New Pace mini review

[coop]

My latest bass, a Dean Pace arrived today ( thanks scarred2112 for saving me some $$$). I've messed around with it for about an hour now, so I thought I might share some initial impressions.

Made in China. Fit and finsh is very good, a few small sanding marks on the fingerboard, but otherwise clean. The bridge seems to be of better quality than you normally find in this price range. Tuning machines about average, adequate for the job. The stand is just an adapted cymbal stand, but it feels sturdy and balances well, again adequate for the task.

The biggest surprise was the weight, about 16 pounds with the stand according to my bathroom scale. No big deal since it won't be strapped around my shoulder all night.

The sound.... Well does it sound like an upright ? Not really, but then again nothing really does. Will it pass for most people? I think so. I had to take some time and re-work the EQ on my practice amp, but I found a tone that is somewhere between an acoustic upright and a "J" fretless. The strings it came with are worthless, so I've got some on order and I think that might make more difference in the tone. Setup is pretty good right out of the box.

All in all I think this might be a fun Bass to play at my country/classic rock gigs, and I'm doing "Grease" at my local community theatre this summer so it's just the ticket for that. For the money, I think this is an excellent bass but it will not replace an upright.

 

[Ian Perge]

Gald I could be of , Coop!

 

[Joe Nerve]

I'm still waiting on mine. Decided I wanted to go for the natural finish one, and they won't be available till the 10th. I'm jonesing bigtime for this thing. Funny how all reviews I've read about it seem as though they could have come from the same person. Strings suck, sounds more like an electric than a DB, but may be able to fake it, decent quality, blah, blah, blah...

One slight thing I'm a little bummed about from what I've read so far - I get the feeling there's no way I'm gonna be able to adjust the stand to play it sitting down. I was hoping to keep it set up next to my bed to relax and watch tv and fiddle with. I don't want to have to stand up to play it every time I use it, but I'm going to have to, aren't I. Or buy a big stool, which I actually might.

Anyone want to post some sound clips? I'd love to hear some before mine arrives.

 

[phxlbrmpf]

I always wanted one of those but I'm a lefty. Do you guys think this would work?

 

[coop]

Joe, please accept my apologies for the review being so blah. I'm crushed... funny, but I find that most reviews of Bongos seem like they are written by the same person... but that's just me.

phxlbrmpf, I saw one on Ebay a week or two ago that a guy had converted to Lefty. So yes it's possible, and it doesn't look like it's that hard to do (for someone with more skill than I ).

 

[Joe Nerve]

Sorry - I actually wasn't trying to put you down with what I originally said, what I meant to say was that the reviews are pretty consistent. I guess I didn't say that though.


So now that I started this, I demand a more in depth review! Closeup pictures, soundclips, how it sounds in comparison to other basses... can it be played sitting down? Can I transport it in the box it comes in or something else, or am I gonna have to drop 70$ on a case? Is the bridge adjustable just like the bridge on any other EB? Allen wrenchable? Does the bass make you all warm and fuzzy?

I'm incredibly impatient. I will know all in about a week.

Bongos sound better than any other bass a Bongo player has ever played, and some people think they look like toilet seats. That pretty much sums up the Bongo thing.

 

[coop]

It's cool Bro. give me a few days or so. I'll haul it off to rehearsal, maybe a gig or two and then maybe I can shed some more light .

I don't think you're gonna be able to play sitting down without some modification. (Or you could just turn on it's side and play it like a really big steinberger).

 

[Ian Perge]

Can I transport it in the box it comes in or something else, or am I gonna have to drop 70$ on a case?

Okay, figured this one out: the site lists the case as "available", which I take to mean "separately", others like Invalid Link Removed have it as an option, while Musician's Friend lists a "semi-hard" case as included.

Honestly, from reading the descriptions they sound the same, and I personally think it's a mix-up between the listings of the 4 vs. 5-string (at the higher price, the 5 has the case standard?) but if MF.com has it listed, I'd give AMS a call and make them aware - odds are they'll toss it to you.

Is the bridge adjustable just like the bridge on any other EB? Allen wrenchable?

EB bridge, Allen-keys. As it's MIC, I'd assume metric.

Does the bass make you all warm and fuzzy?

I don't even own one and it gives me the tingles.

 

[coop]

Mine came from MF with the case included. It's really just a styrofoam shell with a fabric covering. More protection than a gig bag, but not as much as a hardshell case. Not worth $70 in my book. But it does fit the Bass and I couldn't make one myself for any less. So I dunno.

The bridge is adjustable like any other bridge. There is no truss rod adjustment however. It came with the Allen key necessary, I haven't checked but I'm sure scarred2112 is correct about it beng metric.

I grew a set and dragged it to the gig last night. I gotta tell ya I had a blast playing this thing. Most of all I had a good time annoying the guitar player (he fears change). It's surprisngly easy to get around on. Sits in a mix fairly well (doesn't slice through like my G&Ls). With a little EQ you can get a decent bottom end thump. Plus everybody points and stares!

I'm always warm and fuzzy.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I'm always warm and fuzzy.

I gotta steal that line. Love it.