Bass you just couldn’t get on with?

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='KingPrawn' timestamp='1508307960' post='3391157']
I recently owned a Jeff Berlin 5 string by Cort. It had all the right ingredients good hardware, pickups etc. However i just hated it! From the moment I plugged it in and played it, it was basically a plank. For me it lacked presence or character.It really didn't make sense as I'm sure there are loads of players using them. It's not as if Cort are not a reputable manufacturer I was so glad to move it on. I know we can be fickled bunch at times, so I was wondering what bass you've owned that just didn't work for you?
[/quote]

A Fender Squier fretless jazz put me off all Fenders forever. While some of the issues I had would not be present on other Fenders, the massive headstock always would. I always felt like I was in a remake of "The Plank".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUbcaE44cSw

[Hellzero]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1508314091' post='3391217']
Squier Vintage Modified Fretless Jazz.

I was playing in a band whose music was calling out for some fretless bass and to that end I'd bought a cheap Acrylic Bodied Wesley that had already been de-fretted for £70 off eBay to get me started. I'd seen nothing but positive reviews for the Squier both on the bass forums and in the musical instrument magazines, where the overall tone was that the VMJ fretless was just about the best fretless bass you could buy for under £500. One Saturday I spotted a Squier in a local music shop, and after half an hours playing I paid my £209 and went home with my new bass.

Unfortunately playing in a music shop for half an hour is not really a decent real-world test for any instrument. The first thing I noticed when I got it home was that it didn't hang comfortably on the strap, and I had to pull the whole bass over in order to reach the G string machine head - something I never had to do with my 36" scale Overwater. Next I discovered that in comparison with all my other basses including the cheap Wesley, the Squier sounded thin and weedy, and in rehearsal with my band I really had to pump the volume up when I used in order to be heard.

So I embarked on a round of upgrades. First came the Badass Bridge which made a slight improvement, followed by a J-Retro pre-amp, that allowed me to overdrive the input to my amp in all sorts of new and "interesting" ways, but still didn't make the bass sound as full or fat as my other basses. Finally a set of Bartolini pickups which were supposed to be darker sounding than the standard J-style models started to get me into the right ball park as regards sound, but by that time I'd get fed up with all the other short-comings of the bass like the huge (in comparison to my other basses) body and the awkward neck joint that seemed to be constantly in the way when I was playing up the neck, and the fact that for me it just didn't hang comfortably on the strap, and so I went back to playing the Wesley until I go the opportunity to buy a second hand Pedulla Buzz at a very attractive price.

I'm sure that there's nothing actually wrong with the Squier, but 3 decades of playing basses that owed very little to Leo Fender's designs - Burns Sonic, Overwater Original and Gus G3 - meant that I wasn't ready to step into the past and put up with design issues that even the Burns, originally made in 1960, had improved upon.
[/quote]

Same for me, I bought one of these early Squier Vintage Modified Jazz fretless and made lots of upgrades, but the sound was never there.
In fact I've been playing luthiers or boutique basses for such a long time that the other instruments look and sound like toys.
And I've owned lots of brands including Fender's over the time that were all sold.
The only Fender that quite gets it is the Precision Bass, but it's lacking what is in its name.
I also have to mention all neck diving basses which are a pity to play and never sound good : you don't have to fight with your bass to play.

[oldslapper]

Any bass where the top strap button is higher than the 12th fret.
I love the sound and feel of Spectors for instance, but reaching for the 1st fret is an uncomfortable stretch, unless I have the neck pointing upwards.
I tend not to care what a bass looks like, not that bothered what it sounds like, but it has to be comfortable to play.

Edited October 18, 2017 by oldslapper

[bassbiscuits]

I had a Tokai Thunderbird copy once which i couldn't get on with.

It looked great, and I'd always lusted after a T-bird alike of some sort. But it felt like wearing a dinner table round my neck. Weighed a tonne, it was huge and I couldn't get it to hang comfortably. And it gouged my right forearm every time i used a pick.

Lasted about two months before being sold on.

[chris_b]

Several years ago we flew to a gig. I was lent a 5 string bass, Yamaha or something, and the strings were so close together I couldn't play it. We did 3 gigs in 2 days and I was only just getting the hang of the very narrow string spacings by the end of the second set on the 3rd gig.

That was the last time I've played a bass with non Fender string spacings.

I was on another gig, with an all original band, and every song included some or all notes on a B string. They got a 4 string Jazz for me on that gig! Replanning 5 string bass lines on the fly was easy compared to that bloody Yamaha!

[Bassassin]

Most disappointingly, a Peavey T-40. Loads of love for these things everywhere but I found mine to be insanely heavy to the point of being ungiggable. Certainly incredibly sonically versatile for a passive bass - but implemented in the most fiddly, frustrating and unintuitive way. I never found it possible to get the same sound twice - unless it was one I didn't like.

Any Precision or Precision copy. I've lost count of how many Ps I've owned - including two gorgeous 80s MIJ Squiers - but they always feel awkward, sluggish & hard work to play, and while I might be able to get a great, raw, punchy & aggressive tone unaccompanied, stick it in a live or recording situation & I might as well be twanging a bungie cord stretched across the top of a wheelie bin.

These days I keep a lovely 70s Daion Precision copy, hotrodded with DiMarzios and looking 110% rock as f*ck, hanging on the wall in plain sight and within easy reach - just to remind me never to buy another one!

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1508313855' post='3391212']
Nope! The ATK I haven't tried. The BTBs are still too shallow for me though
[/quote]

They are shallow

[Geek99]

i got an ibanex SRX595 - looked lovely but wide, wide neck, and weedy insubstantial pickups.

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='Phil Adams' timestamp='1508317764' post='3391258']
Bought on impulse as I had decided to devote my remaining years to 5 strings, and DV has wrongly priced it making it irresistable.
Scared me half to death, it was so beautiful, and everything that I wasn't. The weight was a surprise, after the comparative lightness of the SR series, and I soon realised it was better to man up and admit that I'm useless on 5's than to waste time trying to get properly used to it.
Traded it for one of the last Fender US Precisions, and haven't looked back (after swearing I'd never have another Fender!)
[/quote]

I bought mine on impulse too. I was looking for a high end SR and the the seller had the BTB at a knock-down price. I found it a joy to play, great range of tones but thought that it was just too pretty to play in a covers band at the Bull's Head. Back to a P-bass now

[Deep Thought]

+1 on the J-bass, I’ve had two, an Aerodyne and a Squier 5-string, it’s mainly the offset body that bugs me, although the thinner neck (on the 4) doesn’t suit me either. I’m definitely a Precision man. Also had an Ibanez ATB200 semi acoustic job, looked gorgeous, could not set it up to suit me no matter what I did. Didn’t last a fortnight.

[Paul S]

Had similar issues with Jazz basses but, amongst many others, two stand out - both in their own way exceptionally rare and desirable.

I had GAS for a Westone Pantera X790 ever since seeing the page on the interweb about them. I found one for sale in Holland for a premium price and picked it up in person. Had it put back to pretty much museum condition but never ever enjoyed playing it. Didn't like the tone, didn't like the way it hung. Had to admit to myself that it just didn't do it for me. Took a massive hit financially when I finally moved it on.

Copy and paste my latest quest - the Yamaha BB5000 I imported from Japan. Love my BB425 but find it too heavy so this one ticked all the boxes for my dream bass. Nope. Fabulous bass, just not for me. Sold it to someone in Germany and now we are having a potentially punishingly expensive discussion about the amount of trussrod movement.

[musicbassman]

A Musicman 5 string I owned back in the '80's.
Good to play physically, and I persevered with it for a good while, but it only ever had one sound, and that was the dead plank sound.................
Possibly why they're still not worth a great deal now compared to the old 4 strings.

[Rich]

Sei Flamboyant 5 string -- it was a stunning instrument but I couldn't get the setup right, so in a fit of pique I sold it. What a stupid, stupid move. I should have given it to a proper luthier and got them to set it up properly, it would have been perfect then. It was beautifully made, felt great to play (apart from my crap set-up job) and the sound was to die for. I often kick myself for letting that one go.

Ricky -- can't remember the model (4001?) but I'd borrowed it with a view to buying if I got on with it. It sounded great but I hated absolutely everything else about it. The ergonomics were non-existent, if I'd tried to gig it it would have crippled me and broken my ribs. Dreadful.

[totorbass]

Every Jazz Bass I had, especially passive ones, but even the neck alone is too thin for me.
Had several Hohner B2Adbs; liked them, but the ergonomics just don't do.
Atk 5 strings: had several MIJs too, very good but the strings are too crowded.

[ead]

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1508312980' post='3391200']
Rickenbacker 4003. Huge disappointment
[/quote]

For me too. I saved up for a year to buy one and persevered for another year trying to like it but ended up selling it (at a profit so not all bad!).

[EliasMooseblaster]

Hofner Violin Bass.

I was never a massive fan of the appearance, but a lot of other people had always assured me that they were lovely basses with a great tone. So when I chanced across one in a shop, I felt beholden to give it a go.

There's no denying it was a very flexible instrument, with a wide range of very usable tones on tap (and some less usable ones, admittedly), but the whole thing just felt far too small. Almost a bit claustrophobic to play. I've no objection to narrow necks (my main gigging bass is a T-bird), but the combination of thin neck, short scale length, and tiny body just made the whole thing unworkable for me.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='musicbassman' timestamp='1508323442' post='3391327']
A Musicman 5 string I owned back in the '80's.
Good to play physically, and I persevered with it for a good while, but it only ever had one sound, and that was the dead plank sound.................
Possibly why they're still not worth a great deal now compared to the old 4 strings.
[/quote]

That's only because they didn't make an old 5 string Stingray, 1987 onwards Stingray 5s fetch more than 1987 onwards 4s, an 80s Ray 5 is quite a rare bass having only a couple of years on sale in the uk.

[Cat Burrito]

Flying V. I wanted to look like a rock god but looked more like a midlife crisis.

I've had other short scale basses that have been fine but this one felt like a toy.

[No lust in Jazz]

Musicman Stingray - I'll happily acknowledge that this is a classic instrument - I couldn't get on with the two that I owned.

Musicman Bongo - Undaunted I tried a Bongo - Nope

Warwick Streamer - It felt like it was fighting me every time that I picked it up - I'm often tempted by the classifieds

Edited October 18, 2017 by No lust in Jazz

[Conan]

Spector Euro 4LX. Possibly an unpopular choice...

Some awesome tones, but the preamp output was WAY too hot (and no trimpot on this version). The ergonomics just didn't work for me and although I liked the tone, it didn't fit the band I was in at the time.

Traded it for a Fender Marcus Miller Jazz, which was also a bit meh. Too heavy and with a stupid preamp. I can work with most instruments, but those two were moved on pretty quickly - the beauty of the Basschat market place!

[Conan]

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1508330704' post='3391401']Music Man Stingray 4HH - I do love a Stingray, but I'm not convinced about the necessity of the existence of the 4HH. It was a lovely bass, but it was bloody heavy and didn't really do much that my others Stingray's couldn't.
[/quote]

Interesting. I haven't played one, but I think that would be the best option for a Stingray for me. I do like to have the flexibility of two pickups...

Edited October 18, 2017 by Conan

[Trueno]

Yamaha BEX4 in blue sunburst. It looked great and sounded great for the 60s retro band I was in at the time, but due to the way the strap attached it was a long reach down to the first fret. I did a a four hour rehearsal and couldn't move my left arm the next day.

[Urban Bassman]

Same for me as the other responses. Ricky 4003.... I Really wanted to love it but the lack body contouring made it very uncomfortable to play and I didn't really get along with the neck either.

[Spoombung]

I generally can't get on with other bass player's basses. They're usually too big, bulky and heavy or covered in black lacquer or something.

[TheGreek]

I couldn't get on with either of the Wals I bought. Just couldn't get on with the neck profile. Shame really as I was really impressed when I tried one back in the 80s. Obviously trying one for 5 minutes and owning one are two different things.