Jim Deacon FPB62K Bass Guitar

When it came to buying a bass guitar I didn’t have a clue what I was looking for except that I wanted a good quality beginner instrument. I had a good look for online reviews before purchasing but these were thin on the ground. I had little ideas of what models were any good but I had heard that Yamaha made good reliable starter guitars so decided on that brand. After visiting a local music shop owned by a guitar player and trying a few instruments out I decided against the Yamaha as the Jim Deacon FPB62K was a better instrument for around the same price. I paid £169 for the bass from an independent music shop in December 2009.

The FPB62K is a standard 4 string AEDG bass with a 34 inch scale. It is a good looking instrument modeled on the famous 62 Fender Precision bass and it has a nice sleek design. Both the body and scratchplate are made of alder, the guitar is a nice deep purple with a deep shine that is prone to smudging. The guitar is finished off with chrome tuning heads and knobs which also look brilliant. The guitar feels nice and sturdy when you are holding it without being overly bulky or heavy. It is a good solid design which has stood up to being knocked over a few times without suffering any damage and only slight scratching on the bodywork.

The maple neck has a rounded design. It is a nice size and is comfortable even for smaller teenage or woman’s hands to grip and move up and down the strings. The neck is bolted on which can lead to lower quality than guitars which are built in one piece but I have yet to hear any dead spots from the neck design. There are 4 bolts holding the neck on and there has never been a problem with stability or any movement in the neck. The fret dots seem to be just painted on rather than inlayed but after a year of heavy use have not worn away at all.

The 21 frets are made of solid rosewood (unlike the Yamaha which is only rosewood coated) which is great when it comes to sound quality. The guitar produces a nice rich and round tone which is especially suitable when playing blues music but it is also a good all rounder and performs well with rock songs.
The supplied roundwood strings are decent enough and easy to change if you dislike them. The bridge holding the strings in place is top loading which will mean the strings will be easier to change when the time comes. The openback tuners are all on the top of the head, the guitar has always been easy to tune and rarely slips out of tune again.

In terms of the electrics the split pickup is passive yet seems to have little problem with interference. The three knobs on the front of the bass allow you to adjust the volume and vary the treble and bass tone allowing you to play about with intonation a bit. The bass takes a standard line to connect to an amp.

The Jim Deacon FPB62K is an excellent choice for a first bass guitar. It feels far superior to other entry level models in terms of build quality, ease of playing and sound quality. The mix of hard and soft woods in construction gives it a good mix of warmth and snappiness when it comes to playing. Even though it is a reasonably low priced instrument it still delivers a great mellow and rounded sound which suits many types of music.