silverfoxnik Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Hi Folks, Don't know about where you are, but it's been nothing but thunderstorms and pouring rain here on the south coast this morning! To help cope with the boredom, here's a silly question to pass the time and have a bit of fun whilst taking a few pot-shots at each others bass-related favourites.. So, in your opinion, what's the most over-rated bass, bass gear or bass-related product you can think of and why? Or what do you just love to hate? Here's my top 3: 1. Sei Jazz 5; too many of these being sold here lately, guess they look great but are too clean and polite sounding unless you play in a jazz-fusion trio? 2. Ashdown amps & cabs; wooly sound, pointless retro design, not easy to get a decent sound out of and definitely a case of 'style over substance'. 4. Bartolini pick-ups; bland, polite & sterile. Definitely massively over-used and over-rated! Nothing too serious remember - just a bit of silly Sunday fun. Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I'll second the ashdown. Shocking quality control and very one-dimensional. Don't mind the electric blue amps though funnily enough! They're the only ones my local shop sells because he has too many faults on the other models. Like barts though........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WILD FROG SHOT Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Anything made by Behringer apart from the 8 way DI I bought, which is blinding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Also Mexican Fenders. Tried loads of Mex Jazzes and ended up buying a Squier for half the price! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='273617' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:45 AM']....So, in your opinion, what's the most over-rated bass, bass gear or bass-related product you can think of and why? Or what do you just love to hate?....[/quote] 1. The term "mojo" - meaningless nonsense. 2. GAS - Waste of time and energy. How much bass gear is brought and never gigged? 3. Anything made by Fender. So many people have done it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 (edited) [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='273617' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:45 AM']Ashdown amps & cabs; wooly sound, pointless retro design, not easy to get a decent sound out of and definitely a case of 'style over substance'.[/quote] With you there. Sorry Ashdown lovers but I've plugged into both high-end and low-end stuff and couldn't get a sound I liked out of either. And Mark Bass amps. They may be small, light and powerful but they look [i]awful[/i]. /runs from lynch mob. Edit: oh, and quilted maple tops. They look lovely on guit*rs but always look like stone cladding on basses. Edited August 31, 2008 by stingrayfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='stingrayfan' post='273638' date='Aug 31 2008, 12:18 PM']And Mark Bass amps. They may be small, light and powerful but they look [i]awful[/i]. /runs from lynch mob. [/quote] Aw, i like em. They match my cab! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 +1 on the "mojo" and Fender. My personal dislike is seeing a bass with some amazing figured top or fantastic paint job and then you flip it over and the back is a lump of plain wood that has zero aesthetic relationship to the top and has all the character of a piece of budget laminate flooring... For some reason these basses generally seem to be blue - why? I don't much like necks that don't match the body for colour either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Anything made by Fender especially the US made stuff, it's way over priced, and there arfe loads of people doing it better, I actually really like the Sei basses. Musicman basses, Stingrays just don't work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='silverfoxnik' post='273617' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:45 AM']Here's my top 3: 1. Sei Jazz 5; too many of these being sold here lately, guess they look great but are too clean and polite sounding unless you play in a jazz-fusion trio? 2. Ashdown amps & cabs; wooly sound, pointless retro design, not easy to get a decent sound out of and definitely a case of 'style over substance'. 4. Bartolini pick-ups; bland, polite & sterile. Definitely massively over-used and over-rated! Nothing too serious remember - just a bit of silly Sunday fun. Nik[/quote]I'm with you on 2 and 3... never tried an Ashdown I liked, and believe me I have tried [i]really[/i] hard to like them. And there were Barto pups in the, ahem, Sei that I used to own (a Flamboyant, not a Jazz)... if I'd kept the bass, I'd have changed them very quickly for something else. Anything else. They were ugh. Can't agree with you on 1 though Nik. Seis are utterly gorgeous, mind you I like a 'clean & polite' tone and I love fusion so that might explain it... For my third choice, I'm with our 6string colleague above... Stingrays. Well not so much the bass itself, they're quite nice, but that price tag... how ludicrous?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I've never understood the logic behind Ashdown putting eq sliders and rotary knobs together- ie. a rotary knob for the lowest frequency, then 2 sliders, then a mid knob, then 2 sliders, then a highs knob. it just makes it a drag to find a workable sound in a rehearsal studio. dunno what the fuss about Darkstar pickups was either. I suppose they look quite cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [list] [*]Rotosound Strings - I stopped using them years ago when I got three sets of flats that were utter crap. [*]Picks - like playing with gloves on. This is a personal observation - I'm sure others here will have much better technique than me, but I always feel like there's something missing from the feel/tone when I use a plecky. [*]Thinking about new gear when I should be playing instead. [/list] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Plastic corners on cabs.....its my only bitch about TECH21 stuff ANY pedal encased in plastic I dont enjoy G-K (though the 150 combo,usually used by Upright players,sounds great with an electric plugged in) Cheap active systems....Im not a fan of 2 bnd eq's People that dont see the need for high C strings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geilerbass Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Another couple of +1's for Fender and Rotosound - I just don't get it Also, Ampeg. I've tried a few Ampegs and played live through them on a couple of occasions. Again - huh? What's big deal, they sound horrible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooks Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='6stringbassist' post='273642' date='Aug 31 2008, 12:25 PM']Musicman basses, Stingrays just don't work for me.[/quote] +1 I played around with a Stingray and even with my limited bass knowledge, I just couldn't understand how they can justify such a high price tag!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil_the_bassist Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='chris_b' post='273627' date='Aug 31 2008, 12:00 PM']1. The term "mojo" - meaningless nonsense. [b]2. GAS - Waste of time and energy. How much bass gear is brought and never gigged? [/b][/quote] +1, with the caveat that GAS is frustrating, and absolutely pointless but I find it addictive! [quote name='6stringbassist' post='273642' date='Aug 31 2008, 12:25 PM']Musicman basses, Stingrays just don't work for me.[/quote] Nope, you have an incorrect opinion there (soo tongue in cheek it's making me talk funny, no flaming please!) [quote name='ARGH' post='273657' date='Aug 31 2008, 12:59 PM']Plastic corners on cabs ANY pedal encased in plastic Cheap active systems....Im not a fan of 2 bnd eq's [b]People that dont see the need for high C strings.[/b][/quote] +1 but the C string... don't usually see the need, but some of the classical stuff I'm (making a meal out of) playing could really be made very easy with a C! Also, personally Fender P-basses aint my cuppa (much like 'rays aren't 6stringbassists). They're nice n all, but the thing that bugs me most is that in films/tv, whenever you see a bass it's a freakin Fender P. No MM, no Jazzers, nothing vaguely interesting!!! WHERE'S THE REST OF THE BASS MARKET!!! Whats consensus on FatFinger sustain headstock clip-on thingumies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='phil_the_bassist' post='273668' date='Aug 31 2008, 01:21 PM']+1 but the C string... don't usually see the need, but some of the classical stuff I'm (making a meal out of) playing could really be made very easy with a C! Whats consensus on FatFinger sustain headstock clip-on thingumies?[/quote] See...You need a C string. Its easier to play with a low B and C,my left hand isnt half as shagged out when I play a 6,saying that,all that climbing and sliding,visually, looks REALLY impressive onstage with a 4,and Ive a load of 4 string sets to get through,so My P's getting a ton of work,until I retire it and get my new Headless 6. The Fatfinger works,but the cheaper alternative is just to go out and buy a small G clamp from any tool shop,does the same job,and is cheaper. My only bitch about Fender is the weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 As soon as anyone uses the word sterile I ignore everything else they've written. Sorry! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='alexclaber' post='273684' date='Aug 31 2008, 01:38 PM']As soon as anyone uses the word sterile I ignore everything else they've written. Sorry! Alex[/quote] Well every time someone uses a graph I ignore what they've written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I haven't liked what I've heard from Villex, MTD, or Sadowsky. But that seems to be subjective. I didn't like the sound samples for the Bob Glaub bass. [quote name='WILD FROG SHOT' post='273625' date='Aug 31 2008, 11:54 AM']Anything made by Behringer apart from the 8 way DI I bought, which is blinding.[/quote] I don't think Behringer are overrated. Everyone knows they're pretty awful (except for the people that like them). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Cooke Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 the logo worship of anything that has Fender on it... it always amazes me that the first thing a lot of bands do when they get that big money advance is to replace their perfectly good gear with Fenders... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Ohhh there's some really good ones in here!! I agree with the Fender thing a bit.. and it did actually take a while to get used to the MarkBass colour scheme I have to admit! Though my F1 is so small, it doesnt really get noticed.. Most people ask *where* my amp is!! Heh heh.. Alex, I also agree with you about people who use the words 'cold', 'sterile' etc to describe sounds. (Yeah, I know I was guilty in the past!!) Ok.. here's mine.. and I am sure I'll get a bashing. 'VALVE TONE' and valves. - Now I am NOT saying these are bad.. but I AM saying, for bass they are grossly over rated! Especially when manufacturers feel the need to levy some sort of 'boutique tax' just because the product has li'l glass tubes in. It seems to me that people feel that they HAVE to have valves in their gear to sound better. What a load of tosh! /rant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 (edited) Rotosound Steve Harris flatwound bass strings - worse than transatlantic cables +1 for heavily quilted tops on basses (I know many/most of you disagree), I prefer my basses not to look like furniture Possibly also compressors - got an Aphex one and still not sure it makes any difference to my sound! Edited August 31, 2008 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJA Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='dood' post='273699' date='Aug 31 2008, 01:59 PM']Ok.. here's mine.. and I am sure I'll get a bashing. 'VALVE TONE' and valves. - Now I am NOT saying these are bad.. but I AM saying, for bass they are grossly over rated![/quote] with you on that one- I've found valves seem to suck out the high midrange attack of the note. Dave Ellefson was saying something along those lines in a Peavey youtube clip I saw the other day- that you get a kind of delay to the attack of the note- not good for speed metal playing.. also John Paul Jones preferred solid state amps too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='273687' date='Aug 31 2008, 01:45 PM']Well every time someone uses a graph I ignore what they've written. [/quote] Glad to hear that you're good at interpreting graphs! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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