Anyone Know Anything About These?

**speak2planets** · #1 01-10-2013, 07:22 AM

So, I am thinking about getting an acoustic to screw around on and came across a Fender Kingman SCE Dreadnought Acoustic/Electric Bass. This is the first time I have ever seen one of these. I kinda dig the fact that it has a jazz neck on it and the body seems to be smaller than a regular acoustic. Has anyone ever played one? I am curious about the plugged/unplugged sound, how it feels, where its made, etc. So, please give me some facts and opinions about this Fender before I pull the trigger.

Wallace320 · #2 01-10-2013, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by speak2planets

So, I am thinking about getting an acoustic to screw around on and came across a Fender Kingman SCE Dreadnought Acoustic/Electric Bass. This is the first time I have ever seen one of these. I kinda dig the fact that it has a jazz neck on it and the body seems to be smaller than a regular acoustic. Has anyone ever played one? I am curious about the plugged/unplugged sound, how it feels, where its made, etc. So, please give me some facts and opinions about this Fender before I pull the trigger.

It's not a joke... it's just because all midlevel acoustics now seem to come from over there

Anyway I once tried it out before buyin' my present acoustic bass (an Eko Florence: I'm Italian after all

)
No: not like that!
Not very comfortable (and it's not that my Eko too) because Cort SJB and Ibanez EWB are way better under that aspect... what kept me torn between Fender and Eko was the tone
Both Fender and Eko have a punchier/less mellower tone that unfortunately doesn't really mean they can face acoustic guitars in a band mix without pluggin' in, but that means that they have very recognizable edgy tones of their own
IMHO Eko Florence has it even more than Fender KingMan and that's how the story went down for me
Then I found'em lighter, in comparison with Cort and Ibanez, but suffering for hard neckdive.

So now you know
Hope this helps

Cheers,
Wallace

**speak2planets** · #3 01-10-2013, 09:17 AM

It does indeed!! Thank you sir

M.R. Ogle · #4 01-10-2013, 09:30 AM

I usually don't post in threads unless I have something positive to contribute, but in this case, I will.

I tried out a Kingman, and thought it sounded just average but felt like somebody grafted a full-size, heavy Jazz bass neck on a mid-size body acoustic guitar. Neck dive, unbalanced, and therefore uncomfortable. And I REALLY wanted to like it, I just didn't.

**speak2planets** · #5 01-10-2013, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M.R. Ogle

I usually don't post in threads unless I have something positive to contribute, but in this case, I will.

This is exactly what I needed. I want to hear the cons before I shell out the bread. Thanx man

bassfreakah · #6 01-18-2013, 07:52 AM

Martins are the best anyway dont worry about a kingman.

jeffbonny · #7 01-18-2013, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfreakah

Martins are the best anyway dont worry about a kingman.

Apples and oranges. A Martin costs around $1K more than a Kingman and for $1500+ there's more to look at than just Martins.

I liked the feel and (for the price) the sound of the Kingman. The horrible neck dive when sitting killed it for me though.

jlepre · #8 01-18-2013, 07:58 AM

Is this the one? Seems to have gotten a couple nice reviews.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/.../h78866#review

JayM · #9 01-18-2013, 08:38 AM

I have 2 Thunderchiefs (fretted and fretless), and I bought a Kingman as a beater so I didn't have to risk the Tacomas (taking them outside in the summer heat and humidity, mostly).

The Kingman sounds pretty good, but you have to amplify unless you're just playing by yourself. I like the jazz neck. The body is not as big as the Thunderchief, so it's a bit more comfortable to play in a strap than the Tacoma.

It does have signifnicant neck dive, which can be bad seated without a strap. While the neck dive is pretty bad, it's not that much worse than the Tacomas, and it's comparable to some of the other acoustics I tried.

The fit and finish on mine is excellent, and the electronics seem adequate.

My opinion is that the Kingman is pretty good for the price, with some drawbacks, specifically neck dive. But the neck dive isn't really any worse than most other low-end acoustics.

I hope that helps,

Jay

Pilgrim · #10 01-18-2013, 08:44 AM

You're going to have neck dive on almost any acoustic bass with a 34" neck. The right strap helps, and you can always attach it with a string above the nut, folk guitar style.

You also will need to amplify any acoustic bass if you're playing with other musicians for an audience. If you use it for practice with the band playing only acoustics (and no drummer) it works fine.

I solved that problem with a short scale acoustic-electric - the Applause, which is an Ovation with a different headstock. Some people are OK with the round bowl back, some hate them.

bassfreakah · #11 01-18-2013, 06:01 PM

i was just joking with speak2plants he was looking to buy my martin b-1 acoustic bass. so chill jeffery bunny. ha ha still joking.

wcoffey81 · #12 01-18-2013, 06:07 PM

MF shows a used one for a little over $200

jeffbonny · #13 01-18-2013, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassfreakah

i was just joking with speak2plants he was looking to buy my martin b-1 acoustic bass. so chill jeffery bunny. ha ha still joking.

hey bassfreak sorry for taking it at face value. my mind reading skills are a little off.

bassfreakah · #14 01-19-2013, 08:15 AM

Read between the lines. Live a little lighter Jeff.