Rayman Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Ever had a piece of equipment everyone else raved about….. but when you got the thing… it left you cold? Ever had a piece of equipment that everyone else hated…. but when you got the thing…. you totally loved it? Me… Overrated: Markbass CMD121P (Italian) combo and the 121 extension cab… to me amazing quality but also amazingly dull tone. Hopeless for rock, probably decent for jazz fusion. Underrated: Warwick Streamer Standard (German). Largely overlooked by folk because of its low output, I absolutely adore mine, the tone is fabulous, it plays itself especially with flats, just turn your amp up! Just my experience…. how about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itu Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: SVT, EBS, Fender, flatwounds, Big Muff, P pickup. Underrated: Peavey, Ibanez, and similar equipment used by the numerous garage bands. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: Sansamp. I just don't like the sound. I get it, I understand why it's popular, but it's just not for me. Underrated: Fender Bronco modelling bass amp, really good bit of kit and if you can get one secondhand snap it up! Boss GT-10B multi effects, yes it's the size of an aircraft carrier and some guy on Talkbass had to make his own edit software for it but that was one very, very serious bass multi-fx pedal that nobody seems to talk about. I got a Helix Stomp which is more modern and does more, but the Boss had better stock bass sounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 42 minutes ago, Rayman said: Ever had a piece of equipment that everyone else hated…. but when you got the thing…. you totally loved it? Almost every Gibson bass I've ever owned... 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burns-bass Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Pre CBS jazz bass. Sounded and played OK, but too expensive to take out the house. Played it for a few hours, hid it in the cupboard and then I nearly torched it with a paint stripper (long story!) 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated - Vintage gear Underrated - Controversially, the Stingray. Think in recent years, its fallen out of favour a bit, and as such, represents a used bargain. Back in the 90s every indiie band had one....now, a bit under the radar? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJE Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated for me would be: Markbass LMII - bombproof and very reliable, but I could not get a good sound out of it, dull and lifeless like my cab had a big quilt over it. Aguilar Tonehammer amp and DB/GS cabs - again so so solid and reliable, gigged them for a while but the sound was just very dull and I was always fiddling with the amp and never happy. Underrated: EBS Reidmar - bought to replace my Markbass which was stolen. Worlds apart tone wise, clear, massive headroom, way more volume and just so tight and punchy. I didn’t care for the design of the casing but I barely ever fiddled with it at gigs. Designacable - I am so surprised more people aren’t buying custom cables from these guys. I used them a few times for custom coloured cables at a time when most people just offered black. I have used coloured cables for years so no one can ever “accidentally” pick mine up and put them in their gig bag. Way cheaper than a lot of branded cables from bigger companies as well. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Actually placed a Designacable order today. Green lead with yellow ends....😳 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 I only started using Designacable since obbm retired. Had a few XLRs from them, happy with them so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: TalkBass. Underrated: BassChat. 13 1 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Interesting that more than one asserts that Markbass is over-rated. I must disagree. I find MB gear doesn't have the baked in eq that is designed to give products showroom appeal, even when set supposedly "flat". It is honestly voiced. It does not sound bright/hyped when you stand next to it, but it projects very well out in the room and has a real weight to the sound. It does lean a little more towards old school than some brands, but is none the worse for that. I'm don't use MB (I have an AG700), but I would be happy to do so. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated - Mesa Subway D800. Wanted to love it, sounded like it had a blanket over it. Underated - Cort A4 Plus bass. Stunning feel, build quality and sound. Feels like it should be a £2k bass not a £500 one. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 23 minutes ago, Dan Dare said: Interesting that more than one asserts that Markbass is over-rated. I must disagree. I find MB gear doesn't have the baked in eq that is designed to give products showroom appeal, even when set supposedly "flat". It is honestly voiced. It does not sound bright/hyped when you stand next to it, but it projects very well out in the room and has a real weight to the sound. It does lean a little more towards old school than some brands, but is none the worse for that. I'm don't use MB (I have an AG700), but I would be happy to do so. Agree, I used MB gear for a while and what influenced me on this was hearing bassists use it in live settings, every time I heard a bassist whose tone I liked invariably it was a Fender bass into a Markbass amp. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 33 minutes ago, Dan Dare said: Interesting that more than one asserts that Markbass is over-rated. I must disagree. I find MB gear doesn't have the baked in eq that is designed to give products showroom appeal, even when set supposedly "flat". It is honestly voiced. When we did a speaker shootout at the last southwest bass bash, the MB cab was the most coloured cab that we found - it was the only one that was really noticably a long way from flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: 80s Tokai Jazz bass, Squier JV, Fullerton Fender 80s vintage reissues underrated: Sire basses. Seriously, how has not everyone got one of these in their Arsenal? Loved my series 1 v7 and love the V5 even more! Sensational basses 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overated: many heavy boutique basses Underated: Several modern CNC mass-produced instruments 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleat Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: Trace Elliot: Every tone you could want as long as it's mid scooped. Ampeg cabs: Awful tone in a box. Underrated: Marshall and Laney bass amps/ cabs: Never had a Marshall or Laney that I didn't like the sound of. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 Overrated: Rickenbacker's. Overpriced one trick ponies that are a mare to set-up with soft fretwire. Underrated: Rickenbacker's. Regardless all else whenever I've hated mine then sold them I've immediately missed them. Weird! 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Osiris Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated: Trace Elliot. I had an SMX amp for around 10 years and grew to hate it with a passion. 9 hours ago, Bleat said: Every tone you could want as long as it's mid scooped and clanky. Amen brother. Stingrays. Every tone you could want as long as it's that overbearing nasal midrange. It upsets my delicate sensibilities far more than it should. Sunburst. Whoever thought that nappy chromatography would make a great finish for an instrument was gravely mistaken. Tort scratch plates. They were drab in the 50's and haven't improved in the intervening 7 decades. That widely imitated Ampeg sound, the bloated lows and clanky high end with nothing in between. Underrated: Peavey have always churned out some cracking gear but don't always seem to be considered in the same league as some of the other big names. The humble Boss LMB-3. Of the all the compressors I've been through, of which there are many, this one is my favourite. It's cheap, simple to use and just does something that I haven't been able to coax out of any other unit. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Under-rated Marshall bass amps in general. Probably as they`re better known as a guitar amp company, but their bass amps - especially the DBS - were great. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernaut Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 So a neutral sounding amp is overrated because you don't know how to EQ? 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Underrated. Behringer. Originally - oh that is just a poor quality cheap copy of a boss etc. Democratised great digital mixers to small bands, to the point where they are the things that new expensive things are compared to. Long dead synths that their original manufacturers didn't want to bring back at prices people can afford. And cheap copies of boss effects that work. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated. Opinions other than mine. Underrated. My opinion. [/thread] 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diskwave Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 (edited) Overated. Stingrays, (thin and to Jacoish for my liking). Rumbles (not enough low mid range grind for my liking, too smooth and why I play Ampeg) Underated. The latest Squire range.....old Peavey gear (superb generic bass tone but so flippin heavy) Edited October 4, 2023 by greavesbass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Over-rated: Rickenbackers; MM Stingrays; Ampeg SVT (any) Under-rated: Harley Benton/Sire 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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