Feature:
EMG's, neck-thru, good hardware, good construction.
Quality:
Quality seems fine, and seems consistant with other basses in this price range.
Value:
Falls in line with other basses in this price range.
Desirability:
This is a great looking, good sounding bass. The EXTREMELY narrow string spacing kills the "I Want It" factor of this bass.
Sound:
EMG's... You can't really go wrong there, can you?!?! These pickups are really good, and the preamp is good too. This bass sounds very versitile. The woods used in construction also get their due credit for the tone: mahogany + maple + walnut = deep bass tone with crisp top. The mahogany lends a boomy mid for me, but the pre can cut mids, so that's no biggy.
Ease of Use:
I play primarily fingerstyle, and this string spacing is WAY too narrow for playing fingerstyle, unless you have small hands and skinny fingers (which I don't). I can see how this string spacing would be excellent for a pick-player though -- the narrow spacing would allow easier, faster access to different strings during the same progression. I think that the string spacing on Ibanez SR 5- and 6-string basses are a smidge too narrow, and this is more narrow than that!! If you play fingerstyle, and you can look past the spacing, this will be a good bass for you at a really good price.
Support:
no clue... :)
Overall:
I'm a studio session player in Greensboro, NC. When I am shopping for a new bass, or even just playing some new basses just to see what's new, I'm looking for versitility to tone. For example, the quintessential Fender Jazz is probably the most versitile bass in the world, as it sounds good with every kind of music!! This bass has a versitile, modern voice that would work well with hard rock, metal, pop, "new" country (not the twangy stuff), reggae, Latin, etc. Styles that need a vintage tonal charactoristics like blues, jazz, R&B, soul, etc. would be better served with another bass. When shopping for my new 5-string, I played this bass, the Ibanez SR506, Traben Chaos Core, and Traben Chaos Obsession. I bought the Traben Chaos Obsession 5-string because it is also neck-thru, has Rockfield soapbar pickups and 3-band preamp, and the Chaos Obsession has Jazz bass spacing at the bridge with a narrow nut -- great for fingerstyle playing without the bulk of a massive neck. Also, the Traben has a good voice for modern tones and vintage tones.
ALWAYS PLAY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!! If you are considering any guitar, play it to make sure that guitar is what you are really looking for, and that it is what you really want. I was looking to buy a Schector, not a Traben... ...you never know... There are no mistakes in the universe. ;)
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