bassoutcast's Reviews

Probably one of the most versatile guitars ever

I've ordered my Jazzmaster on an impulse, after years of wanting a second guitar to accompany my heavily modded MIJ Mustang. The guitar came without a case, just a cardboard box, but in perfect condition. It played nicely right out of the box, the intonation was spot on but it needed a good set-up (most Jazzmasters require some bridge work, heavier strings and more often than not, a neck shim). I've put 10s on it and had the fretboard leveled, but after that? it was a dream, very smooth and fast to play. The bridge is notoriously loud, and while some say it adds to the guitar's character, I'm not a fan of the natural feedback, and I've found that tying a hair tie around the base of the tremolo mutes the feedback and works just as well as any aftermarket buzzstop. The pickups are very responsive, and highly versatile. While you probably won't be playing any sort of metal on this, it goes from really clean to hard rock very well. The rhythm circuit is a hidden gem - due to the different tone pots, it's mellower and darker, and gives almost an acoustic feeling when clean, and a very Clapton-ish lead tone when overdriven. The tremolo system works well, it stays in tune even after aggressive usage. It comes with a bone nut, which is nice given how much the guitar costs, and speaking of costs - this is probably the best bang-for-your-buck guitar out there. Haven't played any other Classic Vibe guitars, but from what I've heard they're great too. Once you stop caring about the name on the headstock, it really is a very solid instrument and I'd have no issue gigging and recording with this as my main guitar. Please note that this guitar has a weak spot, and that is the 3-way selector switch, which is a common issue on these. Mine stopped working after 2 weeks and I've had my tech fit a high-end aftermarket one. Other than that, all of the electric components work as they should, and I would advise replacing the switch when you're having it set-up for the first time. That, and the fret work, is the ONLY reason this guitar gets 4 stars from me.

A decent practice/small gig amp

For the money, it's not half bad. It's loud enough to be a good practice amp, be it alone in the bedroom or with a band. The clean channel is great. The distortion is alright when the volume is low, but once you crank it halfway up, it gets muddy. The amp does handle pedals fine, so if you are gonna use it in a band or small gigs, i highly suggest getting an overdrive/distortion pedal and running it on the clean channel.

The best bang for the buck.

I've had this bass for over a decade now. It really does anything, any music genre you want it to do. The pickups are great, especially when they're both on, and create a very punchy rock/funk/metal tone, and the active boost takes it to 11. The neck is slim and very fast. The bass itself is very lightweight, comfortable for long playing, be it sitting down or standing up. I've had no issues playing 2-3 hours on it standing up, you can hardly feel it's weight.

I haven't found a more balanced bass guitar. I even sold my 62 reissue fender jazz bass because I was playing the ibanez 95% of the time. If you can only have one bass, and you're on a budget - look no further!

A highly versatile main axe

One guitar to rule them all.

I've had my mustang since new, bought it in 2012. It did grunge, metal and rock, and lived exclusively on the beefy bridge humbucker.

When I moved to playing pop, blues and indie, the soft neck pickup provided a wonderful companion, and produced a spectacular clean tone, no "twang" or "chime" like on other Fender guitars.

My personal guitar has a few upgrades - jumbo frets as opposed to the stock vintage frets, which helps with sustain. The volume and tone knobs were changed to a 72' Tele style for comfort, and I've painted it in the desert sand finish that one would find on old Duo Sonics, with a black pickguard.

If you can only have one guitar, I highly suggest this one. Short scale guitars have a unique quirkiness to them, it's a love-it or hate-it thing.