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Totally garbage basses


Black Coffee
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[quote name='Naetharu' timestamp='1451048634' post='2938006']
The only total dog I have come across was made by Stagg. I've no idea what the model was - it was a bland looking 'modern' bass.

(1) There was no shielding at all - the pickups were microphonic. Amusingly it also pickup up the wireless mic signal from the singer in the studio next door.

(2) The neck was about as stable as a slinky spring

(3) The nut was cut so that the strings were 3-4mm above the board making lower notes almost impossible to fret with speed

(4) The pots crackled and hissed something terrible

(5) The machine-heads were so loose there was no way it could hold tune through a whole song

The only good point was that it balanced on the strap quite nicely and was reasonably light.
[/quote]I had a look at a Stagg Jazz once and I agree with most of your observations.

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Epiphone Eb0 horrible things. Only literally one horrible tone, awkward to setup right. They do look nice and are fairly well made.

All Hofner violin basses they have one good tone Imo. Ok for playing certain things , useless compared to other basses for anything else. They do look good but are not well designed or made in any of there price range, stupid control panel. And too add awkward to get the intonation right in fact you can't it's a compromise.
If not for you know who they would not be around today. I'm pretty sure they could modernise them somewhat and still retain the soul of the original too, but they don't.

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[quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1451300319' post='2939339']
Epiphone Eb0 horrible things. Only literally one horrible tone, awkward to setup right. They do look nice and are fairly well made.

All Hofner violin basses they have one good tone Imo. Ok for playing certain things , useless compared to other basses for anything else. They do look good but are not well designed or made in any of there price range, stupid control panel. And too add awkward to get the intonation right in fact you can't it's a compromise.
If not for you know who they would not be around today. I'm pretty sure they could modernise them somewhat and still retain the soul of the original too, but they don't.
[/quote]
I got a copy for the daughter , the neck has a significant radius , yet the bridge is almost flat , truly impossible to set up with any consistency , so I had to build my own bridge for it !!

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[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1451041749' post='2937961']
I'm another that's had several Warwicks with issues, out of phase pickups, blown preamps and ruined truss rods on four figure basses
[/quote]

I love Warwicks but I have had several issues with mine too (including one that I have posted about on another thread that is ongoing).

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Garbagge might be too strong a word and whilst some brands might be 'decent' for the money, I think it
depends on what you want for yoour quids.

£1200 may be a lot of cash but are you happy with what that pricepoint gets you.

I'd generally think you'd need to research and look very hard at the price.

Personally, I want to see the quality making itself obvious...

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Back in the day, there were no aftermarket parts, no internet to disseminate proper information, and therefore no good way to repair or modify a bass with issues, at least to make it playable. Moreover, there were no return policies as many stores have today.

I would say determine a budget, then a style of bass preferred, surf the 'net to find one if local stores, boutique or box, don't have anything that suits, and ask for a return policy.

Concerning the OP's first electric bass, I'm sure with today's availability of good parts and hardware, the OP could sort it out if so inclined if the truss rod still has the proper integrity.

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This will probably surprise a few people on here but the worst instrument I've (briefly) owned was a Vintage V4 P bass - bought new it had lots of finishing faults and the strings were already showing signs of rust. I sent it back, got a refund and bought a far superior Squier VM P bass secondhand from another BCer and the difference in quality was like night and day. Squier (or rather Cort in many cases) are turning out some consistently good instruments these days.

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A DeArmond Jetstar was the most horrible piece of crap I ever owned.

Pickups weak and microphonic, wiring loose and messy, bridge cheap and stiff, plastic tuning pegs that didn't work, horrible body shape that was desperately uncomfortable, horribly neck dive and impossible to intonate properly.

Bought it for £60 off eBay and instantly regretted it. I sold it on here a week later for a tenner and I think I ripped the guy off.

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[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1451390672' post='2940040']
A DeArmond Jetstar was the most horrible piece of crap I ever owned.

Pickups weak and microphonic, wiring loose and messy, bridge cheap and stiff, plastic tuning pegs that didn't work, horrible body shape that was desperately uncomfortable, horribly neck dive and impossible to intonate properly.

Bought it for £60 off eBay and instantly regretted it. I sold it on here a week later for a tenner and I think I ripped the guy off.
[/quote]

Haha. That could describe many basses.
Think I've heard you tell the story before think there was another crap basses thread a few years back?

We are lucky these days as there are far fewer bad instruments about. Although I do feel some of the old bad mainly cheap basses from the past were in a way interesting.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The worst bass I ever played by a country mile was the first one I owned back in 1986 - short scale plywood bodied Satellite bass. Utter garbage - seriously I mean unplayable, with a neck like a banana, sky-high action and terrible thin clanky sound.

Cost me £60 at the time and I soldiered on with it for a year.

Rest assure that almost any modern instrument, however budget it is, is likely to be better than that.

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Hohner PJ Bass. Bought on a whim from eBay because it came with a hard case I sold for fifty quid... Think I paid eighty for the bass and case together. It was just nothing. No character in the tone, rubbish neck, low output pickups, just a complete nothing.

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