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NBD Conklin GT7

#6
Okay so now that ive had the bass for a bit. Its time for a full review. One thing there isnt much off for this instrument.

First off. I bought this instrument BRAND NEW IN THE BOX from musicians friend. They were awesome and even negotiated price with me a bit. So im happy with that as i also have 3 years of coverage on it. That was good.

Now on to arrival condition and such things.
Bass came in 4 days after order, pretty good. Box was in great shape and had very very minor damage (small tear in the back). Upon opening the box, i see the box the bass is in. A Cort box. That kinda caught me off guard but i figured its all made in the same factory even though its two different brands. Okay whatever. The bass itself isnt wine red entirely as described but is actually a redburst finish (pics). Kinda unapealing but looks arent #1 for me. The bass came missing a strap button on the upper horn. It apeared it had been removed (probably for shipping since its likely to go through he back of the box) and had not been replaced. Luckly i had strap locks waiting. The bass was in new shape (obviously) but i could tell QC wasnt really doing their job. There was a big paint drip by the input jack that had been left there and polished. The fretboard had small bits missing from it no bigger than a brad nail head and he fretboard was very dry. The fret glue was stuck on the fretboard in places and i have not yet removed it. Frets were in good shape except for one with a raised edge but it is glued in place so theres no fixing it. The neck had a good amount of forward bow and needed excessive truss rod adjustment to get playable. Also the very tip of the headstock has a small chip in it but being such a voulnerable area i let it go.

After some TLC and care.
The fretboard now oiled up is nice and purple. The neck also got a light oil treatment just to give it a little life. Got it fully set up, intonated, all that jazz (thanks joey!).

Now for the review over all.
The bass is a monster. Big and quite heavy (my guess is 14-17 pounds). Im still getting used to playing with it and getting it positioned right for maximum reach across the neck. The neck is a very comfy shape. Flat and thin. The transition to the neck heel is different but not bad once you get used too it. Tone on this bass is AWESOME. One of my favorite basses tone wise. As for playing styles and flexability, its pretty much perfect. I can tap, slap and pluck all day long on it. Its a little tight since its a 16mm spacing but not bad. One issue i have is no arm contour. The edge of the bass digs into my forearm. Over all its a fun bass and i have a hard time going a day without playing it. For a mass produced 7 string its not bad. Neck is stable, frets are ok-good, sound is on point. It just tales ALOT of getting used too.

Im not too scrutinizing x) i just found that in my search for a review of this bass, not to many people took the time to give full descriptions and experience. So here it is cut and dry.
 
#9
I did search the box and all it had was a bag of allen wrenches. And the headstock tip is a very voulnerable area and it just looks like before it was boxed for shipping the cort box got tossed around a bit with the bass in it. Either way its barely noticable and im happy with it.
 
#10
curbowkid said:
Now on to arrival condition and such things.
Bass came in 4 days after order, pretty good. Box was in great shape and had very very minor damage (small tear in the back). Upon opening the box, i see the box the bass is in. A Cort box. That kinda caught me off guard but i figured its all made in the same factory even though its two different brands. Okay whatever. The bass itself isnt wine red entirely as described but is actually a redburst finish (pics). Kinda unapealing but looks arent #1 for me. The bass came missing a strap button on the upper horn. It apeared it had been removed (probably for shipping since its likely to go through he back of the box) and had not been replaced. Luckly i had strap locks waiting. The bass was in new shape (obviously) but i could tell QC wasnt really doing their job. There was a big paint drip by the input jack that had been left there and polished. The fretboard had small bits missing from it no bigger than a brad nail head and he fretboard was very dry. The fret glue was stuck on the fretboard in places and i have not yet removed it. Frets were in good shape except for one with a raised edge but it is glued in place so theres no fixing it. The neck had a good amount of forward bow and needed excessive truss rod adjustment to get playable. Also the very tip of the headstock has a small chip in it but being such a voulnerable area i let it go.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but I would find this absolutely unacceptable, and send it back.
With this much wrong with it - I'd try a different brand alltogether.

Here's an imformative thead form the other day: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/has-gc-mf-become-dumping-ground-manufactures-949673/
 
#14
Solarmist said:
I'm sorry, but I would find this absolutely unacceptable, and send it back.
With this much wrong with it - I'd try a different brand alltogether.

Here's an imformative thead form the other day: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/has-gc-mf-become-dumping-ground-manufactures-949673/
Click to expand...

I thought about it but since i have such a good deal on the instrument (Bass + warranty for the price of the bass) i let it slide. Im more of a player than a collector. Its going to inevitably get battle scars down the line and the things off with it are very minor.
 
#17
Solarmist said:
I'm sorry, but I would find this absolutely unacceptable, and send it back.
With this much wrong with it - I'd try a different brand alltogether.
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I wouldn't. I only send back basses that really are unacceptable.

And since I happen to own both a Conkin 7 and another brand (Bass Mods) 7 I would VERY MUCH caution against expecting better from somewhere else. My too basses are quite different. The Conklin 7 is bright and hifi and just about everything you'd expect from a modern 7 string. It's really the shizit! MY Bass Mods on the other hand is a very nice looking bass and very well built, but was cheaper than the Conklin. But it is also quite different for a 7 string. It pretty much feels and sounds like any common 6 string but with an additional string! The Conklin on the other hand is in a class by itself.

I do love BOTH approaches to 7 string bass, but if I had to only keep one, it would be the Conklin!
 

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