AprioriMark from Puyallup, WA USA
Subject:
Great bass for the money
Quality:
I think that this product is easily worth twice the price. That's why I ordered one after having played one. I have a custom made fretless that's my main, but for more casual gigs, this thing is great.
Features:
The pickups sound wonderful for a 300 dollar bass. The neck is slim but sturdy, and it's a comfortable weight.
Sound:
The tone is what you'd expect from a bass that looks so much like Jaco's.
Playability and Feel:
It's a very playable bass, and it plays like an instrument well outside its cost.
Tone:
This has a fairly wide range of tone (for a J bass), though it's certainly not meaty like a P would be.
Finish:
The finish was flawless for what it is. I didn't see any flaws. It isn't a particularly pretty piece of wood, but meh.
Action:
The action was very playable out of the box. I did minor tweaking, as I expect to do with all new instruments.
Date submitted:
01/10/2011
Do you own this product?:
yes
Charlie Schofield from Lake Tahoe, NV
Quality:
It is well built, for sure. I figured I might need to replace the pickups, tuners, or upgrade the bridge to a Badass. I'm leaving it completely stock, except for eventual replacement of the nut.
Features:
THE best feature of this bass is how well it performs VS how little it costs. Everything about the bass has met or exceeded my expectations. It is a fretless JAZZ and it sounds and plays like a very good one, once you get the setup done.
Sound:
Once the it was set up the bass sounded remarkable!! The Duncan designed pickups aren't very hot, output-wise. But you can get any shade of dark or bright you want. I thought I would upgrade them before I owned the bass. I'm keeping it as is! The two pickups have each got their own volume control. Favoring the rear pickup a bit and then rolling off some highs with the master tone control gives you that Jaco-ish kind of sound; punchy with articulate mids when you play finger style near the bridge.
Playability and Feel:
The bass isn't quite as heavy as a standard Fender Jazz. It balances very well and is comfortable to play. My bass and the two others I tried all were set up pretty high.It's not that it's hard to play the bass like that; it's hard to get that slinky, growly tone, no matter how you control the tone. Doing a pro setup is the answer. The bass can do what an American Fender Jazz can do IF it's dialed in. That is what is missing from the factory!! No surprise though. I've owned lots of basses. They all needed a setup.
Tone:
You can get virtually any tone you want by using the individual pickup volume controls. The passive tone control works perfect at tailoring the correct amount of brightness. Subtle adjustment creates usable changes in the tone, revealing more attack, or mellowing it out a bit.
Finish:
The poly finish is pretty much flawless. It looks beautiful! I only rated 4 stars because of some imperfections in the wood that show through the finish. But for the money, I'm not really expecting anything better. It is very acceptable.
Action:
Factory set up wasn't too good. Medium action, but not much "muaaah" as my fellow bassists call it; that fretless growl that is. I'll be doing some nut filing, and probably replace the nut at some point. It's soft plastic, and the action is way too high for the notes closest to the nut. It not only makes it harder to play, but also kills the growl. Gotta dial it in.
Date submitted:
11-12-2010
Do you own this product?:
YES
nilodnam from Pinole, CA USA
Quality:
Overall the bass is well made but apparently the quality control at the factory is a little inconsistent. I played one of these at a local guitar chain store (you know who) and it looked and played perfectly so I decided to purchase one online. The one I got had issues with the line markings on the fretboard. They stuck up past the fretboard face to varying degrees on about 3/4 of the neck producing fret buzz on a fretless bass! Everything else was fine so rather than going through the hassle of return shipping etc. I opted to lightly sand the fretboard to bring the line markings flush with the face. This not only corrected the problem but removed the glossy polished look of the synthetic fretboard and made it look like real untreated ebony. Replaced the strings with flats and she sings like a USA made fretless Fender!
Features:
The synthetic ebony fretboard is actually denser and resonates better than real ebony. I, like many others here, feel it needs a pickguard so I am adding one.
Sound:
Tone is suprisingly good for import pickups. Nice wide range of tones. Probably won't bother to upgrade them down the road.
Playability and Feel:
The bass is significantly lighter than a ash or alder body and thinner than Mex or US Fenders but it makes it more comfortable to wear and does not effect the resonance and sustain. The neck is sleek and fast with the sanded finish. Controls are solid, responsive and easy to adjust on the fly.
Finish:
Fantastic. As nice as any finish job I have seen on USA Fenders.
Action:
The action was very high by my playing prefrences but about standard for any Fender.
Date submitted:
August 12, 2010
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Jimmy from Grand Blanc, MI USA
Subject:
Decent Fretless for the Price
Quality:
For the price, it's decent. It plays nice and sounds good. It's perfect for beginners, or musicians looking to experiment with fretless bass.
Features:
2 volume and a tone control, vintage style bridge, Duncan designed Jazz pickups with Alnico V magnets
Sound:
I was impressed with the tone and output of these pickups. I thought this bass sounded really good for the price. It plays and sounds like a much more expensive bass.
Playability and Feel:
Well, it's fretless, so you don't have to worry about fret noise. The neck has a nice feel, and the action was set about right. A pickguard would be nice. If I bought this bass, I think I would install a pickguard
Tone:
Warm and mellow. Although, I think it would sound much nicer with some flatwound or coated strings.
Finish:
It looks good. Nothing fancy, but it's a nice looking bass. I didn't find any flaws.
Action:
The bass played quite well. I was impressed with the feel, although I didn't particularly care for the strings that were on the bass.
Date submitted:
Feb. 22, 2010
Do you own this product?:
No, but I would buy it/recommend it
Jim Casey from ST.LOUIS PARK, MN
Quality:
TOTAL PIECE OF POO!
Run for your life as fast as you can to avoid looking at it.
JUST TERRIBLY ROTTEN THROUGH AND THROUGH!
Features:
NOT A THING. IT"S PURE JUNK!
Playability and Feel:
AFRAID TO TOUCH IT BECAUSE I FEARED I WOULD CATCH BUGS FROM IT
Finish:
Horrifying! Just the worst looking thing I ever saw.
They must have sent Jethro out back with a few cans of spray paint. The pain was so thick in some areas you can see the runs.
The other side they must have ran out of pain and used chewing tobacco spit. Because thats exactly how it looked.
I took a photo of the bass and sent it to AMS and their responce was"well son" looks like you did not take good care of it. I told him It came that way right out of the box and I never even played it. I could hardly even pick it up to look at it without vomiting because thats what it smells like.
Action:
They reaaly did a crappy job oaking this thing.
I wonder? Can they not afford bubble wrap?
The bass had several chips, dents, and a whole lot of cracks!
Customer service is worthless, they said since I signed for it it is no longer their problem and to take it up with UPS.
Do you own this product?:
Not anymore, thank the lord.
MD from North West Florida USA
Subject:
Way to go Fender/Squier $229 Scratch and Dent with NO S&D!!!!!!!
Quality:
Again, Flawless...
Features:
Just fine... I replaced the strings with a set of Fender Flatwounds which turned this "inexpensive" bass guitar into a serious contender with any other fretless!!
Sound:
Like a good bass should through a Harke Bass Amp.
Playability and Feel:
Slick old school meets new.. as well as fast! Real Fast!!!
Tone:
Very mellow.. and with a few control adjustments... Nice and deep bassey!!
Action:
Flawless...See Features comment.
Date submitted:
December 10, 2009
Do you own this product?:
YES!
Zeppo from Saginaw, MI
Subject:
Nicer than my Fender
Quality:
Plays great. Sounds great. Long story short..... worth much more than the price.
Playability and Feel:
Fast neck. 2 vols and a tone. Easy
Tone:
You can get a wide range of tones out of this puppy
Action:
Perfect right out of the box
Do you own this product?:
Yes
gpschmidt from Allegan, Michigan
thezoo@chartermi.net
Subject:
Unbeatable @ $299
Quality:
The quality, especially at $299 is phenomenal. The strings are evenly spaced across the neck and it's certainly a solid instrument. The only thing I have noticed is that the body width is noticably thinner than a Mexican or American made Jazz. Doesn't appear to effect tone or sustain however.
Features:
It is what it is, a Fender (Squier) Jazz bass. The controls are the same. I bought this bass as an inexpensive way to get into a fretless, and there's nothing disappointing about this model. A great way to explore and re-ignite my love of the bass.
Sound:
I typically run through 2 Ampeg cabs (4x10 and a single 15), pre-amped through a Tech21 RBI. The tone can go from growl to buttery with the roll of the contol. It has a nice range.
Playability and Feel:
Once I replaced the strings with flats, the bass feels less restrictive because it's fretless. It's smooth and fast. For those of us not having a lot of exposure to a fretless, the markers make the transition over to a fretless really quite painless. I've been playing for 31 years, and own Rickenbackers, Hofners, Fenders and Gibsons. I also remember what $299 would get you back in the '70s. This is a bargain and I don't see why it wouldn't last a long time even as a gigging bass. The quality of instuments coming out of asia keeps getting better and better.
Tone:
Again, it's up to par with my '75 reissue with range of tone. I've played some Fenders with Custom Shop pickups that were less responsive.
Finish:
The finish is on par with any current Fender made. If there's a flaw, I haven't come across it yet.
Action:
The action was fine out of the box, but the roundwounds had to go. I replaced them with Fender flat 105 gauge strings. I set the action to my prefered height and stobe intonated it. Really, only the E and the A were slightly off, and really a far better factory setup then many higher price point instuments I own. One dialed in, it plays as well as any bass I own.
Do you own this product?:
I've owned it for 2 weeks
Quality:
For a inexpensive bass, this thing rocks. The bridge is what it is and should probably be changed out for an aftermarket bridge of your choice. But other then that the quality is far more then you would expect for a Squier.
Features:
The ebanol fingerboard will get some scratches on it, but so what? I don't mind some scratches, it just means it's well loved. Otherwise it is not feature laden. But does it need to be? It's a bass.
I did buy this as a replacement for an active bass. I wanted something with passive pups as to not have to deal with battery changes at the most inopportune moments.
Sound:
The Duncan designed pickups are very nice. I am quite impressed with them. Obviously there are better pups out there. But for the money your paying for this bass, these pups are amazing.
Playability and Feel:
Once setup the thing plays like a dream. Of course this being my first fretless, I didn't realize that I would have to sharpen up my playing skills. So I've been practicing more since I got it.
Tone:
Typical single coil hum. But otherwise nice tone. Nice definition of the notes. From a warm growl to snappy and bright.
Finish:
Not flawless but for good for an instrument at this price.
Action:
Everybody has a different idea of how the action should be set, and I take all my guitars and bass's into the shop to be setup the way I want them right away. Out the box is never the best. And you should never judge an instrument before you have it setup the way you want it.
Do you own this product?:
yes
Raynman from Vegas
redblockray@msn.com
Subject:
For $279...... this can't be beat
Quality:
I'm not a big Fender fan .... but was amazed at how well it was made and the tone quality....
Features:
Great finish...... fast neck
Sound:
Tone..... thanks to the modified pickups was far better than I could have expected...... you can go from a "Jaco" type sound by using the bridge pickup .... to a smooth Jazz by using the neck pickup in no time flat......
Playability and Feel:
surprisingly fast neck......
Tone:
I replaced the round wound strings it came with to flat wound D'Addario's......... like night and day as far as tone and playability.
Action:
just had to tweek the string height after putting flat wounds on....
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Frank M from Benton City, WA
Subject:
Remember - It's a $279.99 Bass
Quality:
Seriously, the Squiers are approaching the quality of the MIM Fenders. Solidly constructed, nice sturdy feel. Hardware is adequate, wood and finish is very easy to look at. Neck joint is firm and solid and neck is smooth and playable.
Features:
It's fretless. I would like to see the "fret" marks go away and just have the dot markers on the side of the neck.
Sound:
It's a $279.99 fretless. First thing I did was throw a set of flats on it. With a little feathering, I get that dull, thumpy, percussive tone I'm looking for.
Playability and Feel:
Feel? It's fretless. I play URB's and P's. This is my first J. The string and neck size is taking a little getting used to, but it is nice and fast and quite enjoyable to play.
Tone:
Little warmer than I would like, but that's what EQ is for.
Finish:
It's a fine-looking instrument. The finish on the fretboard was a little thin at the body end of the neck, but the grain is good and the finish uniform and attractive.
Action:
It's a Squier. I had insane buzz on the E and A at the 4th "fret". Had to put some relielf in the neck to make it go away, but that's OK. I like my action insane high anyway. Intonation and PUP height were adequate
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Corzilla T from Milford , Mass. U.S.A>
Subject:
Surprise ! Surprise
Quality:
The quality and sound shocked me. I"ve owned more epensive basses that I don"t think come close to this one. I did my homework, shopped around compared and decided to go with this one and very glad with my choice.
Features:
playablity and a free case were the best features. I would like to ad flat wound strings io it.
Sound:
it had the perfect range oe tones for me
Playability and Feel:
Right out of the box it felt and played perfectly(less fws) all I did was tunr it and played it all day I couldn't put it down an instant addict!!
Tone:
a couple of turns of volume and tone knobs and I found every bright snappy dark smooth sound I wanted.
Finish:
I was impressed with it's flawless finish
Action:
The action was low and comfortable riht out of the box I might mess with it when I put fws on it.
Date submitted:
Feb. 12th 2009
Do you own this product?:
I just bought it this Feb