Hey, bassers. I’ve had this instrument since November ’20 and have been wanting to do a proper review for a while. However, pandemic craziness got in the way, so weeks turned into months, and here we are. Just took a few photos to go with the review, and I did a short video as well, in which I’m most probably disrespecting Miles Davis, but I'll have to post a link to that later.
Before I begin with the review, a short history of my choice of basses. Over the past 5 years, I’ve transitioned from 34” and 35” basses to short scale instruments. I’ve gone from active to passive electronics; From rounds to flats; From 6- and 5-strings to 4-stringed instruments. In addition to feeling more comfortable with shorter scales, my role as instrumentalist has expanded greatly. I play in a number of “electronic” outfits where I often find myself on chord and “mood” duty, rather than just playing the bass part.
Secondly, let me point out that this a very modestly priced instrument. I acquired this bass for about the same amount as a Mexican-made Fender Mustang bass. So when you read my critique of the instrument, keep this in mind. Obviously, it is not a Fodera. But the bass was made quickly and cheaply, to my specifications and for relatively little money, which will affect the final score.
And lastly, in case anyone reading this is in doubt: this is not a standard bass. As with other sub-short scale instruments, there are some things that are going to be different. Due to the neck-less nature of the build, there is bound to be some slight acoustic buzzing around the first fret, for example (that’s what I’ve experienced on such instruments, at least). Luckily, this buzzing isn’t evident in the output, and further, the acoustic artefact can be helped by installing lower-tension strings, which I may choose to do at some point.
Build process and customer service:
The guy (or guys?) at MihaDo were quick to respond to my messages on Facebook Messenger. They were very helpful with answering any questions and making suggestions on the build. For example, I was concerned about both the functionality of an acoustic guitar-style bridge and the aesthetics of a Fender-type bent plate bridge. With their help, I settled on a monorail-type bridge, which solved both issues to my satisfaction.
I did not receive a formal receipt after depositing the money for the build, which seemed a bit strange.
Not a lot of information from the builder during the build process, I have to say. No progress photos before I saw them on MihaDo’s Facebook page a couple of days before it was complete. But I needn’t have worried, since the build was made to my exact specs. Some word of progress during the build would have been a nice touch, though.
A couple of weeks after receiving the instrument, there was an issue with the wiring – the instrument suddenly made no sound at all. I got in touch with MihaDo, and they told me send a couple of photos of the control cavity. The loose wire was quickly spotted, and under their direction I was able to solder it back in place.
Quality and finish:
The woodwork is simplistic (see my opening remarks), but the overall lines of the design flow nicely. I like the choice of bevels on the body; It is a very pleasing and "clean" look. The paint job is slightly translucent in the middle of the instrument, both front and back, almost like a very faint black burst.
It's not really elegant, but the lines of the design flow well at the longer than usual scale. Some of the hardware looks cheap, though. There are some "cakes" on a few of the bridge saddles, but the saddles themselves are functional enough. The tuning mechanisms look a bit DIY-ish: washers and Hex/unbraco nuts. A curled knob that you could turn with your fingers, instead of with a key, would make tuning a lot easier, but such a solution would probably also bring the price up.
Frets are really good, and the intonation is right on, even at the very top of the fingerboard. No buzzing, aside from the minor issue mentioned in the introduction. Back contour of the “neck” is surprisingly comfortable, even though, visually, it seems very square and clunky. I don’t think the neck contour would be a problem for players used to, say, a thin Ibanez neck profile.
It came with a small gig bag. I’m surprised that it fits so well, considering that I requested a non-standard scale length. The bag is standard unpadded black nylon - too flimsy to trust “tossing” the instrument in the back with the rest of the gear, but it is quite practical when carrying on public transport. I might get some kind of padded synth bag for the bass eventually, which I was planning on doing before I knew it came with a bag.
Sound and playability:
The sound is very clean, and the setup is very simple. Output is quite hot compared to other basses, so some adjustments have to be made when tracking.
A unique feature to this model is the two minijacks: an AUX in and headphones out. The idea is that you can either play along to your favorite tunes or just practice without an amp. It works fine as a concept, but both minijacks are a bit crackly. It’s kind of neat, but not something I’ll be using much.
It took a while to get used to how the instrument balances when played sitting down. The lower bout of the body is rounded to a degree which makes it difficult to rest it on your thigh – it sort of just rolls off your leg! Holding the bass like a classical guitar helped a great deal. The "butt wings"(…) on the far side of the bridge almost hug your right thigh, and the short fingerboard is comfortable enough to play at a (for me) steeper than usual angle.
The original placement of the strap buttons was awkward, not to say objectively unsuited for playing while standing up - completely useless for me, personally, at least. I tried it a few times, with the strap coming loose, even. I have since relocated the left strap button to roughly the middle of the body for better balance, and now it balances perfectly, and there are no issues with it coming loose.
Final conclusion:
I think this instrument will stick with me. I only own one other bass, a Fender Mustang (JMJ), so versatility is very important for me. This bass fits all the bills that a (great) one-trick pony like the Mustang doesn’t. I am even considering getting a 6-string version made sometime in the future. If I do that, I’ll order one without the issues mentioned above, like the line in/line out, the need for a tuning tool and relocating the strap buttons.
Value for money: 10/10
Playability: 7/10
Quality: 6.5/10
Sound: 8/10
Combined score: 7.8/10
Now that I've solved the strap button placement, though, it just took a bit of getting used to. I mostly stand, anyway, but sitting is comfortable, too. There's definitely room for improvement re: the tuning key, but since they're making a new instrument, I think that's fair. The washer/bolt-thing is definitely inferior to, say, a Hipshot bridge. I'm sure they can install one. If there is a next time, I'll figure that into my budget.
But it's not a problem! Standard tuning, with an added high C-string. They look like medium gauge roundwounds, but you could swap them out for any type, I guess. You could a B-string on there and even guitar strings. I have't noticed any problem with a chorus-like sound, and I play way up the neck. Link Removed The Fingy bass is the only instrument in use there, besides the drum machine (not mixed yet, so there's that)
