LO
As honest as I can be
I've been playing since 1970 and have acquired enough skill to setup my own guitars and evaluate them objectively. I ordered the PB-50 because I wanted a 2nd bass in my home studio strung with roundwounds (already have a Jazz bass with flats). For the price I just couldn't resist, even with a substantial cost of shipping.
The service from thomann was top notch. Quick response and unbelievable shipping considering I'm in the US. Packaging was perfect and no shipping damage.
The good: Finish came flawless. Fiesta Red can be a tricky color and this one lacks a little of that tomato soup hue, but no matter. I can't fault the paint. All hardware fastened well and not as "cheap" as I would've expected. Pots are smooth and noise free. I have no comparison of the single coil Roswell pickup since I've never owned a vintage style P bass but can honestly say this is the most surprising thing about this bass. Sound is significantly louder than my Duncan Apollo pickups in my Jazz Bass, clean and articulate. As an enthusiastic pickup swapper I don't see a need to do anything with this one. The bass is light by comparison to my Fender Jazz bass.
The neck is an unextraordinary piece of lumber. Rough and unfinished looking. Mine has a 1 inch knotty streak on the treble side of the 8th fret. The profile is substantial which I like (hate skinny necks). The strings were misaligned because the nut was never glued in and slid toward the bass side. I had to substantially tweak the trussrod into compliance and there was a considerable amount of fret spout. All frets appear to be seated well but needed a bit of cosmetic attention.
After filing back and rounding the fret ends, adjusting the truss rod, intonation (not bad), action (pretty close) and aligning/gluing the nut I did some cosmetic work. I micromeshed the back of the neck to get some shine. Honestly I wasn't even sure if there was a finish on the neck but it did come out to a nice semi-gloss.
After all these adjustments I have the instrument I was expecting. I find it incredible that this guitar could be manufactured and sold at such a cost, even needing so much attention. I would put some Thomastik-Infeld strings on this bass but they cost more than the guitar, lol.
My lesson is this: do not expect this instrument (or any for that matter) to arrive in plug and play condition. The reviewers that state such things are either lying, complacent with iffy workmanship or extremely fortunate. I'm glad I possess enough ability to make this instrument into a decent player. And again, the pickup; wow.
The service from thomann was top notch. Quick response and unbelievable shipping considering I'm in the US. Packaging was perfect and no shipping damage.
The good: Finish came flawless. Fiesta Red can be a tricky color and this one lacks a little of that tomato soup hue, but no matter. I can't fault the paint. All hardware fastened well and not as "cheap" as I would've expected. Pots are smooth and noise free. I have no comparison of the single coil Roswell pickup since I've never owned a vintage style P bass but can honestly say this is the most surprising thing about this bass. Sound is significantly louder than my Duncan Apollo pickups in my Jazz Bass, clean and articulate. As an enthusiastic pickup swapper I don't see a need to do anything with this one. The bass is light by comparison to my Fender Jazz bass.
The neck is an unextraordinary piece of lumber. Rough and unfinished looking. Mine has a 1 inch knotty streak on the treble side of the 8th fret. The profile is substantial which I like (hate skinny necks). The strings were misaligned because the nut was never glued in and slid toward the bass side. I had to substantially tweak the trussrod into compliance and there was a considerable amount of fret spout. All frets appear to be seated well but needed a bit of cosmetic attention.
After filing back and rounding the fret ends, adjusting the truss rod, intonation (not bad), action (pretty close) and aligning/gluing the nut I did some cosmetic work. I micromeshed the back of the neck to get some shine. Honestly I wasn't even sure if there was a finish on the neck but it did come out to a nice semi-gloss.
After all these adjustments I have the instrument I was expecting. I find it incredible that this guitar could be manufactured and sold at such a cost, even needing so much attention. I would put some Thomastik-Infeld strings on this bass but they cost more than the guitar, lol.
My lesson is this: do not expect this instrument (or any for that matter) to arrive in plug and play condition. The reviewers that state such things are either lying, complacent with iffy workmanship or extremely fortunate. I'm glad I possess enough ability to make this instrument into a decent player. And again, the pickup; wow.
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c
it s good, you pay what you get
Hi the bass is quite good construction but of course quality of material is not great¨.
white plastic is curving
string knob don´t hold perfectly, so dont expect it keep the tuning after a while.
the sound is quite good and nice color!
overall for the price is good bass, good for rookies
white plastic is curving
string knob don´t hold perfectly, so dont expect it keep the tuning after a while.
the sound is quite good and nice color!
overall for the price is good bass, good for rookies
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R
decent economy bass
All good except for really heavy weight, which was unexpected. Stock strings sounded crappy, with unwanted "chorus" effect. Changing to LaBella Flats fixed this problem.
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