Fret Buzz On Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

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

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

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

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 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

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.zack short

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.Metal alex

Rec'd it new in the box from Sam Ash. Candy Apple Red looks very nice. I didn't get as lucky as some in that the set up was not very good. I mean, it plays really easy, but fret buzz all over the neck which comes through the amp. Too low I guess. It didn't want to "keep" the battery in without some fumbling around. Stayed in once the lid was closed. There is a small cut on the side of the fretboard, but doesn't look like an issue. Sounds pretty good in this price range. Played an Ibanez 655 which smoked it in every way, but just out of the price range at this time (near twice the price). So, new strings and 65 bucks for a set up and I think this will be fine for awhile. In this price range I am not dissapointed. It is what I expected except for hoping I could get away without having to have it set up for just a bit. Actually, in this price range, it really is the best I have seen.Chuck

Other reviewers' complaints about the front veneer are specific to this color (you can see the odd 2-tone effect in the photos). This model also comes in "root beer," tobacco burst, and translucent black. Those finishes all blend the front veneer pretty seamlessly with the mahogany back, while still showing some nice front grain (very subtly in black). Yamaha's Indonesian-made 174 series mixes together fairly unbeatable features and tone in this price range. They aren't the world's fanciest basses, but they make no serious compromises. Necks are 1-piece maple (no 5-piece matchsticks). Bodies are made from real tonewoods: 3-piece mahogany (174EW) or 3-piece alder (174). The P/J pickup combination offers a wide range of tones, with solid electronics throughout. Nice touches: The neck is skinny (like a Jazz Bass') but extended to 24 frets. The downsized body is really lightweight, while substantial enough to be resonant. With the right EQ, these can really punch. Only downsides: I played 2 of these at my local GC, and noticed a real difference in tone. So I'd recommend buying from a local store where you can compare 2-3 copies. Also, the neck's satin finish feels a bit coarse to me. (I love satin finishes, but like them smoother.) While priced like a beginner's bass or impulse purchase, these are well-made, viable, giggable instruments. I've had my similar RBX270F fretless for years, and love it. (Especially since Victor Wooten signed its headstock.)Bass Desires

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.Kulokoo

They say this is a beginner bass well call me a beginner. I love it!! I have nothing bad to say about this bass. Light weight easy to play great feel! I love the mango look I've had many good comments on how great it looks on stage. And yes I bought a second one. And to think I bought the first one by mistake wow I guess that's how it happens. Don't get me wrong I love American made basses, but they are killer on my old back. LOL.Muss

I've got gold evo on a couple of guitars. When I decided to build another one, I chose this first. It's harder than traditional nickel fret wire. Not too hard to work though, and it lasts 20 times longer.simonbaker

Just put a few of these in today and they are starting to look pretty good. The color goes all the way through so no worries when you're leveling crowing and polishing them. They're pre-radiused so installing them is a snap.otterdale-post

This fret wire is easy to tool. Installed in a carvin guitar for a customer. Bends fairly easy. I cut to length with a dremel diamond saw. Fret files go through easily. There are different grades of stainless steel and I am sure this is not the toughest there is. I don't think one would want that anyway because it would certainly be very hard to level and recrown. It polishes up to a high sheen. Now, how will it stand up? We will have to see. The guy really wore the old frets out on the guitar so I know he will put these stainless steel frets through a workout. I hope to inspect them sometime in the future. But so far they were pretty much the same process installing them as nickel/silver frets. I will probably install more in the future. Really turned out to be one of the best fret jobs I have ever done. The guy was really happy. If your trying to decide on it and you or someone else has refretted before just go for it. Should not be that different from normal fret wire. Russrusskull

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

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

Almost 40 years of playing experience and this bass is by far the best value that I've experienced. I've had my share of Precisions, Jazz basses, etc. over the years up to the $1500 range. When the pandemic kicked in I had sold most of my equipment but decided I had to have one bass. The neck is solid and similar to a P-bass thickness which I prefer and I don't need a 24-fret, 2 octave one anymore based on playing blues, jam, reggae, and rock. The tonal landscape is phenomenal rolling off the treble or bass dependent upon what I'm playing. Bright highs and deep lows are easily accomplished. I've never written a review before, but this was worthy of the time. Enjoy!Steve

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

I'm a long time guitarist with some really fine instruments who decided to pick up a "value" bass just to learn for fun. Knowing what to look for in guitars, I translated that over to basses and went to GC to try some out, see what appealed to me, and how far I could stretch the dollars I was willing to spend on an instrument to start out and, maybe, stick with. I found this Sterling by Music Man Ray4 in mint green that filled the bill on all fronts. As usual, the guys at GC let me try several instruments and test to my hearts content. I do all my own guitar set-ups and would never buy a guitar sight unseen, being worried about how much adjustment might be needed. The Ray4 wasn't too bad out of the box (quite literally because I didn't like the display instrument and they had another in stock for me to try). Once home, I did adjust neck relief, string height, intonation, and pickup to a point that I liked best. The pickup required the most adjustment actually because it had gotten stuck in an odd and very high position, perhaps from being jostled in shipping. There is some fret sprout on the higher frets, but nothing that would bother my hand. Bottom line: Everything could easily be adjusted to where I really like it and has been stable now over several days. It's comfortable to play and is, in my opinion, a real "looker." The satin finished neck is great and, although I usually don't go for maple fret boards, I do like this one. I'm very pleased with my purchase decision and would buy it again. Now onto attack that fret sprout . . .AARP Rocker

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

I recently recieved my LTD B-206SM and absolutely love it. It is well constructed, solidly built, and heavy. It has a incredible thick, punchy tone. The controls give a variety of tonal capabilities. Because of the mass of the body and 6 strings, I would suggest getting a large FretWrap to cut down on string vibration. If you play standing up, I would also suggest getting a wide, padded bass strap such as the Gruv Gear Neo 4" strap. I sit down most of the time when playing, but use a wide strap anyway. The case in my photo is the Ibanez MRB500C and it fits perfectly. The B-206SM is an excellent bass and an incredible value with a not too high price. I would recommend it highly.RJD

I've had one for about a year and a half and I can't say enough about this beautiful beast. I got it because I wanted to have one bass flexible enough to provide any tone I'd need for 4 hours of rock/blues/country covers. With some 6 string basses, the output and tone can be terribly inconsistent from string to string, particularly if you have a run that uses all 6 of them. This one, however, has an extremely focused and consistent tone and level no matter where you are on the neck. Playing power chords on the 3 treble-side strings sounds clean and almost guitar-like. I'm a tech and a luthier, so naturally when I buy a bass, I go over it with a fine-toothed comb, adjusting and looking for inconsistencies. The setup was already near-perfect and the cavities are tidy and well-shielded and grounded. Yes, it's heavy. It's a serious bass that uses its weight well. strap balance is great, and i got used to the weight and enjoyed the sustain and resonance that solid weight can bring. There are basses with higher end preamps, more sensitive pickups, more exotic woods, but you will not find a better one than this for twice the money. Exceptional finish, build, balance, broad palette of tones, sustain, and playability. Not to mention the wow factor every time someone new sees it. The price has gone up since I bought it, so pick one up before ESP wises up and charges what it's worth.Jamison

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.

I spent 15-20 minutes on the phone attempting to get info on the correct size Fret Wrap. I didn't. The CS person said this one would work. It's too small and depresses the strings rather that just muffling them. I play Ibanez and Fender electrics – so the necks are already pretty small at the nut. The medium size would have been the correct choice. So I can't NOT recommend them. Just get the right size for your needs.YeahOK

The Gruv Gear Fretwrap is easy to use and provides really good dampening on my 6 string bass, making it easier to play the higher register strings without major muting across the fingerboard. Thus avoiding the rumble from the low b string.David T.

As a bass player, Ive finally gotten around to working on the small, but important, parts of my bass playing: cleaning up my sound. Especially while playing fast notes, high up on my bass and without a floating thumb, Ive had too much clutter coming from strings which were ringing sympathetically. Gruv Fretwraps has been a godsend to alleviate that. Is it a crutch? I dunno. Im not paid to be a Puristrcharlesphoto

I've had this guitar for about 10 months, and it's great! It's everything you'd come to expect from the ESP LTD line. But the big question is, "How's that bridge?" My motivation for buying this specific guitar was my unending frustration with the floating tremolo on my previous guitar. We started jumping back and forth between standard and dropped D in our set, and making that work with a FR was a nightmare. With that, I had set out on finding a non-FR or fixed bridge, since I rarely used the trem' anyway. I had always wanted an ESP and the idea of each saddle being independent of one another was compelling. It can take a little to get used to, though. Tuning is done at the bridge, and the tension on the strings is adjusted by the tuning pegs. Once the string has the right amount of tension, that saddle will be "activated" in what is referred to as "zone 2". Here, the springs will counter any additional tension applied to that string up to a given point. This means that you cannot do bends or change the pitch in any real or easy way. Some people may like this, but it feels very odd, and the people at Evertune know that most people don't play like this. So, to get the best of both worlds, you will need to apply enough tension on the saddle to bring it right up to the edge of zone 2 by turning the tuning pegs. What I found to be helpful here is to not just listen for the note to change, but to pull on the string and visually inspect movement in the saddle. Once this is set, it feels like a normal guitar with just a tad more tension on the strings. The guitar will come with 10-gauge strings. I gave that a shot for a while. Only recently did I switch them out for some 9s. I think it feels a lot better with a lighter gauge string, especially considering that tad bit of tension. A tip I learned regarding Dropped D was to tune the guitar down by default. Then tune up the low E, which puts that saddle into "zone 3". This is far easier than the reverse and stiJohn Q. GuitarPlayer

Some set up issues with the bass, but ,at the price I am incredibly impressed with the overall quality, playability and tone. After some adjustments to truss rod, bridge action ( intonation was good) and pickup height I've now got a 5 string J Type bass that I will happily gig when the venues open again. Although not as slick as my MTD and Warwick basses, the Sire gives me a whole range of tones that I can't squeeze out of the other basses. The active eq is really excellent, but the ability to use and adjust the passive circuit with the master tone control makes this more versatile than any of my other basses. Overall, a bit of a bargain with great service on top!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Fabulous, straight out of the box and arrived in tune! Read and watch the reviews, believe the hype. You won't hear a bad word against it. The only negative I found was someone did't like the headstock (which I love). This is an instrument way above its' price point in every regard. It feels quality, the sound is incredible. There's a very good video on Sires site with Mr Miller himself demonstrating it's scope. It's a very versatile instrument, the pre-amp is the same across the whole range and is quality schmutter, the sweepable mids let you fine tune your tone. And you can have it passive too and the option to string through or over the bridge. The rolled fretboard is the icing. I'd gig with this no messing, and can't wait to record with it. If I'd have had the cash, i'd have gone for a V7, but I am over the moon with this.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Bought it as a second bass for the occasions when taking my Thumb Bass gives me too much anxiety. I have owned a Fender USA Jazz once and always liked the idea of a jazz but just found them irritating compared to how well made and thought out the Warwick is. This bass on the other hand is very good value. Its a little rough round the edges and needed quite a bit of setting up to get it right for me but it was playable straight out of the box just the action was quite high. The two things I am impressed by is the tone and the neck. Both of these have been really well thought out and make it (in my opinion) better than the Fender I had. At least I can adjust the truss rod without having to take the thing apart and it stays where I put it. The weight is subjective, yes it's heavier than a Fender, not by much though. However its like a feather compared to the vastly more expensive Warwick. So in conclusion this is great, you get a good bass that plays and sounds much better than the £320 I paid for it and I now have a Jazz bass that doesn't irritate me.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Pre-bent to a slightly tighter radius. This eased installation a great deal. Not cut to uniform lengths, but they were all long enough to get the job done. The cuts were a little sloppy, but they must be filed and finished at the ends either way. Needed very little levelling and dressing. Overall great quality fretwire with uniform radius bends.20 Fingers McGee

The fret wires come in over sized lengths with plenty to work with. I was concerned that the grooves from the removed large jumbo frets would be too loose but they have more than enough tangs that fill and grips the rosewood which can be a bit 'chippy'. I had to adjust the radius of each one which was a bit of a pain that would have been much easier if they left them straight. They filed, leveled and crowned well and are just a bit taller than expected it good quality.001Berek

They are a high quality precision fret wire! After 3 of the Fender frets were installed, I contnually checked fret rocking and was suprised at the results, only 3 frets needed minor leveling after installation was completed. Now my import guitar plays like a High End instrument.timmci85