I had saved for a long time for this instrument and worried it would not live up to my high expectations for it and also worried purchasing such an expensive instrument online and from overseas, my expectations were exceeded in every way and there was nothing to be worried about!
The bass arrived triple boxed, yes triple! With lots of sustainable and recycleable cardboard packaging and stuffing to protect the instrument.
The bass was also packed inside a very sturdy gigbag which is included, it has a quite stiff exterior for a gigbag and seems very strong.
Inside the gigbag there is a toolkit with all the necessary tools for adjusting your bass, a picture of the bass on the day it was completed, a certificate of authenticity and a usb with a digital picture of the bass and all the required information in how to adjust and care for the instrument. These additional touches before i had even seen the bass really added to the experience and were a very nice touch.
The bass fretboard was protected with a warwick fretboard protector, which again was a really nice touch, removing this reveals the immaculate shiny bell bronze frets and the beautifully patterned wenge fretboard. The body wood is ovangkol which had a beautiful grain and a lovely flame effect to the natural wood which dances in the light almost like holographic material, the finish on the body was satin and was flawless.
The neck is also ovangkol, 4 piece construction and very sturdy, the satin finish is so thin on the neck it feels almost like there is no finish at all, its extremely smooth and the neck is thin and fast but still feels substantial.
All the hardware was perfect, installed correctly and worked well, tuners turned freely, knobs turn smoothly with nice centre detents on the balance and stacked bass/treble, the bass was well set up with a medium/low action and felt very professional, this bass is also quite weighty at over 4kgs, however this adds to the sturdy feeling of the instrument.
The bass comes with straplocks, another touch of class and professionalism, when standing up the bass neck sits just north of level, which for me is just fine. When plugging the bass in the input jack seems a hogh quality and gave a nice reassuring click. The bass is clear and articulate, the b string sound is pristine, despite the low-ish action there was no fretbuzz, no dead spots on the fretboard and no sharp fret ends.
The instrument has the signature thumb bass growl as expected with both pickups blended evenly, boosting the bass and treble increases the depth of tone available and also gently increases the signature growl of the bass. Also to note, the bass was in tune out of the box, another thing which indicates the care taken packing and shipping the instrument which was another positive.
Overall i cannot fault the fit/finish/playability or sound of this isntrument, it is everything I wanted from it and more. If youre interested in the signature thumb sound and impeccable craftsmanship i can highly recommend this bass.
