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A strange beauty keeps popping up in a local marketplace
Well, now I'm a proud owner of this quite exotic and rare bass, so I can share my first impression.
First of all, pics. Cuz you know, no pics - did not happen.
Appearance
It turned out that cosmetically this bass is, should I say, far from perfect (more on this later), so the price dropped to $250. The guy who brought it (a seller's friend, for seller lives in another city) told me that this bass for a long time was a main touring axe of some well-known local bassist, who played in a support band of some well-known local singer, so it has seen the whole former Soviet Union. Well, in this case it becomes "road-worn", which adds some glory.
The main worry is a long crack on both sides of the body. I don't know if it is even possible to do something about it save full refinish.
Setup
Almost perfect. Neck is straight, action is low, neck relief is small but exists, truss rod works, tuners work, saddles move. There's some fret buzz when I play with a lot of force, but this is to be expected with a low action.
Intonation is not perfect, but I'm going to work on it, maybe tomorrow.
Ergonomics and playability
Very convenient bass. The only thing I noticed is that the natural position to play fingerstyle seems to be over a bridge pickup, while usually I play mostly over a neck pickup. Well, this is my first headless - maybe they all are like this. I think this is a question of time.
Strings are double-ball end (Steinberger licensed). I may get an adapter for single-ball end strings, or replace a nut, or leave it as is. For now I'm inclined to latter.
It's not good to play sitting without a strap though. But since I always play with a strap, this is not gonna to be a problem.
Sound
Sound is very good. Growly, fat, heavy… some would say "ballsy". I don't know if headless basses were popular in hairy metal bands, but the sound of this bass seems to be just what's needed for the genre. I don't play a lot of this kind of music, but anyway. Slap sound is very impressive, too.
Electronics
Looks like somebody messed up with it. There's only one battery in a double battery compartment, a pot instead of a big switch, and an empty hole instead of a small switch. Pots are V-V-T. I did not notice any sign of preamp, but no battery - no sound. Probably active pups.
I've noticed that the bridge pickup is much quieter than the neck one. Also strings D and G sound quieter (and maybe duller) than E and A. Maybe pickups height should be adjusted.
So this is all for now. If somebody has an original wiring diagram of this bass, I would greatly appreciate it.
A strange beauty keeps popping up in a local marketplace
Well, now I'm a proud owner of this quite exotic and rare bass, so I can share my first impression.
First of all, pics. Cuz you know, no pics - did not happen.
Appearance
It turned out that cosmetically this bass is, should I say, far from perfect (more on this later), so the price dropped to $250. The guy who brought it (a seller's friend, for seller lives in another city) told me that this bass for a long time was a main touring axe of some well-known local bassist, who played in a support band of some well-known local singer, so it has seen the whole former Soviet Union. Well, in this case it becomes "road-worn", which adds some glory.
The main worry is a long crack on both sides of the body. I don't know if it is even possible to do something about it save full refinish.
Setup
Almost perfect. Neck is straight, action is low, neck relief is small but exists, truss rod works, tuners work, saddles move. There's some fret buzz when I play with a lot of force, but this is to be expected with a low action.
Intonation is not perfect, but I'm going to work on it, maybe tomorrow.
Ergonomics and playability
Very convenient bass. The only thing I noticed is that the natural position to play fingerstyle seems to be over a bridge pickup, while usually I play mostly over a neck pickup. Well, this is my first headless - maybe they all are like this. I think this is a question of time.
Strings are double-ball end (Steinberger licensed). I may get an adapter for single-ball end strings, or replace a nut, or leave it as is. For now I'm inclined to latter.
It's not good to play sitting without a strap though. But since I always play with a strap, this is not gonna to be a problem.
Sound
Sound is very good. Growly, fat, heavy… some would say "ballsy". I don't know if headless basses were popular in hairy metal bands, but the sound of this bass seems to be just what's needed for the genre. I don't play a lot of this kind of music, but anyway. Slap sound is very impressive, too.
Electronics
Looks like somebody messed up with it. There's only one battery in a double battery compartment, a pot instead of a big switch, and an empty hole instead of a small switch. Pots are V-V-T. I did not notice any sign of preamp, but no battery - no sound. Probably active pups.
I've noticed that the bridge pickup is much quieter than the neck one. Also strings D and G sound quieter (and maybe duller) than E and A. Maybe pickups height should be adjusted.
So this is all for now. If somebody has an original wiring diagram of this bass, I would greatly appreciate it.
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