Disappointed and disillsutioned

[Shaggy]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='1153428' date='Mar 8 2011, 09:37 AM']Yep,an Ibanez fretless,ala Sting,people rave about them,but i thought it was completely lifeless,and it weighed about as much as Dawn French.[/quote]

I had one of those, but then I've always loved a fat bird A much better bass with decent strings and set-up - applies to any bass I know, but to some more than others.

Back to the OP, it took me years to realise the bass that was was perfect for me ergonomically and tonally was ..........a Thunderbird (albeit a '60's one)

Biggest let down; a Patrick Eggle Milan IV. Looked nice, build quality obviously the mutt's, but totally uninspiring

[Cat Burrito]

I think it's often the case when you are used to a certain type of bass and just need more chance to find the time to bond. Having always played Fenders I had a major Epiphone phase around 2004 and managed to adapt quite easily. Often it comes down to just a good set up etc.

[lojo]

After owning a Ric for a year I realised that it wasn't everything Id dreamed of since being a boy

I have sold it on now, Im sure I'll get another one day and try again, right now I can't get beyond a comfy fender styled bass

The great thing about the forum is you can afford to invest in something to try it for a while, then pass it on if you don't get on with it

[risingson]

Haven't been overly impressed tonally with a lot of the Sadowskys I've played well built etc. but not what I was expecting them to sound like although I can't help feeling like if I owned one I'd probably end up loving it. I tried a MTD in NYC which really underwhelmed me considering the price.

[amnesia]

With the talk of Epi T'bird being superior to the Gibson T'bird I have tried them all.

I was seriously underwhelmed.

The standard Epi T'bird had a wobbly jack socket and felt like it cost £1.26 to build. The knobs weren't straight either.

The Pro IV was quite nice, but having active electronics misses the point somewhat for me.

The best of the three was the Epi Goth version. A good solid feel.

Maybe its just the ones I played?

[gelfin]

I tried a few Gibson birds and didn't like any of them. Popped into a music shop on my travels and saw two Tokai Birds on was awful the other was great, so I bought it.

[robocorpse]

Every Tokai 'bird I have tried has been rubbish. The Gibsons are nice but variable. I am going to agree with "amnesia" about the Epi Gothics, they are lovely. So are the Epi Nikki Sixx Blackbirds. Even the Chinese ones are good for the money if you are prepared to sling some decent pickups in and upgrade the bridge. The necks are surprisingly good.

As far as shattered dreams go, EVERY STINGRAY I have ever played (apart from the '78 I stupidly sold in the late '90s) has been horrid. I must have gone through 5 or 6 before I realised the original one was a really special one, almost played itself, and sounded absolutely monster, no other 'Ray has ever come close to it, I'd love it back if I knew where it was.

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='Bassman Sam' post='1153305' date='Mar 8 2011, 03:15 AM']For as long as I have played the bass, I have always gassed for a Gibson Thunderbird but just never got round to getting one. Well,yesterday I tried one for the first time and bloody hated it. . I loved the tone but it just felt so wrong for me so it's back to the old P-bass. I feel gutted as I really felt that this would be bass heaven for me. What a bummer. Have you ever had the same experience with your dream bass?[/quote]


Seems to be a common theme here.... Toai Thunderbird in my case.I wanted a Thunderbird since before I started playing,but being a left handed player the chances of me ever getting one were pretty much Zero.When Tokai made a few left handed ones I got one and was majorly dissapointed.Very good well made instrument,but it just doesn't suit my style and I just don't enjoy playing it.Looks damn fine though and will likely be getting an outing in my next video.

[chrismuzz]

Played a Stingray 5 last year. I almost cried! At least I saved myself £1300 though!

[Musicman20]

Agreed on the Sadowsky Metro basses....I just could not see how they were worth £1600+!

[bassbluestew]

25 years ago I had a great job earning big bucks in Holland. One day I saw an ad in Molody Maker or NME or somesuch paper for a "vintage Tbird in excellent condition" from a big London shop. It cost then about £1200 which was less than two weeks wages at the time so on a whim and after some phone calles to the shop to confirm condition / terms of sale I bought it on apro and got it delivered to my folks in Glasgow as I was coming home the following weekend for a visit.

It duly arrived and I asked my dad for a quick review over the phone. Now he's not a player, and he described it as bloody horrible. I asked him to look past the unusual shape and about the general condidion. He was less than encouraging. When I saw it myself a few days later I was gutted. It was a complete shed. The body was really badly marked and the scratchplate was badly cracked with pieces missing. The neck was horrible and pitted. It played like a dog. It went straight back to them and they didn't put up any arguements when I said I not only wanted my money back but also the courier ( good old Red Star ) costs refunded as the bass was just not as described

Very disapointed.

S

[farmer61]

[quote name='Doctor J' post='1153357' date='Mar 8 2011, 08:08 AM']Ric 4003. I adored and still adore the tone but it's such an uncomfortable instrument to play unless you play with a plec. Had to move it on. Whenever I yearn for the tone again I recall my fingertips grazing the sharp bridge pickup mount and the three-day bruises on my forearm after long gigs from the lack of contours and any desire for one swiftly evaporates.[/quote]

+1 Still own it as my wife bought it as a present.

One day I'll get to grips with it or get divorced and sell it

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='farmer61' post='1155112' date='Mar 9 2011, 11:44 AM']+1 Still own it as my wife bought it as a present.

One day I'll get to grips with it or get divorced and sell it [/quote]

Not a bad present from your wife all the same.
She did make the effort.

Like you say its gonna be difficult to get rid of now without major surgery being done to repair your "bits"

Cheers and good luck with that move - its gonna be fun.

Dave

[ShergoldSnickers]

I tried a Wal Custom in the 80s... it was horrible. Lifeless, flat and with no bottom end to speak of, no matter what you did with the controls. A couple of years later I had a play with a another example and it was just magnificent. Just goes to show.

The first real bass I tried was in a shop in Bradford in the 70s. A Rick 4001. It was again, another exquisite bass, whereas most Fenders I've tried have been underwhelming, apart from a particularly good Jazz that really oozed playability and tone. All this tells me is that it's wrong to dismiss a bass model on playing just one example.

[Ancient Mariner]

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='1155244' date='Mar 9 2011, 01:10 PM']I tried a Wal Custom in the 80s... it was horrible. Lifeless, flat and with no bottom end to speak of, no matter what you did with the controls. A couple of years later I had a play with a another example and it was just magnificent. Just goes to show.

The first real bass I tried was in a shop in Bradford in the 70s. A Rick 4001. It was again, another exquisite bass, whereas most Fenders I've tried have been underwhelming, apart from a particularly good Jazz that really oozed playability and tone. All this tells me is that it's wrong to dismiss a bass model on playing just one example.[/quote]

This is always how it will be because of the nature of wood and variability. The single biggest advantage one might hope to find in a hand made guitar is that they've carefully selected the wood based on its tonal properties, but I suspect it's much more a case of "what do we have in the storeroom that will fit?" and the fact that they can't afford to throw away bits of expensive wood, just because they go 'thunk' in stead of 'boing' when you tap them with your knuckles.

[indiegrungesound]

The first time I played a Ricky, it looked the muts, but sounded terrible. To be fair, it was a 2nd hand one in a music shop in Australia, but I don't think I could ever get one new or old. Cost is steep and they have too few frets.

[martthebass]

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' post='1155244' date='Mar 9 2011, 01:10 PM']I tried a Wal Custom in the 80s... it was horrible. Lifeless, flat and with no bottom end to speak of, no matter what you did with the controls. A couple of years later I had a play with a another example and it was just magnificent. Just goes to show.[/quote]

Same thing happened to me, major Mick Karn fan, found a Wal in Carlsbro in Sheffield in the mid 90s. It was in good condition and, I kid you not, less than £400. Picked it up played it, wanted to love it but, to me it was a dog.....I wuz gutted.

I'd love to try another tho.

[mrtcat]

At the risk of starting uproar I was totally nonplussed when I finally got hold of a Warwick Streamer stage one. Build quality was incredible but the praise ends there. Neck was too fat, it needed waxing regularly to keep the wood looking healthy but worst of all the volume across the strings was pants. Our local luthier, who has done some sublime setups for me, said he thought it was poor too. Maybe a duffer but I'd dreamed of buying one since I was 15 and it was a real let down.

[Blademan_98]

I spent a lot of time playing Jazz basses in shops.

I really wanted one to match my (now sold) Strat.

I just didn't get on with them

Perhaps when I get more proficient, that may change

[chrismuzz]

Another disappointing revelation - played a gorgeous Warwick Streamer 5 of my uncles. Was determined to love it, but in my hands it was just unplayable, and the tone was too brittle even for me!

[Vibrating G String]

My biggest disappointments were my Smith BSR5P and my Status S2 Classic. On the other side of the scale some of my most pleasant surprises were my Peavey and Fernandes, both built with the quality the other 2 should have had.

[chrismuzz]

+1 on Peaveys! The only basses that I have played that can rival the Fender Jazz in playability. The lower end ones leave a little to be desired in the electronics department but that's easily fixed with a minor upgrade!