Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anyone familiar with MAESTRO basses?
- Thread starter NZBass
- Start date
Bumping to the top so i don't have to start a new thread. Clearly they are selling a lot of stuff, under the names Houstonbrass and microscopecity, maybe another name or two. Can we get some more testimonials? I see some nice prices on interesting gear but i'm paranoid as you can't find any info about them other than the OTHER Maestro that is owned by Gibson.
Have to think more than 3 people around here have taken a chance on these.
Have to think more than 3 people around here have taken a chance on these.
By chance i saw these today also.. i was looking for a headless practice bass for the car. If they are ok , i would spring just to have to mess with
Decent materials and good build quality but garbage electronics and are almost never set up right. Toss some Bartolinis in it and take it to your local tech for a good set up and you'll have a damn nice bass
I am based in Norway. I got scammed by people selling Maestro basses on ebay. It's a long story. I'll do the short write-up now.
I ordered a very nice 6-string fretted bass, with nice finish, MusicMan-type pickups, block inlays on fingerboard, etc. (And I stress this, the photo clearly showed a FRETTED bass.) When I unpacked it, the frets were filed down to make it "fretless". It's the worst fretless conversion I've ever seen. The fret tang was needle sharp and cut my fingers, and the ends were sticking out of the fret slots. It was unusable. In addition, one pickup was dead.
So I complained. After much back and forth (amongst which is the trouble of sending the bass back, as it would cost me almost as much as the bass itself), we agreed on a good price for a new fretted bass, and I was refunded the shipping cost for the first bass. They suggested I covered the rest of my "loss" by selling the bass locally, which I was dumb enough to accept. The second bass was bought through one of the other ebay names they are using.
I received the second bass... and the refund... only to have the seller dispute the reimbursement of my shipping expenses two weeks after and claiming they never received the item they purchased. They never responded to my e-mails. They won through with their claim on PayPal (even though I sent PayPal the complete and unmodified e-mail conversation from the first purchase), basically leaving me with two el cheapo six string basses of which one was unplayable and the other pretty crappy quality, and the hazzle of being scammed out of the reimbursement. And of course they disputed the payment AFTER the dispute time limit had expired on my two purchases.
So their business ethics are dubious. They do not communicate on e-mail, and definitely not after they get their positive feedback, and they give a damn about their customers as long as they find a way of getting money from them. I know, I should never have agreed to strike a "deal" with them, I should have just returned the bass for a full refund, shipping and all, and let the feedback show what happened clearly. My fault for trusting people.
So, how's the quality of the basses themselves. In two words: Cheap & poor.
The necks are like baseball bats and makes Warwick necks feel like a skinny and slim jazz neck in comparison. Fretwork is horrible, and the attempt at a defret shows that whoever builds these basses knows nothing about bass building. The frets are loose and bent, they have been hammered in and are crooked, and they are very uneven, so forget getting a low action on them. Finish is ok, I guess, if you like a 2 mm car lacquer finish. Sound is somewhat decent once you get the pickups to work.
I know that a lot of people are happy with their purchases of cheap Asian instruments. I have been, too. But I'm going to stay well clear of the Maestro sellers on ebay, and the merchandise they are selling. Unless you're looking for firewood or are more than moderately capable of modifying and fixing up your bass, I'd go elsewhere.
Rondo Music also sells Asian imports, but they have integrity and knowledgable staff, and they have customer service. So get Brice, Douglas, SX... they do have a reputation for quality. With Maestro, you're getting an instrument, but in my honest opinion, you're getting lousy quality from a seller who doesn't care.
I guess I made myself perfectly clear. I haven't mentioned any names in my post, but I'm sure y'all can figure out who they are and can stay away from their auctions.
I'm not saying all of their instruments are bad. I'm saying I got scammed, and the two Maestro six strings I got were crappy quality. They were not the same as show in the first post of this thread, but "mine" are still for sale by Maestro sellers on ebay.
PM me if you want further info on my bad experience.
I ordered a very nice 6-string fretted bass, with nice finish, MusicMan-type pickups, block inlays on fingerboard, etc. (And I stress this, the photo clearly showed a FRETTED bass.) When I unpacked it, the frets were filed down to make it "fretless". It's the worst fretless conversion I've ever seen. The fret tang was needle sharp and cut my fingers, and the ends were sticking out of the fret slots. It was unusable. In addition, one pickup was dead.
So I complained. After much back and forth (amongst which is the trouble of sending the bass back, as it would cost me almost as much as the bass itself), we agreed on a good price for a new fretted bass, and I was refunded the shipping cost for the first bass. They suggested I covered the rest of my "loss" by selling the bass locally, which I was dumb enough to accept. The second bass was bought through one of the other ebay names they are using.
I received the second bass... and the refund... only to have the seller dispute the reimbursement of my shipping expenses two weeks after and claiming they never received the item they purchased. They never responded to my e-mails. They won through with their claim on PayPal (even though I sent PayPal the complete and unmodified e-mail conversation from the first purchase), basically leaving me with two el cheapo six string basses of which one was unplayable and the other pretty crappy quality, and the hazzle of being scammed out of the reimbursement. And of course they disputed the payment AFTER the dispute time limit had expired on my two purchases.
So their business ethics are dubious. They do not communicate on e-mail, and definitely not after they get their positive feedback, and they give a damn about their customers as long as they find a way of getting money from them. I know, I should never have agreed to strike a "deal" with them, I should have just returned the bass for a full refund, shipping and all, and let the feedback show what happened clearly. My fault for trusting people.
So, how's the quality of the basses themselves. In two words: Cheap & poor.
The necks are like baseball bats and makes Warwick necks feel like a skinny and slim jazz neck in comparison. Fretwork is horrible, and the attempt at a defret shows that whoever builds these basses knows nothing about bass building. The frets are loose and bent, they have been hammered in and are crooked, and they are very uneven, so forget getting a low action on them. Finish is ok, I guess, if you like a 2 mm car lacquer finish. Sound is somewhat decent once you get the pickups to work.
I know that a lot of people are happy with their purchases of cheap Asian instruments. I have been, too. But I'm going to stay well clear of the Maestro sellers on ebay, and the merchandise they are selling. Unless you're looking for firewood or are more than moderately capable of modifying and fixing up your bass, I'd go elsewhere.
Rondo Music also sells Asian imports, but they have integrity and knowledgable staff, and they have customer service. So get Brice, Douglas, SX... they do have a reputation for quality. With Maestro, you're getting an instrument, but in my honest opinion, you're getting lousy quality from a seller who doesn't care.
I guess I made myself perfectly clear. I haven't mentioned any names in my post, but I'm sure y'all can figure out who they are and can stay away from their auctions.
I'm not saying all of their instruments are bad. I'm saying I got scammed, and the two Maestro six strings I got were crappy quality. They were not the same as show in the first post of this thread, but "mine" are still for sale by Maestro sellers on ebay.
PM me if you want further info on my bad experience.
mostly i'm looking at their acoustics, mainly the 7 string fretless, and the Resonator one they sell.
Noone can decide whether you should go for one of those but yourself. The seller is the same regardless of the instrument you are buying from them. Whether or not the instrument will be good is a story in itself. Some people apparently have good experience with them. It's not a fortune, so maybe you should just satisfy your curiousity and give us a review too?
I'd like to keep this thread going by saying that I just purchased a Maestro Fretless 6 string, and it should be here September 5th, so I will post pics and whatnot when I get it/test it. Currently, I own a BC Rich Warlock (4 String in Drop C (type b? CGCF), a Schecter Raiden Special 5 in Black Cherry in standard tuning, and Sept. 5 will be my third bass, a 6 stringer. Fretless to boot!
This is also my first post, so "Hello" to a whole hell of a lot Bassists! I feel amongst people who can understand me! Yay!
This is also my first post, so "Hello" to a whole hell of a lot Bassists! I feel amongst people who can understand me! Yay!
There's a guy on youtube - maxproud - that does a maestro 5 string review. With a cheap preamp installed, he seems to like the instrument. I've been thinking of getting the double humbucker 4 string version they have from time to time, but have never pulled the trigger.
...so thanks to Hurricane Isaac screwing up the country, my bass was delayed by a few weeks.
When I got it, the top pickup (which was hot glued into the plastic shell of the pickup case) had been knocked free of the pickup case and was wiggling around in the void behind it.
Whoever strung it chose to wrap the entire strings around the tuners. All of the string.
The bridge was all kinds of screwed up. I believe one of the adjustment hex bolts for the gap between the fretboard and string (the action?) is stripped, so I've ordered a few extras to replace it, and have some spares.
After working on it for an hour or so, I was able to at least test it. It's a flattened fretless, which is at least on the right track for a full on fretless, but the fretboard is roughly sanded, a lot of nicks and gaps in the actual wood.
It needs new strings, and it needs for me to sand the fretboard down with 1,000 grit sandpaper, then 2,000 grit. I think this will greatly improve the tones that I am getting from these "wilkinson" or somesuch pickups that are in it now. I obviously need flatwound strings so that it wont scratch up the rosewood fretboard.
I like the potentiometers they chose to put into it, the top pot is the neck pickup, the second pot is treble (which I thought was a weird choice, but I guess I can see why since there is that higher string now), the third pot is the bridge pickup, and the fourth pot is the bass or tone. I adore the finish, and the yellow is very different, but I like it.
Playing some of my own brand of loser-learning music (I suck at bass, and not like Primus sucks, like actually sucks, but am happily learning, and having fun so I dont give a...) , I found that the tones I was pulling through my Mesa Boogie 15" Celestion 90 Watt speaker and Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber Plus tube amp sounded almost blue-grassy. Particularly that C string.
The bridge needs adjustment, and I am pretty sure the truss rods (I believe this model has two of those, but not yet sure) need adjusting, and the fretboard sanded, but all in all, for $210 with shipping, this was one of the best investments I've made in my own endeavors into the musical soiree. I am not shooting to be in a band, or play in clubs, or play for anyone, actually, just myself. I want to become a luthier, but dont feel good enough yet to go to the Luthier's corner here at the forums... Let me finish my 3 string cigar box guitar first, I'm almost done, I just ordered the bloodwood fretboard for it, and then I can finally finish it...
Anyhow, back on topic...
Maestro Bass assessment:
Sound: Decent (comparatively next to a BC Rich Platinum Warlock 4 string, and a Schecter Raiden Special 5 through the same amp)
Sustain: Better than either of the above two listed comparing basses
Weight: Equal to or lesser than my Schecter, but I believe they are both Basswood (a cheap wood, but light)
Fretboard: Leaves something to be desired
Neck: The backside is gorgeous
Hardware: Decent
Strings: Not applicable (because I bought this bass from someone who bought it from houstonbrass and not houstonbrass directly, because they suck, and I want to think the post-houstonbrass owner screwed them up, not the company)
Would I buy another? You can count on it. THIS IS A GREAT BEGINNER BASSIST BASS, AND A GREAT BEGINNER LUTHIER BASS.
My .02 is worth less than your .02 though, so go blow a small amount of cash on one of these. I doubt you'll hate it!
I will post pictures when photobucket.com lets me back to their website... grumble grumble...
Okay here they are:
I'm just showing that it fits in the coffin case here
a quick body and neck comparison snap
The neck is pretty fat. I have long awkward fingers though, so it doesn't bother me none. It does when I try to play a regular guitar, but not when I play bass
When I got it, the top pickup (which was hot glued into the plastic shell of the pickup case) had been knocked free of the pickup case and was wiggling around in the void behind it.
Whoever strung it chose to wrap the entire strings around the tuners. All of the string.
The bridge was all kinds of screwed up. I believe one of the adjustment hex bolts for the gap between the fretboard and string (the action?) is stripped, so I've ordered a few extras to replace it, and have some spares.
After working on it for an hour or so, I was able to at least test it. It's a flattened fretless, which is at least on the right track for a full on fretless, but the fretboard is roughly sanded, a lot of nicks and gaps in the actual wood.
It needs new strings, and it needs for me to sand the fretboard down with 1,000 grit sandpaper, then 2,000 grit. I think this will greatly improve the tones that I am getting from these "wilkinson" or somesuch pickups that are in it now. I obviously need flatwound strings so that it wont scratch up the rosewood fretboard.
I like the potentiometers they chose to put into it, the top pot is the neck pickup, the second pot is treble (which I thought was a weird choice, but I guess I can see why since there is that higher string now), the third pot is the bridge pickup, and the fourth pot is the bass or tone. I adore the finish, and the yellow is very different, but I like it.
Playing some of my own brand of loser-learning music (I suck at bass, and not like Primus sucks, like actually sucks, but am happily learning, and having fun so I dont give a...) , I found that the tones I was pulling through my Mesa Boogie 15" Celestion 90 Watt speaker and Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber Plus tube amp sounded almost blue-grassy. Particularly that C string.
The bridge needs adjustment, and I am pretty sure the truss rods (I believe this model has two of those, but not yet sure) need adjusting, and the fretboard sanded, but all in all, for $210 with shipping, this was one of the best investments I've made in my own endeavors into the musical soiree. I am not shooting to be in a band, or play in clubs, or play for anyone, actually, just myself. I want to become a luthier, but dont feel good enough yet to go to the Luthier's corner here at the forums... Let me finish my 3 string cigar box guitar first, I'm almost done, I just ordered the bloodwood fretboard for it, and then I can finally finish it...
Anyhow, back on topic...
Maestro Bass assessment:
Sound: Decent (comparatively next to a BC Rich Platinum Warlock 4 string, and a Schecter Raiden Special 5 through the same amp)
Sustain: Better than either of the above two listed comparing basses
Weight: Equal to or lesser than my Schecter, but I believe they are both Basswood (a cheap wood, but light)
Fretboard: Leaves something to be desired
Neck: The backside is gorgeous
Hardware: Decent
Strings: Not applicable (because I bought this bass from someone who bought it from houstonbrass and not houstonbrass directly, because they suck, and I want to think the post-houstonbrass owner screwed them up, not the company)
Would I buy another? You can count on it. THIS IS A GREAT BEGINNER BASSIST BASS, AND A GREAT BEGINNER LUTHIER BASS.
My .02 is worth less than your .02 though, so go blow a small amount of cash on one of these. I doubt you'll hate it!
I will post pictures when photobucket.com lets me back to their website... grumble grumble...
Okay here they are:
I'm just showing that it fits in the coffin case here
a quick body and neck comparison snap
The neck is pretty fat. I have long awkward fingers though, so it doesn't bother me none. It does when I try to play a regular guitar, but not when I play bass
I ordered on Tuesday, received it on Friday, tuned it and played it. Now I don't think this would be a bass to gig with, unless I have a piece of music that needs the "C", and should tend to be a bit twangy, since so far I don't get a low growl from it. Now if I wanted to put in Bartolini's and re-string, I bet it will get there. The bottom line is it was fully set up & ready to go. It has no fret's and so sounds clean without any buzz. I'm happy and think I received more than I paid for.
I served as a fill in player for a brief time in a great band. The Guitar Player played a MAESTRO Strat copy from the Late 70's or early 80's. He LOVED that thing. He had even recorded their 2 previous albums with it. Seemed like a pretty decent Guit-Fiddle. Kinda poopy the name seems to be associated to cheap, poor quality these days.
I also have one of these on the way. Can anyone tell me what is the string spacings at the bridge. 16, 17 or 18mm? 
Previously, Maestro was a Gibson-owned marque, made in Japan or Taiwan. The current brand seems to be made in Singapore.
Sounds like you got the one I sent back. Glad you're ok with it, but considering I had purchased a fretted instrument (according to the listing) you can understand my consternation when I opened the package.
Yeah, I believe it was during the Norlin era that Gibson owned that name, but I don't think this Maestro has any association.
Okay, so most likely "Maestro" basses on eBay are generic Chinese-made stuff. You takes your chances...
