go, the mec's sounded awfull and the neck was appauling, like a drainpipe. over rated piece of cr*p in my opinion, sold it for a substantial profit and my world was at peice one again.

[police squad]

My first bass was a Tempest SG bass. The same as a Kay. It had a plywood body, 2 pickups and was a see thru wine red colour. It was £65 brand new in 1981. Bought it in Kennards in Canterbury. My elder brother, who had lots of years playing guitar thought it played well enough.
Well I loved it. Used it for about 3 or 4 years till I got a Musicmaster bass which I then changed to a Manson Explorer bass 6 months later.
I gigged with the Tempest and it was great. Good action and even though it was short scale and had flatwounds I even learned to slap on it.

The most disappointing basses I've owned,
1. Pretty much both the Rick 4001 and 4003. In 1990 I sold the blue 4001 to the guy from the Swinging Blue Jeans. The 4003 had a Neck like a bananna and they just didn't suit what I wanted, (looked good tho)
2. Jaydee Mark King. Played like butter and sounded terrible. It had no depth or woodyness. (going back to 1989 here and I don't really like actives)
3. Squier JV '62 Jazz bass. I just didn't get on with it. So I sold it .

But mainly I've loved them all and wish I still had them, except the Rickenbackers.

[Wilson_51_]

I once borrowed a Silvertone Paul Stanley bass off a friend who bought it on a whim. That thing wasn't great, no matter what i tried it sounded awful and i couldn't get the action to any reasonable level.

when i gave it back to my friend, he asked what i thought to it, I had to be nice to him as i could see he adored it! He never bothered to play it, just kept it for years in a closet..

[fumps]

My first bass was so poor it didn't even have a manufacturers logo on it.
A bright red fender shaped lump of wood that made pallet wood wince with pity

The action was so high you needed to take a short bus ride to get to the fret board, it went out of tune if someone sneezed in Nairobi & had the worst tone I've ever heard. It cost me £90 & I bought it on a whim. My first band was a metal band & I used to have to tune it in the middle of a song.

I simply cannot express in words how much enmity I had for this piece of crap.....I gave it to a lad who wanted to respray it as an ornament

[badboy1984]

No worse bass for me. The worse is not having a bass to play.

[discreet]

[quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1381222621' post='2235867']
The worse is not having a bass to play.
[/quote]

That's true. The worst bass I ever had to play was a CMI EB0 copy... £40 I think it was. My first bass.

[Muzz]

[quote name='Leon Transaxle' timestamp='1381016420' post='2233522']
My first bass - a Satellite short scale bass. Sunburst, and a slidey switch for each microphonic pick up.
Much like this one in fact although I don't remember an ashtray.

[/quote]

Yep, that was my first bass, too. Good job I never had an amp to play it through, really...

Went through a couple more Satellites and Hondos, then went for bust, saved up for a couple of years and bought a brand new Jetglo 4001. Dream bass, I was made up with it, and I was king of the world and Geddy Lee at the same time. It was only when I borrowed a Yamaha BB3000 I realised how poor it actually was.

[Marc S]

I recall seeing a cheap, terrible bass with an extra fret, just behind the nut
- this acted like a nut in itself, and I could never work out why there was ever a need for this additional fret....

A guitarist pal reckons every guitar he's ever played with this "feature" has been awful
Any ideas why manufacturers would have put this in place?
Is it just maybe because the nut they fit can't take the string tension?
If so, why not just fit a better nut?

Bizarre really

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1381236830' post='2236167']
I recall seeing a cheap, terrible bass with an extra fret, just behind the nut
- this acted like a nut in itself, and I could never work out why there was ever a need for this additional fret....

A guitarist pal reckons every guitar he's ever played with this "feature" has been awful
Any ideas why manufacturers would have put this in place?
Is it just maybe because the nut they fit can't take the string tension?
If so, why not just fit a better nut?

Bizarre really
[/quote]

Its a zero fret... some top end basses use them too.

[Marc S]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1381236884' post='2236169']
Its a zero fret... some top end basses use them too.
[/quote]

Thanks, I'd forgotten the term...
Still can't quite understand the need for them though....

EDIT: I assume they aren't set quite a deep in the fretboard as the other frets....

Edited October 8, 2013 by Marc S

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1381237073' post='2236173']
Thanks, I'd forgotten the term...
Still can't quite understand the need for them though....

EDIT: I assume they aren't set quite a deep in the fretboard as the other frets....
[/quote]

I'm not entirely sure to be honest, someone with more knowledge than me would be able to explain it.... I would think that you would end up with all of the strings aligned at their bottom edge as opposed to their central cores aligned as you would with a nut? Then again I may be wildly incorrect

[Cosmo Valdemar]

Another vote for the poor old Epiphone Thunderbird from me I'm afraid... Weighed nothing, felt like playing a toy bass. And such a dead tone...
I will point out this was one of the reverse models that Epiphone still make today. I had previously owned the non-reverse model, with PJ pickups, and it was a great instrument.

[paul h]

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1381237073' post='2236173']
Thanks, I'd forgotten the term...
Still can't quite understand the need for them though....

EDIT: I assume they aren't set quite a deep in the fretboard as the other frets....
[/quote]

The idea is to ensure a more even and balanced sound between the fretted notes and open strings. Originally a lot of cheap guitars had zero frets because it negated the need for a well cut nut. However some people do value them now for the aforementioned reason. I believe MTD and Sandberg use zero frets.

I converted my main bass to have a zero fret after I owned and played a cheap MTD for a while. I didn't really like the tone of the bass and so sold it but it played beautifully and didn't suffer with an overly boomy open E.

[BassTractor]

Worst tried:
Two old ultra cheap ones, one of them being an Egmond - a Dutch abomination in a long and proud tradition of Dutch abominations...

Worst well-known ones I tried:
- a Rick 4001 - the dream bass of my life, but still
- a Höfner violin bass.
This may just mean I noobly couldn't get along with them at all. It can also mean there really is something wrong with these, as I could get along with other basses quite well.

Worst owned:
Axl Marquee AP-800. Mine was a dud, but this may not reflect the quality of other Axl basses.


Yes, I'm Dutch...

Edited October 11, 2013 by BassTractor

[4000]

The first guitar I ever played (?) was an Egmond. Absolutely impossible to play, hence the question mark.

One thing I can't help thinking as this thread progresses is that many people are obviously after the opposite of what I want. Which is absolutely fine by me.

[spinynorman]

EKO Manta. Balsa wood body and dead plank for a neck.

[Rick's Fine '52]

[size=4][color=#000000][font=Calibri]The worst bass I’ve ever owned was a bass I bought about 6 years ago, because I thought it looked cool, and was quite unique, and it was cheap enough to have a flyer with, it was an Ozark fully steel bodied Resonator bass. The sales pitch said it was LOUD without being plugged in. It wasn’t loud at all; it weighed about 16kg, so you could never play it standing up; the intonation was terrible, and completely unable to be adjusted; it constantly went out of tune, had no variety of sound, despite having vol and tone knobs. The most unplayable bass I’ve ever had.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=Calibri]The most disappointing?, I have 3;[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Calibri][font=Calibri]1.[/font] Rickenbacker 4001. I hate the look of them, always have, but every time I see them in vintage shops, I think I must try it again, because I must have just picked bad ones, and so many people can’t be wrong. So I always pick it up, play it, and quickly hang it back up, because they are just awful contraptions, in every way. [/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Calibri][font=Calibri]2.[/font] Gibson Thunderbird, it was a ’76 Anniversary model. Let’s be honest here, Gibson make amazing guitars, they do not [i]m[i]ake good basses, never [/i][/i]have. Neck dive was uncontrollable, unless you started drilling, and fixing strap buttons where they apparently shouldn’t go (Otherwise they would be there in the first place?), you couldn’t play it sitting down, because the shape was all wrong (Not as bad as a Gibson ‘The Vee’ bass I had though), and it wouldn’t balance. The body was too thin, so kept tipping forwards, meaning you had to actually hold it to your body with your forearm, making playing impossible, and if that wasn’t enough, the necks weren’t very comfortable to play, and the tone was one-dimensional. It’s a shame, because I still think the tobacco sunburst 60’s ones, with the chrome pickups look really cool.[/font][/color]
[color=#000000][font=Calibri][font=Calibri]3.[/font] This was the killer. As a vintage bass admirer, and collector, an almost mint condition ’63 Hofner Violin 500/1 (Yes, just like Paul’s), was always on the ‘wants’ list. One day, around 1990, I found it, it was stunning, all original, with the case, a beaut. I played it for 5 mins, to check the neck was straight, it could be tuned, the electrics worked, tuners turned (All the usual issues with these), checked the date marks, and took it home. It looked beautiful, but it was sh*te, weighed about half an ounce, so you never felt like you actually had anything to play, or anywhere any sound was actually going to come from, the neck was tiny, with midget string spacing, little tone control, the buttons made almost no real difference, and it felt like it was made of balsa wood and would break at any moment. I didn’t care though, because it was a’63 violin, and I loved it, even if it was useless as an instrument. I know people will say “..errr who are you?, if it was good enough for Macca, the most famous and successful bass player in the world, it can’t be sh*te!”, well, I won’t question the man, or his tone, or his success, but I don’t know how he did it, especially through those Vox amps, which were equally dreadful. Not for me, iconic gorgeous instruments though, but not for playing by me.[/font][/color][/size]

Edited October 9, 2013 by Rick's Fine '52

[bobpalt]

Joint first place, both Gretsches I'm afraid.

A Broadkaster that was as dead as a dead thing that has had all the life sucked out of it, and a superb looking Thunderjet that I couldn't get any tone out of other than a dull thud. Massive disappointment, as I so wanted to fall in love with it.

[Truckstop]

I've actually been quite lucky when it comes to sh*t basses. I've owned a few that haven't really suited me, but actual 'bad' instruments? Only 2:

1) Some of you may remember a DeArmond Jetstar I owned for a day or two then sold for £10? That is the worst piece of junk I've ever clapped eyes on. Horrible, uncomfortable body shape made it impossible to play (sitting or standing). Terrible balance. Looked like a schoolboys doodle. Dreadful microphonic pickups, somehow a neck that felt too chunky AND too narrow. Sometimes I feel like I actually ripped off the dude that paid a tenner for it. Oh well.

2) Musicman Stingray 5. Too light, IMO shoddily put together, blemishes in the finish, weak output and generally felt a bit toy-like. I really don't know why I didn't get on with it but it just felt alien to play; it was a single H version and was impossible to play comfortably. The body was too big and I couldn't get set on it no matter the strap height and sitting with it caused my right wrist to cramp after 5 minutes of playing. Dreadful thing. Vastly overrated in my opinion. I sold it making a profit of £200 so it wasn't all bad I suppose.

Truckstop

[4000]

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1381309935' post='2237202']
I've actually been quite lucky when it comes to sh*t basses. I've owned a few that haven't really suited me, but actual 'bad' instruments?


2) Musicman Stingray 5. Too light,

Truckstop
[/quote]

The first point is very pertinent. I've played very few basses that weren't vaguely playable with a reasonably workable sound, in that they actually made a sound and played in tune. However the majority of basses I've played - thousands- haven't suited me at all. In that sense they've been bad, but they haven't really been [i]bad[/i], just not suitable, as you say. Although from the examples I've given, every Fender or Fender type-bass I've ever owned bar one has had a major neck and/or trussrod problem, I had a Status bass with a neck twist (yes, really) and 2 with both serious electronic and major ergonomic issues, and the fingerboard on my Wal hadn't been levelled correctly at the factory which meant I could never set it up to my satisfaction; the next owner had it defretted, levelled and refretted.

As for a Stingray 5 being too light.....

[Black Coffee]

[quote name='dougal' timestamp='1380902616' post='2232247']
A friend of mine had an 'Axe' bass that he bought from an advert in Kerrang. I borrowed it for a week in an attempt to set it up. It went back fairly quickly with a "sorry, not much I can do".

Advert is on this page: [url="http://stuartclayton.com/about-stuart/biography/"]http://stuartclayton.com/about-stuart/biography/[/url]

Worst sort of budget trash from the late 1980s. Made Marlin look like a quality brand, and my Westone Concord look like a pre-CBS....


[/quote]

I had an axe bass. It was so bad that I wore a brown paper bag with eyeholes cut in it while playing it.
The neck bent like a bow when the strings were in tune, the bridge came away from the body in when tuned, the strap buttons kept falling out of the balsa wood crap body. Total garbage. . . . In a bass shaped bundle.
Makes me laugh though, I thought I was the mutts nuts until about two days after I bought it.

Might start a row here but could I also suggest that the three ricken****ers I had were totally useless too. Looked amazin but played like dogs.

Edited October 9, 2013 by bassman344

[bassbiscuits]

Ha ha - the Axe basses and guitars! I'd forgotten about them. A friend i was jamming with in school at the time had one and it was dreadful.

At the time (1987/88ish) I'd just got rid of my first bass, which was by far the worst bass i'd ever owned - a short-scale white Satellite. It didn't even have a model number, and it was bloody awful with a neck like a banana which made it impossible to play.

I was stuck with it for a year before trading it in for a Westone Spectrum which was way better!

Most disappointing - i have a say Thunderbird. Always been top of my 'lust after' list, and when i eventually got one I hated it. Still think they're the coolest looking basses ever, but i just couldn't make it work for me. I still go gooey when i see a nice one, and have to urge myself not to go there!

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1381309935' post='2237202']
2) Musicman Stingray 5. Too light, IMO shoddily put together, blemishes in the finish, weak output and generally felt a bit toy-like. I really don't know why I didn't get on with it but it just felt alien to play; it was a single H version and was impossible to play comfortably. The body was too big and I couldn't get set on it no matter the strap height and sitting with it caused my right wrist to cramp after 5 minutes of playing. Dreadful thing. Vastly overrated in my opinion. I sold it making a profit of £200 so it wasn't all bad I suppose.
[/quote]


Bloody nonsense! Do you even know anything about basses? I made a profit of £600 on mine!!!
Seriously though, I didn't expect too much from the StingRay 5 when ordering it unseen, but was totally blown away by it. It's easily my best or second best bass, and I think I got some good ones.
I don't know whether this shows I'm a noob (which I am), or the production quality is unstable (which seems weird, seeing most comments on them) or people are just soo very different.