Amazing vintage Czechoslovakian bass, very versatile and perfect for any style!

Recently bought this bass second hand locally, as I already had the 6-string Jolana Iris, and was aware that a bass version existed, so wanted to get that, as I was so satisfied with the guitar version. I wasn't able to find an Iris in good condition going locally, but someone was selling a Vikomt, which is the same as the Iris, but with only a neck pickup, no bridge pickup. Not a problem for me, from the reviews the neck sounded much better than the bridge anyway.

I was pretty lucky with the one I found. Often Jolanas being sold are in quite poor condition (and can have electronics issues and/or flaws in the finish). The one I bought was in perfect condition: the pickup and electronics worked just like new, no additional noise from them (as I had with a previous Jolana bass), the bright red finish was flawless, and everything from the bridge to the tuners was in amazing working condition, like brand new. The guy who sold it to me also did a full setup, which was very kind.

Now for the playing experience: it's very comfortable to play, being short scale, and is not too heavy, at the same time there's no neck dive or anything. Considering it only has one single coil neck pickup, the sound is extremely versatile: roll the tone knob all the way down for something resembling a classic P-bass tone, roll it all the way up and you get a very bright funky sound with a lot of bite (I usually keep it in the middle). It also cuts through the mix better than any other bass I have ever owned.

So I'd definitely suggest going for these, if you want a vintage bass, a piece of history, that isn't too expensive, and you can find one in good condition!

From Gear Setup