In the sea of axes that zZounds displays in its digital shop, my eyes fell on a total curveball: the Manhattan Prestige Session One. Its name may be a tongue twister, but it snapped me right out of my brand-name-induced haze. Cloaked in candy apple red, this bass had the undeniable mojo of a vintage classic. I dove deeper to find out the story behind this brand. The man behind Manhattan Prestige is the highly respectable session player Neil Jason. He has contributed too many to name records, but what really caught my attention was his involvement in the final albums of Roxy Music. His outstanding bass lines feature prominently in several key tracks on these albums.Here's his list of credits. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/neil-jason-mn0000864584/creditsWhat convinced me to purchase this bass was a detailed video review by Neil himself on Youtube. The bass lived up to its promises when it arrived. Once plugged in, I could tell that the tone, weight, pickups, and playability aligned with Neil's description of the bass. Hence the title in the review: this is not your garden-variety budget bass, this thing feels like the real deal.I was looking for a bass to use in the studio, especially for dancy bass lines, and the way this bass cuts through the mix is impressive. And though I'm no expert bass player, when playing the Session One, I'm getting shades of the Fender Mustang's snap with a healthy dose of that P-Bass depth. It's fun and easy to play, and damn if it doesn't sound incredible.… read more

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