In my quest for a 6 i played one of the alverez's the purple one, beautifull color, ill give it that, but other than that, i wouldnt waste my money on it....it felt like i was playing a toy, and it didnt sound near as good as many other basses in that price range. It just felt and sounded cheap imo.
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Am I a fool for buying this six string bass?
- Thread starter midnight
- Start date
I am eyeing that one also... Cassanova, what other basses are there, that you could fairly compare this to, that is better than it?
Read carefully... the catalog says "FACTORY RECONDITIONED", which means these are 2nd-hand basses! The $899 is the list price of NEW ones, which means they probably go for $550 or so. So you're still saving almost 50%, but... it's not brand-new. If the warranty is decent, then you're probably safe.
Does this necessarily follow? I mean I know they seem to be able to say what they like and get away with it (they wouldn't in the UK!!) but surely they would have to say something like "pre-owned" or "used"?
My thought on this would be that this phrase means they are Factory Rejects that have been brought "up to scratch" by some form of re-conditioning?
I have no way of knowing this for sure, but this is what I would logically understand from that term without some sort of other qualifier.
As a PS - the RRP thing has been a big item in consumer goods in the UK, but it was definitely made illegal for anyone to quote a RRP unless the item had actually been on sale at that price for a set period of time. Otherwise the company can be fined by the Trading Standards Authority.
I actually took a case to these people (TSA) on the pricing of MiniDiscs, where they claimed there was saving over RRP by buying certain packages, but the company never sold the things in singles so it was illegal for them to publish a "notional" RRP for singles.
I actually took a case to these people (TSA) on the pricing of MiniDiscs, where they claimed there was saving over RRP by buying certain packages, but the company never sold the things in singles so it was illegal for them to publish a "notional" RRP for singles.
Good point. I don't know exactly WHY they're called this, but if any product were rejected for any reason in a factory, and fixed up to "as-new" specs before it ever actually LEFT the factory, then most manufacturers would quite legally call it "new". "Reconditioned" usually means it has left the building and then come back -- maybe under warranty for a defect that was discovered by the first buyer. Rebuilt automobile parts are sometimes called "factory reconditioned", which almost always means the part was in a car for some time and rebuilt in the factory after it FAILED in the original car.
In my opinion Dean and the less expensive Ibanez's
The maple body ibanez's because they have a bit more punch to them and a brighter sound IMO
The deans imo felt like they were construted a bit better and felt sturdier than the Alverez's. They sounded similar to the Alverez , (due to the basswood body.IMO)
esp and yamaha and peavey were also a few of others that i tried that imo sounded and or played better
the peavey was a fury and she was a 5 not a 6, but i was really impressed with her, sounded really good and played very nice also felt solid.
Hey, midnight, if you get it make sure to give us a review. I'm thinking of switching to 6, and I don't want to drop a lot of bills to start out, since I don't know how well I'd like it. The only sixer I've ever played was a Fernandes Gravity, and I didn't like it that much. But then, I didn't really like the first five string I played, either, and now they're about all I play. I'm also trying to do some chords, and six string would help for that. Plus guitarists can't look down on you when you've got as many strings as them.
Originally posted by Gabu
Hmm... sounds like another case of try before ya buy.It's back to Hollywood for me.
It should always be try before you buy, this way you know exactly what your going to get. Exception to the rule is a custom bass made to your specs. but that kinda goes without saying right?
Welp, the bass in question arrived yesterday and I got a chance to take it to practice and try it out. After 2 hours of non-stop playing, my conclusion is that it fits me well. To me, it doesn't feels cheap or toy-like. It is a good weight, right at 9.5 pounds. The B isn't nearly as tight as my 35" Schecter, but it isn't bad. However, all other strings ring out nice and true and I couldn't find any dead spots (though I usually play low on the neck). I wish that it had active electronics, but the passive humbuckers put out a decent growl with no detected hum. The bridge looks pretty cheap. The fretwork is decent, and the neck is very playable. All in all, I think it's a keeper. I will try to post a more detailed review, with pics and maybe a sound clip or two when I get a chance to really get into it. Stay tuned!
Thanks to those that put in their 2 cents about this spontaneous purchase.
Richard
Thanks to those that put in their 2 cents about this spontaneous purchase.
Richard
What's the scale length on it? I saw a couple of people say it had a 25 1/2" scale, and that didn't make any sense to me. Glad you like it. Hmmm, if it's pretty good, I might just ask for it for my birthday in a few weeks.
Musician's Friend doesn't always get their info correct. I pulled out the tape measure and it is definitely a 34" neck with 22 frets. From open string to 22nd fret measures 25 inches, which might be where they're getting that number from. In comparison, my Schecter has a 35" neck and measures 27 inches from open string to highest fret.
There is one reason and one reason only that these basses are being sold for so cheap.... I mean read the print "Factory Reconditioned"......... in other words.... it came out of the factory and something was wrong, so it was sent back and hey made it sellable.
I have owned this bass for 5 years. With some careful setup it has been a great second to my Peavey Cirrus 6. When the tuners on the Cirrus came apart, another story, this served me very well on several gigs. I use Ken Smith strings and Kenny L wires. The pick-ups are great for passive, the instrument is light, and the neck works and feels fine. You do need to adjust the neck and bridge saddles when you change strings but that is true for all the basses I have owned. SO, put on good strings, set it up carefully and play through a great amp and I think you will be happy.
I don't think you're a fool for giving it a shot... And the return policy should be all the comfort you'll need.
It could turn out to be a great bass for you... I haven't read all the posts but if someone happened to say it's no good, that's their opinion... it could work for you.
I experienced the same thing (sorta) with my new acquistion - an Ibanez semi-hollow (AGB140)... A buddy and I were at GC and thought we'd have some fun by grabbing a piece of crap guitar/bass and a piece of crap amp and see what kind of tones we can get out of it.... Well, my new Ibanez was the piece of crap I chose - low and behold I fell in love with it!
Good luck!
It could turn out to be a great bass for you... I haven't read all the posts but if someone happened to say it's no good, that's their opinion... it could work for you.
I experienced the same thing (sorta) with my new acquistion - an Ibanez semi-hollow (AGB140)... A buddy and I were at GC and thought we'd have some fun by grabbing a piece of crap guitar/bass and a piece of crap amp and see what kind of tones we can get out of it.... Well, my new Ibanez was the piece of crap I chose - low and behold I fell in love with it!
Good luck!
