C On Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

Purchased the Fender Player Jazz bass. Overall great looks and sound, but some quality issues from the Fender Mexico factory (not Andertons' fault): – First bass had very clear weird uneven blemish under the varnish on the sunburst body. Not awful, but if I was in-store I would never have chosen that particular item. Returned and swapped by Andertons, no quibbles. Second bass arrived. Overall happy, sounds great, but still a few issues with quality control and design. – Control plate was missing 2 screws and was moving around – how does that get through Fender quality control? Replacement screws sent free of charge by Andertons. – Nut has not been slotted correctly – high G must have been passed through a machine and slipped, string is clearly a couple of mm too close to fretboard edge and you can see the failed first pass. Doesn't really affect playability, but is annoying and I will get it corrected at some point. Again, points to poor quality control. – Fretboard (Pau Ferro) is really thin – on the Player series, at least. Neck fret dot markers in white are half over the mid-dark fretboard, half over the light maple neck. Very hard to see in low light levels. OK, so they're just an indicator for position, but the design isn't great. So overall, the bass sounds great and Andertons service was very good. Fender quality control loses the one star from the review.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

…and falls in love. Let me start by saying I actually have owned one other P-Bass. I had a 50s reissue Precision, but honestly the neck was just too thick for my liking after years of playing Jazz basses. Honestly, it felt thicker than the neck on my Yamaha 5-string. So, I picked this bass up after always dancing around getting what would be considered a more standard P-Bass. I have a 70s Jazz with a ton of modifications, I've had quite a few other brands of basses, but I wanted to see what the fuss was about. I ordered this a few weeks ago, and have been very pleasantly surprised. The action was pretty good out of the box. I adjusted it a bit, made a few tiny tweaks to the intonation, and now it's super smooth. And, on the pickups, let me say it's a great sounding bass. Pickups are clear, bass sounds great. I play through a little Ampeg Micro cabinet. Earlier this week, I bought some Flats to throw on it (because that's what you do with a P-bass, right?) and now it's quickly becoming one of my favorite instruments to jam with. It really cuts through the mix when playing in a group. I see why folks really love the sound of a precision. My Jazz still has it's place, but man, I really like the sound of this bass. The Player P is a great value for what you get. I've never owned an older MIM, but I research the heck out of pretty much any purchase I make, and it looks like Fender really stepped it up with this rendition of their MIM Precision basses. Good tone out of the box, no discernible pickup noise, good action, a beautiful neck, and a Tidepool Blue finish that just shines and shines.Dennis F

I have been looking at Thunderbirds for a while now. All the Epiphone and Gibson versions. Realized quickly the Gibbys were out of my price range although I wanted the Heritage Cherry version bad… My son spotted this one when it first came out.It was a stone cold copy of the original T-Bird that came out in '63. Had some Backstage points so I scooped this one up in Tobacco Sunburst. I was nervous because of the T-birds I had played in the past were neck heavy. Mine arrived after the typical lightning fast shipping by MF. It arrived in perfect shape. The finish was flawless, not a blemish or buffer burn anywhere. Hardware was classy. All the chrome from the tuners to the the pickup covers is perfect. Plugged it in to my Acoustic 600 W combo amp and went to town! Sound was great! Simple to dial in and the sustain is incredible. Put a strap on it and the afore mentioned neck heavy problem was non-existent! This bass is moderately heavy but not unbearable by any means. I played my first gig with it today, Thanksgiving 2019! It felt so natural to play, like I have been playing it forever. I could not be happier with this bass! It is everything you could ask for without a different name on the head stock. I have not played the Gibson but I can't imagine how it could sound or feel any better. Buy without hesitation! I am bummed it took me this long to decide on one. I have a lot of basses but this one is now my go to…. I can't think of a bad point to mention. Again, buy it! You will not be disappointed! As a side note, it fits in the EPI T-bird case like a glove. Plenty of room for that massive head stock!Hood's Creek bass 17

Anyone who's ever gone on the hunt for a good Thunderbird bass that they're pretty much awesome or awful with little middle ground regardless if it carries an Epiphone or Gibson name badge. I have a pretty big bass collection myself, but have never found an attainable T-Bird that I found appealing. Even among vintage models of Gibsons, dogs are as common as players, and few are truly worthwhile to me. What I discovered while searching for a good Thunderbird was that I favored vintage models with a separate tailpiece and pre-Bicentennial pickups: the intonation is superior and the tone fuller while still having that characteristic Thunderbird snarl. Since most of those are prohibitively expensive because of age and rarity and I don't care for the modern Gibson versions' TB plus pickups and three point bridge or the bolt-on Epiphones with their TERRIBLE pickups, I had pretty much resigned myself that short of finding a screaming deal on a 60's Thunderbird IV or becoming a rock star, my T-Bird itch would go unscratched. …enter the Epi Vintage Pro. It has literally everything I love about the old 60's 'Birds with some modern improvements in finish durability (I love nitro lacquer as much as anyone, but let's be honest, poly is WAY more durable) and intonation since the bridge is moved to its proper scale location. Add in the vintage "oversized" headstock, the neck-though-body construction and the AMAZING recreations of vintage Thunderbird pickups, and you have one monster of an instrument! I really can't say enough good things about it, and just to be clear, I would take this instrument OVER a US-made modern Gibson Thunderbird ANY day! I value quality and tone in my instruments over investment value and this bass has both in spades. If you're looking for an amazing bass for a great price, look no further!Anthony

First and foremost props to American Musical for their help with shipping, the company they used had a delay, and my Tbird went missing for a bit. American musical went above and beyond to help figure out the problem and i got my bass with very little frustration. Out of the box the bass is set up, action was a little high for me, but a simple 1/4 turn and it was playing great. The pickups have a great rock vibe, punchy, but not to high. Big difference between the Gibson and this Epi. Is the weight. It’s a lot lighter, and there isn’t as much neck dive, but be warned, the headstock is a whole inch longer than the Gibson, or the other Epiphone options. So far i absolutely love this bass, for less than half the cost of a new Gibson, this bass delivers. I’ve played Gibson’s, Fender USA’s, Spectors, and several others. For the money, this bass has been amazing.Jansen

Overall: This is a long term review of this bass. I didn't get mine from zZounds but have bought from them before. I want to mainly go over how this bass holds up and how it works in a band long term. When it was new it was good quality out of the box. Just needed a set up. I've used this bass on countless gigs over the years. If you play rock then it will definitely get the job done. Finish quality is good and durable. It doesn't like to chip but will if it takes a hard hit. Scratches are only really cosmetic, the poly is pretty thick. Keep it clean and don't abuse it and the bass will look good years down the road. The neck is pretty stable, I rarely need to adjust the truss rod. The three point bridge is fairly solid too, Paint on it is durable as well. The posts for the bridge can pull out the bushings but mine has not. The tuning keys are starting to get worn out. I'd replace them if possible. They still hold tune but not as well as new. Pickups and electronics are good too. No scratchy pots. Output Jack is still solid. Frets are pretty worn as well. Still got a lot of life but will wear faster than a more expensive bass. Overall a very durable bass considering what it's been through.Dominic

I read many glowing reviews of this bass on the sites of MF and GC, so I decided to buy one. Huge disappointment. Maybe I got a stinker or maybe the writers of the reviews don't venture beyond the 7th fret…who knows. Mine looks and sounds GREAT. However, the fret finishing beyond the 12th fret is essentially non-existent. Frets 15 and 16 are completely dead unless you keep the action at factory height, which is just not practical. The old-school three-point bridge looks great, but it's time to retire this dinosaur, even at this price point. It would be functional if Gibson/Epiphone would replace saddles 4 and 5 with additional 1 and 2 saddles for the E and A strings respectively (three-point bridge users will understand that lingo…). Even an inexpensive Gotoh bridge would improve the function immensely; a Hipshot would send it through the roof. I've played both professionally and casually here in Nashville since 1999, and have played bass for 30 years. I've owned some Gibson USA basses in my time (vintage G3 and Victory), and currently have two USA guitars (SG and LP). Gibson simply doesn't design basses for bassists who do anything more than play the root. I considered having the frets dressed by a service center, but have elected to simply return it to GC. Again, if you subscribe to the Dusty Hill Doctrine ("I promise to play the root, the whole root, and nothing but the root."), then this bass is fine. If you like to do ANYTHING more, then look elsewhere. I really wish Gibson would re-evaluate their approach to bass design, because I love to support local business. They're missing a huge market share by choosing to offer poorly designed and poorly executed instruments. Even a Babicz bridge can't correct a flawed blueprint…M

While this is my second Epiphone bass, this one is a bit disappointing. It is very eye catching but the style comes with a price: it does not hang well standing no matter what strap type or size I try. Not just neck drop but also the guitar casts away from your body like it is attempting to crash face first into the floor. Was supposed to be inspected and setup when purchased but was not. One tuner was mis-aligned, the bridge was improperly set, and the neck was back-bowed. The inspected by Epiphone sticker is a real joke! After a real setup, it plays well and sounds fine but then so do a half dozen other bass guitars I own. Just had to try one and did not want a thru-neck design so the cheaper Epiphone seemed like the choice. Guess I was wrong. I have to wonder if a Gibson would be any better – especially these days with Gibson almost on the rocks as a company…. Buy it to look pretty but do not expect much more than a barely passable bass guitar after you fix the issues it comes with. I would not recommend this for any bass player, even a beginner.cibulajb4

After the initial COVID lockdown I landed a gig where I had to have a 5 string bass. So like a red blooded American I took my cash down to the local GC store to buy a fender 5 string American jazz. There wasn't any. I looked for an Ibenez. There wasn't any. I looked for anything and we'll there wasn't any. As the date grew near for our first show, I happened in and they had this one. I was disappointed that this was all there was, but out of desperation, I bought it thinking I would trade it once something I wanted became available. It took me about two months and 10 gigs later when I realized I love this thing. 9 months in and I don't know how many dates later, I wouldn't want to live without it. It plays awesome after a quick and minor setup on the action. The tone is big on the bottom and the mids and highs are as shapable as you want. It is a dream to play and guess what, when I finally got to put my hands on the fender I wanted, I didn't want it anymore. This bass is very much like the high end Ibenez basses. Probably too much for Ibenez's liking actually. I run through a 800w mark bass head with a 2×10 cab and a 1×15 cab. It sounds incredible. The big thing for me is when I run through my amp using the direct out in bypass, it sounds amazing. It is like having a sans amp in the bass. The electrics are that good. I have gotten tons of compliments on the tone and questions about how I got it. I literally just plugged it in. Also I can play it all night and even though it is a five, I am less fatigued then when I play the four fender American jazz I already own. The string spacing and scale I believe is responsible for that. If you are serious about playing a 5 string, at any level, then this bass is one you should look at. I am not super crazy about the esthetics but I get a surprising amount of complements on it. So if that is your thing then rock on I guess. I am getting over the fact that I was a fender snob. Also I believe Jackso is made by fender sooo….Chris

My one only bass for the past 20 years has been a Ibanez SR405 (2001 year model). I feel like I've purchased a big upgrade with this Jackson X Series Spectra. In comparison to the Ibanez, the Jackson's neck is fatter, lower fret sizes are slightly wider and the string spacing is slightly wider. The playability is a lot smoother for my larger fingers/hands. The pickups and active EQ systems are powerful. Need to have some amp/di box control to contain the powerful output when in smaller venues. I use the passive pickup control when in smaller venues and small churches. I feel that what sets this apart from other basses I've tried is how great it sounds to play the d and g strings as well as going above the 12th fret. The stock strings (D'Addario) sound really pretty when playing the higher octaves. The Elixir strings I'm currently using give the B string a BIG SMOOTH THUMP. For those worried about setup out of the box, I live in high altitude. Setup post manufacturer is usually a must because of that. I have been able to get fairly low action without fret buzz after casually messing with adjustments.Zach

I just recently purchased this Schecter Silver Mountain 5 string Bass in Toxic Venom Green, and I must say this is truly a outstanding bass Guitar. I have been saying it for a long time, but Schecter is simply a must for the modern guitarist. I would like for someone to show me a Bass with as many professional and luxury features packed onto it for under $1500. Ebony Neck, Stainless Fret Wire, Set neck, String through/Top load bridge, Grover Tuners, Luminlay Glowing Fret markers, and a beautiful paint job. I mean seriously a Fender or Gibson of this build quality will run you over $2000 easy. That's before you even start talking about the fishman fluence soapbar pickups that come on this guitar. The pickups have three different voicing options Modern, Funk, and Classic. You have full EQ over the active pickups as well as a blend knob to mix the bridge and neck pickup to find the right tone. On top of that you can push and pull the Volume knob to give the pickups a split coil mode which gives you even more tone options. This is a perfect guitar for recording or covering songs, as there are endless tones you can achieve with these kinds of pickups. One thing I do wish is that a guitar that is over $1000 should come with at least a cheap guitar case or bag for protection, especially with fully painted guitar. That being said, I am in no way dissatisfied with the value this guitar provides for the price. This is my second Schecter guitar, I own a Schecter Omen Extreme 6 as well, and it will not be my last. I am a die hard Schecter customer now that I have gotten to own a few, very solid guitars for all level of players.Corey

I found some basses that play as good but nothing feels better to me than the toxic venom. supper solid. awesome smooth feel. stainless steel frets. Great for slap. I would get a 6 string one of these in a heartbeat. all ready got the 4 and 5Nate

This bass hits a home run. I would put it up to an American feder any day! The ONLY issue I have found it the jazz pup is a little weak when playing only through it.Mike

It is amazing how a MIM can sound like thunder. You can get amazing tonal possibilities from this bass; full of punch and with a clean and crisp tone. The neck is very soft for fast playing; and the pickups are incredible. I also have a Yamaha TRB 1005, and a Spector Classic Legend 5 but this MIM stands among the others with power and authority. You can take it to church and tear down the walls, or take it to the local venue and crush the other band mates. You will never find a bass like this, with this features for that price. If you find one: buy it! I'm thinking about buying one more to convert it to fretless it. You will not get wrong with the Deluxe P series!mrfunkh

I've been playing on and off for over 30 years. I have a broad collection. This is an excellent P Bass for the price. Great balance, very good tone, and the neck is awesome. The neck is a little thinner on the "SPECIAL" than a standard, which I love. I added an acrylic mirror pick guard, now it's time to Run To The Hills.flip21121967

I have another Schecter that is similar to this one and love how it plays and sounds. This C4 is no different! The feel of the bass is nice and the sounds I can get out of it really suit the kind of music I play! I would recommend this bass!Michael

Hello, I use this bass mainly for practice and jamming with friends. It has Great Tone. 2 band Eq is Great. Size-wise it's a little smaller that traditional fender basses which makes it easier to play for me. Quality of the Bridge, Pickups and Pegs is solid. Only issue I see is that the finish on the body is wearing out quite quick where my fingers rub on, where the thumb sits in the pickup and where the index and middle rub after playing the E String. I've been only playing this bass for 3 months and you can see the wear on the finish of the body. Also the Input Jack is a little stiff, not a big deal but something worth mentioning, it's a little harder to push the cable in. I got the blue bass but the tone is a little different than the photos, it's a little less blue and it looks more dull in real life.Gus

Ordered one of these (In Pearl White) because of a good experience with another one. Of course I had to do some set up to alleviate fret buzz, adjust neck, string height etc. Once it was set up to my liking and a fresh set of my gauge strings, this bass was ready for just about anything! I have used it for a couple of outdoor shows with medium and very large P.A support and the sound was very good overall. Through my stage amp, I was able to dial in a very usable sound quickly. The bass is very light weight .(Which helps those of us with back issues.) Yet is still able to get a decent tone. The bass I received was a newer model with a poplar body and a Jatoba fret board which still has the characteristics of rosewood (slightly lighter in color) with a hint of a maple type bite. Personally, I liked the overall sound with this particular fret board. Speaking of which, the fret board is very easy to play (when properly set up) with a smooth, fast neck. The electronics are decent enough although the "bass boost" knob should be used sparingly and judiciously just to add some deep flavor on occasion for certain styles. All in all, a pretty decent machine that can easily be used by beginners and seasoned pro's (ok, it won't match up with a "boutique bass" by any means but still a very usable product!) Very good value for the price!Heard the Bass

This bass is really amazing for the price of it. The neck is so smooth and a bit thinner than other regular bass, perfect for my small hands and the weight wow it is really light. the built quality is top notch. The sound is really good and you've got plenty of sound you can experiment with it. Overall it's an all rounder bass from beginners to pronelson c.

The Ibanez GSR 200 is one of the best "bang for your buck" basses on the market. They are made with excellent quality, lightweight wood, agathis, maple, rosewood. The onboard P/J pickups and electronics sound good. They play good out of the box but they play excellently if set up by a guitar tech. These were choice basses for many of the bass players supporting MWR tours. Musicians would take Ibanez GRS 200 basses on tour and raffle them off to service members on the last gig.matt4717

As the headline says…it's very enjoyable to play. I've even made several recordings using it instead of my Fender USA Pro 2 Precision. It does a decent job on the P pickup; the J has lower output. To my surprise I'm really digging the "raw" feel of the neck; it's bare, tho sanded well. Another surprise: neck profile width and taper is like a J bass, yet the depth/shape feels more like a P! Huh!? Hey, works for me! With its black body and pickguard and the maple fingerboard it looks like it means BUSINESS! Point removed for the too-stiff tuner action. And then…I've managed to get the action very low, just where I like it. (FWIW, even on my USA Pro 2 I had to shim the neck to be able to get the level of low action that I prefer.) Yes, ladies n gentleman, I really appreciate this Affinity PJ. I am considering using it for punk and classic rock parts of the band's gigs; not out of the question at all!Leo

This bass looks, feels, and sounds great! Did they nail the bodywork and neck lines? No, not completely. But that's about as much as I've got for negatives. This is one of the best 5 string necks I've felt. Less pizza shaped than the EHB but almost that good. Could have been nice to see a heavier finish on the fretboard but the edges are rolled with no sharp frets at all – unlike my cv 70s P. Sound on this Destroys the EHB and my sr505. Can't say how road worthy the pots and tuners are but I don't want to change anything and mess with this mojo. Unless you need silent pickups and can live with the tradeoffs. I don't know what you would need other than maybe a beefier jack. Setup was mind blowing. Literally took it out of the box in store. Got home, string height was dialed, haven't checked intonation yet but sounds fine. Was hardly even out of tune. Strings feel quality, I will probably even hold off changing those. This bass is making a lot of basses look and sound like questionable decisions. If you are worried about durability, honesty, get a good hard case. This thing feels plenty solid. Make sure the tuners and string trees are greased up and jam away.Arturo

I got mine in Black body, black pickguard, maple neck with maple fingerboard, It came with good setup right out of the box, I like the headstock's face with large "Precision Bass" 70's style logo, with gloss tint on it. The maple neck is one piece neck. I have other Affinities basses but this one sounds terrific, a lot of growl sound on P pickups , I like the P sound but also the J pickup is welcome. I always like this combination: black on black with maple fingerboard. I recommend this bass, Squier is getting better and better with the years. The only complain with this is that the Jazz Pickup is less sounding than the P bass pickup, I needed to rise the Jazz pickup to get better output but not the same output than the Precision pickup.Garedot

I went from a new yamaha with active pickups to this jackson with passive pickups. I don't play much bass, so Literally I was looking for a cheap guitar to record with. It has a solid low end grunt but still maintains the mid bang "slap" as you might call it. No its not spotless, the wood is not colored along some of the seems and its not the prettiest style wise, but for someone who just wants an easy playing, solid sounding bass track, this is a great weapon.Jeremy

I give this bass 5 stars, not because it's comparable to a high end instrument, but because of the quality at this unbelievable price point. I was looking for a passive P-style bass that wouldn't break the bank; my expectations were that I would have to do some work to it (fret level, polish, sharp ends, etc.) However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find that none of those issues existed when it arrived, and it was even actually in tune! I lowered the action to my preference, as should be done with every instrument. The neck is extremely comfortable and fast. The plastic nut is cut quite well, bridge is more than adequate, tuners are sufficient and hold tune even with heavy handed attack. The real surprise though, was the strong sustained growling punch of the pickup! This bass actually sounds quite good! I wouldn't hesitate to gig with it: and it's an excellent backup or first bass, that you won't soon outgrow. For reference – I have been playing guitar for 32 years, bass for 25 years and have a MIM Fender Jazz V, and several Ibanez basses (mid grade – professional grade, 4, 5, & 6 string variations). This Jackson isn't in the same class as my others, but that doesn't really mean anything, because it still delivers exceptional quality and value. It is very fun to play, and the tonality is quite useable and shapeable. Bottom line is – this bass is a huge bang for buck!Shasal

This was the first bass I bought myself and im very glad I did. I bought this bass around last December and have been in love ever since. I bought this bass mainly cause of the price tag but also because I was wanting a bass with humbuckers. The epiphone thunderbird had my eye but wasn't exactly in my budget at the time but then I came across this bass. Great price tag and a familiar (body) P bass shape. Fast forward to today and this bass still rocks. The body was put together nicely along with it's finish but you can tell where quality was sacrificed which was the neck. Not terrible or unplayable but you can tell it's a fairly cheap neck. Otherwise the tone, playability, and feel is amazing.Brandon F

I have previously played and owned only long scale basses. Have always wanted to try a short scale. Went to my local GC and tried a few they had in house. The short scale Sterling was a nice looking bass but the fret work was terrible. Based on reading other reviews I took a risk and ordered a Squire CV 60 Mustang. It is a beautiful instrument. Arrived in great condition with absolutely no flaws. Finish is great, Fretwork is great, string action and intonation were nearly perfect. Hard to believe that Squire can make an instrument like this for such a reasonable price.Jim

I have always wanted a short-scale Fender and decided to pull the trigger on the Squire CV version. Being a Gibson player, the 25.5 scale length always threw me off but this Mustang is very easy to play/swap between my Les Paul and 335's. The single-coil tones are great and certainly a contrast to the humbuckers & P90's I usually play. To be 100% honest, you better have some skills in setting up guitars and polishing frets or be prepared to pay a tech to get these guitars to their full potential. I had to completely polish the frets and fiddle for weeks to get the action to my liking. A neck shim is almost essential to get any height on the bridge and provide enough downward pressure to keep things intonated. I have no idea why Fender doesn't do this on all Mustang's, Jazzmasters and Jaguars since this is a very well-known issue. Once dialed in and frets polished up, this Mustang is a little tone monster.Jason F

Sound: It's a classic Mustang sound. Ease of Use: The Mustang bass was originally made for younger players and students, but it has a serious professional following as well. Quality: The only problem initially was rough fret ends which were quickly taken care of. Look for pro advice online as to how to do this. Value: Because I owned one before, I feel this is worth the selling price. Manufacturer Support: No contact with Fender about any concerns. Unless it's something out of my ability I'll handle it myself. The Wow Factor: When I first saw the "Vintage Vibe" Mustang bass, it owned me. Overall: I've owned one before and had to sell it. Incredible instrument. I've always preferred short scale basses because they're so much fun to play. Had to buy this one. I like playing this bass more than my 2001 American Series Precision bass! You won't be disappointed. Perhaps some minor tweaking may be needed, but worth every cent.Ampman

Very lightweight, no strain on my back. Has that perfect Ibanez action I've come to prefer over other makes. Pickups work in tandem, not separately, so that took some getting used to. Color is hot and sexy.John

The Ibanez GSR 200 is one of the best "bang for your buck" basses on the market. They are made with excellent quality, lightweight wood, agathis, maple, rosewood. The onboard P/J pickups and electronics sound good. They play good out of the box but they play excellently if set up by a guitar tech. These were choice basses for many of the bass players supporting MWR tours. Musicians would take Ibanez GRS 200 basses on tour and raffle them off to service members on the last gig.matt4717

I bought the jewel blue one and named it "Jewel". No, not like the singer. I thought it was totally beyond all expectations. I played it for a couple of years before I lost it when my marriage fizzled. Now I want another one. I'm no novice. I've been playing guitar for over 35 years, and Jewel was my third bass. I liked her better than a Fender Jazz. I want another one. To nitpick, I didn't like the square corners on the top of the neck (past all the frets), so I took the neck off and rounded them. Problem solved. I also didn't like that the threads stripped out on the E string bridge piece when I tried to back it up far enough to get the intonation right. But I think the real problem is solved with an Earvana nut. Anyway, if you can't afford to buy the bass everyone is telling you to buy – or even if you can – buy this one. If you don't sound good on it, you don't need a Fender or a Rick, you need lessons.Gravity Zen

I bought this bass because a friend had one that worked great and played great and I loved it. When I purchased mine I had it sent to my house. 5 days later and it comes in with busted knobs and I had to take it in for a refund. They had another in stock and I took it home. Well the second is busted too. Huge disappointment considering how much I enjoy playing this bass. Absolutely unreliable and I won't be getting a third one.James

I played this bass about seven times, and knew I wanted one. The neck has very Fender-like feel to it. The pickups both have three settings, series, split and parallel. In series the sound is loud and powerful, good for heavy rock. In split, the volume is lower, and you will get slight 60 cycle hum with each pickup soloed, but not when they're used together. On parallel, the pickups sound very Fender-ish. The neck pickup alone on parallel has a nice, round and warm P-bass tone. Both pickups on split sound like a 70s Jazz bass. It also has many other tones; you simply have to experiment with the switches. The tuners stay in tune, and it has a good bridge on it. I got the ivory with maple board. It is gorgeous. The fit and finish is extremely good. If you're looking for a bass that has vintage Fender tones, and more, this bass is it. It is worth much more than it sells for. Buy one. You will love it. MikeMike

Sound: I can't think of any way to describe it tonally other than two jazz basses mashed together, with the option to turn one off or turn both on into a series or parallel beast. That's what this bass sounds like tonally, which somehow the double jazz pickup that was in the american series P basses couldn't even seem to perfectly emulate. It's a very impressive sound and the series/single/parallel switch attached to them is where this bass seems almost magical in managing to sound like 3 different basses in one. Going to have to split this section into three to describe it better. Series mode: very much like those double jazz pickups mentioned earlier that are in early 00s american series P basses and certain discontinued warwick models. Single Coil mode: put the pickup selector in the middle and you have a jazz bass plain and simple. That's pretty much the best way to describe this sound. Parallel mode: The final setup provides a very unique sound that lends itself very well to the genre I play. It's a midrange scooped sound that still retains plenty of high and low mid definition and manages to cut very well without sounding muddy like series bass humbuckers can tend to do. The best comparison I can think of for the parallel setup on the BRIDGE pickup is somewhat close to a Warwick Thumb bass with it's very aggressive percussive tone, but instead of a low mid focus it's very high mid heavy. The neck pickup in parallel is it's own sound that I've never heard out of a bass before, and is great for smooth runs and calm basslines. That being said, this bass manages to be the most dynamic bass I've ever played tonally, without a single battery powering it. Very impressive especially considering what you're paying for it. Features: Pickup wiring switching and the unique j-buckers are what makes this bass so special. However, the inability to blend pickups kind of sucks and it could've only been made even better by an active circuit, also with it's own on/off switch but that's something I can do should I ever see the need. Ease of Use: Might not be the best bass if you're after a VERY SPECIFIC sound (ala jazz bass, ibanez lows and highs, warwick low mid growl, musicman midrange bite) and is definitely something that might confuse and scare away people with the 80's-esque switching options, however it makes up for that in how many convincing and unique tones it can produce. Quality: Overall, the instrument is solid. There are two reasons I've taken off stars however: there's a minor cosmetic defect on mine that irks me even though no one has noticed it but me: when the pickguard was mounted, it was actually mounted in such a way that the back side of the pickguard, inbetween the pickups, is lifting up due to the mounting holes being drilled a bit too close to the center of the body. Second one is something more unavoidable due to the combination of a maple fretboard and the instrument being made in indonesia and coming over here to california: sharp fret ends. 40 dollars at a local tech solved it for me within 2 days of owning it, however it's something to consider and I feel it's more inherent of maple fretboards, so the only one that might suffer from this is the Ivory one (which is what I got) Value: In my opinion, best 5 string bass in the sub-1000 range by a mile. Only other contenders for that spot in my mind are the Ibanez BTB options and the Warwick Rockbass Corvette Doublebuck. Manufacturer Support: I did ask about a case and they were very quick to respond with plenty of helpful info on solutions. For those curious, the 5 string variant is ridiculously long (approx 49" from headstock to end of body) so don't expect it to fit in most hard cases. Schecter is yet to make a case so case hunting will be a thing! The Wow Factor: Unreal tone palette and options for this pricerange, extremely hard to beat for the same price. When I first tried this bass I was expecting a 1,000 dollar pricetag. I saw a 649.99 one. Needless to say, I sought it out on zZounds and bought it a few days later LOL. Here's for hoping Schecter continues to use these pickups and puts them in more cutting edge models like the Stiletto, I'd be on the waiting list for one that's for sure. Overall: Surprised to see no one has said much about this bass yet, so here's my takeaway and why I bought one. I'll save my life story for later for the sake of making this a review rather than a story, however I should mention I've never owned let alone played a Schecter bass until now, however I've owned well over a dozen various Ibanez soundgear basses, from the cheapest GSRs to the higher end prestiges.William

I bought this bass on a whim, and I don't think I could be happier. The pickups have a surprising amount of versatility, and the body is surprisingly lightweight. Only downside is a there's JUST a bit too much neck dive. Nothing to make me wish I didn't buy though. I do recording and play live, and this bass sounds spectacular through everything I've plugged it into. 8/10Justin, W

I just recently purchased this Schecter Silver Mountain 5 string Bass in Toxic Venom Green, and I must say this is truly a outstanding bass Guitar. I have been saying it for a long time, but Schecter is simply a must for the modern guitarist. I would like for someone to show me a Bass with as many professional and luxury features packed onto it for under $1500. Ebony Neck, Stainless Fret Wire, Set neck, String through/Top load bridge, Grover Tuners, Luminlay Glowing Fret markers, and a beautiful paint job. I mean seriously a Fender or Gibson of this build quality will run you over $2000 easy. That's before you even start talking about the fishman fluence soapbar pickups that come on this guitar. The pickups have three different voicing options Modern, Funk, and Classic. You have full EQ over the active pickups as well as a blend knob to mix the bridge and neck pickup to find the right tone. On top of that you can push and pull the Volume knob to give the pickups a split coil mode which gives you even more tone options. This is a perfect guitar for recording or covering songs, as there are endless tones you can achieve with these kinds of pickups. One thing I do wish is that a guitar that is over $1000 should come with at least a cheap guitar case or bag for protection, especially with fully painted guitar. That being said, I am in no way dissatisfied with the value this guitar provides for the price. This is my second Schecter guitar, I own a Schecter Omen Extreme 6 as well, and it will not be my last. I am a die hard Schecter customer now that I have gotten to own a few, very solid guitars for all level of players.Corey

I found some basses that play as good but nothing feels better to me than the toxic venom. supper solid. awesome smooth feel. stainless steel frets. Great for slap. I would get a 6 string one of these in a heartbeat. all ready got the 4 and 5Nate

This bass is everything anyone could want. You can dial in consistent tones for Jazz, Rock, Blues; anything you can imagine. You're only limited by your amp and skill. Good for novices or pros, and priced for both of them. I play progressive rock/metal, jazz, classical, fusion, etc and the bass lends itself well to all these things. The hardware is solid: the tuners tight, the bridge stable, and the nut functions as prescribed. Some people have problems with the TEK bridge but I personally find it convenient. No cross-talk, easy stringing, reliable setup that DOESN'T BUDGE. The pickup/preamp complements the bass and its resonance qualities. Passive EMG HZ pickups with the mahogany body work together constructively. The bass and treble controls work well with amps, not adding much to the gain of the signal but still affecting the tone strikingly. The body and neck are well constructed and add a lot to the tone. Mahogany+maple+rosewood are the essential dream-team. Access up to the 24th fret is relatively easy. The satin finish allows more vibrations to transfer through the hardware and body. The quality craftsmanship is fairly decent. The fret ends are smooth and all the edges are clean. The factory setup is alright but I like my action low for easy playability. Overall, the bass is clean, simple, and contributes to any playing style well.ProgJazzMetalBassist

Overall: When I purchased this bass guitar, I did it on a whim based purely off how much I like the sound of Schecter 6 string guitars. I was prepared to be a little disappointed and make a trade in if necessary, but no, I pulled this baby out of the box and fell straight in love from the first ultra twangy acoustic note. A few hours tweaking my Fender Rumble amp (also courtesy of zZounds) and suddenly I had THE sound I had been chasing. The layout of the pot functions were confusing at best but Schecter released an online wiring diagram so a little research got me exactly what I needed; excellent customer support in that regard, but with the quality of this bass, I feel as if I'll never even need to contact customer support in order to give them a review on it! Everything from chunky 90's post-punk to soft jazz to slap bass in tha face to dad rock to death metal to orchestral, just turn a few knobs and this baby knocks it out of the park. The EMG pickups really scream for passives, too.Taran

Sound: when you own a sterling bass you do know, what your getting in quality . this bass is heavier then my sterling sub music man. same bass just diff color .the pick up of course is still amazing ,from my sub to this bass today. Ease of Use: i pulled out the box, was not in tune from shipping of course. used my d,addario head stock tuner on it, was only off a little from shipping. easy to retune and play out of the box. Quality: i love these bass., i have small hands. witha full scale to the get the best of the tone possible, long scale is the only way for me. small hand will use the neck as a whole. Value: would buy this for any one starting. would also buy another my self lol i have two lol Manufacturer Support: never had an issue Overall: awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.Mickey

Love this thing! I had a problem with the sound on the first one but Musicians Friend got me all straightened out. The midrange sound was really quiet while the highs and lows were loud. They sent me a new one and took the return on the bad one. The replacement sounds great! I had a setup and new strings done by my local music shop and she sounds amazing. Intonation is now spot on. I love the look and feel of this one with all the rounded edges. Love the sound. She has a snarl in the low end that I haven't heard with any other company. I also own a squire 60s classic vibe p bass but i think i like the sound of this one better. My only complaint is that she's a little heavier than my Squire otherwise im super happy with this purchase. Thank you Musicians Friend for the smooth return and your amazing customer service. If you're looking for a quality beginner bass this one is a great choice.Matt

Love the sound of this heavy, neck diving beast. There's lots of tone to play with using the 5-way pickup selector. If played light enough you can avoid the fret buzz, of which is hard to get rid of with truss and saddle adjustments, but that can be said of a heavy hand on most guitars in general. The neck dive is severe like all the weight is really just the neck, but I don't notice it much when playing. It's just something to keep in mind if you play standing and lift both hands off the guitar to quickly adjust a mic or amp knob settings. The finish is kind of satin, as if it were printed on with an ink jet printer. It leaves the soft wood body pretty vulnerable to slow moving collisions against sharp corners. The Pre-Black Friday sale price on this guitar is a STEAL though! Definitely worth it for a Music Man bass sound for recording, or gigging if your willing to put up with the minor issues of weight and neck dive.Zach

I have been playing bass for over 55 years! I've owned hundreds of basses. Every conceivable size shape and manufacturer. This bass by far is one of my favorite basses. Flawless construction. Compares favorably to my Epiphone Jack Casady. Great pickups on this viola. It's has a darker finish than it's online picture. Absolutely beautiful! I was stunned when I fired it up. I was expecting a dark subdued thud, what I got was thick rich tastiness. I'm blown away.Ronnie

I did not buy the bass but I was trying it out not to long ago because I'm looking for my first solid bass. Or one that'll be a keeper and a step up from my Epiphone EB-0. I wasn't terribly impressed with the hofner ignition sound wise I grabbed this Epiphone bass and ran it through an Ampeg combo. I'm a smaller guy and the short scale fits naturally on me. First thing I checked was the sound. A nice trebly sound with the muddiness of short scale. I checked the tone control for each pickup. There is a noticeable difference when the knob is at 0, 5 and 10 for both pickups. This is what I look for with bass tone controls! The electronics are fine no scratch sounds. And the if you mess with the volume knobs you get a variety of tones surprisingly! If I bought it, I'd put Labella flats on it. I'm a flats guy! Compared to the mudbucker on my two Epiphones (An EB-0 and EB-3) you get much more tonal variety with these mini humbuckers. Your ears will thank you two with about 1/3 the output. I give it five stars because this is the potential Epiphone is meant to be quality wise. The only grip some people may have is there's some neck dive cause it's a hollow body. But it's child's play compared to my EB-3. I wish it had a pickguard thought.C.J.

The Squier Bronco Bass delivers exactly what I expected. It's a 30" scale bass with a body shaped like the Fender Mustang bass; it has a single pickup (I believe it's a strat pickup), is fairly light weight (mine weighs in a 7 pounds 10 ounces), and it's a fun little axe. It's also the lowest-priced bass by an actual musical instrument company. How do they keep the price down? One way is that this is the only bass I've owned that has no fingerboard. It doesn't affect anything, but the front of the neck IS the fingerboard. The hardware is okay quality. But here's the thing – it sounds decent, feels great, plays well. There's going to be a little luck of the draw in a lower priced instrument, but my tuners stay in tune, intonation was on, everything is good. There was a little too much neck relief, but that was easy to adjust. If you're realistic about your expectations, the Squier Bronco Bass is an awesome value, looks good, and it gets you playing. It's not going to sound like a Stingray or a Geddy Lee Jazz Bass, but it doesn't sound bad, either – I would do a show with one without worrying about it. I have other basses, but wanted to add an inexpensive short scale to my stable, and this bass was exactly what I wanted. I may upgrade the pickup later – I may not. For now, it falls between my 34" scale and 28.6" scale basses, and it's fun to play. I'm very happy with it.Pcake

I ended up using this bass for songs where long scale can be a bit difficult. My main bass is an imported '54 P Bass copy, Alder body and maple neck/fingerboard. It had to go into a local shop for some major nut repair, and I needed something to play around with. Off the rack, it was a pretty great bass for the price. The neck is very well crafted, no sharp fret edges like some imported instruments. It's an agathis body, so the tone can be kind of bland, but compared to older Squier Broncos, it seems that all of the bridge and neck contact one piece of wood on the multi-piece construction, so sustain isn't too bad. The bad: The tuners are pretty sorry and are an oddball size, which makes replacement with good tuners very difficult. My E and A tuners rattle some, but all four do hold tune pretty well for cheap tuners. Also, the stock pickup is a six-pole ceramic Strat pickup, so it can sound…odd when bending strings. The other bad is the bridge: although it intonates pretty well, two saddles can make proper intonation difficult to achieve along with proper radius. Also, the bridge mounting pattern is almost impossible to replace with another bridge–four hole lock-down and quick-release style bridges DO work, but the bridge is mounted a little too far forward, and intonation is almost always sharp on the upper end of the fingerboard. Gotoh 201's are also very difficult to adapt to fit. But for its price point, some of these cons are easily fixed. I have a Mojotone Alnico V lipstick Strat pickup in mine with CTS 500K pots. It sounds excellent–it fools some of my buddies about how cheap it is. This bass could probably also benefit from a bar retainer near the nut. It went from an around the house beater to a mainstay for certain songs.Isher

my dad, a professional and extremely experienced bass guitarist, bought me this for christmas last year, and i love it. this is the first bass i've ever picked up and it's easy to play, is well built, has a nice feel to it, etc. i highly recommend it for beginners. i play it in my school band class and it fits in very well with the rest of the instruments. however it can fall out of tune easily and the pickup isn't the best, but ultimately it's the most perfect beginner bassout there, especially for the low price, it's high qualityace

Sound: when you own a sterling bass you do know, what your getting in quality . this bass is heavier then my sterling sub music man. same bass just diff color .the pick up of course is still amazing ,from my sub to this bass today. Ease of Use: i pulled out the box, was not in tune from shipping of course. used my d,addario head stock tuner on it, was only off a little from shipping. easy to retune and play out of the box. Quality: i love these bass., i have small hands. witha full scale to the get the best of the tone possible, long scale is the only way for me. small hand will use the neck as a whole. Value: would buy this for any one starting. would also buy another my self lol i have two lol Manufacturer Support: never had an issue Overall: awesome for the money, get great workmenship right out of the box, a small tune . after shipping of course. love the balance and small necks for my small hands. does not take away sustain. bass talks if you listen. so this is the second one i owned and would own another.Mickey

Love this thing! I had a problem with the sound on the first one but Musicians Friend got me all straightened out. The midrange sound was really quiet while the highs and lows were loud. They sent me a new one and took the return on the bad one. The replacement sounds great! I had a setup and new strings done by my local music shop and she sounds amazing. Intonation is now spot on. I love the look and feel of this one with all the rounded edges. Love the sound. She has a snarl in the low end that I haven't heard with any other company. I also own a squire 60s classic vibe p bass but i think i like the sound of this one better. My only complaint is that she's a little heavier than my Squire otherwise im super happy with this purchase. Thank you Musicians Friend for the smooth return and your amazing customer service. If you're looking for a quality beginner bass this one is a great choice.Matt

Love the sound of this heavy, neck diving beast. There's lots of tone to play with using the 5-way pickup selector. If played light enough you can avoid the fret buzz, of which is hard to get rid of with truss and saddle adjustments, but that can be said of a heavy hand on most guitars in general. The neck dive is severe like all the weight is really just the neck, but I don't notice it much when playing. It's just something to keep in mind if you play standing and lift both hands off the guitar to quickly adjust a mic or amp knob settings. The finish is kind of satin, as if it were printed on with an ink jet printer. It leaves the soft wood body pretty vulnerable to slow moving collisions against sharp corners. The Pre-Black Friday sale price on this guitar is a STEAL though! Definitely worth it for a Music Man bass sound for recording, or gigging if your willing to put up with the minor issues of weight and neck dive.Zach