I claim #32.
Here's my 2010 Dean USA Hillsboro Jazz. It's Surf Green and awesome.
Mini review below pics.
(Sorry for the crappy pics, but I haven't gotten around to taken any of my own yet. These are from the retailer.)
The Dean USA Hillsboro Jazz bass is officially the most awesome bass in the universe. It's worth every penny (and you have to spend a whole bunch of pennies on the USA version at $1,000.)
A bit of background. I generally play short-scale basses. I have a Birdsong Cortobass that's my main, go-to bass. It's basically the perfect bass for me. I do play long-scale basses now and again, but I don't find them as comfortable as my short scale.
At least I didn't. Now that I have the Hillsboro I can truly say that I have found a long scale bass that is just as comfortable than a short-scale. It certainly doesn't feel like a long scale. This bass is so comfortable I can pay it for hours with no problems. It amazes me that it's even a long-scale bass. It certainly doesn't feel like one. I went so far as to measure the scale length just to be sure!
The Maple neck (with maple fingerboard) is very comfortable. I previously had a Dean Edge bass and the one thing I could never really get used to was the neck. It was bit too flat for my taste. The edges were very prominent. I suspect the neck was a "V" or a "U" shape. The Hillsboro has a nice, comfortable "C" shaped neck. The kind I prefer.
As for the tone, well, it's just amazing. This bass is ballsy. It puts a Fender Jazz to shame. One thing I never liked about a Fender Jazz was that it had a tendency to whine. It didn't have enough low-end growl (like a P-bass) for my taste (which is why I prefer P-bbsses over Jazzes). The Hillsboro has it in spades. The pickups hum just a tiny bit, but that's to be expected with single coils. They are not too noisy though.
The bass is passive, with just 2 Volumes and a Tone knob, but that's the way I like it. I'm not an active bass person. I've owned them, but never really cared for the sound of an active bass. I could get whatever tone I need out of the bass by dialing it in on the amp anyway. And not having to worry about changing a battery is a plus (and I hear changing the battery on the active Hillsboro entails taking off the pickguard!?)
It looks great too. Surf Green with black hardware and pickguard. The paint job is very nice and the matching headstock is a nice touch. Even the strap buttons are black!
The new logo is pretty cool too. My almost-4-year-old daughter calls it the "guitar with the mustache."
Basically, this is one great bass. Well worth the price. If the imports are half as good at $300, they are a steal. I think Dean has a winner in the USA Hillsboro.
Here's my 2010 Dean USA Hillsboro Jazz. It's Surf Green and awesome.
Mini review below pics.
(Sorry for the crappy pics, but I haven't gotten around to taken any of my own yet. These are from the retailer.)
The Dean USA Hillsboro Jazz bass is officially the most awesome bass in the universe. It's worth every penny (and you have to spend a whole bunch of pennies on the USA version at $1,000.)
A bit of background. I generally play short-scale basses. I have a Birdsong Cortobass that's my main, go-to bass. It's basically the perfect bass for me. I do play long-scale basses now and again, but I don't find them as comfortable as my short scale.
At least I didn't. Now that I have the Hillsboro I can truly say that I have found a long scale bass that is just as comfortable than a short-scale. It certainly doesn't feel like a long scale. This bass is so comfortable I can pay it for hours with no problems. It amazes me that it's even a long-scale bass. It certainly doesn't feel like one. I went so far as to measure the scale length just to be sure!
The Maple neck (with maple fingerboard) is very comfortable. I previously had a Dean Edge bass and the one thing I could never really get used to was the neck. It was bit too flat for my taste. The edges were very prominent. I suspect the neck was a "V" or a "U" shape. The Hillsboro has a nice, comfortable "C" shaped neck. The kind I prefer.
As for the tone, well, it's just amazing. This bass is ballsy. It puts a Fender Jazz to shame. One thing I never liked about a Fender Jazz was that it had a tendency to whine. It didn't have enough low-end growl (like a P-bass) for my taste (which is why I prefer P-bbsses over Jazzes). The Hillsboro has it in spades. The pickups hum just a tiny bit, but that's to be expected with single coils. They are not too noisy though.
The bass is passive, with just 2 Volumes and a Tone knob, but that's the way I like it. I'm not an active bass person. I've owned them, but never really cared for the sound of an active bass. I could get whatever tone I need out of the bass by dialing it in on the amp anyway. And not having to worry about changing a battery is a plus (and I hear changing the battery on the active Hillsboro entails taking off the pickguard!?)
It looks great too. Surf Green with black hardware and pickguard. The paint job is very nice and the matching headstock is a nice touch. Even the strap buttons are black!
The new logo is pretty cool too. My almost-4-year-old daughter calls it the "guitar with the mustache."
Basically, this is one great bass. Well worth the price. If the imports are half as good at $300, they are a steal. I think Dean has a winner in the USA Hillsboro.
Okay, Let's try this out and see if one of you can't help me out...
