Minor Scale Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

The Mikro bass plays, looks and sounds great. The extra-short scale length does not compromise the traditional bass tone it produces. I have played 6-string guitar for over 40 years, including many professional gigs and teaching. I own over a dozen topnotch guitars. But this is my first bass, and I chose Mikro on the recommendation of a trustworthy friend. I have been doing my own repair work on guitars for decades, and can say the Mikro bass is impressively well made, and arrived decently set up with new, good strings. Fret work, neck, nut, tuning machines, bridge, fingerboard, finish, electronics are all virtually flawless; and the tobacco sunburst color I chose looks really nice, with a "vintage" vibe. I replaced the stock chrome dome knobs (which are nice ones) with Gibson-style knobs so I can see numbers for volume and tone settings. I really like the tone of the Mikro, especially the "Precision" style pickup–the one closer to the neck, from which it's easy to get a classic P-bass tone in conjunction with the tone control, which also works great. Ibanez chose a great capacitor value for the tone knob. The bridge position ("Jazz" style) pickup is just OK–usable, and not bad, but nothing remarkable, and it's especially lackluster when used solo, without any of the P-style pickup dialed in. That is the only part of this bass, other than the knobs, I would consider upgrading in the near future (maybe also the potentiometers, but even those feel smooth and responsive out of the box). The satin-finish neck feels great, and is a breeze to play, even for someone like me, who is coming to the bass from years on guitar. The tuning stability of the Mikro is remarkably great. So the latest versions of the Mikro basses are a phenomenal bargain! I would not hesitate to recommend a Mikro to anyone considering moving from guitar to bass, or to someone with smaller hands. From what my bassist friends tell me, the Mikro is great for any bassist PERIOD.NYC Slide Guitarist trying bass

Overall: I've been playing for years, mostly Fenders, Tobias and a heavily modified Decca short scale from the 60s. This is my first Ibanez bass and I am blown away! I chose the brown burst finish, and took a chance on the "blemished" version. Been looking at it all day and I can't find any imperfection anywhere. Definitely wanted short scale, light weight and a fast neck, this one has all 3 and then some. Set up out of the box was close, very close, with only a slight fret buzz on the E string. A very small adjustment at the saddle took care of it. The stock pickups sound good, the tone knob has useful range, everything sounds quite good through everything I've played it through so far (Fender, Orange, antique Earth head, etc.). Overall, I couldn't be happier!Bryan

An utterly great bass overall. It's perfect for someone with a low budget, or someone who's new to learning bass. Also good for children or people with small hands since it's a short-scale. This was my first bass and I still play it a lot. Not only is it cheap, but it has a really good tone, a nice feel to it, and a beautiful orange finish (if that is the finish you chose). The only bad thing I have to say about this is that it got some fret buzz to it but in all honesty, it's not that bad. I love Ibanez basses, I own several and this one is absolutly great.Logan

I got the Squier Mini P-bass in Dakota Red, it looks great, no finish issues. I'm a guitar player and I love the size, it's a blast to play, the scale length isn't too far from a guitar, it sounds pretty good and is comfortable to sit with. The pickup is fair, it would definitely make a great bass for a younger player or a small adult that is uncomfortable with a full size bass… and for someone like me that just wants to play around on it for fun and do some some basslines on home demo recordings it is sweet. With a couple of upgrades it could be a mini monster.Mark

I’d read reviews of how good this bass is and had to check it out for myself! I’m starting uni soon so wanted a cheap small bass to take with me. Fit and finish is very good as was the setup. Just had to slightly tweak the intonation. It’s really quick and easy to play and actually sounds very precision like 👍🏼 The G string can have a slight ‘sizzle’ to it but nothing too untoward. The tuners aren’t the best but seem to hold tune ok. I did replace the strap buttons as they are minuscule and my strap came off them too easily. Overall a fun and great sounding addition to anyone’s collection.Nic S.

The Carcassi Etude alone makes this book worth it! It's no wonder these are calles the "Segovia Scales" for electric bass.Fretboard Johnny

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

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

As a relative newbie to bass playing I thought I'd invest in something a bit better than my basic P bass. As soon as I picked it up it felt light and comfortable. I like compactness of the guitar and how easily could find the strings and frets when practicing . . which makes my learning process quite a bit easier. The sound quality is both good and varied with Hofners pick up set up. The bass just looks good too, which I know doesn't influence the playing experience etc but it makes you want to just pick it up and play. Overall I'm very pleased with my purchase and look forward to many an hour practicing . . . and maybe even making some progress too.Duncan S.

I got this exact bass in green here from Musician's Friend (stupid deal of the day). I have played about 20 or more live shows with it send it definitely holds up.. it has a very big sound and is extremely lightweight, which is fantastic because we move around a lot. The craftsmanship is pretty good, probably adequate to that of the Epiphone viola, but with a cooler color. I constantly get compliments on the color. The only thing I'd say I would have liked better is if they had put a little more quality or craftsmanship into the control panel. It's not horrible at all, it definitely does the trick, it just kind of looks plain Jane. I would suggest switching out the volume and tone knobs with the vintage style tea cup knobs. That's what I did, and it really helps dress the bass up.Arrow

I'm a keyboard player getting back into playing bass after decades away, so I did a fair amount of research before this purchase, and I'm glad I did. There is a very really difference in quality between the 'Contemporary' and 'Ignition' Hofners, both in terms of finish and sound – The contemporary has better sustain and more 'richness' in the bass end. If you are wanting either something approaching an 'electric upright' or a classic McCartney sound, then the Contemporary will get you nearer than the Ignition – it's not in the 'German Made' class but unless you've got 2 grand to spend… Mine arrived on time and well set up. Very pleased with it.Willow S.

Received one from MF and put it through my usual testing: Results were mixed in that the bass itself looks good, seems pretty well made and plays really nicely. Frets were in good shape and seated well. Intonation/ set up were good. The neck is wider than most other basses, but not uncomfortably so. The light weight of the bass is a real plus for me. On the negative side, I did notice some 60 cycle hum from the pickup that got very noticeable once it was plugged into my stage amp. The extremely loud hum was even more annoying when the bass was run through a chorus effect. Not good! But, when I gave it the "gig test", the sound (other than the annoying hum) was very good. Well balanced across the strings and more than enough edge to cut through the drums, guitars, monitors etc. and sat well in the overall mix. Depending on your eq settings, this bass can get deep lows and smooth highs that compliment a slap sound without sounding "clacky". But I had to cut the volume knob to zero after every song because of the loud hum…. So, I sent it back for a replacement and … uh oh…. yep, same problem with the next one. I will try figuring a way to ground the pickup or changing out the pickup to alleviate the problem because otherwise the bass is quite good as is. I would recommend this bass but with reservations because of the pickup problem.Heard the bass

I received this bass guitar as a gift from my family this past Christmas. I am absolutely in love with this guitar. I own many bass guitars, from two Fender Jazzies, to a Squire Jaguar, also two acoustical basses, and a 1976 Rickenbacker 4001. This is just a beautiful playing, and sounding, bass guitar, as well having stunning looks. I am going to keep this bass for the long term. One of the Jazz's is for sale at this very moment… If you want something that has a unique look, and is easy to play and get many different sounds from, this could be your ticket. For the price,are you kidding? Recommended!Ed Conley, Bass Guitarist

I've been playing guitar for many years. Dealing with the pandemic isolation, I decided to teach myself bass guitar. I have had standard scale basses in the past but never warmed up to them. I tried a short scale and, viola, I now enjoy the instrument. Guild has been making quality products for ages and this bass continues the tradition. I'm glad to have it in my guitar family. I would recommend this bass.Bruce D

Superb joinery, finish and fretwork. I find this bass to be very comfortable to play and especially like the neck width (narrow) and profile. Don't understand why it ships with round wound strings, because this bass cries out for flats! I put some Chromes on mine almost as soon as I got it. Do take note that many short-scale string sets are too short for this bass because even though it is, in fact, a short scale, medium-scale string sets generally fit it better due to the greater distance between the "harp" tailpiece's saddles and ball end attachment points (when compared to, say, many Fender bass bridges). The individually height-adjustability of the pickup pole pieces is nice for dialing in even string-to-string response. On many other basses, this procedure is more a matter of "splitting the difference", since it involves raising or lowering the entire pickup. In response to another reviewer's comment about limited tones: I have found that to whatever extent this may apply due to the single pickup configuration and passive circuitry, the tonal palette of this instrument can easily be expanded with careful amp selection, an outboard pre-amp and/or various pedals (not that it can't stand on it's own, unsupplemented). I run mine through 2 amps simultaneously (isolating the signals with a Lehle AB/Y pedal): adding very mild gain/distortion to one output with a Darkglass pedal and leaving the other clean to maintain fullness of the lower freqs. If you're wondering about the ergonomics, the body is almost exactly the same size as that of a Gibson ES-335. If mine got stolen or destroyed, I would immediately buy another one. I've tried several other basses since buying a Starfire, and always wind up going back to them: they just look, sound and feels "right". I also have a Starfire II, but don't like the Starfire I any less on account of that and don't plan on getting rid of either one. IMHO, Guild really "hit one out of the park" with this bass.Mr. Thunderbritches

This bass was intended to complete my small collection of bass guitars. I had considered other semi hollow body instruments such as Epiphone and Fender. However, I'm not a fan of anything made in China or Indonesia but I have owned Korean crafted instruments in the past and I can say I've never had a complaint about them whatsoever. This Guild Starfire is a very comfortable short scale bass. The neck is narrow at the nut, similar to a jazz bass, and the string spacing is not too tight for me. The sound is very familiar to anyone who follows the early days of 1960's psychedelic rock bands, Jefferson Airplane. or The Byrd are two great examples. But this Starfire definitely holds its own in any country or western music genre band. My own band mates complimented and love the sound it produces. It's definitely enough as a single pickup model, but there is also a two pickup model also available. But I prefer the original look, feel and sound of this single pickup Starfire bass.Taino Ti

I'm an experienced guitar player and builder, but a dabbler in bass. My current instrument is a 6 string Ibanez with active pickups and 3 band EQ, but I wanted something simpler with a short scale. I originally looked at the Music Man version of this instrument, but as a hobbyist, $2000+ seemed a bit much. The Sterling version made more financial sense, and Musician's Friend's Memorial Day Sale sealed the deal for me. This is a good, workable instrument with decent action and great tone. (Disclaimer: I've only played this bass through a set of modellers – A bass amp is in my near future.) The single pickup is fine – And all of the positions on the 3 knobs are musical. The quality dropped copper finish and hardware belong on a much more expensive instrument.Mark V

I bought this mostly just for fun and noodling around. I hadn't had a short scale in a long (ha!) time. Solid instrument SUPER HOT output! This thing is loud. Somehow. It's passive which surprised me. When I tried this out in-store, nobody knew what the controls were. So, now I know. The electronics are completely different from (oh no do we need a new retronym now?) a … "regular?" … StingRay: 1. Volume with push/ push boost 2. 3-way switch in the middle on the plate allows you to run the pickup in series/ parallel/ single coil. 3. Passive tone control. In the looks department, it compares favorably to its Big Cousin, the StingRay. A case that fits just about perfectly: https://www.guitarcenter.com/Road-Runner/RRDWE-Deluxe-Wood-Electric-Guitar-Case.gc … I asked the staff at GC Atlantic City their opinion of the fit and they were like "Oh wow that really is a great fit!" This exact case is shown in the photos with the bass in it. Might want like an extra 1/2" of padding for top-to-bottom security maybe. We'll see. The bad: fret ends were not well finished. I had to get some putty to fill them in a bit. Not sure if this is a "sat in a box across the ocean for a while" kind of problem or a fit/ finish build problem.Mike

I was looking for a good short scale bass to ease my shoulder stress during long sets. I also didn't want to spend too much as I already have several basses. The cutaways, low weight, and thin neck make it very comfortable to play so I think I chose right. The pickup is also right up my alley as I have never really liked active basses. The three way switch has some good variance and haven't really disliked any of the tones I've gotten from the bass. If you're looking for a short scale you should definitely look into this one. My only gripe was I noticed some neck dive while playing. I bought the dropped copper version which is made of a different wood than the other colors so maybe the nyatoh wood is lighter than the mahogany versions. I plan on switching out the stock tuners soon to lighter tuners to correct that issue, but even as it stands currently I wouldn't say it's a deal breaker.Josh L

I bought this guitar after a long time away from playing. I was looking for a reasonably-priced, full-featured instrument that would serve as a good re-entry to my music practice, and this fits the bill. It's compact, has an onboard tuner, sounds great acoustically with the option to plug in an amp whenever I decide to go that route. I'm going to enjoy getting back up to speed with this mini bass.Stephen

Long-time guitar player, first-time buying a bass. I purchased the Cordoba after contemplating another brand with rubber strings. I never could get my hands on one to try. Guitarcenter in my area stocks the Cordoba. I like the more traditional wound strings on the Cordoba, the scale length and the overall construction. This Cordoba stays in tune really well. It sounds good acoustic but sounds great amplified. I love this little bass – a blast to play. The onboard tuner is a big plus. Cons – action was a big high, but no string buzz, a fair trade off – and I would expect the higher action with a bass with a short scale. I will adjust the truss rod with the included tool. Bridge saddles feel plastic, but at this price it isn't an issue.Matt J

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

I’ve been playing a Taylor 310 for 25 years and was looking for something smaller and lighter to transport. Having read a lot of reviews and listened to the videos I thought I would try the GS Mini Koa and see what all the fuzz was about. This guitar sounds amazing! The Koa gives it a depth AND sparkle that you don’t expect from a small guitar. I keep asking myself does it lack depth compared to my dreadnought, technically it does but actually I don’t miss it because the sound is so full. The volume too is quite exceptional, I tend to strum a lot with a pick and don’t mind digging in hard….. this guitar just sings under those circumstances. It get’s louder and louder without noticeably going out of tune. At the other end there is such clarity and sustain that quiet finger picking also sounds great. You can easily hear a single note melody within a chord. Are there any downsides? Well if you have big hands then the reduced neck length may feel too cramped…. For me this is actually more comfortable than a full size neck but you wouldn’t want it any smaller. In summary I’m blown away, just amazing.David

Wow… what a stunner! Opening the case for the first time was quite an experience. This is a seriously beautiful guitar with beautiful craftsmanship. As a beginner with small hands (even for a lady) I have found acoustic guitars in the past to be very uncomfortable to play, the size of the body, the width of the neck, the high action, and after struggling with a Lorenzo Flame Series for the past year I decided enough was enough, electrics aren't almost impossible to play so why should I have to struggle with acoustic? I did some research and everything was pointing me towards the Taylor GS Mini-E series. Holding this guitar in my hands for the first time felt like a revelation. It felt like Taylor had made a guitar specifically for me – wearing a strap the body fits easily under my arm and my fingers just know exactly where they're meant to go. The sound of the guitar is rich and vibrant with a bright top tone – quite a feat in a parlour size guitar. After watching reviews it seems that this is due to the Koa body. The guitar also comes with soft, well-padded case that feels like it'll protect well from bumps and bruises whilst travelling. It has some nice shoulder straps so it feels like you're wearing a large (but light!) backpack. The best thing about this guitar though is that it's such a joy to hold and play that I can't put it down; my playing ability has increased so much in the past few weeks since buying it. As a beginner I absolutely recommend this guitar as an introduction to acoustic guitars. If you're a beginner and you've been playing an electric for while but want to get into playing acoustic, try out a Taylor GS Mini-e – it might be the one for you.Laura K.

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

got one used in good condition but discounting the minor scratches and a minor ding near the strap button the quality of the workmanship was excellent for a bass in this price range. Plays really well and only a minor bit of fret buzz which was easy to get rid of by raising the bridge a bit. Action was really low when i got it so it could easily stand to get raised a fraction. The sound is very bass heavy on the neck pickup by itself. You can dial in a bit more treble by using setting 2 and mixing the volume level and tone of the two pickups. The bridge pickup is very treble sounding – almost too thin. If you turn down the tone on the bridge pickup it sounds better. I am not using the bridge p/u by itself ever – seems to be good for maybe only a few songs. Going forward I could see routing out the cavity and putting in a MM type pickup. Other than that the sound can get very close to Jack Bruce/Cream sound along with good Hard Rock to Heavy Metal sounds. You can dial in an acceptable jazz sound or R&B sound but it's not quite there so I'm using this baby for mostly Cream, Steppenwolf, CCR, etc. Works good for old-time R&R. Nice sleek black finish and chrome hardware gives it a nice dark appeal. Pots and controls work well and are smooth. Tuners are good but make the neck a little heavy so maybe replace with ultralights at some point. The neck does tend to dive so I'm moving the strap button nearer to the neck – almost at the end and move the strap button at the end of the body up an inch. I would also recommend a thick strap with rough leather on your shoulder to keep it from slipping – don't use a web strap as this will just let it neck dive when you let go. I'm hoping once i get lighter tuners and move the strap buttons the issue goes away but i can live with it for now. Well worth the asking price but if you can get one in good condition used it will still be a good deal even with minor cosmetic flaws.Bones

The Epiphone EB-3 cherry Bass is one beautiful guitar, but has cosmetic quality issues: The mahogany laminate on the face of the body, was glued on at a very "VERY" slight perpendicular angle, and not parallel with the neckline. (the back laminate IS straight). The fret markers are beautiful pearl, but the ninth fret marker is "blatantly" FLAT WHITE, and stands out like a neon light among the other markers. I can't understand how the person installing them, fail's to do a simple "match" of the inlays (either make them ALL white, or else ALL pearl!)(or REJECT a mismatched one!). (in comparison, my Epiphone Les Paul, has excellent matching pearl fret markers). I ordered a second EB-3, to see if I could get a better one, and had the chance to compare the two within the 45 day grace return period. The second one was worse, and had "TWO" mismatched white fret markers, with the other ones being "pearl". The mahogany laminate of the second guitar was not at all as deep and hypnotically mesmerizing as the first one they had sent, with the second guitar's mahogany appearing very flat, or dead/dull looking. (even though both guitars have polished clear gloss finish).(mahogany wood grain usually looks like a "natural mile deep 3D hologram iridescence", and the grain "dances and changes shapes" in the light as you move it around). Also the red tint on the sides of the second guitar appeared to be a shade lighter, and slightly mismatched appearing to the tint of the laminate tint to me. The first guitar's sides were slightly darker, and matched the laminate beautifully. On the second guitar, the bridge pickup holes were all half misaligned upon the poles with the cover tightened down anyways, right upon the poles permanently crimping each hole distorted over up on the pickup cover. The cover holes are half covering the poles. I kept the first guitar. It had a bit of fret buzz, but my technician fixed it in about 15 minutes. It plays perfect, sounds great!, and looks beautiful!Sir Ripstring

Overall: First of let me say this- the photos on zZounds website, while perfectly fine and acceptable, do not do this bass justice. It is absolutely gorgeous. The quality is high and there are no sharp frets or concerns anywhere. The first thing I did was fiddle with the pickup selector, and the volume and tone knobs to see what I could get out of it. There is a wide spectrum of sound. At it's brightest, it's not super bright, but then again, the first thing I did was put flatwounds on it, so that was expected. But let me tell you- this is one fat bottomed girl! The lows are expressive and the sustain on every string is amazing. There have always been the old Squier vs Fender and Epiphone vs Gibson debates. Epiphone, with this bass, has made the differences a lot harder to spot.Bruce

Great bass. I picked it up to re-record some bass parts that I played on some of my songs with a guitar tuned down an octave. It definitely helped the overall feel of the songs quite a bit. I don't know much about bass guitar and didn't want to get a cheap one, so I figured I'd get this one. It did not disappoint. I think the overall price point and sound/playability makes this instrument great for any application, be it as a higher end student instrument or as a more professional gigging bass. It's a bit on the heavy side even for a bass, so get a good strap to go with it. Don't cheap out on one.Eric, S

Overall: Let me start by saying "Thanks to zZounds" for an awesome program for buying instruments. I've been playing bass for many years now. I know quality when l see and hear it. The Esp B205sm is an awesome bass! zZounds has the best on time delivery in the world. litterally the next day l got my Ltd five string w/case. l open the box and sat back to just look at this bass. The craftmanship is spot on with the attractive maple and ash body. its a thing of beauty for the price. What l usually do when I pick up a bass is listen to the bass wood tone and the neck action before plugging into an amp. listen how the bass resonate, the sustain of the wood and the bridge adjustments. My bass was spot on right out of the box. I didn't have to make any adjustments. "Perfect" I want to give a shout to the engineer that set up my bass. The active three band EQ is just right, but not to much that it sounds thingy. I'm very much pleased with the spalting wood top, the curves, this is a sexy bass. My buddy that plays for various professional bands couldn't put my bass down. He said "the neck action and the string position feels really good". He will purchase one for his up coming tour. when I plugged the bass in "Wow" I personally recommend this bass!!!Jess

This is the first five string I have ever played or owned. That being said one week with this bass and I ordered a Stingray Five. Hooked on a 5 now. I have an American Jazz and MM Stingray 4 as well. This bass has a very solid sound. I purchased it directly off the hanger at the Guitar Center her in Tulsa. For such an inexpensive bass with somewhat tired strings this thing sounds wonderful. I added a little bass and mid on the EQ and rolled the pickups to about 60/40 rear. Fantastic tone. Ash body and a humbucker are the way to go. It does need a bit of set-up and intonation but playability is there in stock condition. If you are looking for a snappy, bright jazzy Jaco type sound this probably isn't your bag but I love it. Easily worth $100-200 more.Jim

Classic Ibanez body shape, neck, tuners and lightweight, like a scaled down Soundgear (SGR) series only sans the unnecessary active bass junk. Knobs are solid metal, not cheap plastic ones found on other low end Ibanez basses. Only thing bass needed out of box was intonation set. No neck adjustments needed and no significant buzz. Strings are round wound (my pref). Would not recommend this bass if you think you need (tone killing) flat wound. I'm not aware of anyone making flatwound strings for a 28.6" scale bass. Note: scale length of this bass (28.6") is shorter than typical short scale (30"). The strings on it are proprietary (Ibanez). You might be able to make some cut down long scale strings work (pain, wouldn't recommend) but the proprietary Ibanez strings are the way to go. MF doesn't sell them for some reason. You can find them online for a very reasonable price online. Buy a couple of extra sets. Pickups are jazz bass style and config (two volumes + one tone) which is my pref. I had zero issues with tone or volume controls. Pickups are all passive. Yah! And tone sounds great, classic jazz bass tones available including a nice Jaco-ish tone with 100% bridge pickup and tone rolled way down. Be wary of review comments from guitar players that don't play bass and buy this bass and suddenly have a lot of opinions about what this bass should and shouldn't be. This bass does not need the bridge, pickups, tuners or electronics replaced to make it a "pro" instrument. All this bass needs to be a "pro" instrument, is a "pro" player playing it. Tone is in your fingers. I highly recommend for beginners and I think experienced players will dig it as well, especially those that appreciate shorter scale instruments.mark5211

My 75 year-old fingers are becoming very arthritic and my two Fender Jazz basses were causing too much pain so I tried the Mikro bass. Its short scale makes playing much easier and less string tension has provided painless fretting. The sound is amazing – from really punchy vintage bass sound to jazz bass to great slapping and with changing pluck position, it mimics a fretless bass beautifully. I am now playing daily and am very happy with this bass. The low cost belies the great sound and quality of the instrument.Paul J

I play short scale & wanted a 5-string but didn't want to spend too much. Having played Ibanez full scale basses I know their quality so figured I'd risk the $200. No risk at all. Greatly exceeded expectations. Solid, a flawless finish & smooth neck. First thing I checked were the frets, as I've seen some inexpensive basses with fret issues. The frets were level with not a sharp edge to be found. This bass is a joy to play. Has good tone & is fast due to the 28.6" scale. Two minor quibbles: 1) wish it had color options like the 4-string Mikro (the transparent red is killer); 2) I'm not a big fan of round wounds & these may be the 'clangiest' I've heard. However, this little bass is so good I see a set of La Bella SS flat wounds in the very near future.John

Fantastic bass guitar, great for scales and solos. Very thin neck for a 6-string and beautiful colours. Feels great to play, surprisingly better feel with the fan frets. Awesome !!! 😃Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I'm a guitar player that switched to bass 20 years ago. I've missed the ability to play full chords and solo in a range that can be easily heard. I tune this bass an octave lover than guitar with the same string relationships. Low E, not B. This bass allows me to do that with no set up issues. If youre coming from a 4 string this will be a wide neck, but 5 string users will adust. It's well balanced and finely finished. LONG REACH TO 1ST FRET ON LOWEST STRING, which is F for me, but I can get it. The fan fret design probably helps to keep string tension equal. I have a Novax (Ralph Novak invented the fret system) so I'm okay with it.Jeff