The ultimate bass

Advantages: Great guitar
Disadvantages: Expensive

...Rickenbackers are reknowned the world over by the bassists around the globe. With its unusual shape and beautiful tone, it makes the ideal instrument for any serious musician. Its a Solid Maple bodied guitar giving it the weight you associate with quality. The Neck is long and slender for a bass, making it easy to get nimble fingers up and down quickly. The Fingerboard is made from finest rosewood giving it a beautiful dark finish. To protect the body, an unusually large pick guard adorns main part of the guitar as well as proteting under the strings. They look really nice in a Dark colour with a light coloured pick guard. It looks very retro too, being a model originally released in the 60's. The sound is famous for its ringing sustain and beatiful pitch. It really does send a chill down your spine with a set of thin strings on...

andycharger 22.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Rickenbacker 4003 Electric Bass

Best Beginners Bass Guitar. Period.

Advantages: Great Looking, Smooth Neck, Good Sound.
Disadvantages: No Active Pickups

...I bought this electric bass about a year ago, along with a Fender Rumble amp, as my first proper instrument, and let me say this - I couldn't have been happier with it. First, lets go through some specs. My model is an older style that the one Ibanez now advertise and sell, so mine doesnt have the Phat II EQ Bass Boost control that newer models now come eqipt with. The body is Agathis, which is not a great wood for guitar bodies, but ibanez use it well to get the best out of it. All basses/guitars in this price range use it, as it is the cheapest musical wood. This wood is a relative of true mahogany and gives nearly the same tonal characterists. Warm lows with a fairly strong sustain. The neck is made out of maple, and the finish is just perfect for my tastes. It is very thinly varnished, so you don't get the stickiness...

janestone 22.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Ibanez GSR200 Electric Bass

SQUIRE P-BASS...do you fell the rhythm??

Advantages: carries quality from fender
Disadvantages: on the basic side

...What can i say? this guitar offers many good-points compared to its few bad points. My first bass guitar was a squire P-Bass and for an entry levle guitar, it was ample, in fact, it was just about ample for more than entry levle: Good-points: This guitar carries forward many features of its slightly more sophisticated Fender brother, including similar component parts and construction methods. Examples include: -high-quality dot inlays on the rosewood fretboard, -alder body, -standard Fender Super 7250ML strings (some of the best ive ever used), -chrome hardware. As a consequence of this, the P-Bass is pretty resiliant and segregates itself nicely from other market competion of this price range... ...The price i'd expect to pay for this guitar? £130-ish, this may or may not seem like alot of money, depending on your...

SamJohnson 08.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of Squier P- Electric Bass

My first 5-String bass...and it won't be my last!

Advantages: Price, High Quality, Rigorous Checks at Ibanez
Disadvantages: Let down by pickups (although they can be replaced).

...Features ------------- Taking into consideration its relatively low price, this bass hosts a myriad of features commonly only seen in much more expensive basses. These features include an Agathis body, full scale 22 fret neck, two J-Style pickups with individual volume controls, and a Master Tone control. Durability -------------- Throughout a year of heavy use, this bass it still in near perfect condition despite a right bashing. While inspecting the instrument closely while writing this review, the only marks I can see on the guitar are a few minor scratches on the back of the guitar and a chip on the head of the guitar which was the coincidence of an altercation with a light fitting as I was carrying my bass. :o) Playability -------------- This bass is very easy to play. The neck allows very quick playing whatever...

MatthewForshaw 24.01.2004 · Read review
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Review of Ibanez GSR205 Electric Bass

The Daddy Of All Bass

Advantages: Just about everything
Disadvantages: The iniablity to be satisfied with another bass after playing this.

...Rickenbacker began making basses back in the 1950's and since then has been saw as one of the most distinctive looking and sounding electric bass guitars in history. As far as basses go it is the king of sustain aided by through neck construction, making those bottom end notes shake the house. This bass has been used by the best players throughout time, Paul Mccartney of the Beatles and Rodger Waters of Pink Floyd were early users of the rickenbacker. However it has been seen used by many bands throughout the music scene, Glen Matlock of the Sex Pistols use dit in the Punk era and it has also been used by bands such as Motorhead and Metallica. One of the most noticeable features of this bass is the double jack output, which eneables you to get the most of the lower (brighter sounding) pickup and the higher (bassier) pickup...

WMRichardson 12.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Rickenbacker 4003 Electric Bass

Active Bass for Under £250!!

Advantages: Value for money, active electronics, easy to play
Disadvantages: only comes in 3 different colours

...If you want a small bass with a punchy sound and active electronics but don't have much cash, the SR300DX is the bass for you! I've had my SR300DX for about two years and in that time it's never let me down even after many times of being dropped, knocked over, bounced about in the back of vans and cars, left in damp rehearsal rooms and gigged. Before the Ibanez I used a Fender Jazz bass. The jazz bass hasn't been touched since I got this bass. The Ibanez feels like a guitar compared to the jazz bass because of its weight and short length but still manages to have 24 frets (2 more than the jazz). The neck is very slim and the frets are low and fat making this an easy bass to play. This bass would suit someone who is small or has small hands. The cutaway gives plenty of access higher up the fingerboard. The fingerboard itself...

Werksheye 05.01.2006 · Read review
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Review of Ibanez SR300DX Electric Bass

Funky Bass Guitar

Advantages: Better options of sound
Disadvantages: none

...This is the Fender bass that I own and swear by. It cost me £370 last month and it is to replace my battered Marlin Bass that is 11 years old. The reason i bought it is because im limited to what I can have. Im left handed so my choice in Basses is limited as they dont make all models. I wanted the slightly cheaper Precision bass but they dont make it in Left hand. I had to opt for the Jazz bass. Im glad I did as it has more flexibility in sound than the precision. It has 2 different pick ups, Selectable by a switch. It has a deep sound on the rear pick up while the front pick up has a punchy, crisp sound. Great for playing funk. Also, this guitar is becoming ever more popular with the 70's feel coming back into guitars in a big way. I bought a Metallic Purple one. Again your colours are limited by being left handed...

andycharger 12.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Fender Standard Jazz Electric Bass

Oh my days! What a bass!

Advantages: Good all rounder, good funk sound, versatile and just great quality
Disadvantages: Maybe a tad heavy, too nice to damage.

...OK, so i started out with a Cort G series bass, which i learnt on and had a lot of fun with. When i decided to step it up, i did LOTS of research and LOTS of trials with different basses. When i finally settled on a musicman stingray H 3eq in trans amber, my life felt complete:D So cosmetically the Stingray is fantastic. Mine is 9 years old, but plays like a dream (pardon the Cliche). The action is very low, and the easy access truss rod system allows you to make minor adjustments with a small screwdriver with ease. Mine is the 3 EQ model, which is great and very versatile. I like to pan between the treble and bass pots, but an occasional boost on the midrange pot gives that "scooped" sound on the slap solos! The sound is fantastic. I originally fell in love with the Stingray after watching countless videos of Flea on Youtube where...

Ilikethisalot 31.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay Electric Bass

It's a Double Bass daddio!

Advantages: They're beautiful.
Disadvantages: You'll cry if you have to sell it.

...It's difficult to buy a double bass in the simple way you might buy a good quality electric guitar or electric bass . For a guitar you can sort of decide if you're Fender, Gibson, Gretsch etc type of person by seeing what you're favourite players use on the telly and then trying them out in any good guitar store. But for the double bass we're in different territory all together and different rules apply. If you try out the bass in a store or room that is stuffed with other double basses or even other wooden acoustic instruments its going to resonate a little in each of those instruments and lead you into believing you have a lovely sounding bass when you probably haven't. Some spaces can make an unamplified double bass sound great. I like to play mine on the lower landing of my stairwell - always sounded beautiful there. If you...

padfoot100 17.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Double Bass

My favourite bass yet...

Advantages: Well built, great sound, WONDERFUL for playing slap bass
Disadvantages: the 3 nobs may as well be 'on/off' switches

...I purchased the BBN4 III (i.e. the 3rd edition) for £350 from a second hand shop a few months ago. The first thing that attracted me to it was its looks - plain wooden body with no colours on it, and beautiful curves. The fretboard is rosewood and the colour of the rosewood against the body of the guitar is stunning! The fretboard is also slightly longer than many - it has 24 frets, allowing the player to reach two octaves on each string! Upon picking up the guitar I felt immediately comfortable holding it. It's well balanced and a weight that't not too heavy - but at the same time gives the feeling of a robustly built guitar. I have played gigs with this bass - the previous owner obviously had too due to a few scratches - and it has never needed any form of repair on it. The guitar comes with two big fat humbucker pickups. I'm not...

richardnorth 25.10.2003 · Read review
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Review of Yamaha BBN4 Electric Bass