The 12 UGLIEST Basses of ALL TIME | The SBL Podcast Ep. 153

Bought a Bongo today. Oh cool, new video from SBL.... *gets attacked* EDIT: Just noticed the Sphynx cat in the thumbnail. I have one of those too. I'm coming for you Scott and Ian !

I was in college in the late 80’s and there wasn’t really anything I wanted more than a Spector NS-2. I think they were around $2500 at the time, which was way beyond my student means. I did, however, have access to the family business – a large woodworking shop. With help from Dad, I set about copying a Spector as best as I could, going off pictures from Bass Player Magazine. I bought the active Bartolini PJ set and all the hardware from a music store in Atlanta called Metro Music. There was a clerk there who was also a bass builder, and he gave me a lot of advice. His name was Greg Curbow. Dad, the shop, Metro Music, and Greg Curbow are gone now, but I still have that bass that we all came together to create.

You guys forgot the Danelectro Longhorn bass!

My Berger Story. In a moment of desperation on day 1 of basic tracks (in 89) I urgently needed a bass while my Sting Ray & P-Bass were both getting serviced. I ended up borrowing a Steinberger from a local musician in town (from what I was told it actually belonged to Ned) once we plugged it in the engineer, producer, and myself were all blown away by how it sounded. So much so that the next day I called my friend who's shop I knew carried them and bought it over the phone. I had my folks drive the 2 hours from NJ up to Woodstock to deliver it to me in the studio. Over the years I took a significant amount of crap over how it looked but I never cared. I still own it and It plays great and it records even better. And yes as a bonus it is very easy to carry around. Ned Steinberger knows what he is doing and has made some amazing instruments.

So, the Steinberger Bass was the original series, before the XL-2 shown (which I have owned not one, but two white models over the years). There was an H-1 and an H-2 (with one or two DiMarzio Model One passive “H” for “High impedance“ pickups), and an L-1 and L-2 (“L” for “Low impedance” pickups). Most people just throw L-2 out there for all the early series basses, but that’s incorrect. The basses were a carbon fiber blend (identified as a proprietary “Steinberger Blend” at the time), and had no truss rods. The pivot plate for the strap stays EXACTLY where you put it, so the bass is where you want at all times. Incredible sustain and harmonic structure, ZERO dead spots, perfect balance, and incredible ease of transport. Ned was a genius on a level with Leo, and his bass design was the first REAL original effort since the Fender Precision 30 years prior. I have owned many, still own 3, and only need one … you really looking to get an XL-2A Ian?

No Warwicks on this list?? Also, a lot of people hate on the Ibanez BTB basses, but I love them.

I absolutely adore the bongo! It’s polarising for sure but it’s been my dream bass since I first saw it. Goes to show a brave and unique design can really win someone’s heart (or hurt it as Ian said when he saw Myung had switched to it haha)

5 minutes of unadulterated Bongo slander My day has been made 🤣 I give the Bongo a 11/10

I had a White Bongo in my ABBA tribute band for a couple of years. It started a few conversations about how I looked like an alien with a death ray trying to hide in the back of a pop band. Some of these basses are in the French Bulldog area of relative beauty.

You missed the Danelectro Longhorn bass - the single worst affrontery to bass design I can think of, it's a solid 10 without a doubt. It's so bad, it's heretical to the concept a bass design. If I believed in demons and were bequeathed a Longhorn, I'd hire a necromancer to resurrect the person who gave it me so I could end them myself. I'd then hire a priest in order to exorcise the Longhorn of the demons inside it. I'd then post the bass to someone I absolutely detest.

Talkbass is extremely sensitive. They're also extremely biased on certain topics.

In the late 90's, I worked for a wholesale musical accessories distributor. Greg Curbow was one of my clients. He was funny and sweet, and brutally sarcastic. I miss that guy. He offered to build me a bass at cost, but I never took him up on it. One of my biggest bass regrets.

FYI...from the VoxShowroom website: The unique "coffin" shaped Phantom body style was developed for Vox in 1961 by the London Design Centre and the bass was originally produced by Vox in the UK. A later version was manufactured in Italy for Vox by Eko. Phil Volk played the UK version.

Warwick Buzzard. JayDee thingy that Mark King used to play.

Thumbs up if you think the Wal MKI is in fact, gorgeous.

Miss my two Bongos that I sold a while ago. 1 for perfection! I'd buy another flying toilet seat if I had a chance!

Where's the Fodera single cut? That's up there with the Bongo for ultimate grimness to my eyes.

Mr. Ian Allison, I sir bought an electric blue Cort Carbow from you at Mars Music.

I have definitely heard of Antigua's referred to as "phlegm-burst" now it's what pops in my head Everytime I see one.

Spectors are beautiful! I bought one because of the looks, it just happened to also sound good. Such a cool and sleek curve