S
unbeatable value for modding and a very nice instrument
Ok, I had bad luck... The D tuning peg is wobbling and has a few loose turns. When I switched the bridge, under the old bridge plate - surprise! Two screws were stripped off... They hadn't bothered to extract them, to fill the holes with wood of the same kind and to re-drill new ones.
Nonetheless, all this trouble can be easily fixed if you do have some experience.
The instrument itself is very beautiful and well finished. Although it weighs 5 kilos, let's not forget it's ash not basswood.
Probably not "swamp ash", but other heavier species such as green ash, white ash or black ash. Swamp ash is a pretty expensive wood and even if it is very similar to hard ash in appearance its tone is different. Hard ash guitar wood tone offers more treble and less warmth and it also delivers a good sustain.
The neck profile is modern "C" and measures approx 22.26 mm (.876") at the 2nd fret and 25.41(1.000") at the 12th fret. A little bit thicker than the standard fretless one, but nonetheless comfortable to play.
The pau ferro fingerboard came very dry but this can be easily fixed with a few drops of BOILED linseed oil after you clean it with turpentine essence. I recommend flattwounds because the roundwounds strings leave marks on the fingerboard even if you don't slap them like crazy.
The neck came with no relief at all, but this too can be fixed if you know how to do it. If not, check with a luthier.
The DCR of the pickups don't match with the specs on the Roswell site. Mine are as follows: The bridge pickup is 7.44k while the neck pickup is 7.20k. Both have different values compared to the ones of the Harley Benton JB 75 which I also own. Here, the bridge pickup DCR is 7.30k and the neck pickup is 7.24k. The Roswell site gives 7.82k for the bridge pickup and 7.55k for the neck one.
The pots are nothing special but work well. The volume pots begin to work at the end of the range while the tone pot is doing his job as it should.
The bridge plate is solid enough and the barrels are made of steel while the HB 75 has the brass version. Pay attention! The groves of the barrels need to be deburred as all of them - at least mine - have burrs which result in a sitarlike sound of the strings.
The wood grain of the body is very nice and the finish is really great. The neck is satin finished and has a very pleasant feel. Still, you can sand it with some 1500 grit sandpaper without fear of taking the coating off. The feel of the neck will be even smoother.
So, in conclusion, even if you invest more money to change the tuners - which are decent, the nut (which sounds OK even if it is not made of bone), the pickups, the electronics and the bridge - if you are really picky - you will not pay the amount of money you would pay for brands that made history, and you will still have an instrument in the same league.
With some tweaks and a proper setup according to your taste, the instrument is amazing and sounds great for the money you pay for it!
I strongly recommend to give it a try!
Also, thumbs up for Thomann and its personnel! I always buy with great confidence and satisfaction from them!
Nonetheless, all this trouble can be easily fixed if you do have some experience.
The instrument itself is very beautiful and well finished. Although it weighs 5 kilos, let's not forget it's ash not basswood.
Probably not "swamp ash", but other heavier species such as green ash, white ash or black ash. Swamp ash is a pretty expensive wood and even if it is very similar to hard ash in appearance its tone is different. Hard ash guitar wood tone offers more treble and less warmth and it also delivers a good sustain.
The neck profile is modern "C" and measures approx 22.26 mm (.876") at the 2nd fret and 25.41(1.000") at the 12th fret. A little bit thicker than the standard fretless one, but nonetheless comfortable to play.
The pau ferro fingerboard came very dry but this can be easily fixed with a few drops of BOILED linseed oil after you clean it with turpentine essence. I recommend flattwounds because the roundwounds strings leave marks on the fingerboard even if you don't slap them like crazy.
The neck came with no relief at all, but this too can be fixed if you know how to do it. If not, check with a luthier.
The DCR of the pickups don't match with the specs on the Roswell site. Mine are as follows: The bridge pickup is 7.44k while the neck pickup is 7.20k. Both have different values compared to the ones of the Harley Benton JB 75 which I also own. Here, the bridge pickup DCR is 7.30k and the neck pickup is 7.24k. The Roswell site gives 7.82k for the bridge pickup and 7.55k for the neck one.
The pots are nothing special but work well. The volume pots begin to work at the end of the range while the tone pot is doing his job as it should.
The bridge plate is solid enough and the barrels are made of steel while the HB 75 has the brass version. Pay attention! The groves of the barrels need to be deburred as all of them - at least mine - have burrs which result in a sitarlike sound of the strings.
The wood grain of the body is very nice and the finish is really great. The neck is satin finished and has a very pleasant feel. Still, you can sand it with some 1500 grit sandpaper without fear of taking the coating off. The feel of the neck will be even smoother.
So, in conclusion, even if you invest more money to change the tuners - which are decent, the nut (which sounds OK even if it is not made of bone), the pickups, the electronics and the bridge - if you are really picky - you will not pay the amount of money you would pay for brands that made history, and you will still have an instrument in the same league.
With some tweaks and a proper setup according to your taste, the instrument is amazing and sounds great for the money you pay for it!
I strongly recommend to give it a try!
Also, thumbs up for Thomann and its personnel! I always buy with great confidence and satisfaction from them!
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B
Great bass...
I like this bass, great neck, nice tones with all variations, and looks fine... :)
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MU
Wow !!!!
Wow !!! I can't believe you can get such a great fretless bass for less than 200Euro.
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