Ziphoblat

Fender basses - Overpriced crap. Haven't changed at all. Not the remotest bit innovative, just constantly reissuing the same stuff. They look boring, I can't look like an individual or a bad-ass with a Fender. Waste of money.

Basses that aren't by Fender - Load of rubbish. Leo Fender got it right the first time, you don't need anything else. All the classics are played on Fenders. If it doesn't look like a Fender it's just being different for the sake of it and is probably played by some stupid metalhead punk.

Solid state amps - Garbage modern stuff used by pussies who don't have the back to carry a valve amp around. Just get a proper amp and be done with it. There's no excuse for sacrificing tone which is clearly objectively better because I prefer it just for the sake of convenience.

Valve amps - Antique crap. Why bother? They'll cost you a complete fortune to maintain, they don't sound any better than solid state amps and you can just get a good hybrid or valve modeler anyway. Get solid state, your back will thank you.

Thunderbirds - Complete rubbish. Muddy tone, shite electronics, lazy construction, and more neck-dive than a giraffe falling from 30,000 feet. Not to mention stupidly overpriced. Nobody would ever buy one of these unless their only concern was looking cool, which is a stupid concern for a performer.

Basses that aren't Thunderbirds - Don't know what every other moron is on about. I've played Gibson Thunderbirds since all you wee whippersnappers were swimming around in a testicle somewhere and they've always served me well. Don't listen to everyone else, these things look far better than any other bass, who cares about neck dive? Don't waste your time, just buy a Thunderbird.

Gold plated cables - Don't fall for this rubbish, it's just voodoo. It doesn't make a difference what your cable is made out of. I've been connecting my bass to my amp since 1974 with the same cheap cable made of coal I was given by a guy my mates cousin met at his friends Bar Mitzvah, and he found it washed up on a beach several years before.

Regular cables - They're a waste of money, they'll just break. You might as well just save your money and splash out on some fancy gold plated Mogami cables, they'll last you forever and your tone will suddenly become completely amazing. My P-bass used to sound like a dogs bowel movement when I used a cheap livewire cable, but when I got a Mogami cable it blew me away. Goodbye dogs bowel movement, hello Morgan Freeman singing baritone against a starry nights sky.

I was also going to do Squiers/Ibanez, True Bypass/lack of True Bypass and "Tone"woods/plywood, but I really can't be bothered.

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Save a Cow,
Eat a Vegan.

King Of Suede

Post of the century^^

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consecutive e

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Basses:
Fender Precision Bass
Fender Jazz Bass
Warwick Star Bass

Amps: Mesa and MarkBass

Casketcreep

Can we make a genuine attempt to get this thread going properly?

If I could be so bold as to suggest a few things.
-nothing subjective
(For the more cognitively impaired among us, that means your personal opinion)
-back up what you have said with a ligit story
(nothing like, 'my mate said they're rubbish', you have to have had actual experience using it)
-No brand bashing for the sake of it.
-nothing that you recommend other people don't buy purely because it was mediocre or not the best on the market.
Only things that you genuinely think are terrible as a whole.

WTmission, could you update the OP with a list?


Now as I'm pretty sure it was me that inspired this thread a few days ago with my post about it, I'm going to put forth the Ashdown Duel-Band Compressor.
I paid £75 for a new one, (so no excuses) and it essentially didn't act as a compressor at all. The lows farted out at the lowest setting, the so-called EQ blend was beyond useless and the high comp did barely anything even when turned up full.

In terms of what was good about it, it looks nice and it has a sturdy shell. That's it.

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Spaz91

A better thread title and idea would have been "Bass Gear Horror Stories."

Rule Britannia

All fender gear is good, some is gear is just better than others. There's a reason why most artists use Fender gear.

Steve Harris - Iron Maiden (p bass)
Geddy Lee - Rush (Jazz Bass)
Chris Wolstenholme - Muse (Jazz Bass)
John Deacon - Queen (p bass & tele bass)
Flea - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Used to use a Jazz Bass)
Kevin Baird - Two Door Cinema Club (Jazz Bass)
Tord Overland - The Wombats (P bass)

Lots of people, these people are just off the top of my head.

Fender is goooooood

Fender amps not so much but they suffice....better than peavey.

chatterbox272

*sigh* Little comments like that are what will doom this thread. If you have the back for one, a good Peavey will be a perfect back up amp if not main due to their inability to be damaged by anything short of nuclear weaponry. I had a peavey that I dropped multiple times (due to the weight of the damned thing) that worked perfectly when I ditched it. I've known people who on a weekly basis put their peavey rigs though what would kill any other amp I've seen/owned.

As for gear not to buy, I'd have to say the $5 straplocks of eBay. They do the job as well as any other for a while, but when they break they're a damned bitch to remove. I had to take a hacksaw to one to remove it once .

WTmission

I'll try to, but it will take some time .

Spanner93

Sigh, indeed, shit like this dooms the thread. Anyway, there are also plenty of people who don't use fender......


Victor Wooten
Mark King
Paul McCartney
Tim Nordwind (OK GO)

etc.....

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Spaz91

Geddy also used Ricks, Wals and Steinbergers; Chris uses Pedullas, Warwicks and Statuses; Flea barely ever uses his Jazz, he uses his Modulus pretty much all the time.

Nothing Fender make is particularly awful and they make some of my favourite basses ('51 Reissue P) but they tend to overcharge for very basic things. Every Mexican model I've played has been no better than a Squier for little over half the price and many of their signature models are expensive and unimaginative, only the Marcus Milller, Victor Bailey and Tony Franklin models really stand out.

And Peavey amps are awesome.

anarkee

I have never played a Peavey Bass amp, but had two of the guitar amps back in the 70s and 80. Loved them all round.

My avoid item advice in all seriousness is the ODB-3 Bass OverDrive Pedal. Its more fuzzy than overdrive and is overpriced at a 100 USD. I owned one for about 3 years and it was a pain to dial in a decent sound.

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"I have suffered for my music and now it's your turn." Neil Innes

Tostitos

Not to mention John Deacon also played a Stingray, and Flea has played a Stingray, a Wal, an Alembic, and a Spector as well.

I'm sure most big name artists have played a Fender or Fender-derivative at one point our another, whether that be as a main touring bass or just the odd practice or recording session. But a lot of big time, established artists have also had the opportunity to play a lot of different basses over the years, so comparing who has played what at one time or another is pointless. Famous people have opinions too, opinions just like anyone else.

And Peavey rocks, super reliable and sturdy. Behringer is the exact opposite and IMO most all Deans should be used as firewood.

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Spaz91

The only usable bass pedals from Boss are modulation and they're just imitations of things EHX will do for half the price. Boss remind me of Gibson, people buy them because its the done thing, not because of good quality or value.

I have to say I love it when people wheel out the "Flea uses a odb3." He uses it for an intro and bridge in one song. Sadly I haven't read this little gem in a while.

Spanner93

Dean ain't great, although I did like the Cabbie semi-acoustic bass.

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anarkee

The QA on Deans is horrific and they're cheap for a reason. Based on the one's I've played, they're even overpriced in their market bracket. If you are going lower priced, there are a tonne of better options than Dean.

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"I have suffered for my music and now it's your turn." Neil Innes

askrere

I love Squier, peavey. My newest bass is an Epi EB-0.

My three basses cost me under $250 combined, my amps are nice Peavey tube head and a Carvin BX500 in stereo.

I've never used anything by behringer, but I'm wary, most I just use my computer and phones internet to do reviews and ask people about gear before buying it so I'm less likely to be cheated or pissed, and more likely to get my money back and move on without anger towards any one product...

Except the volvos after 1999, expensive junk!



This is some sound advice, and potentially life saving (mandolin)

Also Paper Q tips are sooo much better than plastic.

jeleopard

Warwick, Spector, Fedora, Skjold.......

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Legion!
Original 1969 Fender Jazzmaster
Jackson JS32R Dinky with EMG-ALX "Curry"
Ibanez RGD7421 "Stella"
Ibanez S470 "Haley"
MiM Fender Jazz Bass "Pancho"
Schecter Stiletto Elite "Kimmy"
Peavey 6505+ 112
Line 6 POD HD500

Hail

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Tostitos

Some people look good in fedoras, some people just can't swing it. It's one of those "you either have it or you don't" things.

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