What Puts You Off?

[binky_bass]

'Boutique' pedals in general are a bit of a rip off. Most of the time you're paying 50% for the sound the pedal generates and 50% for some poorly painted design that makes it look like a 6 year old has been set loose with a bunch of permanent markers. If you buy them because you like the design then that's fair enough I suppose, but for me I'd rather have a fairly plain enclosure that produces a great sound for half the price. Anyway, you'll be stamping on it when its used so that art work is soon going to be scuffed to buggery!

[durhamboy]

To true about copies being OK if they're expensive rather than cheap. If a Tube Screamer clone is supposedly "hand made" and called "Captain Camels Exploding Lime", or some such crazy/w***y name, that seems to be fine. Likewise a bass that's basically a Precision, or a Jazz, but with a different headstock shape and some boutique pickups is fine too, but not an entry level or budget version, that a kid starting out, or someone who doesn't have a couple of grand spare for a bass, can afford, is not. (Does some of the outrage stem from the fact that the expensive "inspired by" versions are western world made and the cheap "copies" are from somewhere in Asia?)

Just a thought on Fender copies. To my way of thinking any intellectual property attached to the designs surely belonged to Leo Fender, who sold the company and moved on to design and build what he obviously thought were next generation and to his mind, better instruments than his originals. I'm not too concerned about whichever hedge fund, or corporate conglomerate owns Fender now and whether "copies" of Leo's 70 year old designs might nibble into their profits. In fact cheap copies almost certainly increase their profits in the long run as many starter musicians will move on to the genuine article in time. Where as they might never have started playing guitar or bass if they had to find a grand or two to even get their first instrument.

So ends the rant... Must be time for my first coffee of the day.   🙄

 

[Doctor J]

Poorly thought out solutions to getting sufficient break angle over the nut. For example, using three separate pieces of junk for five strings.

[prowla]

58 minutes ago, durhamboy said:

To true about copies being OK if they're expensive rather than cheap. If a Tube Screamer clone is supposedly "hand made" and called "Captain Camels Exploding Lime", or some such crazy/w***y name, that seems to be fine. Likewise a bass that's basically a Precision, or a Jazz, but with a different headstock shape and some boutique pickups is fine too, but not an entry level or budget version, that a kid starting out, or someone who doesn't have a couple of grand spare for a bass, can afford, is not. (Does some of the outrage stem from the fact that the expensive "inspired by" versions are western world made and the cheap "copies" are from somewhere in Asia?)

Just a thought on Fender copies. To my way of thinking any intellectual property attached to the designs surely belonged to Leo Fender, who sold the company and moved on to design and build what he obviously thought were next generation and to his mind, better instruments than his originals. I'm not too concerned about whichever hedge fund, or corporate conglomerate owns Fender now and whether "copies" of Leo's 70 year old designs might nibble into their profits. In fact cheap copies almost certainly increase their profits in the long run as many starter musicians will move on to the genuine article in time. Where as they might never have started playing guitar or bass if they had to find a grand or two to even get their first instrument.

So ends the rant... Must be time for my first coffee of the day.   🙄

 

I've no affiliation with any brand, but I don't much care for counterfeits, "cheeky waterslides", honest John selling an "unknown" vintage attic find which is really a cheap copy with a decal, etc.

[durhamboy]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

I've no affiliation with any brand, but I don't much care for counterfeits, "cheeky waterslides", honest John selling an "unknown" vintage attic find which is really a cheap copy with a decal, etc.

I agree about counterfeits as you described, they are deliberate and malicious attempts to cheat people. What most people see as copies are not that. These days most copies have different headstock shapes and brand names in distinct fonts. Yes, they might be Fender, Gibson, or whatever, in style and general appearance, but no one is calling them a Fender, or Gibson and asking Fender or Gibson prices for them. 

[prowla]

"Squire not Fender" on something with a Fender logo applied.

[Greg Edwards69]

2 hours ago, prowla said:

"Squire not Fender" on something with a Fender logo applied.

Or when people mis-spell Squier.  

Only joking, I've done it more times than I care to mention.

[prowla]

8 hours ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

Or when people mis-spell Squier.  

Only joking, I've done it more times than I care to mention.

Yes - it bugs me; hence the double gripe in the one phrase!

[Quatschmacher]

On 12/08/2020 at 21:09, Reggaebass said:

I’m probably going to get slated for this but , Lakland do some stunning basses and I would definitely have one in my collection , but I can’t do the bridge shape 

I have two Laklands but am with you on the bridge shape. 

[Quatschmacher]

On 13/08/2020 at 09:29, fretmeister said:

 

Seriously - WTAF were they thinking?

You’ll hate this I spotted in an eBay ad a while ago (see photo below). I nearly threw up  

 

On 13/08/2020 at 15:19, Ricky 4000 said:

I hate the look of any P/J 🤮

I quite like mine, I did try to disguise the J pickup (see photo below):

On 13/08/2020 at 19:05, Captain Bassman said:

White pickups. Make a bass look cheap and tacky.

The SR5 30th Anniversary for example. What were they thinking with the stark white pup against aged white body? Ruins it completely for me.
 

I tried to put my white pickup cover to good use (see photo below). It’s painted with the same paint as the body. 

On 29/08/2020 at 16:17, Quilly said:

My eyes...my beautiful eyes, how do I unsee this monstrosity 

That’s the first single-cut I’ve liked the look of. 

Edited November 3, 2020 by Quatschmacher

[Quatschmacher]

And as for headstocks, this is a prime example. MIDI bass is a brilliant thing but if using a classic design, why mess with it like this?

[DiMarco]

The headstock on Sire jazzbasses. They play and sound really nice but I can not be seen with a headstock as ugly as those.

My Tech21 amp bounced off my cab while I was playing, I had to stick it on top of the cab using velcro. WTF? Now I am back to using my old Trace Elliot amps.

So: lightweight amps put me off. They are too light to be practical.

 

 

[4000]

15 hours ago, DiMarco said:

The headstock on Sire jazzbasses. They play and sound really nice but I can not be seen with a headstock as ugly as those.

My Tech21 amp bounced off my cab while I was playing, I had to stick it on top of the cab using velcro. WTF? Now I am back to using my old Trace Elliot amps.

So: lightweight amps put me off. They are too light to be practical.

 

 

Ironically the only amp that’s ever happened to me with was my first Trace head. My Tech 21 heads have never done it. I’ve never played that loud either. 

[ukulelelab]

Cigarette burns

Headstock break repairs

9v battery compartments

[CookPassBabtridge]

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread  I think a lot of these have been mentioned but here's mine:

• Basses that are unfinished and use OTT exotic woods to the point that they end up looking like living room furniture
• Names/logos on bodies
• 'Relics' - the whole appeal of an aged instrument is that it's got a story to tell. Why should I pay an extra £1k for a guitar who's story is that it got chucked off the back of a moving truck or hit with someone's belt buckle to make it look artificially old?
• £1k+ basses for sale that are 'plus shipping' or 'courier to be arranged by buyer'. C'mon, can you seriously not be bothered to spend 10 minutes on Parcel2Go and 50 quid to arrange delivery? Couriers will even collect from your house these days! If you're that worried about the cost, just add it in to the total asking price!
• Adverts/reviews of instruments that say 'plays like butter' or 'it just sings'. What does that even mean?! The phrases are so non-specific they wouldn't look out of place in a horoscope. 

Also...tort pickguards are getting a lot of flack! Genuinely interested as to why people don't like them? I'm on the verge of ordering a custom bass in white with one. Mmm. Have always liked them myself, but horses for courses and all that.

[Eldon Tyrell]

10 minutes ago, CookPassBabtridge said:

Also...tort pickguards are getting a lot of flack! Genuinely interested as to why people don't like them? I'm on the verge of ordering a custom bass in white with one. Mmm. Have always liked them myself, but horses for courses and all that.

...because most look like salami and shouldn't we all be vegans or at at least vegetarians by now? 😉

[prowla]

If you are looking at this you know what it is...

[CookPassBabtridge]

40 minutes ago, Eldon Tyrell said:

...because most look like salami and shouldn't we all be vegans or at at least vegetarians by now? 😉

I like salami so that must be why I'm keen on them then! 😂

[Greg Edwards69]

7 hours ago, ukulelelab said:

9v battery compartments

I hate 9v battery clips with a passion. Why do so many bass builders and stomp box manufacturers insist on using cheap, flimsy battery clips? I'm not heavy handed at all, but I've broken a number of clips over the years, where one of the studs comes away with the dead battery. It scares me everytime I need to change a battery and I have to carefully ease it off with a thin tool.

[Woodinblack]

5 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

I hate 9v battery clips with a passion. Why do so many bass builders and stomp box manufacturers insist on using cheap, flimsy battery clips? I'm not heavy handed at all, but I've broken a number of clips over the years, where one of the studs comes away with the dead battery.

Because that is all that they sell. Frankly the 9v clip mechanism is rubbish. But the choices are a bit limited, I had a messinger that just had metal contacts that I put the battery in the wrong way round and next thing I knew smoke was coming out of the back!

Now don't get me started on people who use a diode shunt for power protection...

Edited November 9, 2020 by Woodinblack

[Stub Mandrel]

Plenty of nice drop-in holders that can only be loaded with the correct polarity.

[AinsleyWalker]

One small thing that bugs me is when flatwound silks don't all line up (I'm not talking about when they're just millimetres off, I'm talking a centimetre or more)

But my main gripe is usually the colour of the instrument though, imo the only acceptable finishes are white, black,  a natural finish or sunburst (and its variants, mocha burst, tobacco burst etc). Primary-colour finishes on instruments are absolutely criminal. It's even worse when all the parts (IE: finish, headstock, fretboard, scratchplate) are all different/clashing shades, as seen on the abomination below.

 

 

[Woodinblack]

14 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Plenty of nice drop-in holders that can only be loaded with the correct polarity.

What with the terminals built into the plastic? That seems even riskier, pull them out of that and you have to replace the entire case.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

What with the terminals built into the plastic? That seems even riskier, pull them out of that and you have to replace the entire case.

No, just spring metal contacts that the battery contacts press against. One spring is narrower and shrouded so only the smaller contact can press against it.

Here's a simple one, but you can get drop in drawer versions as well.

 

[Chienmortbb]

On 12/08/2020 at 21:14, dave_bass5 said:

Black blocks on a maple fretboard, or no fret markers at all. Wont ever own a bass with either.

I dont need the fret markers, i just think having them looks better than a plain board. 

Oh, and a 6th (or 7th) string 😁

I would have agreed with you before I fell in love with my Aerodyne.