NBD: Dean Hillsboro(pics and review inside)

[metallicafan18]

Just got this an hour ago. That I know of, I'm the only one on this forum that has one of these at the time. I got the Eric Bass signature version of the Hillsboro with the single MM pickup in the sweet spot.

First Impressions:
The box came from UPS, so I was already worried. The box itself was opened on one end and was beat to hell. I was nervous. I look inside and see the bass in another box with lots of padding. YAY. I bring it down to my room and open it up. The bass was layered with bubble wrap and very well padded. I took off all the padding and grabbed the bass. It is pretty light-weight. I look at the fingerboard and neck and it is perfectly set-up. The grain is nice and clean on the fingerboard. So far I am very impressed. I tune it up and turn on my amp. This bass sounds massive! I love the rock tone this bass gets. It came factory stock with Rotosound Stainless Steels! That was a surprise.

Feel:
If you were to take the feel of a Rickenbacker body, a jazz bass neck, and the tone of a Stingray; you have this bass. The neck is very small and comfortable. The body has a large upper horn, but no worse than a Rickenbacker. The tone just screams Musicman. It sounds very similar. The neck has a light satin finish, so it is very smooth and doesn't get sticky.

Sound:
The bass is built for rock. There is no doubting that. It is very mid-range strong. I assume it will cut through well. I haven't had a chance to play it with a band yet, but I will Friday, and I will report back. The only complaint I have is that the pickup is very loud on the E string, and the other strings not so much. I was planning on upgrading to a Bartolini or something like that later on, so that should help. Also it is a active bass ran off of one 9V battery.

I know the standard model Hillsboro's are under $300, so they would make an amazing bass to mod or just have. The action and ease of play is as good as my Rickenbacker. I am shocked of how much I got for the price. I am a huge fan of Dean basses now.


And of course a few pics:

[splitcoilsenior]

Doesn't Eric's bass have a Bartolini Pup? Congratz on the Bada$$ bass!

[metallicafan18]

Originally Posted by splitcoilsenior

Doesn't Eric's bass have a Bartolini Pup? Congratz on the Bada$$ bass!

One of his does. I saw him a few months ago, he had 3 different ones:
An all black with a Bartolini
An all black like mine with stock pickup
And one white with a black pickguard and stock pickup.

[FL Knifemaker]

Good looking bass!

[metallicafan18]

I will be doing a video review soon as well.

[Tommygunn]

Cool man, they look great.

[metallicafan18]

I haven't got a video review done, but here is a song I covered with this bass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZNL53v6qVI

[BassesForTheWin]

I am loving Dean Basses after the Hillsboro's came out (not realesed, I looked up, they will be out around August/September) im thinking about trading my Fender/Squier P-J Combo for a Hillsboro Jazz or the Single Hillsboro bass. I dont think I would get the Eric Bass one though, i mean it looks buetiful, but until the White w/Black comes out, ill get it.

[ExurKun]

Thanks for the review, really looking to try one of these out!

[jd56hawk]

Hey, I was just thinking about buying one of these. I found one in transparent black with a white pickguard (beautiful bass) with a case for a really nice price. I was looking at an Epiphone EB-3, custom, but I'd have to pay $300 for the one I want without a case, not to mention $50 for shipping. I can get the Hillsboro with the case AND free shipping for the same price.
I just bought a used Dean AEBC for $135 at Guitar Center on Saturday and it plays much better than I thought it would. Satin finish is nice and absolutely no fret buzz.
Maybe the is Hillsboro J-4 is just what I'm looking for.

[jd56hawk]

Clearance item. Hanging up in the store for a while, so technically it's used, but...

[the wako kid]

I've always liked the look of those hillsboro J basses,what they do with the pickguard is really awesome. I don't really like shinedown,but I watched your vid,and I must say,it sounds really good. unfortunately I don't like black on black. I saw an advert in bass player the other day with eric bass holding a white one with a black guard,now that was awesome,and I'd definitely rock one. congrats on the bass though,it's sick.

[George Mann]

Have any of you had the chance to look over a Hillsboro Jr?

[gabrielvv7]

"Have any of you had the chance to look over a Hillsboro Jr?"
it's a nice, solid bass with a precision pick-up.
it's quite simple looking, but don't be deceived, it still sounds good.
one thing, it is not as flexible sound wise as a erick bass, hillsboro single, or the j-bass...

[gabrielvv7]

this is off topic, but interesting. the other day i saw a Hillsboro j-bass that had it's pickups wired together in series (basically made one humbucker out of the two) and a bartolini humbucker added closer to the neck. the blend button now moved between the two j-pick-ups and the bartolini pick-up. i was not allowed to test it though....
so... i would appreciate any input on the sound, electronics, tone, etc.

[ERIC31]

I'm really diggin this blue Hillsboro blue J bass. I'm gonna have to get one.