Before finding this bass, I checked out the Yamaha TRB-6 and also 6-stringers by Status and SEI and a number of others. (The SEI was out of my price allowance at the time otherwise I may have gone for that). Tune basses have been re-introduced to the marketplace after an absence of a few years; the current model sells for around GBP1500. As it was, I feel I got a pretty good deal for my 800 smackers.
I love the look of the Tune, it's not a copy of anything - very original and a real head-turner. Only crit might be that, due to the lower horn, it can be a little awkward when sitting with this bass. However, slightly adjusting my position, bringing the neck in to my body a tad solves this.
As an alternative, I use a MusicMan Stingray 5 (5-string) which I equally adore - but that's another story....
Cheers!
Where Obtained: The Bass Centre, London
Tune Basses are made in Japan and the TWB-6 is their 6-string flagship model. The very distinctive body comes as either a birdseye maple or flamed maple top with a mahogany back. The neck is a bolt-on type of 3-piece hard maple laminate, oiled hand-rubbed, with a 24-fret ebony fingerboard with dot inlays. Nut and bridge (Tune B-6G) is polished brass. Pickups are 2 black Tune SWS-6 slim bar-type. The active electronics are by Tune (GAP-1). Controls comprise of a master volume, pickup balance (pan), bass and treble controls plus a filter/trim control. Machine heads are Gotoh BG-7G. Scale length of this bass is the standard 34 inches and it weighs in at a little over 3kg.
I have been playing this bass for about four years now both in live and recording situations and have found it to be reliable and responsive. The neck is not as wide as some 6-stringers (e.g. - Smith-Jackson bass) but provides good string spacing nonetheless.
It compares well with other sixers I've played which include Yamaha's TRB-6.
My main rig is a Trace Elliot 1215SMX 300w 1x15 bass combo with a Trace Elliot 1210H 200w extension cab. I occasionally use a Zoom 3000B bass fx processor with RP-01 expression pedal, though the straight-thru sound of the bass does not necessitate this too often.
In certain stage situations I have found that lighting or other electronics might cause extraneous noise but a tweak of the pan control usually takes care of that with compensation of the filter and/or tone controls.
I've used the bass for many styles including rock/pop, funk, jazz and even country.
Generally, this bass has stood up to most situations I have come across. Mind you, I don't live/play near either the North Pole or the Equator, so don't have to combat extremes of temperature! On a recent trip to play in Marseilles in France, I flew the bass both ways in cargo and it survived the journey nicely - despite airport baggage handlers....
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