Ken from San Francisco, CA, USA
Subject:
FUN, SOUNDS GREAT, AND IS WELL WORTH THE $
Quality:
Time will tell. But for right now, considering that this is a low-budget instrument, it's excellent. Solid and well-built. Everything looks as it should - No shoddy craftsmanship that slipped through inspection. The bridge and truss rod work as they should. (Actually, the screws to adjust intonation are a little hard to get to; you need a small screwdriver). The tuners are stable.
Features:
1 It's short scale. 2 Has a single pick-up right at the neck, which gives it its particular sound. 3 Pick-up has adjustable poles. 4 A bridge that lets you change strings easily by just dropping them in without having to thread them through small holes (great if you're always experimenting with different sets of strings)
Sound:
Pick-up is loud. Electronics are pretty silent (hardly any hum). My E and G strings sounded a little weak right out of the box until I adjusted their poles. Tone is bassy and slightly undefined, but I like it.
Playability and Feel:
Neck's a little chunky, but the way I have it set up, it feels pretty fast, at least for me. The scale is only 30.5 inches so it's really easy to maneuver around the fretboard and make reaches that are too far or difficult on a long scale. Also, since it's a shorter scale bass it's fairly lightweight and less cumbersome than a longer scale. Overall very comfortable, except for the neck diving when you let go. Nothing feels flimsy.
Tone:
Tonal range seems a little limited with not a whole lot of nuance, but what it lacks in versatility it makes up for in power and spirit. What it does it does great. I don't play professionally so maybe my standards are different. Very consistent tone from one string to the next. Mine has a rough almost over-driven sound at the low end of the fretboard, and a more buttery tone around the 12th fret and above. Also, sounds best to me when I finger pick right above the pickup or even a little further into the fretboard. Closer to the bridge it sounds a little hollow.
Finish:
Well-done. The tint is a satisfying color: Deep red and clear enough to highlight the wood grain. No drips or cloudy areas or unfinished spots, etc. Mine is B-Stock (great AMS deal) but except for the stamp that says so I probably wouldn't know it
Action:
Fine, but not the way I like it. I replaced the stock strings (which aren't too bad) with heavier gauge strings for better tension. That allowed me to lower the bridge almost as low as it could go. No fret buzz. Now it's comfortable and easy to play.
Date submitted:
8/23/2011
Do you own this product?:
yes
Rev. Brown Note from Portland, OR
Subject:
Good for the money
Quality:
Very well made and a good go to bass
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Andrew from Des Moines, Ia
Subject:
Great Bass Beginner
Quality:
Well Built, Durable Construction
Features:
Ease to Tune, Nice Finish
Sound:
Sounds good for the money
Playability and Feel:
Nice Weight, Neck a Little Chunky, Controls could use better markings.
Tone:
Good tone, sounds like the higher cost units
Date submitted:
12-27-2010
Do you own this product?:
yes
yuppy from charlotte, nc
Features:
thin neck -short scale
Playability and Feel:
chunky--neck was very good except rough fret ends
Tone:
smooth - low--pickup okay after much adjustments
Do you own this product?:
yes