G4M Budget Bass Club

[TeeSee]

I'd like to talk about G4M (Gear4music)
Let us make a BIG underline here, that Gear4Music is a UK kinda Thomann wannabee, I doubt they can shift the same amount of boxes that Thomann can yet, but they seem to be gaining traction over here with their budget stuff. Sure they sell you Fender, Gibson, EBMM, Sterling, Sandberg, Schecter, Yamaha, sometimes at great money other times you may have to flip to Thomann. What we are really interested in is their budget stuff and can any of it cut the mustard?

For a start US and Americas (Canada and South American States) are catered for. No one in those countries will want to buy a MIA P from a country that has had to import from the US first, but the budgets might tweak a little more interest.

I think their "in house" brands seem to be a bit more liberal it terms of saying to potential builders in the Asian countries, "show us a design let's see what you come up with" rather than just sending then a clone of a FSO and instructing them to build 500 batch. Guitar builders are guitar builders anywhere in the world, so throwing down the gauntlet of "let's see what you can do" is bound to be a way of piquing interest from a builder into new designs. It's also a smart move by opening up a new gene pool ?

So, when we come to budget offerings out of Gear 4 Music catalog's there have been a couple of new basses recently, both sporting the "Hartwood" name, a name unfamiliar to us all until a few months ago.

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2 models are on offer at the time of writing; the medium scale Satellite (32"), and the short scale Delta (30")

Both of these guitars have already been reviewed on a twofer vid by the irreverent but hugely appreciated for no nonsense and accurate reviews fella, Jonny Dibble

In a nutshell, the Satellite is a P-bass setup albeit the pickups are a lot closer to the neck than the standard P positioning. Design is very cool and quite original IMHO compared with the amount of FSO's that dominate today's market (budget is the keyword here folks, not some one off that $10,000 will get you for your own design).

The Delta is a PJ that's styling is a little more conventional but reminds me of a mashup between an SG and Newport, but still a handsome guitar in it's own right.

Other G4M left field offerings are the 972 AKA Coliseum
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as well as Baritone/Guitar Bass/Bass VI what have you, as well as more conventional shaped objects.

I've bought the 972 in the past and the Satellite lately.

Although this "club" is ostensibly about "in house" budget guitars from Gear4Music it's up to folks to mention any G4M stuff they've bought and to chew the fat, and whether is been good, bad or utterly rubbish

I don't expect this club will gain any amount of traction like the Ric's, Foderas, Fenders, Yamaha's, Glarry's, Harley Benton's ad infinitum but hoping this will provide a resource in the future for those that want to spout off about anything or everything G4M and whether it's good or bad, everyone's opinion matters, now and in the future.
Usual disclaimer, I have absolutely no affiliation to G4M

 

[TeeSee]

I'd like to talk about G4M (Gear4music)
Let us make a BIG underline here, that Gear4Music is a UK kinda Thomann wannabee, I doubt they can shift the same amount of boxes that Thomann can yet, but they seem to be gaining traction over here with their budget stuff. Sure they sell you Fender, Gibson, EBMM, Sterling, Sandberg, Schecter, Yamaha, sometimes at great money other times you may have to flip to Thomann. What we are really interested in is their budget stuff and can any of it cut the mustard?

For a start US and Americas (Canada and South American States) are catered for. No one in those countries will want to buy a MIA P from a country that has had to import from the US first, but the budgets might tweak a little more interest.

I think their "in house" brands seem to be a bit more liberal it terms of saying to potential builders in the Asian countries, "show us a design let's see what you come up with" rather than just sending then a clone of a FSO and instructing them to build 500 batch. Guitar builders are guitar builders anywhere in the world, so throwing down the gauntlet of "let's see what you can do" is bound to be a way of piquing interest from a builder into new designs. It's also a smart move by opening up a new gene pool ?

So, when we come to budget offerings out of Gear 4 Music catalog's there have been a couple of new basses recently, both sporting the "Hartwood" name, a name unfamiliar to us all until a few months ago.

Invalid Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed

2 models are on offer at the time of writing; the medium scale Satellite (32"), and the short scale Delta (30")

Both of these guitars have already been reviewed on a twofer vid by the irreverent but hugely appreciated for no nonsense and accurate reviews fella, Jonny Dibble

In a nutshell, the Satellite is a P-bass setup albeit the pickups are a lot closer to the neck than the standard P positioning. Design is very cool and quite original IMHO compared with the amount of FSO's that dominate today's market (budget is the keyword here folks, not some one off that $10,000 will get you for your own design).

The Delta is a PJ that's styling is a little more conventional but reminds me of a mashup between an SG and Newport, but still a handsome guitar in it's own right.

Other G4M left field offerings are the 972 AKA Coliseum
Invalid Link Removed
as well as Baritone/Guitar Bass/Bass VI what have you, as well as more conventional shaped objects.

I've bought the 972 in the past and the Satellite lately.

Although this "club" is ostensibly about "in house" budget guitars from Gear4Music it's up to folks to mention any G4M stuff they've bought and to chew the fat, and whether is been good, bad or utterly rubbish

I don't expect this club will gain any amount of traction like the Ric's, Foderas, Fenders, Yamaha's, Glarry's, Harley Benton's ad infinitum but hoping this will provide a resource in the future for those that want to spout off about anything or everything G4M and whether it's good or bad, everyone's opinion matters, now and in the future.
Usual disclaimer, I have absolutely no affiliation to G4M

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

 

[TeeSee]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

Other one from me is our old friend the G4M 972 Fanned Fret, AKA the Red Sub Colliseum, All I know about this guitar is that there were 3 iterations, the Red Sub Coliseums 1&2 and finally the G4M 972, as far as I can tell there seems to be no real difference between the 3 iterations other than the factories where they were made and that the 972 has now 7 bolts on the neck where the other 2 iterations had 5 bolts. 7 bolts don’t always mean better stability but there is nothing wrong with mine from where I’m standing, though @LowEndLobster may beg to differ

At the time of writing this is still actually one of the few affordable fanned frets even still after Dingwall’s patent on multiscales ran out mid last decade. Harley Benton dabbled with them about 2017/2018 before ditching it, they have since bought out the MSB 5 very recently. Difference between this and the new HB is you got 36.25” on B compared with 35” on the HB.

I was never happy with the too pointy looks of the guitar body and with the pickups positioning being too close to each other at the bridge so I got the pickups repositioned and body reshaped and sprayed orange. I added some Warwick tuners and a Glokenklang pre, though to be honest and fair, the electronics they came with already weren’t bad at all. The great thing about these basses is that the necks and frets are finished to perfection, and if you have any nous about you at all you can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear without having to resort to ‘your luthier’.

Anyway here it is, next to Benny (the cat) who is more than p**sed off because were off on holiday tomorrow and he’s seen the suitcases and knows it’s a trip to the cattery for a week

 

[Pdaddy1978]

That Satellite ticks alot of boxes for me.
Surf board pg, lipstick pu, and chicken heads? Whats not to like?
I even dig the headstock design.
If I was in the market for an affordable bass, and it came down between it and a Glarry, it would be a no brain'er.
And if something like that would have been available when I was a fresh faced kid in 72?
I would've been the happiest kid in town!

 

[kodiakblair]

Dingwall’s patent on multiscales

Dingwall never held any patent on multiscales. They license the Novak system but with the history of multiscale instruments going back 2 - 300 years there has always been other systems.

 

[Wyrdlow]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

I haven't tried any of their instruments, but I can heartily recommend their Dual Bass Gig Bag. A very sturdy, well padded bit of kit that has given me eight-ish years of sterling service, and can be had for £59.99

I'm looking to buy a Hartwood battery powered amp from them in the not too distant future, so I shall report back here.

 

[Wyrdlow]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

Great job TeeSee! The pickup and new knobs are a great choice visually. How has the new pickup affected the tone? Brighter, I'm guessing?

 

[kodiakblair]

Owned a few G4M basses.

Picked up this ash body/ maple neck LA Select for £20. Crazy low price.

Decent quality bass, made with traditional materials. I'm of the opinion G4M messed up with their marketing on this model. It's aimed at the beginner and it comes with a pretty subdued ceramic split coil. £10 more in the build budget for a livelier alnico split coil would have made these real contenders.



Another LA Select, this time Select II Denim Burst.

WOW !! Fit and finish was outstanding. Roasted maple neck felt great, very flat radius so you have a proper P-bass width but slim front to back.
Ash body was a good choice. Binding and burst veneer give it striking look. Adjustable screw mono saddle bridge were the same style units as Ibanez used, G4M have since changed the style of mono saddle to manual set

A very nice bass but again I question G4M's sales & marketing dept. They're putting out a very attractive bass at a very reasonable price, £150, but yet again they chose to handicap the bass with a lacklustre pickup



Finally an offshoot brand.

The RedSub multiscale. I remember their first appearance on the market. Not being a 5 string player and having never held a multiscale I was still debating buying when the last one sold


3 or 4 months later G4M got the 2nd batch in. 20% price hike cooled my ardour and I'm glad it did, G4M got shafted by their supplier Think almost all of that 2nd batch were listed as seconds on G4M's eBay account. The roasted maple neck was a tint, many had visible tooling marks, misaligned hardware. Was no surprise G4M pulled those Redsubs from their inventory.


Mine came from one of those lucky swines who bagged a 1st batch. £130 inc courier costs all the way from Lossiemouth.

I was well impressed. Don't know if it was just the RedSub neck or fanned frets are something we overthink but it was a breeze to play Body shape wasn't really my thing but it was comfortable enough. Looked pretty and the balance was good.

$64k question "How does it sound ?"

Honestly I'm not qualified to answer that. Still not a 5 string player and I don't think a 15 minute noodle every month or so gives me enough experience to offer an opinion.

 

[TeeSee]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

Screw up fairy strikes again. I actually meant @JIO not gio, apologies.

 

[kodiakblair]

Forgot about this one

Another LA series. Bought as a separate body and neck from an old pal down in Hastings, an old pal who just happens to own the denim burst from my previous post

Fender logo on the neck could mean one of two things. Brand conscience-ness never leaves you, not even when you're 70+, or Tom is still young at heart
For the bodies on this model G4M went with Paulownia, it's very light. Wee tip if working with Paulownia, don't pre-drill any holes. Put the screws in using a screwdriver, no battery guns, then back them out and wick some CA into the holes

This one will be the basis for the 4 lipstick Italia build I have planned.

 

[TeeSee]

Forgot about this one

Another LA series. Bought as a separate body and neck from an old pal down in Hastings, an old pal who just happens to own the denim burst from my previous post

Fender logo on the neck could mean one of two things. Brand conscience-ness never leaves you, not even when you're 70+, or Tom is still young at heart
For the bodies on this model G4M went with Paulownia, it's very light. Wee tip if working with Paulownia, don't pre-drill any holes. Put the screws in using a screwdriver, no battery guns, then back them out and wick some CA into the holes

This one will be the basis for the 4 lipstick Italia build I have planned.
View attachment 7312395

Looking forward to seeing how the 4 lipstick build turns out mate.

 

[kodiakblair]

Looking forward to seeing how the 4 lipstick build turns out mate.

Got all the parts and materials here Tony but the sister starts her chemo tomorrow so any modding is on hold until I see how she copes

 

[TeeSee]

Great job TeeSee! The pickup and new knobs are a great choice visually. How has the new pickup affected the tone? Brighter, I'm guessing?

TBH mate I'm unsure, I hadn't really had time to get used to the Split P before I did the upgrade. Brighter? definitely in places, but there's 5 different caps in that switch so it has clouded my perception somewhat now. If truth be told I doubt I could tell the difference between the split P and the lipstick if I'd have put the lipstick on the centreline of the splits and mounted it straight, all I can say is that I can get a lot of tone difference to what is was before.

 

[TeeSee]

Got all the parts and materials here Tony but the sister starts her chemo tomorrow so any modding is on hold until I see how she copes

Best wishes to her mate.

 

[kodiakblair]

Best wishes to her mate.

Thanks Tony, it's appreciated

 

[JIO]

Screw up fairy strikes again. I actually meant @JIO not gio, apologies.

No worries!

 

[JIO]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

I'm diving back into this thread because it sparks my interest as related to the concept of "retro". The first wave of guitar "retro" grew out of the generally "retro" 1980's, at least stylistically. "Retro" as 'looking back'... to the US 1950's - R&R, sock-hops, do-whap etc... revisited 30yr later. Guitar retro really became a "thing" in the '90s and it's interesting that it's still going strong. I've followed guitar producers' aesthetic "take" on retro - from limited edition builders to main-stream guitar manufactures. It's become like a spice, a flavor... to be added depending on taste - subtle or cartoonish. The best touch on the essence of retro - visualizing stylistically through 2025 eyes/sensibilities what made people in that era gravitate toward designs like that, and why it's still engaging. Going further on this tangent is definitely a rabbit hole - sorry for the derail...

 

[Moredator]

Anyone have the G4M 878 5-string? It sounded ok in a basstheworld video (6-string iteration) and they mentioned it weighting only 4kilos so not too bad. I am pretty interested. Passive, 2 vol & tone, c-neck, presumably not the heaviest, body shape suggests no neck dive, under 300e

G4M 878 5 String Bass Guitar, Emerald - G4M

The G4M 878 5 String Bass Guitar is a high-quality instrument designed for musicians seeking a versatile sound. With a 34.5" scale length and five strings, this extended-range bass guitar offers a broad tonal range that accommodates various musical styles. Featuring an American basswood body...

g4m.com

 

[JIO]

I’m going to dive in first off with this;

It’s the Satellite. Honestly, I saw that guitar and the surfboard PG, with a kind of like a muted reverse Jaguar body, but with a 60’s futuristic almost ‘Jetson’ feel to it. I knew this thing stank of 60’s Americana but needed a bit more adding to it to drag it kicking and screaming firmly back into 50 years ago, a look that Beach Boys, or Rezillo’s would love. Off came the split P’s, on came a lipstick. Better tuners were added, no way was the beautiful neck with the little diddly truss rod wheel needed to go but I did want to paint the headstock and remove the anachronistic logo, (more scripted) so I got on the computer had a look for fonts of that era and just took a flyer. Keeping the name as original as it’s still a Hartwood.
View attachment 7311798

Other additions, a more retro looking bridge, a varitone pot and knob and some chicken heads.

No way is this anything like the works as @gio can turn out, but I’m a man of limited means so I’d like at least to cock my hat at him.

Should have posted this earlier... even a similar finish/colour! I built it around the '60s 'loaded' vintage pg w/tug-bar, pu's/rocker-switches & control-plate. Added a similar vintage string-stop, bridge & '80s Ibanez 'heart-shaped' tuners. Med scale, luminous fret-markers, light weight & balances well.

 

[TeeSee]

Should have posted this earlier... even a similar finish/colour! I built it around the '60s 'loaded' vintage pg w/tug-bar, pu's/rocker-switches & control-plate. Added a similar vintage string-stop, bridge & '80s Ibanez 'heart-shaped' tuners. Med scale, luminous fret-markers, light weight & balances well.

View attachment 7537031

@JIO as you probably know, I've always loved your renovations/builds, and your amazing craftsmanship and artistic statements. My really cheap (not even worthy) G4M Satellite makeover was directly inspired by your creations. I've seen this particular guitar before on here and other music websites that have featured your works. Truly unique model from a truly unique character. I love it mate .