I was downtown today spending time in coffee shops and just wandering around with friends as some would do on typical boring monday afternoon. We were already decided to go home and were heading towards car, when we noticed that a nearby music store was opened again after it's renovations. I walked in and immediately noticed a nice Jazz Bass with sunburst finish hanging against a stand calling my name. A typical JB with two-piece alder body and rosewood FB. I grabbed the bass and it almost played itself, way better than the few Fenders i've tried - including mine - and WAY better than my Warwick. Plugged in the thing was even better, the sound is more modern than my MIJ Jazz Bass but as crisp and open sounding. I've heard worse Deluxe USA Fenders. A slight noise with only one pickup turned up, but whattaheck, it's a JB. All this for only 260 euros and the store is not the cheapest one around. (hmm.. all the previous reminds me of the soft porn stories in womens magazines) Only problem was the headstock - there was this annoying SUZUKI logo which makes it look like the cheap instrument it is... I like their motorbikes but.. uh.. Perhaps we've finally got our own Essex down here in Europe. Anyway, I bought the thing, but I've yet to hear anyone commenting on Suzuki instruments (there was also a quite nice Strat. The fotoflame finish was horrible though...) on TB or Usenet. http://www.suzukimusic.com/guitars/bass.html . I'll get more pictures when I get a digicam... edit: removed the sales-language
Hah. I'm just thrilled but you're right. Perhaps i should edit my post more down-to-earth, that thing ain't Sadowsky, but for 260 euros it rocks big time. Yes, the headstock is ugly. But it surely looks better with the Suzuki logo scraped off In past two years or so the quality of the budget musical equipment has rocketed with things like Essex or Behringer spreading to the market. I wonder why.
Looks like a good bass, but I really don't like that headstock. It ruins the looks for me. It is the shape of a Fender, but to avoid getting sued, it looks like they uglified it so it looks like their own. Other than that though, sweet bass.
That headstock isn't that bad. Kinda looks like Fender meets a Gibson T-Bird. When are Honda and Kawasaki going to start making Musical Instruments?
That headstock SCREAMS "Johnson" to me. Too big for the body and just kinda goofy-lookin'. Perhaps you could take it to a woodworking expert and have him/her trim it down for you?
Do what I did to a friends as a joke... Shave/sand the logo off, and write some stupid word in permanent marker... like "Gazebo" or something. Personally, I went with "Homosexual" on the friends... he did not find it to funny... but oh well...
"Pick up a new Suzuki bass, hold it, feel it, it's like greeting an old friend." -a Fender? the headstock looks like they scanned in a Yamaha Attitude's and flipped the end over in Photoshop...
Yep, that's what I decided to do ... but not with a permanent marker but with printable stickers. Now, I only need to decide what to write on it. 'Wazaaa' might do it. Or Gazebo. yea, that sound mighty fine, i'll get you a beer if I ever visit the states. Any more suggestions for decal, anyone? Too bad 'Don't stare at me, i'm sensitive!' takes too much space.
I just took the pickguard off and set the action lower. The good news is that it's a standard 11 screw J pickguard (cheap one with one white plastic layer) and theres some nice alder beneath it, but the bad news is that the finish is only two tone sunburst behind the pickguard whereas its yellow-red-black otherwise. Gotta get me a Fender tortoiseshell guard. The neck is straight and plays without buzzes with low action. The Suzuki -logo came off by rubbing it with a cotton sock. Hah. Seems that the engineers in S. factory are far-sighted This bass is definitely a good alternative for mexi fender which go for around 500 euros here. The resale value for Suzuki might not be so great though
Look kinda neat, but that headstock is aweful, and I don't like how the 20th fret are on the body... I really don't see the point in that - they become totally unplayable. I'd need to hear & play those basses..
I agree with you 100% My Kawasaki is a nice bike......but my son has a Kawasaki guitar! IT's an electronic toy.....but who knows what they'll come up with next. mrbungle - why not put your name on the headstock - it'll look like a custom!
that headstock doesn't seem too bad to me... not pretty, that's for sure, but it could be worse! check out this one... they actually sound and feel pretty good though
Wow...getting a nice bass for 260 in Finland has a certain utopian ring to it...Normally you'd get a ten year-old beat-up yamaha for that or maybe I'm just too far out in the countryside... Anyhow, nice to see another Finn on the forum, and congrats on the good deal! Oh, and I wouldn't let that headstock bother me...just hack it off with a axe or something
That looks real nice!! I've been trying to get an Essex to Holland but unfortunately the distributor is only in the electric guitar buissiness Now, I just have to wait before Suzuki makes a fretless version of that........ PS: Would they give a discount on a bike if you by one of their basses
Just put some black tape where the name used to be on the headstock. You'll look like one of those anti-establishment musicians, but you'll know you're just pulling a psych-job... Curious person: "Hey, what's under the tape?" You: "Nothing."
Pretty decent looking basses. I'm going to agree with most of you, that headstock is definitely ugly.