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Basses You've Owned and Hated


WHUFC BASS

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1 hour ago, WHUFC BASS said:

That's funny, I always associate them with Lemmy, Bruce Foxton and Paul McCartney and that's about it. They weren't that popular (certainly not as popular as Precisions). In fact, I'd go as far to say that they weren't even as popular as Gibson Thunderbirds.

For me it is punk and prog. Which is a strange combination when thinking about it. So Geddy Lee, Bruce Foxton (although with him more P basses), and lemmy, yes I guess. I don't associate them with McCartney. I guess it was just a popular in the 70s thing. And they seem popular with punk bands I have noticed in the few occasions I have been near a punk band recently. Maybe it is regional variations. I have never personally seen a punk band with a thunderbird.

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Bruce Foxton in the early days it was always a Rick. Later with SLF and From The Jam on a Precision maybe but it was always Ricks and a Musicman.

Precisions were synonymous with Punk -

Paul Simmonen
Jean-Jaques Brunel
Sid Vicious
Dee Dee Ramone
Glen Matlock

to name just a few of the iconic bassists. There were loads more.

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If we're gonna expand it to New Wave as well as Punk (and Lord knows where the line is between them) then there's the Jam, the Misfits, the Clash, the Undertones, Joy Division, OMITD, Nick Lowe, Glen Matlock in the Pistols, and I'm sure more. Like a lot of Ricky players, most of them moved on to other basses, but they were a popular punk bass, even if, like Hooky's, they were just a Hondo...

I bought a new 4001 in 79, and they weren't a cheap bass; they were much more than a boggo Precision or Jazz... 

I can't recall a punk bassist with a 'Bird?

Edited by Muzz
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9 hours ago, Billy Apple said:

There's pretty much two punk basses. P Bass and RIc, and out of all those played you'd have to pick the bones out of what was real and a fake.

My memory is they started with a Ric and finished with a P.

No Gibbo's apart from Gaye Advert

Famed for her EB0 but slung a 4001 from time to time. Also found another photo of her using a Burns Flyte.

 

Gaye1.jpg

Gaye2.jpg

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On 14/06/2019 at 22:52, Muzz said:

I can't recall a punk bassist with a 'Bird?

Cockney Rejects, Vince Reardon used a Thunderbird:
 

You've also got

Mike Watt from the Minutemen who used a Thunderbird
Tripp Underwood  of The Unseen
Krist Novoselic of Nirvana
 

Edited by WHUFC BASS
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31 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:

Krist Novoselic of Nirvana
 

I don't know the other guys (apart from cockney rejects), but not only would I have not counted Nirvana as punk, I have never seen Krist Novaselic with a thunderbird. Primarily I associate him with either a Gibson RD or a Ripper, and less commonly a Ibanez Black Eagle. I see from the net he has a thunderbird, but couldn't see pictures of it, it is pretty well all the Gibson RD (and I also see Gibson make a Krist Novoselic RD).

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16 minutes ago, Woodinblack said:

I don't know the other guys (apart from cockney rejects), but not only would I have not counted Nirvana as punk, I have never seen Krist Novaselic with a thunderbird. Primarily I associate him with either a Gibson RD or a Ripper, and less commonly a Ibanez Black Eagle. I see from the net he has a thunderbird, but couldn't see pictures of it, it is pretty well all the Gibson RD (and I also see Gibson make a Krist Novoselic RD). 

He definitely used one back in the day ...

3154984858_1_2_QyjQQd7U.jpg

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53 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:

He definitely used one back in the day ...
 

Well, yes, I see he owned 2 so he definitely used one but its not something he is associated with. Like Paul Mccartney with a Jazz bass, Geddy lee with a Wall, Bruce Foxton with a Gibson EB2. They have been seen with them, but they aren't something you think of when you think what they play.

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1 hour ago, WHUFC BASS said:

He definitely used one back in the day ...

3154984858_1_2_QyjQQd7U.jpg

I always think how could Gibson design such a beautiful shape, and then make it look cheap and nasty by barely even rounding corners?

It just looks like it's been cut out of plywood like an old Kay...

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On ‎14‎/‎06‎/‎2019 at 19:53, WHUFC BASS said:

Bruce Foxton in the early days it was always a Rick. Later with SLF and From The Jam on a Precision maybe but it was always Ricks and a Musicman.

Precisions were synonymous with Punk -

Paul Simmonen
Jean-Jaques Brunel
Sid Vicious
Dee Dee Ramone
Glen Matlock

to name just a few of the iconic bassists. There were loads more.

Simonon started off with a Ric....

Simonon + Ricky.png

Glen Matlock started off with a Ric...

Matlock & Ricky.png

 

Edited by mangotango
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Overeater OS050.  One of their  first models ..I got it around 1981 ,I got it from new the neck was twisted ,I sent it back in its new case & came back in an old case ,the neck was straighter but there was no tension in the neck it felt like the truss rod was broken ,I felt as though my complaints were ignored  ,so never again ..

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On 15/06/2019 at 08:57, NikNik said:

Famed for her EB0 but slung a 4001 from time to time. Also found another photo of her using a Burns Flyte.

 

Gaye1.jpg

Gaye2.jpg

It was a pic of Gaye using her Azureglo 4001 that made me want one. Unfortunately when I went to buy my first 4001 (new), they'd stopped making them, so I got a Jetglo. Azureglo is still my favourite Ric colour, and I now have a super-rare '72 in Azureglo. I also had a '73 (a complete dog) and a '76, both in Azureglo, but neither came close to the current one. 

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I didn't enjoy my retrovibe,  it was functional but no personality at all and in band rehearsals it didn't cut through anything. It has all the parts of a bass but there doesn't seem to be any science in the sound. 

I wouldn't have complained about it in public if it wasn't that the manufacturer said he wanted first refusal if I decided to sell, but when I let him know I wasn't getting along with it he didn't want to know.   

I had a similar experience with chowny, got the hollow body and the neck was bowed to hell and could only be made playable by filing the frets down to almost fretless level. So now its playable with good action but nowhere to go from here.  I left it way too long to be able to return it. Absolutely my own fault, but I approached them to see if they were interested in a PX for a good one, because I liked the bass in many ways. At first they were open to talk about it, then they asked for my name, address, and the model of my bass, they stopped replying exactly after I sent an email with those details. I prodded them with a couple more follow up emails but no replys. This made me feel like they knew the bass they sent me was not up to standard. That's conjecture on my part but certainly a thought that stuck with me.  I still want a good chowny HB but if I'm going to pay twice I may go for the jack cassidey instead.  

 

Sorry if you enjoy your chownys and retrovibes. This was just my experience. 

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2 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

Do you think they were miming in that clip? :)

I've read their book and yes... they were deffo miming :) . They were all roaring drunk from the free booze the BBC had supplied, especially the bass player Vince Reardon. The guitarist threatened to knock out Steve Wright after the show and they all had to jump the barriers at White City station as they had no money to get home.

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On 25/06/2019 at 19:16, Mattmit said:

I didn't enjoy my retrovibe,  it was functional but no personality at all and in band rehearsals it didn't cut through anything. It has all the parts of a bass but there doesn't seem to be any science in the sound. 

I wouldn't have complained about it in public if it wasn't that the manufacturer said he wanted first refusal if I decided to sell, but when I let him know I wasn't getting along with it he didn't want to know.   

I had a similar experience with chowny, got the hollow body and the neck was bowed to hell and could only be made playable by filing the frets down to almost fretless level. So now its playable with good action but nowhere to go from here.  I left it way too long to be able to return it. Absolutely my own fault, but I approached them to see if they were interested in a PX for a good one, because I liked the bass in many ways. At first they were open to talk about it, then they asked for my name, address, and the model of my bass, they stopped replying exactly after I sent an email with those details. I prodded them with a couple more follow up emails but no replys. This made me feel like they knew the bass they sent me was not up to standard. That's conjecture on my part but certainly a thought that stuck with me.  I still want a good chowny HB but if I'm going to pay twice I may go for the jack cassidey instead.  

 

Sorry if you enjoy your chownys and retrovibes. This was just my experience. 

If you want something like a Chowny, buy a Harley Benton semi. It’s cheaper and I’ve got one I’m very pleased with.

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Not hated per sé, but have a list that I didn’t get on with for various reasons...

 

Hondo Ric copy - didn’t like the feel or the sound, not for me.

Warwick Corvette $$ 5 string - love Warwicks but this neck was enormous. 

Aria Black and Gold - proper letdown, was a dream bass for me but arrived broken, plus weighed a ton.

Spector Euro - nice but way heavier than their size suggests they should be.

Epi Thunderbird - not comfortable for me to play at all.  Sold it to the bassist of a famous indie band!

Schecter Stiletto 5 - neck dive for days.

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1 hour ago, Storky said:

If you want something like a Chowny, buy a Harley Benton semi. It’s cheaper and I’ve got one I’m very pleased with.

Thats a decent idea,  I didn't look into hb hollow bodies.. My chowny is perfectly playable it's just there's no room to go any further with the neck should I ever need to. Also it's like a reminder of a bad customer experience every time I play it. I might just chuck it in basses for sale for stupid crazy cheap. 

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On 25/06/2019 at 19:16, Mattmit said:

I didn't enjoy my retrovibe,  it was functional but no personality at all and in band rehearsals it didn't cut through anything. It has all the parts of a bass but there doesn't seem to be any science in the sound. 

I wouldn't have complained about it in public if it wasn't that the manufacturer said he wanted first refusal if I decided to sell, but when I let him know I wasn't getting along with it he didn't want to know.   

I had a similar experience with chowny, got the hollow body and the neck was bowed to hell and could only be made playable by filing the frets down to almost fretless level. So now its playable with good action but nowhere to go from here.  I left it way too long to be able to return it. Absolutely my own fault, but I approached them to see if they were interested in a PX for a good one, because I liked the bass in many ways. At first they were open to talk about it, then they asked for my name, address, and the model of my bass, they stopped replying exactly after I sent an email with those details. I prodded them with a couple more follow up emails but no replys. This made me feel like they knew the bass they sent me was not up to standard. That's conjecture on my part but certainly a thought that stuck with me.  I still want a good chowny HB but if I'm going to pay twice I may go for the jack cassidey instead.  

 

Sorry if you enjoy your chownys and retrovibes. This was just my experience. 

Just spotted this. To add a little context - although it's not an excuse as such - you caught me on an exceedingly bad year, with my wife going through chemotherapy and me trying to run the company single handed I just could not keep on top of admin, especially when it fell outside the usual workflow. Yours is not the only case of this, I just didn't cope with keeping on top of this stuff.

We are also REALLY struggling with backorders/stock so it'd be very difficult to switch it out without having anything physically in our hands to switch it out for. Our rep is rightfully taking a bit of a hit for this, with some orders having had to wait as long as from August 2018 ... Left handed bassists! Grrr 😉

Hopefully we'll see you back for a bass in the future, although if not - I'd totally understand.

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6 hours ago, Chownybass said:

Just spotted this. To add a little context - although it's not an excuse as such - you caught me on an exceedingly bad year, with my wife going through chemotherapy and me trying to run the company single handed I just could not keep on top of admin, especially when it fell outside the usual workflow. Yours is not the only case of this, I just didn't cope with keeping on top of this stuff.

We are also REALLY struggling with backorders/stock so it'd be very difficult to switch it out without having anything physically in our hands to switch it out for. Our rep is rightfully taking a bit of a hit for this, with some orders having had to wait as long as from August 2018 ... Left handed bassists! Grrr 😉

Hopefully we'll see you back for a bass in the future, although if not - I'd totally understand.

Props for taking the time to reply.  Hope your wife is on the mend now

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