I would definitely replace this bass, and at this price, why not? I'm astonished that for $20.00 more than I paid for a P bass in 1975 I get so much more instrument in today's inflated currency. I've not been a big fan of the Soundgear basses, which I've tried, and while I've always been a fan of Ibanez, they never made a bass that I felt was right for me until this one. My only major complaint is the lack of balance in the instrument, but this is not so bad that I couldn't adapt to it -- I used to own a neck-heavy Godin A4. I think it may be the price for having a 24-fret neck on such a lightweight body. It's turned out to be a very comfortable bass. I should add that this is a very handsome, understated instrument, with a nicely matched top and a flawlessly applied finish (I've looked for bubbles, but haven't found any). Highly recommended to pros looking for a high quality/low cost instrument with a HUGE variety of sounds.
Model Year: 2007
Price: $300.00 (new)
Where Obtained: Ebay -- Wisconsin store
Korean-made, basswood body, maple top, 24 frets, 4 strings. Bridge pickup is a music-man style humbucker, and neck pickup is a jazz. The active electronics are VERY flexible, allowing a wide number of ways to configure the pickups. Body style is a jazz, the neck is closer to a P bass. Bridge is massive, but not string-thru. Big open Fender style tuners.
This arrived with a pretty good, but not perfect setup. With some tweaking I was able to get a very nice setup -- not so low that I can't slap, and not so high that I can't play quickly. I can't find any major flaws with this bass. The nut is not perfectly aligned with the edge of the neck, and some of the fret slots aren't perfect. Remarkable quality for such a low price, however, and an eminently playable bass. Major complaint: neck heavy, and I had to put some velcro on the lower bout to keep it from slipping off my knee when I play seated. Bolt -on neck is tapered, though, so I can get access to the highest frets without a lot of trouble.
This bass is a tone machine, but with a fairly agressive edge. That's not to say you can't get a mellow sound from it, but it leans more toward a very punchy sound. It sounds great unplugged, and the basswood body really responds to the strings -- you can feel the vibrations in your chest. With the varied pickup arrangements and the blend knob ( a nice touch, that, and a step up from a Fender jazz), you can get convincing versions of a P-bass, a jazz and a Musicman Stingray (all of which I've owned). Very well shielded and quiet, but I haven't recorded with it ( I don't plan to). I bought this bass as a touring instrument because of its high quality, flexible tone and low price.
So far so good. As noted, it is a very well-constructed instrument. The electronics inside are very clean, too. Basswood is soft, however, so I expect some dings on the back to appear.
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