GFB asked so here are some pics and my opinion sofar.
I think wood construction is 100%, and as good as any Fender American bass (IN MY OPINION). Pick plate is nice and sturdy and has a nice tort look. Pickup and controls sound nice with no static and have a pretty nice range of control. However, the pots are Korean made but seem nice - the cavity is shielded with that shield paint and I get no noise from this setup. The controls knobs are a little cheap force on knobs.
On the pick plate the counter sunk holes seem to be a little shallow - the screws sit a little high in my opinion. I may find some smaller screws. The finish is nice and looks like a good job.
The bridge is a copy of the Fender threaded saddle bend bridge. It is however a bit larger that the Fender version. I like the Fender bridge covers and tried to put one over this bridge and it will not fit - since this bridge is a little larger that the Fender version.
The neck and neck pocket fit close and I see no odd gaps there. The finish on the neck is nice and for the tuners they are nice but maybe could be a little better. But they work and feel fine. Also it appears the neck is Quartersawn (if that is spelled correctly). But I have added a pic for you to see.
As mentioned by "LowEndLobster" in his review - the pickup needs a little more beefer low end - with the stock rounds I feel the same. But I only play flats. So after a new set of Labella flats, it rounded the whole sound of the bass. Maybe Jamerson would be pleased - I know I am for $499.
Overall, I like the bass and it works for what I need and sounds great. I will probably in the future replace the pick plate screws with smaller ones and replace the tuners with some hipshots. I will keep the pickup wiring and bridge.
Attached are some pics I made during clean up and new strings. They are not great but will show the bass. And I hope this helps if you are on the fence about a purchase of one of these basses.
As for the Lobster review - he gave it 4 out of 5 claws. That was based on the pickup, tuners and bridge. I maybe would give 4.5 out of 5, since I feel the pickup with flats is nice and the bridge is ok.
Thanks Lenny
PS I forget the rolled edges on the fretboard is really nice and feels really good.
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thanks! Yes - I designed it and sculpted/made the one piece string-thru alder body about 10 yrs ago. SF luthier Dan Ransom made the maple/ebony 24 fret set-back hs neck to my specs/hs design, and Pat Wilkins did the finishing. It has 9v EMGX pu's/pre and Gotoh tuners. I named it the Supersonic. It's strung with GHS Precision flats and plays/sounds great. Oddly enough I have yet to record with it - something I'll have to rectify!
