I figured I'd share my experiences with a cheap bass that's available on Amazon. It's the Bullfighter Vintage Electric Bass Guitar DB-4S, made in Changsha, China. It's normally $250 but on Prime Day it was $187.50, so I figured why not? I actually bought two as I figured I'd keep the best one, as others have mentioned that quality could be variable. It also comes in bolt-on and 5-string versions.
Overview
* Neck-through mahogany and maple body
* "Rosewood" neck (though it's probably something else)
* 4-string
* 34" scale
* 24 frets
* 41mm at the nut, depth is 20mm (probably a 9.5" neck radius)
* Dual humbucking pickups with four wires
* 9V preamp with treble/mid/bass boost and cut
* Master volume, pickup blend, and bass/mid/treble knobs
* Heavy duty bridge with quick release
* Total weight 9 pounds (4.1kg)
Body
Really well made body. Looks like it's lightly finished, not rough to the touch by any measure but clearly not a very thick finish. Of the two I ordered, the one I kept had a prettier grain and better installation. Wood feels nice and the bass balances pretty well. Only a small amount of neck dive while on the lap. With a strap, no neck dive. I'm going to sand and apply some layers of poly to add some more finish but it's nice as-is.
Neck
It appears that me that Amazon was keeping these basses at a warehouse in the desert, as they were SUPER desiccated when they arrived. Frets were pokey and my first thought was that I was sending both back. However remembering past experiences I let both sit a couple of days and there was noticeable improvement. After a couple of weeks the fret problems went away (I'll still probably do a little bit of fretwork but it's not an issue any more).
Neck feels pretty good and is very playable. Both basses were set up pretty well out of the box with perfect intonation and fairly low action. No truss rod adjustment needed. No fret buzz. Inlays are very pretty and although the feel of the back of the neck is a little bit inconsistent (a few rougher spots) a little light sanding would probably make it perfect.
The truss rod is by the tuners and has a pretty nice plastic door that swings open for access. The nut, however, seems cheap and plastic but does its job well enough. I imagine that this will need replacing at some point.
Tuners/Bridge/Strings
The bridge was a pleasant surprise. This is a high-mass style bridge and very substantial. Individual intonation and height adjustments. Quick release design. Absolute tank. Love the bridge.
The tuners are really cheaply made. They look okay, but feel cheap when turning. However, they keep in tune and don't seem to slip on their own. However they are a little easier to bump out of tune than I would expect. These will get upgraded. They seem to be Gotoh clones so it should be easy.
When the basses arrived it was clear that the strings had never been in tune. They were strung well but never tensioned. Took a few days for them to fully stretch out. They play well enough but they're definitely rougher roundwounds than the Ernie Ball Super Slinkies on my SBMM Ray34. Going to replace these at some point as well. Not quite sure the width but probably 45-65-85-105s.
Electronics
Wiring seems good in the control cavity, with lots of slack in the wires. Battery compartment is nice. Cavity is painted with black conductive paint.
Pots were VERY scratchy when they arrived. I hit them with some DeoxIT contact cleaner and the problems went completely away. Had to tighten a couple of the pots down but I attribute that to the wood shrinking from being so dry. Knobs are chromed metal push-ons and very substantial. Feel very nice. This is my first bass with a blend knob, but it seems to be wired backwards from what I'd expect. Clockwise boosts the left (neck) pickup, counter-clockwise boosts the right (bridge) pickup.
Humbuckers have only two of the four wires connected. I think that indicates that they're wired in series and not parallel. The additional wires are taped off and accessible should one want to rewire to parallel.
Sound
First of all, these pickups are SUPER HOT. I mean like nuclear hot. I have a SBMM Ray4 (originally wired in series) and Ray34 (parallel) so I'm used to active basses but wow this bass is super loud. These humbuckers make the G&L MFDs seem tame.
I play all three of my basses frequently and I don't change my amp settings in between basses. For my Ray4 (now with a John East MMSR and Aguilar DCB pickups) and Ray34 I get a similar output. But the Bullfighter is easily 100% louder. On my SBMMs I turn the volume knob up to 100%, but on the Bullfighter I go about 25-33%.
As stated previously, the out of the box setup was pretty great, so it's not like the humbuckers are sitting right under the strings. They're at about the same relative elevation as the Stingrays. When I get around to a full setup (after I apply some finish) I'll move the humbuckers down to tame the dragon.
The preamp is pretty nice on this thing. There's a lot of boost and cut on all three bands, and you can dramatically alter the tone by altering the on-board EQ settings. There's also a very noticeable tonal difference between the neck and bridge pickups so this bass is very versatile.
The tone is really interesting. I've only been playing a year and prior to this I've only regularly played single humbucker Stingrays, so I'm not the best person to judge where this bass sits in the bass sonic universe. So please take my observations with a grain of salt.
The low end is very thick and meaty, but the high end is kind of flat and sounds slightly distorted. Using only the bridge pickup and boosting the treble helps, but it's no where near the clear and bell-like tone I get with the higher notes on my Stingrays.
When I got it, I wasn't sure whether I'd like this bass or what I'd like to play with it. Doesn't matter how cool a bass is if you hate how it sounds, right?
Anyhow, I found that what it does really well for me is to sit in what I think is the P-bass sonic space. With just the blend and EQ knobs I can get a pretty nice 70s Motown sound. Certain songs that never would quite sound right on my Stingrays like Billie Jean sound great on this thing. For that tone I turn the blend all the way over to the neck pickup, boost the bass slightly, keep the mids centered, and turn the treble all the way down.
I'll play with it sometimes on a 50-50 blend between the pickups but I never use the bridge pickup by itself. But that's mostly because anything it could do there my Stingrays can do better.
A final note on the sound: this thing has sustain for days. I counted out seconds while playing harmonics and it held notes for twice the duration of my Stingrays. I'm sure the neck-through body design is part of this, but the massive bridge probably helps as well. The cheap plastic nut also doesn't seem to be hurting it here - I figured if anything the cheap nut would kill the sustain.
QC Issues
The one I sent back had slightly misaligned pickup cavities (wasn't unplayable but the G string wasn't completely over the poles). It also had pickup mounting screws that weren't 100% vertical, making the pickup hard to adjust up and down. The bridge might have also been slightly misaligned as well, but if it was it was very slightly. Strings were straight on the neck for both.
Final Thoughts
I love this thing. I get to have a 24 fret neck-through bass with beautiful wood and lots of tonal options for $188. I'm no luthier but I'm handy and comfortable with modding my basses so any shortcomings I'm happy to deal with. Right now my plans are to replace the tuners, improve the finish with poly, and restring with Fender 7250M strings (they were on sale for $5 so why not). I'll then try and lower the action and tame the humbuckers a bit.
I would not recommend this bass for a new player. Go get a quality starter bass like a SBMM Ray4 or Sire. They're only a little more expensive but are much more consistent.
I'd recommend it more for someone who has been playing a while and is looking for something a little different and doesn't mind putting some work into the bass to make it better. It's also probably a really great mod platform as the bones are great.
Attached are some pictures and links. Enjoy!
Company website:
China Customized Vintage Electric Bass Guitar Suppliers, Manufacturers - Factory Direct Wholesale - BULLFIGHTER
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0932MFNJT/ref=twister_B09FNK9H9Q
Overview
* Neck-through mahogany and maple body
* "Rosewood" neck (though it's probably something else)
* 4-string
* 34" scale
* 24 frets
* 41mm at the nut, depth is 20mm (probably a 9.5" neck radius)
* Dual humbucking pickups with four wires
* 9V preamp with treble/mid/bass boost and cut
* Master volume, pickup blend, and bass/mid/treble knobs
* Heavy duty bridge with quick release
* Total weight 9 pounds (4.1kg)
Body
Really well made body. Looks like it's lightly finished, not rough to the touch by any measure but clearly not a very thick finish. Of the two I ordered, the one I kept had a prettier grain and better installation. Wood feels nice and the bass balances pretty well. Only a small amount of neck dive while on the lap. With a strap, no neck dive. I'm going to sand and apply some layers of poly to add some more finish but it's nice as-is.
Neck
It appears that me that Amazon was keeping these basses at a warehouse in the desert, as they were SUPER desiccated when they arrived. Frets were pokey and my first thought was that I was sending both back. However remembering past experiences I let both sit a couple of days and there was noticeable improvement. After a couple of weeks the fret problems went away (I'll still probably do a little bit of fretwork but it's not an issue any more).
Neck feels pretty good and is very playable. Both basses were set up pretty well out of the box with perfect intonation and fairly low action. No truss rod adjustment needed. No fret buzz. Inlays are very pretty and although the feel of the back of the neck is a little bit inconsistent (a few rougher spots) a little light sanding would probably make it perfect.
The truss rod is by the tuners and has a pretty nice plastic door that swings open for access. The nut, however, seems cheap and plastic but does its job well enough. I imagine that this will need replacing at some point.
Tuners/Bridge/Strings
The bridge was a pleasant surprise. This is a high-mass style bridge and very substantial. Individual intonation and height adjustments. Quick release design. Absolute tank. Love the bridge.
The tuners are really cheaply made. They look okay, but feel cheap when turning. However, they keep in tune and don't seem to slip on their own. However they are a little easier to bump out of tune than I would expect. These will get upgraded. They seem to be Gotoh clones so it should be easy.
When the basses arrived it was clear that the strings had never been in tune. They were strung well but never tensioned. Took a few days for them to fully stretch out. They play well enough but they're definitely rougher roundwounds than the Ernie Ball Super Slinkies on my SBMM Ray34. Going to replace these at some point as well. Not quite sure the width but probably 45-65-85-105s.
Electronics
Wiring seems good in the control cavity, with lots of slack in the wires. Battery compartment is nice. Cavity is painted with black conductive paint.
Pots were VERY scratchy when they arrived. I hit them with some DeoxIT contact cleaner and the problems went completely away. Had to tighten a couple of the pots down but I attribute that to the wood shrinking from being so dry. Knobs are chromed metal push-ons and very substantial. Feel very nice. This is my first bass with a blend knob, but it seems to be wired backwards from what I'd expect. Clockwise boosts the left (neck) pickup, counter-clockwise boosts the right (bridge) pickup.
Humbuckers have only two of the four wires connected. I think that indicates that they're wired in series and not parallel. The additional wires are taped off and accessible should one want to rewire to parallel.
Sound
First of all, these pickups are SUPER HOT. I mean like nuclear hot. I have a SBMM Ray4 (originally wired in series) and Ray34 (parallel) so I'm used to active basses but wow this bass is super loud. These humbuckers make the G&L MFDs seem tame.
I play all three of my basses frequently and I don't change my amp settings in between basses. For my Ray4 (now with a John East MMSR and Aguilar DCB pickups) and Ray34 I get a similar output. But the Bullfighter is easily 100% louder. On my SBMMs I turn the volume knob up to 100%, but on the Bullfighter I go about 25-33%.
As stated previously, the out of the box setup was pretty great, so it's not like the humbuckers are sitting right under the strings. They're at about the same relative elevation as the Stingrays. When I get around to a full setup (after I apply some finish) I'll move the humbuckers down to tame the dragon.
The preamp is pretty nice on this thing. There's a lot of boost and cut on all three bands, and you can dramatically alter the tone by altering the on-board EQ settings. There's also a very noticeable tonal difference between the neck and bridge pickups so this bass is very versatile.
The tone is really interesting. I've only been playing a year and prior to this I've only regularly played single humbucker Stingrays, so I'm not the best person to judge where this bass sits in the bass sonic universe. So please take my observations with a grain of salt.
The low end is very thick and meaty, but the high end is kind of flat and sounds slightly distorted. Using only the bridge pickup and boosting the treble helps, but it's no where near the clear and bell-like tone I get with the higher notes on my Stingrays.
When I got it, I wasn't sure whether I'd like this bass or what I'd like to play with it. Doesn't matter how cool a bass is if you hate how it sounds, right?
Anyhow, I found that what it does really well for me is to sit in what I think is the P-bass sonic space. With just the blend and EQ knobs I can get a pretty nice 70s Motown sound. Certain songs that never would quite sound right on my Stingrays like Billie Jean sound great on this thing. For that tone I turn the blend all the way over to the neck pickup, boost the bass slightly, keep the mids centered, and turn the treble all the way down.
I'll play with it sometimes on a 50-50 blend between the pickups but I never use the bridge pickup by itself. But that's mostly because anything it could do there my Stingrays can do better.
A final note on the sound: this thing has sustain for days. I counted out seconds while playing harmonics and it held notes for twice the duration of my Stingrays. I'm sure the neck-through body design is part of this, but the massive bridge probably helps as well. The cheap plastic nut also doesn't seem to be hurting it here - I figured if anything the cheap nut would kill the sustain.
QC Issues
The one I sent back had slightly misaligned pickup cavities (wasn't unplayable but the G string wasn't completely over the poles). It also had pickup mounting screws that weren't 100% vertical, making the pickup hard to adjust up and down. The bridge might have also been slightly misaligned as well, but if it was it was very slightly. Strings were straight on the neck for both.
Final Thoughts
I love this thing. I get to have a 24 fret neck-through bass with beautiful wood and lots of tonal options for $188. I'm no luthier but I'm handy and comfortable with modding my basses so any shortcomings I'm happy to deal with. Right now my plans are to replace the tuners, improve the finish with poly, and restring with Fender 7250M strings (they were on sale for $5 so why not). I'll then try and lower the action and tame the humbuckers a bit.
I would not recommend this bass for a new player. Go get a quality starter bass like a SBMM Ray4 or Sire. They're only a little more expensive but are much more consistent.
I'd recommend it more for someone who has been playing a while and is looking for something a little different and doesn't mind putting some work into the bass to make it better. It's also probably a really great mod platform as the bones are great.
Attached are some pictures and links. Enjoy!
Company website:
China Customized Vintage Electric Bass Guitar Suppliers, Manufacturers - Factory Direct Wholesale - BULLFIGHTER
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0932MFNJT/ref=twister_B09FNK9H9Q
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
...or not.
It's amazing how much better this guitar sounds if you modify it. So I checked the wiring, but honestly, it's a bit difficult.
Plz, can you explain life hack in more detail?
