20 Best Wood For Bass Guitar (2023 Updated)

I was fortunate enough to buy this before the latest manufacturer price increase so I got what I think is excellent value for the money. Personally, I believe that all music equipment prices are out-of-control and hope that at some point in time will stabilize.

All this said, it is a fantastic bass guitar. It is, after all, a Fender Precision. Everything feels solid and well-made. The pickups are very hot and will cut through the excessive noise your drummer is making.

The three-color Sunburst is beautiful. The Pau Ferro is just OK. It’s not bad, but it’s not Rosewood. On the Fender I have the Pau Ferro shows very reddish-brown. If you’re looking for a Genuine Fender Precision, the Player line is a very solid choice, especially if you do not want to spend $1300 on one.

But make sure you pick one up soon before Fender raises their pricing again.

I ordered a Sterling by Music Man StingRay Ray5 – Black in May 2021. It would be the first and, to date, only Indonesian-made guitar I would find any defects in. I will make a point of saying up front that I also ordered a Sterling CT30HSS that I had only minor issues with and for the money has been an amazing guitar.

I returned the bass because of two defects: (1) bridge not squared off with the pickup, and (2) an unsecured tone control. Despite bearing an inspection tag with two stamps, the guitar shouldn’t have left the factory.

I was initially a bit dismayed to find the guitar shipped in factory box only (no outer box). Not a huge deal, I suppose, except the box had received a couple significant punctures. Then I find the bass wrapped in large bubble wrap without the wrap folded over and secured at either end.

I nonetheless plugged in the guitar to test it out. In reaching for one of the two tone controls, I found it totally unsecured. Fortunately, I was able to move it enough to test out the tone. But I also found that the strings weren’t centered over the pickup poles.

Aside from the defects, it had a nice low action, played fast, and produced a rather remarkable range of tones for having only one pickup. It was heavy at around 9. 5 lbs. , and the neck was chunky, but the body style appealing while the neck and fingerboard looked like a single piece of wood.

Nice price point, but I couldn’t do the defects and didn’t want to take the risk on another one and so simply sent it back, obtained a refund, and bought other stuff from Musician’s Friend.

I’m a songwriter/musician who plays guitar & bass. While guitar is my main instrument I’ve actually played bass more out gigging. I always gravitated to the palm muted/pick style of playing rather than slap or with fingers.

I’ve been interested in exploring those styles but my main bass, a vintage Eko hollowbody, just isn’t suited for it. I read lots of reviews and a few friends who play said the 4HH was excellent so I bought one from AMS.

I’m astounded at how well built and stout this bass is. I truly think people who judge instruments solely on where they’re made are missing out because this isn’t one of those “for the money” or “for an import bass” caveat filled bass.

It’s a serious musical instrument and sounds huge. The only quibble I have is that the Candy Apple Red finish is the darker variety not the lighter shade seen in the main picture of the product page.

This is not just an AMS issue, I’ve seen the model listed on several sites with the CAR color designation and the two shades of colors being interchangeable. I’d rather of had the lighter shade but the darker, almost Raspberry color of my bass is still beautiful.

First world problems. Highly recommended.

Sound: The Mustang has three pickup options, each more unique than the next. Down is very bright and punchy for a bass guitar, quite suitable for those times when the lead and rhythm are drowning you out.

It’s very powerful in this position, much more pronounced, and perhaps worthy of rolling off the volume a touch depending on what you’re playing. The middle position is warmer with more subtle highs and mids, but still a nice bang from the low end.

This position is much more like the high end of a Jazz or Precision bass. Flip the selector up and you’ll get an even warmer, softer tone, not overly dissimilar from bringing the tone down a touch on an Explorer bass.

It’s also quite noteworthy that the Mustang has much more acoustic presence than any other bass I’ve used. This adds another level of tonal range for those times when bass takes center stage or perhaps when you need to roll off the volume a bit without disappearing from the act.

All pickup options are very powerful, louder than a typical bass, and range tremendously with tone adjustments. Features: The Mustang has an offset body with 19 frets. I always prefer offset body guitars, but not usually when it comes to bass guitars, In this case, I am very satisfied with how the offset creates a comfortable sitting position without feeling the constant need to push the guitar to my left when playing higher on the neck (right handed).

The bass is quite similar in this regard to the 24″ scale Mustang guitar, at least in the sitting position. When standing it might take a bit to get used to the position of the low frets if you’re coming from a standard scale bass.

Other features include a single volume, single tone, three-way pickup selector, solid four saddle bridge, and rather large tuners, which are a big standout on this bass. Ease of Use: There’s not a lot to contend with here.

Just one volume, one tone, and a three-way pickup selector. The ease of use couldn’t get much easier, especially with these very precise tuners, which are great for drop tuning because the gear ratio is excellent for dropping a step very quickly.

Quality: This bass is shared among three people in my family, and gets a rugged workout everyday. Thus far everything remains as solid, tight, and in order as when it arrived. The hardware is typical Ensenada factory quality, which i would rate much better than Fender’s far east budget brands, but not up to the level of what comes out of Corona.

But in this case, I see no difference in quality control from my U. S. Jazzmaster, just a bit more budget friendly hardware. One point I feel the need to share is that I am not a fan of pau ferro. The look and feel just don’t fit me very well, though it is only fair to note that I am very partial to solid maple necks, and don’t particularly care for rosewood either.

In my opinion, pau ferro just doesn’t make a suitable substitute for rosewood, however it works much better on this bass than on any other bass or guitar I have sampled. Value: If you are interested in a shorter scale bass, than yes, the Mustang is a fantastic value.

If you’re only looking for the offset feature, you might want to take a look at the deals zZounds offers on the Jazz bass. If you want something more passive, you might take a look at the Precision bass.

If you fancy the punch and pop of the Mustang, but not so much the scale, take a stroll over the the Explorer bass. But if an offset, shorter scale bass with a lot of audible presence suits you, than you won’t find a better value than this Mustang.

Manufacturer Support: I have spoken with Fender customer service on multiple occasions, but not in relation to this guitar. I can say with certainty that the manufacturer support is top notch at Fender, and the customer service over the phone is always great.

The Wow Factor: I was wowed twice when this bass arrived. The first was when we unboxed it and noticed those brilliant tuners, then worked our way down through the rest of this gorgeous, familiar Fender design.

But the biggest “wow” came when I plugged it in and went through the pickup selections and rolled the tone. I was stunned how much pop this bass has on one end, yet how warm and subtle it can be on the other.

We use it for a variety of music from classic rock to metal, country to pop, jazz to grunge, and everything in between, and it can be set to fit ideally into everything we play with it. This is one of the very few bass guitars I have been able to say that about.

Overall: The Fender Mustang is a shorter scale, 19 fret, double-cutaway bass guitar from Fender’s Ensenada factory. It is light, yet well-balanced, has a remarkable tonal range, and after having used it aggressively for a variety of genres, I have found the build quality to be up to the standards I have come to expect from our friends at Fender south of the border.

The hardware is solid, the finish is brilliant, and the MIM team has done a great job at quality control, particularly with nicely finished fret ends, solid wiring and electronics overall, and great attention to detail from the top of the headstock to the bottom strap button.

This bass can range from surprisingly loud with a lot of pop to very warm and mellow, with all options in between easily located through a quick flip of the pickup selector and a roll of the tone. And to top it off, the price can’t be beat.

However, as glowing as I may sound about this bass, it is only fair to highlight a few noteworthy items for consideration. First, I am not a fan of pau ferro, and that was the only option I had when I ordered this bass.

I have come to not mind it, but I have always been, and will always be a huge fan of solid maple necks. Nevertheless, it is a personal preference and only mentioned because, despite what Fender has tried to convince us of, I don’t believe pau ferro is a suitable substitute for rosewood, and especially not for solid maple.

For what it’s worth, this is the only guitar or bass that I was willing to buy with a pau ferro board, and I don’t regret doing so. Also, be aware that this is a 19 fret bass. That’s great for me and those who share this Mustang with me, but some may have a desire for the other three frets.

I’ve only played one song that really needed them, and I managed to work around it just fine. And finally, don’t overlook the fact that this is an offset body. I prefer offset bodies on my guitars, but not my bass, except for this one instance because it makes the neck line up beautifully when sitting.

Note that these are three notable mentions, not complaints. I have come to be okay with the pau ferro, I am just fine with 19 frets, and I love the offset.

I was super excited when the Bass arrived but disappointed quickly upon unpacking. Finish is flawless and very nice. QC was good until I tuned it. Every fret on both sides of the neck were so sharp it was basically unplayable.

I debated whether to return it but afraid the next one would be the same so I decided to take it to a Luthier. He also was amazed and said he never seen a Fender this bad in his 30 plus years. The E string had a kink in it where it touched the fret at some point so new strings were in order.

Frets are now filed and smooth, replaced the pickups with some quarter pounders, restring and a setup. Super Mustang now but at additional cost to make it playable.

This is a re-review of my previous post, five months into ownership. This Vintera P really stands out as a top quality instrument in a world of outstanding Fender products. I’m finding the reverse tuners to be among the best of the best.

Last month, after a week of no rehearsals with band mates, the Vintera needed only very minor adjustments to one string, the rest being perfectly tuned. Something I didn’t mention was the shape of the neck.

Very comfy in my L hand, I realized that it’s really unlike those classic/vintage Ps from the 50s and 60s in that neck thickness is quite shallow. Width is consistent with P basses. Coupled with the neck’s thickness it’s a very playable, fast neck.

All other aspects of the bass remain the same as in my last review. For anyone considering this bass as a new acquisition or for an instrument upgrade, feel confident that you’re making a sound decision; it’s just that good in terms of quality sound, playability and execution of design.

I searched for the Candy Apple Red for a year and a half. Finally found it at Kraft Music as a bundle. Everything I needed was included. I have owned and played many high-end Basses, Drumsets, Guitars etc and since 1998 I own and love a Yamaha BBN5A as my primary Jazz Bass.

This TRBX305 ROCKS, the neck amazing and the humbuckers are super hot yet fizz free. The 5 position switch does exactly as advertised. Flawlessly shifting from finger to slap or solo. As anyone who plays Yamaha already knows, quality, playability, sound and finish are impeccable.

I love this Bass. Thanks to Kraft Music for being Santa this year.

Quite a nice 5 string bass to mess around on! The tone switch has been great to mess around with for the various styles of bass I enjoy, and the B string is super fun to slide up and down on when you get the chance! I love the red color of mine, the truss rod is easy to access and adjust, but the electronics can be a bit hard to get into without some form of pry bar.

9V batteries last a good while in her, and the tuners are very smooth and hold tone well. I do experience a bit of fret buzz, but I’m sure you could get it solved by getting someone to tune it up in shop instead of me messing with it on my own.

Overall, she’s a fantastic guitar! Just make sure to get her tuned up before you leave the shop, and keep a good tuner on hand when you gotta make sure that B string is just right.

The yamaha trbx305 is a very versatile bass guitar that’s suitable for all genres of music. including metal. it has a mahogany body and a set of ceramic pick-ups which can provide warm, beefy, punchy sounds.

it also has a smooth low action so it’s comfortable to play. the one unique feature on this bass is the 5-way tone switch. this switch has eq settings for all styles of playing. so rather if you play finger-style or play with a pick, the tone switch has a sound selection for any playing technique.

I play metal and I personally dig this bass for it’s warm punchy sounds. rather if I play live or record music, it fills up the band mix quite well. it also works well with the effects I use. not to mention it sounds killer with overdrive and distortion effects.

I’m not quite sure what trbx stands for, but judging from it’s incredible sound quality, I’m guessing that trbx stands for totally radical bass xtreme! \m/ lol anywho, if you play metal and wanted to try something a little different, this is a good bass to check out.

I was really excited to get this bass. It came in the first time. Well the (it’s a stacked knob) volume control just getting turning. I had to waste my time and gas and go back to guitar center, which isn’t even close by.

I process the return in store and have another sent out. Second one finally comes today. It’s even worse than the first bass. One side the knob is all wobbly, about to fall out. Also, both top controls on the stacked knobs just keep turning.

This is beyond frustrating because now I have to drive back to Guitar Center and process a second return. Better yet, just a refund and go support someone local. This has all been a nightmare.

It’s been a minute since I played and I was starting from scratch with gear so I decided to buy this as a “starter” bass and. oh my. First, I yanked the active pickups and put in a set of passives I found cheap on Craigslist (got a loaded PJ body with the pots and all).

I also swapped the strings for a set of Super Slinky’s. I have a 75 watt Peavy amp and with the mods it sounds as nice as my old Fender jazz. I adjusted the neck so the action is good with zero fret buzz.

I like the body style (almost a mustang look) and the soda blue color looks cool. It’s fun to play and it didn’t cost anywhere near what I would expect to pay for a bass like this. I’m definitely very happy with it and would recommend it if you’re willing to do a little work on it like I did.

If they made a version with passive pickups I would recommend it to anyone at all.

I’m a guitarist who likes to record at home and I was looking for a fairly cheap bass to replace a chunky 5 string bass (that was much more expensive). The SR300e has a beautifully slim neck which is easy to get up and down for those faster runs and I much prefer the narrower 4 string bass too.

It’s a pleasure to play. The tone is great and so versatile with the 3 band cut/boost eq, the blend knob and the awesome power tap feature. It’s so easy to dial in the tone you want. And finally, I love the Sky Veil Matte finish.

I was originally going to go for the Weathered Black finish but decided to go for this one and I’m happy I did. Sure, there are better basses out there but for the price this is hard to beat. It looks, feels, plays and sounds like a more expensive instrument.

An absolute bargain!.

I just started the bass a few months ago and this was my first purchase. Decided to do both guitar and bass at the same time but I found myself not enthused with guitar practice. The boring black strat copy with the thick neck didn’t make me excited nor did it feel comfortable in my fretting hand.

I needed something with a comfy neck and a finish that feels like “me”. So, during a music store visit, I came across the SR line from Ibanez. I was originally looking at the mikro due to my shorter arms but once I felt that wizard III neck on the bigger models, I knew what I was looking for.

They had a few Gios and was about to settle on one of them but I saw a walnut SR300e on the wall and picked it up out of curiosity. That was it. Something about it just clicked. At this time I didn’t have any experience playing at all so I had to go by fit and feel alone.

This felt right but the walnut was too plain for me. Musician’s Friend had all the colors in stock and I immediately said that the Cerulean Blue Burst had to be it. About a week later, I was unwrapping it and was shocked at just how good the finish looks.

It has a depth of color that the pictures just can’t do justice. It felt even better than it did at the store. A little setup and I was on my way. After a few months, I have accrued a few guitars and basses and I’m seriously eyeballing another bass to add to the collection.

Despite my expanded choices at home, I find myself reaching for this more than any other instrument (guitar or bass). The tones, versatility, feel, and looks just keep me coming back to it despite having more expensive and famous alternatives.

It’s fast and fun to play with just enough weight to it and the smaller body fits me perfectly. I don’t think I’ll ever outgrow this one and if I had to choose, it’d be the last bass I’d sell out of the ones I own.

The only thing I don’t like is the stupid battery. The connector the was so tight, part of it ripped off and now I have to do surgery every time I change the battery. The battery cover came off and I have to tape the battery in to bring it to life.

It’s like a big ole farm truck that eats gas. But I do love me an 85 Chevy Cheyenne Custom with a 404 big block. Once you do get it going, it’s a beast and worth that inconvenience and well worth the price.

Just be nice to the battery mechanism and make sure it’s unplugged after you’re done playing and you won’t have those issues. Still, it is like a big truck. You’re going to spend some money on 9 volts.

I typically play 2-3 hours a day. I have to change the battery about every 3 – 4 days. Other than that it’s also extremely versatile. I play blues, metal, motown, grunge, industrial, techno and even some R&B on this thing.

That’s the killer part of having one of these. I have 9 guitars. I only need the one bass. That’s value at under $400. I totally recommend.

Okay, so I bought this hoping for an easier to play neck distance and size than my long scale Fender Jazz and P-bass and better string action and tonal consistency than my short scale Mustangs and Stingray.

Thus is my first medium scale bass, so I had some expectations without having had the chance to play one. Impressions: – This bass is only one inch shorter overall than the long scale and the fret distances are not real different.

The playing experience is very similar to a long scale. – The body and head stock are full sized Jaguar, and is about the same size as a Jazz bass body. In fact it fit in my Jazz case like a glove. It is not scaled down to the neck size like my short scales are.

– The pickups sound great in comparison to some stock PJs I’ve played. I like the tone, and it is quite versatile, responding very well to pickup selection and tone knob adjustments. – Another surprise.

The frets were nicely dressed and smooth on the edges. String spacing was perfect. Disappointing was the setup. Neck had too much relief, action way too high and intonation off by a mile. Also, this is a heavy bass in comparison to a Mustang or any other short scale bass.

So, it’s a nice bass for the money, but expect to pay for a set up if you don’t know how to set up your own bass. Also, don’t expect a real different playing experience from a long scale Jaguar or Jazz bass.

G.

I have been searching for a new bass for months and was pondering buying one of these for about a month before I finally pulled the trigger on it. CONS: I don’t know if this is an issue with AMS or Squier (I’m guessing the latter) but when I received my bass I was a little let down.

The neck bow was i n s a n e and the string height was adjusted to match the intonation, which I obviously understand why they did that, but overall it was basically unplayable when I got it. Once I straightened the neck, fixed the string height, and restrung it had a 1st fret buzz (when playing open A) that I had to correct.

After that I realized the volume and tone knobs are mounted lopsided. I then realized THIS IS A 32” SCALE BASS. It is advertised as 34” scale and I would have appreciated having correct information in the product specifications.

Gonna have to ding Squier and/or AMS for that one. $400 is a little much for this bass considering what I had to do to make it playable. I have never had an issue with AMS or Squier, but this is my first time buying a *brand new* bass from either of them.

So I don’t know who to blame for the terrible set up. PROS: As for the quality of the bass itself; This is my 3rd Jaguar Bass, first squier. It has a slim neck and small but width similar to my Japanese Jaguar.

Very lightweight. The medium scale is actually a nice variety, but again I’m upset I didn’t know it was going to be medium scale :(. Pretty decent tone! Better than expected. Tuning stability is good.

Overall I’d rate my experience a 6, but I’m also probably going to opt for some Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders and a new high mass bridge. That in combination with the work I put into it should make it worth my while.

I would totally recommend this bass, but I would unfortunately have to recommend buying it used or at discount :/ I put almost $150 of time and effort making this play correct (going by my usual tech rates) So that’s really a $500+ bass at that point.

I Honestly maybe would have just saved my money and bought something used at this point :/. Safe to say I have mixed feelings about this purchase.

I don’t know whether this TMB35 is representative of “all” TMB35’s, but in its original condition, proper setup and intonation was impossible. The Guitar Center guitar tech had to order a set of short scale strings in order to achieve a proper setup and accurate intonation.

The cost of the strings plus the setup was “half” the price of the guitar which “did not” prove to be a good value for this one. Also, the wood from which the neck was cut was not pretty. I’m unhappy with the looks of the neck, but the aesthetics does not affect the play-ability of the guitar.

After all the extra expense, I do like the way the guitar plays and love the tone. My recommendation would be, don’t buy one unless you have it in hand first, or unless it is returnable.

A couple of days after making original action and intonation adjustments on the bass I took it back out of the case. The action was really high again. The neck was separating from the body – I found that 2 of the neck bolts were stripped out.

The people at my local GC were great – took it back and got me a replacement in 3 days. The second one was set up pretty well, nut slots cut properly, action and intonation spot on. There was a little bit of fret buzz/rattle.

There was no relief in the neck. I turned the truss rod a little over 1/4 turn to get a little more bow/clearance. Now it’s great. I still think it’s a great value for the price, just had a quality issue with the first one.

GC had my back on it.

I’ve played many instruments at various price points over the years, and this bass has absolutely one of the worst fit and finishes I’ve ever seen. The only positive thing about is it the nice unfinished maple neck.

For starters, the lower end of the fretboard was covered with splotches what I can only assume to be superglue – which has no business being anywhere near that part of the neck. Seriously, how did that even get there, let alone covering the entire lower half the the board? The body routing was poorly done, and the flat finish does little to hide the poor tooling marks.

The cutaway and upper half of the body wood was poorly finished. I could run my hand over the wood and feel the large bumps and marks where the router sloppily passed over the wood. The pickup cavities and neck mounting holes were very much the same.

Unfinished wood in the mounting holes and poor routing in the cavities. I had an issue straight out of the box where the bass buzzed like crazy. I ripped the bridge off only to find that not only was there not a single grounding wire on the bass, but the bridge screws were drilled in SIDEWAYS.

Yes, that’s right. Sideways. The tuning keys are very low quality, to the point that while tuning, the A string key actually broke. I inspected the rattling key to find that the tuning gear teeth were uneven and improperly filed, causing them to break off.

Lovely. Much the same as the tuning key, the stacked knobs they use are improperly fitted from the factory. There’s a notch at 12′ o clock that if the knob is set to low, will get stuck on. Nothing a few minutes with an allen key wont fix, but annoying nonetheless.

The bass is very neck heavy. I was getting extreme neck dive even with a 4 inch strap. Certainly not a bass you’d want to be playing standing up. Would I recommend this bass? Maybe. If you get lucky and get one without the issues I experiences I’m sure it will serve you well.

But keep in mind that the quality control is just not there.

I received this bass today! When I see the price now I feel even better because I got mine for under the listed price. Someone else on review said that this is NOT just a beginner’s bass. I agree. I’m not going to go into the reasons it’s this price because for the money this bass is every bit as good as it can get.

The finish was superb and the instrument is quite lovely. It is contoured for comfort on your picking hand. The neck is very sweet! It is straight and as stable as a rock. It’s also the softest, fastest, feeling satin neck I’ve ever felt from any factory.

Mine arrived with the strings loose, but they tuned up easily and the tuning heads are responsive and firm. The action was low from the start and I love the design of the head stock as it provides a straight line for the strings to travel.

The bass held it’s tune pretty well. I ran it through a Vox without affects and the pickups are very bright and punchy. Especially at the bridge. I had to pull back on the tone knob to get the tone I wanted.

Lastly, I’m also a vocalist. Like my old Ricks, this is a shorter scale neck making it easier to sing and play at the same time. Some people bitched about the knobs, but they are serviceable and responsive.

What does one expect for the money? No, you can’t take this guitar without backup on your next world tour. But for recording and playing local gigs it is just what the doctor ordered for a great price.

I was playing guitar, but thinking about getting a bass again. I wanted a solid bass, without investing a lot. The Yamaha was a perfect pick. The construction and finish of the bass I received was perfect.

The bass I got is really good looking, in person. It plays great. I’ve had so much fun playing it, that I’ve put my guitars aside, and I am now studying bass seriously. After many months playing it daily, I think I am going to lower the action slightly.

Tone wise, the two pickups, along with the tone control, cover a lot of ground. I’ve gone from playing this through a guitar amp, to playing it through two different 100/150W combo amps – the better of which cost 3x what the bass cost.

The amps make a huge difference – more than a change of bass. I’ve thought about trying to mod the bass with higher end pick-ups, but frankly I’m afraid I’ll mess up what is currently good about the bass’ tone.

As I progress, I will probably buy a much higher end bass, something on the order of 1-3K in price. But I believe this bass is decent enough to gig with, unless you are in Victor Wooten’s class of player.

For comparison, I bought one of those Steinberger Spirit basses (5 string) also. The Yamaha bass plays better and has much, much better tone.

I’m a guitarist who wanted a bass for recording and jamming and my budget was no more than $400 with s gig bag. Over several weeks I played many Ibanez, Squire, Sterling and Yamaha models and this one appeared as the leader.

I also really liked the SUB4 and the Squire VM 60’s Precision but in the end I felt this was as well constructed plus it had a wider variety of sounds and was considerably lighter than the Stingray copy.

The particular specimens I got only needed a few minor tweaks to get it set up which has not been my experience with most guitars and basses in this price range. Most require much more. Ascetically it’s good, but not as nice as the one on the website.

But you’re dealing with wood and some cuts are better than others. If I had deeper pockets I could no doubt have a nicer instrument but for the price this is really hard to top. It has a mahogany body and decent electronics.

The frets gave a few sharp edges and the tuning keys are questionable but if you want top notch gear you have to pay top dollar. So for what it cost I can’t really find fault with it.

This is a great Bass. The sound is incredible, equipped with alnico pickups, the blend and range is impressive and the tone shaping will blow you away. The neck is flawless, the miter neck joint produces sustain that is epic.

I love to jam out to dropped tuning material (Kings X) and the neck and bridge handles it perfectly. Yamaha continues to raise the bar for affordable, quality guitars. You have to test this bass out before purchasing anything else, it’s an awesome instrument.

10 out of 10. 5 stars.

I really like the Affinity Series PJ Bass, for a host of reasons. First of all, it’s got both P-Bass and Jazz Bass pickups, which lets you customize a bit. Secondly, the fingerboard feels very comfortable to me.

Though some of the frets are a bit far apart, which will probably give smaller hands a hassle, there is not a lot of problems with the shape and feel of the bass. Secondly, the tone is very good. Customizing it, I find that I like having both pickup knobs turned all the way up, because it has a plunky sound that I really like.

However, you can also give it a Beatles-bass consistency with some customization. There’s really not that many limits to what you can make the bass sound like. (Though personally I play on a Marshall DSL40, which could make things skewed.

) And third, the Fender Rumble 15G Amp that is provided is quite a good beginner bass amp. There’s usually minimal crackle, but the main con for me though is that the amp has no overdrive settings, so you’ll have to spend money on a pedal for that.

Other than that though, I highly recommend this pack and I think most people will have considerable fun playing it.

I have been shopping for a 5 string for a while , I just wanted a 4 , 5 and 6 string collection. This is my only 5 string when I saw the specs and switches I wa s just hoping it really worked as advertised.

it exceeded my expectations ,. well balanced and relatively light in weight with no nose diving. The construction sustains the tone very well and lets it ring out. The passive active switch is handy to have not only for battery loss if but allows you another tone option to be totally honest in conjunction with the 3 way EQ switch.

When you set the eq from the flat position to some extremes you can really have a versatility without needing a pedal and even more enhancing with pedal useage. The appearance is also elegant I have the sunburst design with the gold knobs and the pick ups are awesome.

I’m blown away. I only had to tune it up outta the box set up was good Rewound mine with D’ addario flat wounds with only minor adjustments. I was shocked that the adjustment clips didnt just fall of like some do from the factory.

The first unit I purchased had a faulty active / passive switch and Guitar center ordered me another that arrived at my home within 48 hours Christmas week !! Thats super service. I was impressed. Ive purchased 4 Basses from GC and never been disappointed in what I got.

I’m a Schecter guy mainly , this unit weighs less than my Schecter 4 string Stilletto. The spacing for the strings is great and not cramped at all. As I said this is a great unit, I researched Jackson as owned by Fender.

All I can say is you will not be disappointed. After all my research on features etc while shopping for about 9 days in a rabbit whole of online information. ( which was all good and plenteous ) I’m glad I pulled the trigger and I’m just touching the tip of the iceberg of possibilities.

This is a rebranded version of the Duff McKagan pearl white model. Regardless of heritage this is among the top three basses I’ve ever owned. After playing it going on a month, I feel confident enough to gig with it exclusively.

It’s just that great. The TBX circuit makes this bass the most flexible passive bass I’ve played in my 30+ years of gigging, showcases and special performances. Goes without saying what a looker this MIJ Boxer is.

Most important, the pickup array produce accurate Precision AND Jazz bass tone. A unique feature is a toggle that permits adjusting both volume pots individually-in both pups you can roll on or off vol of the P and the J simultaneously, a (nice) departure from Fender’s multiple pickup basses; really makes this an immensely flexible, capable instrument.

The feel and sound of A fretless fingerboard. Is Amazing , gone is the fret buzz. Bending and sliding up and down this ebony fret board is so easy and smooth. So many Tonal possibilities. I really dig the sound of just the neck pick up by itself.

THE ( Precision )pick up position you have 3 to choose from neck , both are bridge. The drop D On E string Tuner wow , The feel and balance of this bass even the weight are on point. My biggest adjustment to the fretless fingerboard wasn’t there not being frets , you have the Side dot markers for hand positioning.

It feels thinner than your average Fender 4 string precision or jazz bass. Coming from my 5 and 6 strings my fingers want to wrap-around the entire fretboard. You We’ll fall in love with the feel and sound as well as the playability of this fretless bass If you’re on the fence I suggest you check it out.

After all it’s a Fender.

This bass is truly a 5 star bass. I play in a Death Metal Band and the tone I achieve with this bass in addition to Dark Glass products cuts right through the low tuned guitars and packs a huge punch.

Once you get the intonation to your liking this bass is a metal beast.

Amazing tones! I’ve had American fenders and I would put this MIM bass up against the American any day. The ONLY 2 complaints I have is, 1- the jazz pup isn’t very loud, and 2, I get buzzing when I touch the magnet on the jazz pup.

(Ground) oh, and in active mode, if you play alot in active, keep spare batteries with you, it eats batteries. But for those wondering, you can play in passive with dead batteries. So that’s a plus.

I was a lifelong anti-Fender bassist. Just for the simple fact that they are so commonplace. Started up in a new band, and needed that classic Fender tone. Needless to say. I’m now a Fender convert. I love the way it sounds and feels in the hands.

The Sam Ash team were great to work with as well!.

Solid feeling bass but I was never really happy with the sound – too thin. Finally had a tech look at it and found out the noiseless pickup in the bridge position was defective. Possibly from the day I got it brand new.

Repaired it and sounds much better. In addition, the electronics seem poor quality with lots of noise and crackling even with routine cleaning/maintenance.

Excellent instrument, consider price and lineage, albeit now made in China. pros – light weight – more than adequate quality hardware and electronics. – Good finish and looks expensive. – delivers a wide range of tones from dub through Beatles (naturally) to gnarley.

Works very well with a pick. cons – minor gripes at this price point. it needs a decent set of strings, machine heads aren’t very smooth. – The need to go hunting for a suitable case (non supplied) – short scale takes a little getting used to.

(Unless you already play one) Overall, my favourite bass at the moment. 😁 Buy one just for the ‘Beat Bass sound’ alone!.

Being a Beatles super fan as well as a bassist; adding a Hofner to my collection has always been in the back of my mind so I spent a lot of time researching differences between the Ignition Series (Made in China) and the Contemporary Series (Made in Germany).

I noticed that online reviews were unanimously praising the Ignition so decided to give it a shot. I have been using Fenders for many years so I thought I would receive it and either not get along with it at all, or love it but kick myself for not going for the German model but I’m glad to say that the reviews are spot on and this bass truly rocks! It plays superbly out of the box, very decent build quality and comes alive when plugged in.

It’s way more Beatlesey in tone than I could have imagined and will sound amazing for many, many styles. I have already made a few tweaks and plan to upgrade certain items on it in the future, including changing to flatwound strings, and replacing the nut and electronic control panel (these are fairly easy to do, so don’t be put off into doing that yourself!).

Please remember that this is a bass guitar that’s under £300 so don’t expect Custom Shop levels of detail, but for this price you’ll be getting a bass guitar that looks great, sounds great and will bring out your inner McCartney!.

Aside from the classic look, I was ready to be underwhelmed with this bass. There’s nothing to disappoint. Added some flat wound La Bella strings as planned. They arrived a few days after guitar from a different supplier as I couldn’t see them on PMT.

I think an essential upgrade. unless you like round wound strings. Tonally very good. I love the simplicity of the ‘original’ switching. Going to let the strings settle and then adjust the neck as, whilst the action is very good overall, it is just a bit higher than expected up the fingerboard.

Even so, still very easy to play. Light. No buzzing. Great weight – very light and so far I have not noticed any issues with neck dive. Good scale length too. I’ve had a few basses over the years and, being a) shorter and b) a guitarist, I’ve always found them a bit cumbersome.

This is very comfortable to hold and play. Inevitably some of the plastic bits are a bit cheap. Mainly the pick guard. It’s coming off and I’ll probably do something with the truss rod cover. Other than that the finish is good and overall build seems fine.

It’s a sub £300 guitar. Plays and sounds great. There are numerous upgrades that can be done – plenty of videos on YouTube – to make it more ‘original’. Personally, I don’t see the point. Conclusion – great value for money instrument that doesn’t look or sound out of place alongside my other ‘original’ guitars.

and sits particularly well next to my 1960 Senator. Very pleased with it.