mcnach Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 16 hours ago, Rayman said: 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. Completely opposite experience here, that thing always sounded right to me without fuss. Playing rock, funk, ska and reggae... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated: MM-style humbuckers. I get their appeal, and I like the tone many players obtain from them, but I just can't get along with them. I've owned a Stingray 5, two Carvin LB75's, a Carvin B4 and several Ibanez ATK's and I've loved each and every one of them for a while, but grew tired of the tone after a while. I like a bit of attack, but I don't like the overly bright, midscooped clack I get from them. Or more specifically: I don't like a bass where the "neutral" setting of the EQ is not a good and solid base tone where I can just unplug one bass (say, a Jazz) and plug in another (MM) without having to adjust the on-board EQ to match my amp settings. So definitely a me-problem Underrated: Line 6 Lowdown bass amps. They were short-lived, and dropped in price real quickly. Their big mistake was they only sold them as (bulky) combo's, and not as heads. They were simple, with just 5 different on-board amplifier models, had a very usable range of tones, and sounded great. I had a Lowdown Studio 110 for years that I used for home practice, small livingroom rehearsals, a few small gigs and to record an album with my old band The Bullfight, all through the XLR out. It was just 12x12x12 inches in size, very portable and rugged. It only lacked one thing, IMO: a tweeter would have been great. I contemplated replacing the stock speaker with a coaxial one with a tweeter in the middle, but then a cheap used EBS NeoDrome 112 presented itself and I've been a very happy camper ever since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonesy Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Over rated - Pretty much every off the shelf bass north of about £1k. There's so many manufacturers producing great basses at the lower end of the market that it's hard to justify spending lots of money on a new bass (unless you're getting yourself a treat). Under rated - The G&L Tribute range. They've snuck up in price over the past couple of years, but they're still fantastic value, well made and with great hardware (esp the models with MFD pups). 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 overrated - anything US made and overpriced boutique brands underrated - Indonesian made e.g. Cort, Sterling by Musicman. Also 👍for Peavey and Marshall amps 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diskwave Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 2 hours ago, Osiris said: That widely imitated Ampeg sound, the bloated lows and clanky high end with nothing in between. Not im my world. Low grindy mids and that Ampeg honk cannot be beat in my book. People dont like them cause theres just to much bass eq, which yes can get bloated...dial it back push the mids....heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 O: lists of things U: a good ear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated - All Aguilar amps. 40hz for the Bass control is just too low to be useful as anything other than a cut. - John East preamps - could not gel with it at all, but I tend to favour passive basses anyway. - Mono gig bags. I have one and an old Fender gigbag that cost £40 has almost as much padding - the Mono cost £200+ - TI flats - too loose a tension for me, feel rubbery under the fingers - All Stingray basses pre 2018 - weak G syndrome, poorly designed and incorrect pickup alignment - Barefaced cabs - way too woofy, too much bottom end - All stainless steel strings - there is just a missing frequency in the midrange somewhere that you get with nickels - Slap bass Underrated - Good IEMs - a total game changer - HPF in the signal chain - secret tone sauce! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 25 minutes ago, acidbass said: Overrated - All Aguilar amps. 40hz for the Bass control is just too low to be useful as anything other than a cut. - John East preamps - could not gel with it at all, but I tend to favour passive basses anyway. - Mono gig bags. I have one and an old Fender gigbag that cost £40 has almost as much padding - the Mono cost £200+ - TI flats - too loose a tension for me, feel rubbery under the fingers - All Stingray basses pre 2018 - weak G syndrome, poorly designed and incorrect pickup alignment - Barefaced cabs - way too woofy, too much bottom end - All stainless steel strings - there is just a missing frequency in the midrange somewhere that you get with nickels - Slap bass Whoa. . . . ! You've just listed everything I own!!!! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 over, Behringer BDI21, I know it's as cheap as chips but the drive control either does nothing or gives a horrible fuzz tone. Under, Zoom B1on, also as cheap as chips but seems to be one of the less popular Zoom multi effects pedals but, for me, gives just the right amount of overdrive and sounds better than the B1 four Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 4 hours ago, Barking Spiders said: overrated - anything US made and overpriced boutique brands underrated - Indonesian made e.g. Cort, Sterling by Musicman. Also 👍for Peavey and Marshall amps Pretty much agree. Over-rated: Fender US Models. Are they really worth all that much more than their Squier cousins? Underrated: The Squier cousins. Overrated: Warwick, who still haven't paid Stuart Spector's Court costs or their fines. Underrated: Spector, the original cambered bass which was clearly ripped off by Warwick. See above. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 18 minutes ago, TheGreek said: Pretty much agree. Over-rated: Fender US Models. Are they really worth all that much more than their Squier cousins? Underrated: The Squier cousins. Overrated: Warwick, who still haven't paid Stuart Spector's Court costs or their fines. Underrated: Spector, the original cambered bass which was clearly ripped off by Warwick. See above. Re Squier, indeed not. I have an excellent Squier Affinity Starcaster guitar which I bought new for £260. The now defunct Fender equivalent used to sell for 5 x that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meterman Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 2 hours ago, TheGreek said: Pretty much agree. Over-rated: Fender US Models. Are they really worth all that much more than their Squier cousins? Underrated: The Squier cousins. I might tend to agree. I’ve just done an LP for someone and all the bass parts were done on a super cheap Squier affinity Jazz bass, while all the guitar parts were done on a secondhand Squier CV ‘72 Thinline Tele that cost £150. Listening back to the mixes, you just wouldn’t know. And once the record comes out with the additional surface noise and what have you, you’d never guess 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated - everything Underrated everything One man's pot of gold is another man's POS If you buy based only on good reviews then you're setting yourself up to be disappointed. Likewise if you only read about the bad you could be missing out on something that could've worked for you. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkie635 Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 8 hours ago, LeftyJ said: Overrated: MM-style humbuckers. I get their appeal, and I like the tone many players obtain from them, but I just can't get along with them. I've owned a Stingray 5, two Carvin LB75's, a Carvin B4 and several Ibanez ATK's and I've loved each and every one of them for a while, but grew tired of the tone after a while. I like a bit of attack, but I don't like the overly bright, midscooped clack I get from them. Or more specifically: I don't like a bass where the "neutral" setting of the EQ is not a good and solid base tone where I can just unplug one bass (say, a Jazz) and plug in another (MM) without having to adjust the on-board EQ to match my amp settings. So definitely a me-problem Underrated: Line 6 Lowdown bass amps. They were short-lived, and dropped in price real quickly. Their big mistake was they only sold them as (bulky) combo's, and not as heads. They were simple, with just 5 different on-board amplifier models, had a very usable range of tones, and sounded great. I had a Lowdown Studio 110 for years that I used for home practice, small livingroom rehearsals, a few small gigs and to record an album with my old band The Bullfight, all through the XLR out. It was just 12x12x12 inches in size, very portable and rugged. It only lacked one thing, IMO: a tweeter would have been great. I contemplated replacing the stock speaker with a coaxial one with a tweeter in the middle, but then a cheap used EBS NeoDrome 112 presented itself and I've been a very happy camper ever since. Loved the Lowdown Studio 10. Still got mine and it's a keeper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated- Yamaha Attitude. Mine was fabulously well made and robust, but I could never make it sing. It just honked like a wounded Bison. Pedal pre-amps- yet to find one that I like, have been through the Hartke VXL, Sansamp and MXR (M80?) DI+ Underrated- Bongo. Divisive aesthetics, but oh, the tone and clout! Whirlwind cables- I've one that's 30 years old and has never even crackled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveXFR Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Overrated - Behringer Super fuzz clone. Sounds like fried butt holes on bass and guitar. Some people rave about these things. Underrated - Peavey International IV. Sounds great, plays great and cost £80 used Ashdown MAG300 combo. Really sounds great, cost £150 quid and loads of volume. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Dragon Posted October 4, 2023 Share Posted October 4, 2023 Yep ,got a Peavey International that I really rate and a MAG300 is my home practice kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated: Trace Elliot amps - meh sound in a depleted uranium casing. Spector basses - unpleasant necks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueMoon Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated: slap, slap, slap Underrated: fretless 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated: Personal opinions. Underrated: Objectivity. 5 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marky L Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated: My playing abilities as per undue adulation from drunken punters post gig! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Underrated- Behringer ultrabass amps Trace Elliot cabs Overrated- Squier Jaco Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles'tone Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated - Rickenbackers Underrated - Rickenbackers It's complicated... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thump Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 Overrated : Anything Gibson. Underrated : Wilkinson pickups , for the price there is no competition , £20 for the nicest sounding P pickup i ever heard is incredible 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 5, 2023 Share Posted October 5, 2023 29 minutes ago, Thump said: Overrated : Anything Gibson. Underrated : Wilkinson pickups , for the price there is no competition , £20 for the nicest sounding P pickup i ever heard is incredible Anything Wilkinson. Their three-saddle, compensated Tele tailpiece is a fraction of the price of the Gotoh 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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