Ugly Basses

[Grimalkin]

38 minutes ago, Rich said:

Lowenherz.

[/thread]

 

 

"O Christmas tree

O Christmas tree..."

[Quilly]

I own a bass (Sandberg Basic) that has 24frets. While I think aesthetically it works pretty well for that particular bass, in general I think 24frets kinda looks goofy and unbalanced especially with traditional bass shapes. I don't think I ever really felt "I could really do with 3/4 extra frets on my bass'.    

[nilorius]

11 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

 

"O Christmas tree

O Christmas tree..."

I think it's ok.

[Quilly]

On 22/09/2022 at 10:19, Osiris said:

Not the design but the finish. Sunburst and/or tort are disgusting enough on their own, but when combined they are truly hideous 🤢🤮

Just add gold hardware for the holy trinity of awful bass aesthetics! 

 

I like this combo for a Jazz but it has to be beaten up a bit. 

Edited September 23, 2022 by Quilly

[Cosmo Valdemar]

All this talk of Wishbass has reminded me of this absolute treasure:

 

 

[rushbo]

7 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

All this talk of Wishbass has reminded me of this absolute treasure:

 

 

 

"It's 2050 and the three former members of Primus entertain the other residents of their retirement home with their latest composition 'More Mashed Banana Please, Nurse.'"

Edited September 23, 2022 by rushbo

[Rich]

11 minutes ago, rushbo said:

 

"It's 2050 and the three former members of Primus entertain the other residents of their retirement home with their latest composition 'More Mashed Banana Please, Nurse.'"

"We used to be really good, we played to huuge crowds.."

"Yes Leslie, of course you did *pats hand* come along now, it's time for your afternoon nap."

[paul_5]

29 minutes ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

All this talk of Wishbass has reminded me of this absolute treasure:

 

 

It seems the ability to afford a Wishbass is no indication of the ability to actually play the fücker!

[tauzero]

19 hours ago, lownote said:

I also don't like those with long clutching horns.  I might mention Sei in that regard but I will likely go to hell.

 

I love basses with long horns - Sei Flamboyants, Ritter Royas, Shuker Uberhorns, and my Antoniotsai.

 

I haven't seen many singlecuts that I like the look of.

[msb]

My usual gigging bass is a Dano Longhorn , I don’t really understand just how that happened , I’ve learned to live with it. It weighs nothing , sounds great , and is fun to play.

I still haven’t decided if it’s cool as heck , or butt ugly.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

46 minutes ago, msb said:

My usual gigging bass is a Dano Longhorn , I don’t really understand just how that happened , I’ve learned to live with it. It weighs nothing , sounds great , and is fun to play.

I still haven’t decided if it’s cool as heck , or butt ugly.

Definitely not butt ugly!

[neepheid]

50 minutes ago, msb said:

I still haven’t decided if it’s cool as heck , or butt ugly.

 

Because it's both and neither at the same time?

[ZilchWoolham]

7 hours ago, Quilly said:

Any high end bass that has too much 'bling', gold hardware, metallic finishes, too many stitches and knobs, too may pickups (unless its 'ironic' like the Warwick Bootsy Collins star bass). Wal, Alembic, Fodera, Warwick come to mind. Don't like exotic woods on basses either, they look like pieces of 70s furniture. 

 

At the opposite end of complex basses Fender P bass the black/white pickguards/rose wood fingerboard is a horrible combo IMO. It makes a good bass look cheap.  I love P basses otherwise. 

Don't think Wal belongs in that crowd, especially if we're talking about the early JG, Pro and Mk1 models. Exotic woods for the Mk1, yes, but the contour is very modest, the hardware looks very solid and reliable, and even with its complex circuitry it's not overwhelmed with knobs and switches. Overall very well balanced visually, and one of the best headstocks you can find! The other ones I agree with. I don't like the Warwick body shapes, but I will however admit that the most gorgeous neck joint I've ever seen was on one. 

 

Completely agree about the P bass, too. Similarly, a black Strat with a black pickguard looks fine, but a black Strat with a white pickguard looks like a department store guitar. 

[Woodinblack]

2 hours ago, msb said:

I still haven’t decided if it’s cool as heck , or butt ugly.

 

Its butt ugly, but also fairly distinctive, so I guess it is both.

 

40 minutes ago, ZilchWoolham said:

 and one of the best headstocks you can find

 

While I agree with you on most things on the wal, it has a very ugly headstock - or at least the originals were, they got better with the 5 strings later on.

[pigface]

I hate to say this, as so many members love them, but Rickenbacker basses are IMO seriously ugly. Strange, really, as some of their guitars are fine to behold.

[TeresaFR]

50 minutes ago, pigface said:

I hate to say this, as so many members love them, but Rickenbacker basses are IMO seriously ugly. Strange, really, as some of their guitars are fine to behold.

I came here specifically to say Rickenbackers are ugly. They just are horrible looking things. Almost anything by BC Rich too.

[Geek99]

7 minutes ago, TeresaFR said:

I came here specifically to say Rickenbackers are ugly. They just are horrible looking things.

They’d make good ploughs though and maybe the shire horse pulling it would do us a favour and stand on the rickenbacker 

[msb]

Spent years looking for a Ric back before the internet , they simply never came up locally. Finally scored one on a visit to Toronto. I’ve had it for a good while now , still get a little weak in the knees when I look at it. 
I love a nice Ric , it was my main player for a good number of years. 80 4001 , one of the later ones , and a 76 4000.

[Geek99]

6 minutes ago, msb said:

Spent years looking for a Ric back before the internet , they simply never came up locally. Finally scored one on a visit to Toronto. I’ve had it for a good while now , still get a little weak in the knees when I look at it. 
I love a nice Ric , it was my main player for a good number of years. 80 4001 , one of the later ones , and a 76 4000.

You couldn’t find one locally as they’d all become twice as valuable as they were by being burned as firewood 

[msb]

Everybody back then was using Pbasses. (myself included) There was the rare EB3 or Jazz , but almost everybody seemed to have a Pbass , there were a couple of players with Rics , but they weren’t selling , and the local stores never had them.

They were rare around here , but I could have picked up pre CBS Pbasses for $3-400 at the time. The old ones were cheaper than new ones.

Thought I had all the bass I needed , I was an idiot.

[dclaassen]

6 minutes ago, msb said:

Everybody back then was using Pbasses. (myself included) There was the rare EB3 or Jazz , but almost everybody seemed to have a Pbass , there were a couple of players with Rics , but they weren’t selling , and the local stores never had them.

They were rare around here , but I could have picked up pre CBS Pbasses for $3-400 at the time. The old ones were cheaper than new ones.

Thought I had all the bass I needed , I was an idiot.

Right there in that boat with you 

[Newfoundfreedom]

I've said it many times before, but I still think the Fender P bass (and for that matter the jazz) is the ugliest bass there is. It's an amorphous blob with the ugliest headstock I've ever seen, and those stupid big flat elephant ear tuners should be melted down for scrap. On top of that they're usually painted in bright colours so they look ridiculously cheap and tacky. 

 

Every P I've ever seen looks like it was £99 from Argos. 

[dmccombe7]

I love a jazz or P bass. They are my goto basses.

Love the look of a Ric and would like one. Had a white one in 80's but couldn't get the sound I was looking for and sold it after few maths. 

Not a fan of those weird horn or single cut basses. I like good ole traditional styles.

Had a WAL custom in 80's too and it was gorgeous. 

Oh happy days.

Edited September 24, 2022 by dmccombe7

[musicbassman]

2 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

It's an amorphous blob with the ugliest headstock I've ever seen, and those stupid big flat elephant ear tuners should be melted down for scrap.

How very dare you!  😲

I'll have you know you're talking about my favourite bass ................!!!

"those stupid big flat elephant ear tuners"

.......but that's one of the best bits !!!  😥

[Newfoundfreedom]

32 minutes ago, musicbassman said:

How very dare you!  😲

I'll have you know you're talking about my favourite bass ................!!!

"those stupid big flat elephant ear tuners"

.......but that's one of the best bits !!!  😥

 

I hate them 😆.

 

Thankfully we're not all the same or it would me a very bland monochromatic world. 😉

Edited September 24, 2022 by Newfoundfreedom