Ok, so I got a Redsub Coliseum 5...and I got a bad one. Rusty frets, poorly cut nut, the whole 9 yards. My question is....does anyone, anywhere in the whole freakin world, sell a pre-slotted multiscale nut? I cannot seem to find one anywhere. I tried re-slotting the nut, myself but, as it's the first time I've ever tried to slot a nut, I carved the slots too deep AND I made the stupid decision to super glue the nut back in after it fell off during a string change. Should I just give up?
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I fell prey to the Redsub.
- Thread starter Valimesh
- Start date
Build the slots up again wit bicarb of soda and super glue.
Can I ask where you folks in the US are buying these RedSubs ?
It's an in-house brand of the UK company Gear 4 Music. Do they have a US web site or do they sell through Amazon ?
It's an in-house brand of the UK company Gear 4 Music. Do they have a US web site or do they sell through Amazon ?
Looks like they offer direct ship to USA on their website. Some products are DQ'd (Ashdown, EBMM, etc) likely due to geographic distribution exclusivity agreements.
My 4 string RedSub Infinity is in transit! I’m in the US and it’s the least expensive multiscale I could find since Rondo isn’t selling them anymore (I asked Curt @ Rondo).
Gear4Music ships directly to the US. I impulse purchased the 5-string Coliseum on February 11, it was shipped on February 12, and arrived in California on February 16. $395 + $65 for DHL delivery.
My relatively-novice opinion: It's a better instrument than the price would suggest. It plays well, looks good, sounds reasonably good, and that 7-bolt neck has sustain for days. I dropped it off to my instructor for a couple of weeks and his assessment was pretty much the same.
Things that needed fixing/improvement out of the box: There was excess glue left behind. I need to smooth off a rough spot at the very top of the neck. A few of the frets have sharp ends that need to be filed down. A couple of knobs are pushed on a bit too far and rub against the body. The neck was pretty flat, and even my half-assed amateurish setup improved it significantly. All of these were well within my expectation of a ridiculously cheap instrument and either were or will be easy to deal with. They essentially add zero to the cost, except they motivated me to invest in the StewMac Fret Smooth & Shine kit, but I would have done that eventually anyway.
The thing that's going to cost me extra: A couple of the tuning machines are... what's the opposite of smooth? Unsmooth? Clunky? I'll just go with annoying. I'm going to upgrade them as soon as I figure out what to buy. Going high-end on a sub-$400 instrument seems dumb, but I don't have a feel for what mid-range is.
My relatively-novice opinion: It's a better instrument than the price would suggest. It plays well, looks good, sounds reasonably good, and that 7-bolt neck has sustain for days. I dropped it off to my instructor for a couple of weeks and his assessment was pretty much the same.
Things that needed fixing/improvement out of the box: There was excess glue left behind. I need to smooth off a rough spot at the very top of the neck. A few of the frets have sharp ends that need to be filed down. A couple of knobs are pushed on a bit too far and rub against the body. The neck was pretty flat, and even my half-assed amateurish setup improved it significantly. All of these were well within my expectation of a ridiculously cheap instrument and either were or will be easy to deal with. They essentially add zero to the cost, except they motivated me to invest in the StewMac Fret Smooth & Shine kit, but I would have done that eventually anyway.
The thing that's going to cost me extra: A couple of the tuning machines are... what's the opposite of smooth? Unsmooth? Clunky? I'll just go with annoying. I'm going to upgrade them as soon as I figure out what to buy. Going high-end on a sub-$400 instrument seems dumb, but I don't have a feel for what mid-range is.
Good to know. Ive been looking at the Ibanez SRMS80; my bandmate works at GC and can get me a good deal. But I saw the one on Gear4music and couldn’t pass it up.
I had ordered a passive multiscale 4 string on AliExpress, but the seller kept asking me to extend the time and finally sent me a bogus UPS tracking number. After filing a dispute on Thursday, I just got a refund on it today. A couple years ago I ordered a Rickenfaker on AliExpress and had a good experience, but unfortunately this last transaction was crappy to say the least.
I also just purchased the 5 string Coliseum. It should be here next week. Anyone have suggestions for cases that fit well?
I've used a Gator Transit gig bag (model GT-BASS-BLK) with mine and it fits pretty well. It's a tight fight lengthwise but it works and the padding is adjustable. If I was doing this regularly I would probably move the neck support a little bit.
And yes, there are bits missing on the bass right now. I'm upgrading the tuning machines this weekend.
And yes, there are bits missing on the bass right now. I'm upgrading the tuning machines this weekend.
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Thanks for the reply. Mine should be here Wednesday. I want to spend some time with it before I take it out, but I gotta have something better than the box it comes in . I’ve seen other reviews say it really needs, or at least really benefits from, strap locks because the button placement isn’t great. Any thoughts?
It came in Wednesday, I’m pretty impressed overall. The neck is crazy comfortable and fast because of the unfinished roasted maple. The fan was super easy to get used to. It was set up pretty well. The action is nice and low, and intonation is really close to dead on. The neck joint feels really secure. Good access to the upper fret. And, it even sits pretty well in my suede strap without too much neck dive. Good output from the electronics. There’s a lot of volume drop in passive, but it’s not too bad.
The bad: there’s a small high spot in the back of the neck. I can’t tell if it’s an oblong drop of clear lacquer or a raised spot that either got wet or missed in sanding. A couple knobs were set too low making contact with the body. The neck is scuffed all the way around in all the edges. You can tell the binding is a cheap plastic material (but it still looks good a couple steps back).
There’s also a weird chip/holes in the finish on the front side of the lower horn. It’s on the edge of where the top meets the side. It almost looks like the top and side have a slight gap and the finish leaked inward instead of covering it. The other odd thing I noticed is that the bottom horn sounds kind of hollow if I knock on the body. The middle and upper sides of the body sound solid. Did they chamber these? I don’t remember seeing that anywhere. I plan on emailing G4M to ask about it.
Last observation/question is about the preamp. Do we know what order the eq knobs are from neck side to bridge side? Is the bass knob first and the treble knob closest to the the bridge? Regardless, the first knob is acting like a volume boost. It doesn’t sound like it’s actually effecting the eq. That’s the other big thing I’ll ask them about.
I’m a little torn about whether to keep this one or exchange it. I really like the bass, but the scuffing around the neck, the blemish in the finish, and possibly the preamp might mean I need to have them send me another. But, I’ve already got my hands one one, and there’s no guarantee the next one will be better.
The bad: there’s a small high spot in the back of the neck. I can’t tell if it’s an oblong drop of clear lacquer or a raised spot that either got wet or missed in sanding. A couple knobs were set too low making contact with the body. The neck is scuffed all the way around in all the edges. You can tell the binding is a cheap plastic material (but it still looks good a couple steps back).
There’s also a weird chip/holes in the finish on the front side of the lower horn. It’s on the edge of where the top meets the side. It almost looks like the top and side have a slight gap and the finish leaked inward instead of covering it. The other odd thing I noticed is that the bottom horn sounds kind of hollow if I knock on the body. The middle and upper sides of the body sound solid. Did they chamber these? I don’t remember seeing that anywhere. I plan on emailing G4M to ask about it.
Last observation/question is about the preamp. Do we know what order the eq knobs are from neck side to bridge side? Is the bass knob first and the treble knob closest to the the bridge? Regardless, the first knob is acting like a volume boost. It doesn’t sound like it’s actually effecting the eq. That’s the other big thing I’ll ask them about.
I’m a little torn about whether to keep this one or exchange it. I really like the bass, but the scuffing around the neck, the blemish in the finish, and possibly the preamp might mean I need to have them send me another. But, I’ve already got my hands one one, and there’s no guarantee the next one will be better.
Bass is closest to the neck, treble is closest to the bridge. I verified this by playing the B string and trying the neck knob, then doing the same with the G string.
This weekend I upgraded to Gotoh tuning machines, whichever model Stewmac sells. While I had it apart I also put D'Addario NYXL strings on it. Better tuning machines make me much happier with the instrument.
This weekend I upgraded to Gotoh tuning machines, whichever model Stewmac sells. While I had it apart I also put D'Addario NYXL strings on it. Better tuning machines make me much happier with the instrument.
