June 25, 2024
I purchased this childs/beginners bass specifically for camping.
It's hilariously bad, but it's perfect for what I want. And I know how to fix most of the problems to make it work correctly. I'm currently thinking of this more like a kit than a finished instrument.
* The body of the instrument has a *very* thin layer of color and no lacquer or varnish, and there are a lot of cross-grain scratches which can't be fixed without removing the dye. The scratches are the only non-repairable flaw.
...
I purchased this childs/beginners bass specifically for camping.
It's hilariously bad, but it's perfect for what I want. And I know how to fix most of the problems to make it work correctly. I'm currently thinking of this more like a kit than a finished instrument.
* The body of the instrument has a *very* thin layer of color and no lacquer or varnish, and there are a lot of cross-grain scratches which can't be fixed without removing the dye. The scratches are the only non-repairable flaw.
There is also "fuzz" from routing the edges of the instrument. I used fine sandpaper to knock off the rough spots -- it removed some of the layer of color giving it a "weathered look" -- then sprayed on a couple coats of matte varnish.
* None of the chambers in the body have any shielding, which can be fixed with copper tape. Easy, just time-consuming. Don't forget to add a grounding wire for the shielding.
* Setup - every single adjustment was wrong, but easy to fix, and most of the tools needed are included:
The nut height was wildly high... so high that low F would go sharp when fretted.
This needs to be filed with a tiny, round "Swiss File," or work carefully with sandpaper.
The truss rod was so tight it had the neck in a back-bow, causing huge amounts of string buzzing.
Saddle heights were too low.
Intonation was random, but at least the bridge is in the right place and can be adjusted.
The pickups were sunk much too far into the body (like, 10 mm from the strings! Should be 3mm!)
The narrow piece of foam wouldn't push them out when I tried to adjust the height.
The included gig bag is a single layer of nylon, with no padding. I had low expectations for the gig bag and they were met.
On a positive note, the tuners are surprisingly smooth, with a light touch from the 22:1 gear ratio.
Nota bene: scale length is 25.5". This isn't mentioned in the description, and you need to know this if you plan to replace the strings at any time.
.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
