About 4 years ago I spoke with Joe Kruse of MBJ guitars about buying a bolt on bass and a custom bass. Here I am taking delivery of my 4th one.
- No. of Frets:
- 24
- Active or Passive:
- Passive
- Scale Length:
- 32"
- No. of Strings:
- 4
- Body Finish:
- Oil and Wax
- Bridge:
- Hipshot
- Pickups:
- Kent Armstrong
- Other Hardware:
- Hipshot
- Weight:
- 7.9lbs
- EQ / Controls:
- Volume
Tone
- Price:
- 4500
specs:
32” scale
Kent Armstrong MM pickup
Insane rosewood and ebony top
The carving on this instrument is incredible!!
first thing I did was plug this bass in. It was perfectly balanced physically and the sound..... Wow! Great thunder coming from a bass small enough to fit into a guitar case. The passive circuit works so well that I honestly don’t miss my onboard preamp. The neck is a bit more chunky than previous instruments I’ve purchased from Joe. I usually prefer tiny necks that feel almost like broom sticks with no meat on the sides. The neck plays amazing and feels comfortable immediately. There was no adjustment period needed. The setup done by Joe before leaving his shop was spot on!!!!! Intonation was perfect string height was low and felt super smooth. I had to try to move the neck so I pulled out my trusted adjustment tool and sure enough the neck responded INSTANTLY with less than a quarter turn either way.
The finish on this bass is flawless. The man must Have taken the sanding down to the finest grit on the planet...... sooooo much glow coming from deep within the wood. This bass was carved differently than my previous MBJ bass guitars. Lines are perfect and the maple accent has no pollution from the rosewood. All I can say is this bass is perfect.
Joe still works with Carl Thompson and although it is evident in the elegant build quality.... Joe’s work has character of its own and is something I believe people will fall in love with the first time they pick one of his instruments up.
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