Thin Neck Bass Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

If you are tired of searching for a professional sound buy this bass. I hated the mim fender deluxe model, but fender did something special with this bass. It has a clear piano like quality to it. My two sire basses sound like toys up against it. I have wasted so much money on lesser basses. I'm just trying to help my fellow bass players out there. Everyone says that I sound good playing my other basses, but there are certain ugly overtones that I don't want to hear in my bass. This bass doesn't have those unwanted frequencies, it is voiced beautifully. I know that most of tone is in the fingers, but at the end of the day you know what you want to hear. If you are an audiophile this is the bass for you. I have spent weeks demoing this bass and no matter what amp you run it through it sounds good. I played it at a church last week and all I can say is it was nasty. My wife ordered mine yesterday for my birthday and it's suppose to arrive today, fingers crossed.Eric

I've owned and played bass guitars for 30 years now and I've owned several fender basses and the myriad clones out there of the J and P basses. That history and background left me with a bias against fender and an eye for other "better" production guitars like the Stingray which is my other go-to bass. That being said, I am blown away by this bass. It is a SOLID instrument with no flaws or blemishes that I can detect. It came from the factory with an almost perfect setup. I had to make a minor intonation adjustment on the low B and E strings but the string height, pickup height, and neck position were perfect. Fender's Ultra Noiseless pickups (a stacked humbucker really) sound great in passive mode emphasizing a fat bottom end and the tone nob adds a good bit of mids. The highs are kinda meh for me but the active switch takes care of that and I can get as bright as I want. The 18v active preamp provides a lot of room to boost or cut low, mid, and high frequencies to get just about any sounds I want (I still prefer my Sting Ray if I want to get real funky). This is about the best sounding 5-string I've had. Most 5-strings sounds great as 4-strings and SUPER muddy when you work the low-b string but this bass brings it out without too much mud.T. DeWees

I bought this base back in April 2022. It sounds great and plays great. However, the front pickup recently quit all together. After a tech looked at it, it was discovered that it was a bad front pickup. It was beyond the store warranty, so I took it up with fender. After 2 weeks of going back and forth between them and the store that I bought it at, it was determined that fender would send the pickup to the technician if my choice and they would fix it. But it would take 30 days because they send it directly from the manufacturer. Which still boggles my mind, because the slowest mail would be less than a week? So my opinion of fender customer service has dropped considerably. A working musician doesn't have 30 days to do without their instrument. This is unacceptable. I decided to purchase the pickup myself. I can get it in the mail in 2 days, and put it in myself. However this is a great base if you happen to get one with good parts in itJerry

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 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'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

Just took delivery of a used Hofner shorty bass in black. Lovely instrument. Fit and finish was fine. I had to do a little bit of intonation setting which took no time. The neck is better than expected. Frets are finished properly and the neck has a nice satin finish. Its not to wide, not too thick and feels great. The pickup delivers and even sound across the strings. There are no dead spots. Volume and tone controls work great and the knurled knobs feel very good. I was able to dial in some of my preferred sounds using the VPF control on my Markbass Blackline 250 going through a Markbass NY604 cabinet. I was also liking the sounds going through an Eden World Tour preamp. Im looking forward to rehearsal tomorrow using the Eden directly into an EV ZLX 12 powered cabinet. The bass came professionally packed and really appeared to be new. Love the padded Hofner gig bad with the logo on it. All in all a great small, inexpensive (but not cheap) bass for practice, performance and especially travel.Miguel404

First of all, this bass is just what I wanted for practicing when traveling. Compact, 24 frets, decent electronics and comes with a gig bag. Intonation was pretty good too. I did adjust the intonation, but that's really only because I'm kind of fussy about intonation. One thing I will say is I had never experienced "neck dive" until I owned this bass like. in the resting position, the bass headstock will point right down to 5 o'clock. Since this is a practice instrument, I made some modifications. I put weight in the body cavity, but the body cavity is not huge, so with extra weight, I could get the neck to hang in the resting position at about 3 o'clock. I next removed the front strap pin and drilled a 3/8" in diameter hole 2" into the body at the same angle as the strap pin screw. I purchased 3/8" aluminum round stock and cut it to 7.5". 2" would insert into the body and 5.5" would remain outside to mount the strap button while extending out to nearly the 12th fret. I painted the round stock black (primer and paint). I mounted (drilled and epoxied) the strap button on the end of the round stock. I think epoxied the extender into the body. It looks pretty darned good and now the bass balances perfectly.Kevin1014

The strings and sound of this bass are great, when it stays in tune. It turns out, the holes drilled for the tuning pegs are too big, so the pegs slip and cause the bass to fall out of tune with almost no use. We only found this out because we thought the pegs were bad, but upon taking them off to install new ones, we realized this fault. If you want a good bass for practice, this one will do fine. I would not recommend it for professionals, unless you want to spend the extra money to drill the holes out further to put in fittings for the pegs.Ryan

Being that there arent any very popular (or effective) battery operated bass amps out there, an Acoustic Bass is really the only option for someone who doesn't have access to a wall outlet, or doesn't want to carry a heavy amp with them. I was hoping to pick one up, but very few were in a price range that I, as a college student, could afford. That is when I found this little gem. The general rule I have found when buying a bass, at least as far as my experiences go, that anything under 300 that you buy will have to have something taken out of it; you can only make an instrument so cheap before it becomes more of a hassle than your time is worth. However, Ibanez has found a way to break this rule time and time again. Starting with the downsides: Do not get this bass expecting it to stand up against the drums and electric guitar unamplified. There isn't an acoustic bass on earth that can pull that off, and if there is, it is way to big to bother with. The pre-amp is OK, but only OK. The output jack is in an odd place. and the wiring would be a pain to deal with as you would have to reach down into the body to get to it. And now for the many, many upsides: It is a bit fat in size, but is very light weight. I usually play an 11 1/2 lb jazz bass, and this thing is such a literal weight off my back (at least a whole 4 lbs). It has an amazing, earthy tone that you just cant get out of a solid body bass. the body is very study, braced very heavily on the inside. As far as Acoustic basses go, this is one of the loudest I have played. The tuner is surprisingly accurate, and very useful. It is also very comfortable to play standing up, and won't strain your back. And the Icing on the cake is that it allow you to practice anywhere, any time, without the need for power. In short, It is very nice, and should be part of your arsenal today. Do not hesitate on this purchase ^_^Koren Rain

This bass exceeded expectations by a country mile. I've had acoustic basses before, and this one plays and projects far better than others I've had that cost a lot more. The Ibanez name tells me that the unit will remain stable and that the company will stand behind it. The factory set-up is fine. Ibanez supplies a higher bridge and hex wrench for neck adjustment, but neither were necessary. Other reviews point to action, "buzz" and low volume. In some cases, these reports may be accurate, but I suspect a lot of folks buy these instruments with unrealistic expectations. Simply stated, acoustic instruments slap, squeak and generally misbehave. This goes for Martins, Ibanez, Guilds…you name it. It is part of the charm of playing acoustic music. Bass strings move more across a long scale length, so you are going to get this in spades. Raising string height to stratospheric levels to overcome these natural traits seems to be something like training a wolf to herd sheep. To me, random tonal excursions are part of the package. Frankly its why I bought the thing and even at that, this bass is pretty well behaved. If you want perfect tones, perhaps a Fender Precision or even a MIDI synthesizer is a better choice for you. As for volume, well, lower tones need far more amplification to carry than their higher pitched cousins. 100 watts out of your Strat needs to be matched by some 400 watts from the accompanying bass. That's simple physics. This bass projects amazingly well, but if you are going to jam in a large group or hall, consider adding a small combo amp. That would go both for this bass or a $2000 custom instrument. Overall, I love the thing. I would buy it again, and I would recommend it without reservation.Ankeny Picker

It arrived like new. Needed some soldering, once done it worked fine. Action was nice. Feels really light compared to other basses I own. The tone is fairly good. The pick ups are a little noises, but fine through my effects board. Tuners seem quite good. I watched other videos on YouTube before buying this and thought it was good for the price.proctor3284

For $219 you can't go wrong Has great response from strings to pickups to amp The volume and tone are also responsive The black pickups are an excellent touch which adds to the all black theme The only criticism I have is the finger board has sharp edges designers should have rounded them off However for the $ it's an outstanding bass which I find hard to distinguish from my more expensive basses Bravo to staggjjblockport

Packaging was secure. Peanuts, wrapping, double boxed. Looks greater than image portrays. Very lightweight bass. Reviews on YouTube are helpful. I have yet to plug it in but apparently you may want to add a little gate but honestly you could just raise the action. I love it as is. It came with tools and a cable. There is some black "polish" that may rub off as you play.John

I really wanted this bass for a long time it just looked so cool in the sea foam green roasted maple neck. I just couldn't get out of my bubble on a p bass. I finally said screw it and give it a try and I'm glad I did. First off i opened this it came perfectly setup and ready to go no fret buzz or anything this is my first multi scale bass and it wasn't hard to get used to once in awhile I'll mess up but I've gotten used to this bass now and it's easy. The sound. While as the pickups are very dark the pre amp cleans it up nicely I choose not to use it tho because I'm more of a passive player it's nice to add for a boost in a song tho so it's cool to have. With a lot of eq and the right cab this comes together really nice I would recommend using stainless steel strings to help give more brightness to this. The body is really nice I can play for hours standing up without problems in the shoulders. I recently bought a new fender p bass for a lot more than this bass and from putting them off together I would say this bass is different and has more benefits than a classic p bass you get a lot more sounds stainless steel frets and the roasted maple neck which I wish was a thing years ago. Which bass would I prefer we'll it be the Ibanez at this point because of all the great features it's priced well plays and sounds great for the money my number one thing about any music I've done for the last twenty years is something that cuts through the mix easily the p bass has always been my go to it's easy and you get to work right away this bass is on that level just add more mids and high end and your set I've been recording music for clients with this bass for about a month now and they are very happy with there recordings I will continue to use this bass for now on no more tuning to e eb d c since I got this I've relearn to play everything in one tuning and it's awesome it saves so much time I couldn't be happier with this bass and would recommend it to anyone out there.Anthony

I had been looking at the EHBs for some time now and finally pulled the trigger. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed. Having severely injured my left shoulder in highschool, the weight of basses caused problems over the years and was only getting worse as time went on; especially 5 and 6-string basses. Problem solved. The weight of the EHB is perfect and I no longer suffer those issues. It's ergonomic design is supremely comfortable both standing and sitting. The variety of tones from the electronics is superb. The instrument arrived in a timely fashion and the setup was spot on. The only "issue" is a slightly cosmetic one involving the top layer of the body not being perfectly aligned with the controls (less than a centimeter gap). It doesn't affect the sound nor playability so it wasn't worth a change in the rating.G. Brown

Overall: This is the nicest bass guitar I have ever owned. It is super light weight, has so many different tones that you can't possible not find what you're looking for. The back of the neck is so soft to the touch is makes for fast playing and very easy slides. The tone this guitar puts out is unbelievable. It is so clean and crisp and clear I don't think any other bass out there sounds this good. The guitar stays in TUNE!!! I use a strobe tuner and on occasion I might have to turn these monster tuners maybe 1/20th of a turn. The intonation was perfect right out of the box. The bridge is so beefy. I think this is Ibanez's best bridge they have ever made. The strap locks are sturdy and beautiful as all of the hardware is. This neck is awesome and beautiful craftsmanship. The wood used for the body is gorgeous and the dragon's eye finish is spectacular. My wife is very jealous of this instrument or should I say work of art. BUY IT!! You will not regret it.Robert

I really wanted this bass for a long time it just looked so cool in the sea foam green roasted maple neck. I just couldn't get out of my bubble on a p bass. I finally said screw it and give it a try and I'm glad I did. First off i opened this it came perfectly setup and ready to go no fret buzz or anything this is my first multi scale bass and it wasn't hard to get used to once in awhile I'll mess up but I've gotten used to this bass now and it's easy. The sound. While as the pickups are very dark the pre amp cleans it up nicely I choose not to use it tho because I'm more of a passive player it's nice to add for a boost in a song tho so it's cool to have. With a lot of eq and the right cab this comes together really nice I would recommend using stainless steel strings to help give more brightness to this. The body is really nice I can play for hours standing up without problems in the shoulders. I recently bought a new fender p bass for a lot more than this bass and from putting them off together I would say this bass is different and has more benefits than a classic p bass you get a lot more sounds stainless steel frets and the roasted maple neck which I wish was a thing years ago. Which bass would I prefer we'll it be the Ibanez at this point because of all the great features it's priced well plays and sounds great for the money my number one thing about any music I've done for the last twenty years is something that cuts through the mix easily the p bass has always been my go to it's easy and you get to work right away this bass is on that level just add more mids and high end and your set I've been recording music for clients with this bass for about a month now and they are very happy with there recordings I will continue to use this bass for now on no more tuning to e eb d c since I got this I've relearn to play everything in one tuning and it's awesome it saves so much time I couldn't be happier with this bass and would recommend it to anyone out there.Anthony

I had been looking at the EHBs for some time now and finally pulled the trigger. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed. Having severely injured my left shoulder in highschool, the weight of basses caused problems over the years and was only getting worse as time went on; especially 5 and 6-string basses. Problem solved. The weight of the EHB is perfect and I no longer suffer those issues. It's ergonomic design is supremely comfortable both standing and sitting. The variety of tones from the electronics is superb. The instrument arrived in a timely fashion and the setup was spot on. The only "issue" is a slightly cosmetic one involving the top layer of the body not being perfectly aligned with the controls (less than a centimeter gap). It doesn't affect the sound nor playability so it wasn't worth a change in the rating.G. Brown

Overall: This is the nicest bass guitar I have ever owned. It is super light weight, has so many different tones that you can't possible not find what you're looking for. The back of the neck is so soft to the touch is makes for fast playing and very easy slides. The tone this guitar puts out is unbelievable. It is so clean and crisp and clear I don't think any other bass out there sounds this good. The guitar stays in TUNE!!! I use a strobe tuner and on occasion I might have to turn these monster tuners maybe 1/20th of a turn. The intonation was perfect right out of the box. The bridge is so beefy. I think this is Ibanez's best bridge they have ever made. The strap locks are sturdy and beautiful as all of the hardware is. This neck is awesome and beautiful craftsmanship. The wood used for the body is gorgeous and the dragon's eye finish is spectacular. My wife is very jealous of this instrument or should I say work of art. BUY IT!! You will not regret it.Robert

So I originally wanted to buy a Taylor T5 because they feel so good and sound so awesome. This guitar sounds just as good as a Taylor T5 and about the third of the price. And its appearance is just absolutely beautiful. I was all set to upgrade the strings and set it up to my own preferences but once I started playing it it was just perfect. Vendor was excellent to work with. Very professional. Very efficient. The guitar was delivered a day earlier740*gn

This is my first classic style guitar. Its heavy, really heavy, I thought it would be light to pick up. Its really well made. The pick up are great and very bright. Shipping strings are good. No case or cover, box was well done, awesome even. Has a nubone nut, had to lube quite a bit for tuning. I feel like its a bit over priced, but that might just be me. Again, its solid, like you can smack someone with it and it won't care. I love the head stock. I got this because my hands are falling into ruin from diabetes. I'm trying really hard to find a falt for it, its just a beefy hard core classic style guitar. Volume is pretty low. If your getting into nylon strings i'd recommend it. I honestly can't find any faults for it. Heavy, beefy, Rawr.Meatpopsicle

So after about 40 years of playing music and traveling everywhere I had never actually owned and played a hybrid acoustic guitar. I wanted a Taylor T5, so sweet. $2000 was more than I wanted to give to add to my collection of 30 guitars already. My I caught this gorgeous ESP Telluride acoustic electric guitar. Playing it acoustically was nice but running it through an amp I was extremely impressed with the overall sound quality specially wearing a suit of quality headphones such as you would use in a recording session. I had about a third of the price of the T5 the quality is exceptional, not as good as a T5 before the price it is well worth it. I love this guitar and since I've bought it I rarely play anything else. Awesome guitarGary

So I originally wanted to buy a Taylor T5 because they feel so good and sound so awesome. This guitar sounds just as good as a Taylor T5 and about the third of the price. And its appearance is just absolutely beautiful. I was all set to upgrade the strings and set it up to my own preferences but once I started playing it it was just perfect. Vendor was excellent to work with. Very professional. Very efficient. The guitar was delivered a day earlier740*gn

This is my first classic style guitar. Its heavy, really heavy, I thought it would be light to pick up. Its really well made. The pick up are great and very bright. Shipping strings are good. No case or cover, box was well done, awesome even. Has a nubone nut, had to lube quite a bit for tuning. I feel like its a bit over priced, but that might just be me. Again, its solid, like you can smack someone with it and it won't care. I love the head stock. I got this because my hands are falling into ruin from diabetes. I'm trying really hard to find a falt for it, its just a beefy hard core classic style guitar. Volume is pretty low. If your getting into nylon strings i'd recommend it. I honestly can't find any faults for it. Heavy, beefy, Rawr.Meatpopsicle

So after about 40 years of playing music and traveling everywhere I had never actually owned and played a hybrid acoustic guitar. I wanted a Taylor T5, so sweet. $2000 was more than I wanted to give to add to my collection of 30 guitars already. My I caught this gorgeous ESP Telluride acoustic electric guitar. Playing it acoustically was nice but running it through an amp I was extremely impressed with the overall sound quality specially wearing a suit of quality headphones such as you would use in a recording session. I had about a third of the price of the T5 the quality is exceptional, not as good as a T5 before the price it is well worth it. I love this guitar and since I've bought it I rarely play anything else. Awesome guitarGary

I have been a bass player for 30 years. I was happy that my 13 year old daughter wanted to take up the instrument. She learned Ukelele well enough that I was willing to listen but no way was she using my basses because I see how she takes care of her room. Her arms were too small anyway so I researched this Ibanez mikrobass. What a delight! The walnut finish is fantastic and the tone when unplugged is tremendous. Plugged in, it was a little clackety-clack and the tone knob is almost literally nothing so I put daddario XL Flatwounds 50-100 (a recent discovery from which I will never return) and took care of that problem. The tuners seem a little slack when Im tuning it up. If I were to make a change, it would be the tuners. But theyre fine enough. It is exactly the size of my six string guitars so I was able to devote a quality gig bag that I dont use much for the cause. My daughter is encouraged by it although she hasnt quite dug in yet. However if she decides not to play after all, this will remain in my collection. Its just SO FUNboredofthisalready

I play in my home studio and record my bass along with mp3's of my favoritie songs, I make videos for self critique and to share with other bass players in my FaceBook bassists group. I recently sold my Ibanez SR755 5 string because I was not thrilled with the B string sound. Now I find the B sounds better to my ear with this bass that costs one third of the SR755…Amazing. I prefer passive electronics and the GSR205SM with it's Phat EQ give me the best of both worlds or active or passive. With the EQ turned counter clockwise the bass sounds like a passive and as you turn up the EQ the bass responds well and gives me an edge on the sound. Best of all there is no Floppy B string farty tone. the B sounds more musical. I want to address the weight of this bass. It is light as a feather especially after playing my Warwick. I can play for extended periods of time without having back pain issues. As to the statement of other reviewers about this being a great beginner's bass, let me add that in the hands of a seasoned player it sounds and feels as good as you'd want it to sound as well. This bass sounds totally different than my Fenders and Warwick and I find that to be advantageous.Preston

Overall: I bought this without playing it, but was very pleased right out of the box. My fingers were black after a few minutes of playing due to the dirty strings, but that didn't dampen my opinion by any means (but good idea to purchase a new set of strings along with the bass). Bought the Walnut Finish (looks more expensive) for use with my SC-300 Boss Looper (also purchased from zZounds). It sounds great! I'm not onstage playing head banger metal, so don't need that rumbling low end anyway. But the pickup configuration def gives you a lot of low end. Even though I've been playing guitar and bass for over 30 years, I would use this bass onstage, AND more importantly, if you are introducing anyone to playing bass – this will be a much easier learning bass due to the size. It still feels like a 'bass' and it's not tiny or anything, but it doesn't feel clunky like a bigger bass does. I'm looking forward to using this for a long while, and assuming it holds up over the next few months I'll likely grab another one just to have a backup. Don't hesitate if you need for a recording bass, or onstage. And def great for a beginner to keep them from losing interest due to most basses being too large for them.Jason

This is a really good starter bass, IMO. It came well set up and ready to play right after I tuned it up. Intonation was good. Neck was straight and the fretwork did not need any repairs. Pickups seem to be decent. Fun to play. Short scale was the right choice for me. The extra 4" for a full scale would have really been an uncomfortable stretch for me.Clay

Right out of the box, was amazed at the quality of the finishes. Great balance. The neck was a terrific surprise as it came with no sharp frets and so comfortable. The electronics are not the highest of quality but they do work. The set up was amazing and initially had fret buzz on low E at 7th fret. Tuned it and has lessoned, I may need to tweak a bit. But for price who could go wrong! I should have ordered another one and will continue to check to see if they go back on sale again. Even at regular price if the deliver what I received then it is great value for the money. I happened to get mine when they were 1/2 off regular price so am super pleased.carol2m

Completely unusable out of the box. Neck was bowed like a half pipe. Various high frets had to be filed down, and it was impossible to intonate. E string nut was cut so deep it is almost even with the fretboard. Theres no wood on the tuner side to replace the nut like a Fender where there would be a wooden slot to fit a nut into. I'm trying to build it back up w/ some epoxy and filings off a bone my dog was chewing on & will refile. Otherwise, I'll use it for firewood. I had some higher end parts and the experience to make this a decent little bass but if you dont, save your money or go w/ an Ibanez or Jackson in a budget short scale. Or spend more on a Fender.Matty G

I was looking for a bass with a jazz style neck. I have the five-string version of this bass already and have been very happy with it. Easy to play, adjustable string spacing, super stable neck, and great pick=ups. I wish they made this exact bass with a solid ash body but other than that you can't ask for better build quality and or playability,Eric