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Chinese Mini Jazz Bass from DHGate.com

uglybassplayer

uglybassplayer

Aug 24, 2001
1,336
33
New Jersey
www.sergerocks.com
#1
I've been on the lookout for a ultra short scale bass for some time, but not really interested in the UBass or Hadean uke basses.

Unfortunately, I lost out on an auction for a Samick Greg Bennet MCR1 Mini Corsair bass last night, so this morning I was scouring the net for something similar. I was all set to order a Invalid Link Removed from SmallGuitars.com, but I've been somewhat concerned about those tiny "guitar style" tuners.

Anyway, as a last resort I looked on DHGate (yeah, I know), and found this JStar brand mini Jazz bass for $67 w/ free S&H to the states (actually, I used a $3 off coupon, so it ended up being $64). I figured for that little cash, what have I got to lose, so I pulled the plug. With any luck, a) it may actually arrive, b) it will look like it does in these pictures, and c) it will be somewhat playable.

Based on the title and pictures, it appears to have a total length of 34" (same as the MCR1), so I'm betting that the scale length will be 24 3/4".

I'll be sure to post a review if it does indeed arrive :)

The best part is the description. How can you resist a tag line like this...

"Rock and roll lovers love the ovation guitars best, the strong sound, striking pace are the most obvious features of acoustic bass. Plugging the guitar shop in a socket, and the martin guitars can let out beautiful music, which is amazing! The wholesale electric guitar kits in our shop are in discounted price at present, if you are interested in guitar music, you should definitely learn to play the coolest bass guitars, and become a much more attractive version of yourself"

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#3
I really hope this works out to be worthwhile.
I would absolutely love to have one of those just to show up at auditions with, and if they comment about it, feign ignorance and eventually offense, put on a ludicrously oversized jacket and child-size hat, and storm out the door. Their reaction would tell me all I need to know about if I could hang with those dudes.
 
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#6
Well as they say, "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't".
The seller contacted me early this morning to inform me that the price on their page was a mistake and is requesting I pay an additional $95, bringing the total price to $10 above than what slantedpanted paid for his via AliExpress, as mentioned in the Sub-Short Scale Talk thread above. Needless to say, we are now in negotiation about it :rollno:
 
#7
uglybassplayer said:
Well as they say, "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't".
The seller contacted me early this morning to inform me that the price on their page was a mistake and is requesting I pay an additional $95, bringing the total price to $10 above than what slantedpanted paid for his via AliExpress, as mentioned in the Sub-Short Scale Talk thread above. Needless to say, we are now in negotiation about it :rollno:
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There's no negotiation. You paid the listed price online and that should be it. Their fault, not yours.
 
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#8
Easier said than done... I doubt DHGate would force them to accept an order with a pricing mistake that could potential COST them money. Chances are, the seller would just refund my money, which I'm sure would be in compliance with DHGate's seller guidelines. The result would most likely be the same if I issued a complaint against them... DHGate would just refund my initial payment.
 
#10
BTW, I may have a source for sub-short scale strings... KaliumStrings.com

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They sell strings for extended range guitars, with diameters up to 0.182, with lengths geared to ERGs and supposedly tapered ends to fit standard guitar tuners...

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You can order individual strings to make your own sets, just make sure the larger string gauges have an "S" (for short) as part of the string gauge. You'll see that for the gauges starting at 0.102 and up.

I just ordered a set of .106S, .079, .059 and .045 for a little under $20 with shipping. Once I get them, I may try some heavier gauges.
 
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#14
The bait and switch routine is pretty common with Chinese sellers from what I've read, another reason to be very wary of these transactions because you really have no recourse if they stiff you. Hope it works out for you, I've only ever done one Aliexpress transaction and got flat-out ripped off for a $10 item, not a big deal, but quickly revealed that any "buyer protection" or arbitration system they claim to have is utter horsesh*t.
 
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#17
slantedpanted said:
Did a few mods. I was havin a hard time finding strings that fit so ive added some more vintage style machineheads - they have more girth - and made it into a string trough bridge. Its now fitted with some fernandes travelbass strings and it plays and sound excelent.

View attachment 1157850
Click to expand...
The string spacing over the pickups looks pretty even. Do you know if they are normal-sized pickups?
 
#19
Finally, after a month and a lot of back and forth with the seller about tracking numbers, lost shipment, etc., it finally arrived today at the office. I find it rather comical that instead of the "JStar" logo that was on the headstock in their pictures, they used a "Fender Made in USA" logo, as well as a Fender "Corona" backplate :roflmao::woot:.

I have nothing to plug it into here at the office, but here are my initial impressions...
- Well packed, completely encased in styrofoam.... I had to cut through it from the bottom and it made a mess :rollno:
- Fair build quality, about what you'd expect for a sub $200 bass. Not particularly bad, but not particularly great either.
- Fit & finish... Neck pickup apparently doesn't have pickup springs (though the bridge pickup does). I ordered a cheap set from Amazon to install. The string tree screw is just a wee bit too long and barely peeks out the back of the headstock. Pickguard is rather poorly cut (not quite shaped like a Jazz pickguard). Strings line up, pots seem solid, bridge and tuners seem ok. Neck is straight, neck sits tight in the pocket. Action is high, but I'll adjust that when I get and install the springs. The body is 3 pieces of wood. No issues with the body itself or finish.

The acoustic guitar in the picture for a size comparison is a Little Martin LX1

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#20
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