I won big time on this one.
I'm a big ATK fan. I like the old ones, I have a 2008 ATK 700 which I've added a P pickup to. The PATK has been my main battle axe for most work for 5 years, occasionally getting benched for my Corvette when I need a 5.
The current generation ATK has been on my gas list since they launched, with the smaller bodies and much lighter weights. I just didn't 'need' one, and want to diversify my portfolio, so I never snagged one.
I've been playing a ATK 800 at the local GC for 18 months...it's beat. The finish on these is nice and thin, a great contrast to the old ultra thick poly Ibanez used to use almost exclusively and covers my ATK700. Right before the holidays they marked it down to $550...I wanted it. Almost caved. But it was beat, and I have a four string ATK that sounds genuinely fantastic.
Browsing the internet aimless, I come across an ATK 805 at AMS for 579. I need a better 5...the Warwick doesn't do it for me. I buy it almost instantly, despite it being a 'scratch and dent.'
This is what they send me:
Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
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A flawless ATK 805.
My wife and I looked over it for defects in good lighting when I pulled it out of the box...found nothing. Twisted it, turned it, nothing. After a bit, I found the 'scratch and dent' aspect:
Invalid Link Removed
The neck has/had some dark discoloration from resting on a foam covered guitar stand for awhile. My hands have 90% worked it off at this point, and it was mild to begin with. In this pic, its almost invisible...all you can see is the nice light flame on the maple neck.
This thing is a beast. A quick set up had it playing great, maybe a slightly high 6th fret, but easy and clean all around. Neck is narrower than perfect at the nut, but still good, and a really comfortable flatter than I'm used to be still nice and round neck profile. Neck is satin finished and feels basically raw. The smaller body and slim headstock are great, making it perfectly balanced, light and really comfortable on the strap, easy to move with. My other ATK is 10.5 pounts, this is about 8.75 according to the bathroom scale.
Pickup switching is very useful. Each single coil option is useful, with the neck being full and ballsy and P like, the bridge being bitey and burpy like a 60s Jazz, and the middle just a usable single coilish bass sound. It does a solid MM impression, much more of the sizzle and bite than my old ATK. With the neck and forward coil on, its full and punchy, a classic rock machine, with the neck and aft coil, it sounds like a really muscly Jazz. The blend control is basically a 3 way switch - positions between neck, middle and bridge don't offer much. All three coils on is a pretty scooped, sounds good but might fall out of a mix.
Preamp is pretty meh. Bass gets woofy, mids aren't set anywhere particularly musical. Treble is good for managing the bite in MM mode. Probably going to get a Darkglass Tone Capsule for it at some point...but it sounds great just set flat.
I'm a big ATK fan. I like the old ones, I have a 2008 ATK 700 which I've added a P pickup to. The PATK has been my main battle axe for most work for 5 years, occasionally getting benched for my Corvette when I need a 5.
The current generation ATK has been on my gas list since they launched, with the smaller bodies and much lighter weights. I just didn't 'need' one, and want to diversify my portfolio, so I never snagged one.
I've been playing a ATK 800 at the local GC for 18 months...it's beat. The finish on these is nice and thin, a great contrast to the old ultra thick poly Ibanez used to use almost exclusively and covers my ATK700. Right before the holidays they marked it down to $550...I wanted it. Almost caved. But it was beat, and I have a four string ATK that sounds genuinely fantastic.
Browsing the internet aimless, I come across an ATK 805 at AMS for 579. I need a better 5...the Warwick doesn't do it for me. I buy it almost instantly, despite it being a 'scratch and dent.'
This is what they send me:
Link Removed
Invalid Link Removed
Link Removed
A flawless ATK 805.
My wife and I looked over it for defects in good lighting when I pulled it out of the box...found nothing. Twisted it, turned it, nothing. After a bit, I found the 'scratch and dent' aspect:
Invalid Link Removed
The neck has/had some dark discoloration from resting on a foam covered guitar stand for awhile. My hands have 90% worked it off at this point, and it was mild to begin with. In this pic, its almost invisible...all you can see is the nice light flame on the maple neck.
This thing is a beast. A quick set up had it playing great, maybe a slightly high 6th fret, but easy and clean all around. Neck is narrower than perfect at the nut, but still good, and a really comfortable flatter than I'm used to be still nice and round neck profile. Neck is satin finished and feels basically raw. The smaller body and slim headstock are great, making it perfectly balanced, light and really comfortable on the strap, easy to move with. My other ATK is 10.5 pounts, this is about 8.75 according to the bathroom scale.
Pickup switching is very useful. Each single coil option is useful, with the neck being full and ballsy and P like, the bridge being bitey and burpy like a 60s Jazz, and the middle just a usable single coilish bass sound. It does a solid MM impression, much more of the sizzle and bite than my old ATK. With the neck and forward coil on, its full and punchy, a classic rock machine, with the neck and aft coil, it sounds like a really muscly Jazz. The blend control is basically a 3 way switch - positions between neck, middle and bridge don't offer much. All three coils on is a pretty scooped, sounds good but might fall out of a mix.
Preamp is pretty meh. Bass gets woofy, mids aren't set anywhere particularly musical. Treble is good for managing the bite in MM mode. Probably going to get a Darkglass Tone Capsule for it at some point...but it sounds great just set flat.
