www.howtolearnbass.com

I got this bass as a terrific bargain on ebay which is why I went for a 7 string. To be honest for learning on the bass a 4 or 5 string instrument would have been a much better choice but I couldn’t resist it at the price (what I would expect to pay for a cheap second-hand 4 string). Also being 7 string there is a great “over the top” element to it.

I had to wait of a couple of months for the guitar to be made but the merchant had made that quite clear in the ad so there was nothing to complain about. I spent the time looking at the photos and worrying about the weight - would it be too heavy to stand up with? I once had a Ibanez double neck that was heavy enough to cut off the circulation in your shoulder when standing and your leg when sitting so I’m not a fan of heavy instruments.

When the delivery man gave me the box I was really surprised that in all the packing it was light enough to carry comfortably with one hand. The real shock was the physical size - this is a big guitar! Strapping it on I thought there was no way I would get used to the size and the weight - it’s still a fair bit heavier than a regular guitar. I’m glad to say that I have got used to it now but you always have to be careful moving about with it.

The first thing to check on was the neck for straightness as cheap guitars can often have neck problems due to saving costs in production. The neck was very good for the price and a bonus was finished and then sanded back down to the wood to give my favorite feel - very smooth without causing your hand to stick. The fretting was done well for almost all of the neck except for a couple of frets on the top two or three strings around the 15th fret. These seem to have been put in carelessly and for a full priced instrument I would have had some complaints. For what I paid I can live with them as just now I will be playing well outside of this area. If they still bother me later I can pay a guitar tech to have the problem fixed.

When looking at the promotional material before buying I saw the strings for the bass go through the body and over a wooden bridge which would probably be one of the places the manufacturer would look to save money. I wasn’t mistaken - the bridge was of pretty cheap construction just being cut out of rosewood and not adjustable except for the overall bridge height. As this is one of the parts that is easily removed I always intended to upgrade it by making one of my own or buying something that will give better results. Needless to say I haven’t got around to it yet and the bass is perfectly playable as it ships.

The action seemed horribly high to a guitarist but on checking a couple of web sites is pretty normal for a bass and shows again that the neck is straight and true. I have now got used to it.

The build and finish quality far exceeds the price I paid and even with the couple of negative points with the fretting and bridge this is still one of the best bargains I have ever had.

I think a guitarist friend summed it up the best - “It’s just a real fun instrument all round”

Stats
scale length 34″
overall length 47″
neck at nut 2.5″
neck at 24th fret 3-1/8th”
weight 10.8(lbs) 4.9 kg
bolt on neck
rosewood fingerboard
basswood body
2 passive pickups
volume and tone control for each pu