What do you guys think about the Samick Corsair, Cobra, Tabu and Fairlane models or a Silvertone Apocalypse Bass? Or is there anything else in the price range that has out of the ordinary looks?
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Samick
- Thread starter Reptillian_Bass
- Start date
I have a Samick Fairlane 6-string and have played the Cobra 4-string. I think both are great instruments, but your mileage may vary.
When I was comparing 6-strings, it was between the Fairlane and a Peavey Fury. Both were similarly priced (the Fury was $374 new and the Fairlane was $300 used) and looked sharp with their quilt maple tops. The Fury left me with a very good feeling (looked, felt, and sounded like a more expensive bass; nice thin neck too), but the narrower string spacing on the Fairlane just absolutely melted in my hands. I had to have that bass. The electronics are pretty quiet and while there aren't tone shaping capabilities out the wazoo, the sounds the bass does have are all quite nice. Balances well too and the 6-bolt neck joint's pretty tight.
GRIPES: The stock GHS Boomers strings aren't very good, but I'm digging the Ken Smith Burners I put on it. Also, the knob layout is unintuitive. Thirdly, there is no separate/ easy access battery compartment. You have to unscrew the back panel to change the battery and there aren't any threaded brass inserts, so you may get stripped out screw holes. So you're kinda screwed if a battery dies during a gig.
As for the Cobra- I only played one briefly in a music store, but I liked it. The bass had a nice look to it, the neck-through design gave smooth upper-fret access, and the sounds I coaxed out of it were quite good. While the bass may have more of a 'metal' look, the tones I got out of it were usable in most any usable context outside of metal. The neck was finished so it wasn't super fast and while it was slim, it was too rounded for my tastes. Also, given how close the neck pickup is to the neck, there isn't much room for slapping and popping if you play those kinds of styles.
When I was comparing 6-strings, it was between the Fairlane and a Peavey Fury. Both were similarly priced (the Fury was $374 new and the Fairlane was $300 used) and looked sharp with their quilt maple tops. The Fury left me with a very good feeling (looked, felt, and sounded like a more expensive bass; nice thin neck too), but the narrower string spacing on the Fairlane just absolutely melted in my hands. I had to have that bass. The electronics are pretty quiet and while there aren't tone shaping capabilities out the wazoo, the sounds the bass does have are all quite nice. Balances well too and the 6-bolt neck joint's pretty tight.
GRIPES: The stock GHS Boomers strings aren't very good, but I'm digging the Ken Smith Burners I put on it. Also, the knob layout is unintuitive. Thirdly, there is no separate/ easy access battery compartment. You have to unscrew the back panel to change the battery and there aren't any threaded brass inserts, so you may get stripped out screw holes. So you're kinda screwed if a battery dies during a gig.
As for the Cobra- I only played one briefly in a music store, but I liked it. The bass had a nice look to it, the neck-through design gave smooth upper-fret access, and the sounds I coaxed out of it were quite good. While the bass may have more of a 'metal' look, the tones I got out of it were usable in most any usable context outside of metal. The neck was finished so it wasn't super fast and while it was slim, it was too rounded for my tastes. Also, given how close the neck pickup is to the neck, there isn't much room for slapping and popping if you play those kinds of styles.
That semi-hollow bass also looks nice, by the way. And I would like to try that Tabu bass.
(www.samickguitar.com)
(www.samickguitar.com)
I bought a fairlane as my first bass about 1-2 months ago. It looked nice. I took it back a week later and bought a MIM p bass. The samick kind of sucked compared to the MIM P bass.
Poor electronics, ok neck,the heavy duty bridge sucked. I would look at something better.
Poor electronics, ok neck,the heavy duty bridge sucked. I would look at something better.
I own the Corsair 4 stringer. I think its two waaaay up cuz i got it for 80 bux with case. Its great cuz its compact and light. One p pickup, volume and tone. Pretty good tones for 80 dollars. I learned to do that thing where you throw it around your body with it 
. Not very good balance. It has a glossy finish fretboard which i think is really cool. uhhhhhh overal 9.5 outta ten for the price.
. Not very good balance. It has a glossy finish fretboard which i think is really cool. uhhhhhh overal 9.5 outta ten for the price.The first bass I bought was a Samick Corsair, he standard P-Bass version. I payed $180 for it and a used Peavy amp. The electronics are pretty good, the only comlaint I've ever had was that when got it, the tone pot didn't work that well, but a simple cleaning corrected that problem. Other than that, I love the bass, it's bright yellow, glossy fretboard, pretty fast neck, solid construction and enough tones for a entry level/mid level bass.
Reptilian- don't check out ONLY the Fairlane and Cobra because I said so. While I do like the limited examples of Fairlane and Cobra I've played, try the others as well. I never found a Tabu to try out and I would like to sample one of those.
But, yeah, Samick is a love it/ hate it brand. I love my Samick, but others absolutely hate the marque. I guess the same could be said for other brands as well.
Still, I definitely think Samick's improved since Greg Bennett joined their team.
But, yeah, Samick is a love it/ hate it brand. I love my Samick, but others absolutely hate the marque. I guess the same could be said for other brands as well.
Still, I definitely think Samick's improved since Greg Bennett joined their team.
Those samicks dont look half bad. I may get me the fairlane 6'er.
and get new pick-ups for it, and maybe a new bridge if I can get one that'll fit in. Also, is any neck I can use for that model? cause I want 24 frets instead of 22.
and get new pick-ups for it, and maybe a new bridge if I can get one that'll fit in. Also, is any neck I can use for that model? cause I want 24 frets instead of 22.
B8ssMan89 said:
If you're going to do all that, I'd suggest you look at another bass. Why get a Fairlane in the first place if you're going to change all those things (the neck in particular.) The string spacing is tighter-than-usual for a six-string, but that's what I love about it.
It might be more economical in the long run, both time and money-wise, to just find a bass that meets your criteria in the first place.
Although maybe I'm a hypocrite, since I would like to eventually replace the stock pups and preamp with EMGs.
Either way, I'd buy another Fairlane in a heartbeat.
