I just picked up this bass. I watched your video on it beforehand so I was specting it to be noisy and at least mine is not at all. I tried this and a bunch of other basses at Long&McQuade and the neck was just perfect. Definitely a winner
I literally took delivery of one of these this last Thursday and the electronics were an absolute mess… The preamp PCB actually popped a resistor after I plugged in for the first time after 30sec completing the circuit. Once I opened her up I discovered that the blend pot was connected by a preschooler that attached the neck pickup hot lead to the ground ripping a hole in the space time continuum. That said, this may be one of the most comfortable basses I have ever played and the pickups are in fact fantastic. My solution… Back a dump truck up for all of the supplied electronics and throw a tone capsule at that bad Larry. Now she sings like season 1 Kelly Clarkson. I also put a concentric pot in to add passive tone control on top of the hi-mid and swapped out the tone capsules supplied 50k pots with 100k pots to better level the active output. Had purchased a set of Aggy DCB PJs to put in as well but not sure if I want to do that anymore with how well she sounds since the the old pre is gone… maybe…
I'm glad you got it working! They are cool basses but I wouldn't have any tolerance for that. I think I'd rather spend a couple hundred more and get the MIJ Boxer Precision, the colors are just as obnoxiously 80s as the Charvels.
@@57precision A boxer was on the short list of options but ultimately lost out for a number of reasons. It was that all of the components individually are of higher quality IMO (electronics not being included in that statement because I think the TBX is a joke and would replace that as well had I opted to go with the boxer). The charvel stamped high mass bridge was a nice touch as well as the body being made of a harder wood, already having the battery box installed, and the metallic paint job really can’t be described unless you see it in person honestly. The main reason however was the neck. The compound radius and overall quality of the fretwork and construction is absolutely top notch on the one I got. The roasting is not too much and not too little and the luminlay sidemarkers are perfect. It just feels great. On the flip side it was difficult to decide because you know you are getting superior craftsmanship out of Japan but at the end of the day I build my own basses as well so I am completely fine doing any work needed. For example a shit electronics job 🎉🥳💩
@@TheIronMustache47 Sounds like you made the right decision then. Basswood body is a hit against the boxer (although they do make Bongos out of it so go figure), and the neck on the Charvel really is beautiful. If you're capable of making the mods then the San Dimas sounds like a great platform to work on.
@@57precision other than the electronics I can’t find a flaw on it to be honest. I had been looking for something in the realm of a precision with a slim neck and rear control cavity and it really came down to this or the boxer. I played both quite extensively before pulling the trigger on the charvel from a reseller across the country and I couldn’t be happier. To be honest though in a case where anyone would have to pay to do any modifications the boxer would have the edge ever so slightly!
I was planning to get one of these and throw a darkglass tone capsule at it too. Do you have any sounds samples rocking around? Shielding it and fixing the preamp/wiring mess would clearly make it punch above it's weight.
I bought this green beast 3 weeks ago and HOLY COWS what a Monster of tone! Comfy bass, very versatile , super killer looks , perfect weight , very cool specs like a HiMass Bridge, String tree(retainer) on the headstock, DiMarzio Pickups, Smooth Roasted neck, pearloid dots and Luminlay Sidedots so you dont get lost on crazy bass lines in the dark... for 800 bucks aprox this is a Home Run Win🔥❤
Great review lobster 🦞 so awesome of you to listen to everyone with the darkglass preamp! That a great reason why we love your content 🤘 the charvel definitely needs the lobster touch to spice her up can't wait for that!!
How's the Jaguar H coming along? Mine is on it's way to me. Can't wait to start moding it. I'm going for a new MM with series/para/single and I'm thinking about routing out for a LZN-B90. Itching to see what you will do about yours.
It sounds like the company launched ( Rushed to commercialize ) the product without any outside 3rd party user focus group feedback. This is why this channel ( Honesty & Transparency ) is so valuable to the bass community. Thx again Lobster.
One of these days I'm gonna wait to click the like button and you're gonna sit there for a while shaking your claw so I can jam out to the Temple of Time song. I had a chance to play the 5 string version of this a little while ago and I can't say I was very impressed. There were even two of them to try and neither sounded or felt good.
Thanks dude XD! Bully just got a 5'er and he has the same thoughts about the preamp. The Area J pickups are the same that I use in my Sires and I looooove em, but the preamps they use are parts bin specials for sure!
That bass is so cool. Love the design and aesthetics. Passive sounds like gold. Great thickness, warmth and the top end sings with bite. Dark glass pre will be super interesting. Otherwise, I’d run it passive into my SansAmp for tone shape. That neck and headstock- the wow factor.
May I ask what strings you have on please? Iv just bought this bass, no noise at all, very quiet and plays great. Although it doesn’t sound as bright as this example so maybe it needs new strings and I like the sound of whatever are on this. I may even consider replacing the preamp but would want a bass mid treble set up that matches the pups better than the stock budget one that is fitted. Thanks in advance Edda ;-)
Hey Lobster thanks for the vids! I'm thinking of picking up one of these basses and installing a new preamp. I saw the Darkglass vid, but would u have any recommendations for a lower cost upgrade?
Ok so.... I realy like the way this bass looks, that green body and white pickups with a roasted neck is sweet. Big bummer about that noise issue. Could this be a great bass with the right preamp? I'm looking forward to mod of this bass!
Ah, that stock pre-amp is such a disappointment. So glad you demonstrated this bass before I pulled the trigger on one! Great video as always, sir! 😊🎵🎶👍🏼
I'm glad you decided for the Darkglass. Is the preamp in this the same as in the Fender Deluxe Active Precision? . Have you been able to compare the Fender vs the Charvel . Great job again. 👏 I was thinking maybe getting a squier PJ and modding or maybe the Fender American Percormer precision or just go for the Deluxe Active Precision So many choices. I really need to try them all out .
It would have been much better if in lieu of the preamp they had proper grounding and shielding then just left it passive. I do agree with you on those DiMarzio pickups, I have an 80s Japanese Fender Precision that I put an old 70s DiMarzio into and that bass sounds fantastic, plus it has a hotter output than my active basses.
Another good one Lobster. I was thinking how good a Darkglass preamp would sound in that bass, and then you mentioned that was on the docket. Good call! I also think that the Charvel product design team had too much coffee and not enough sleep when they came up with this preamp. Perhaps they should have spent less on the preamp and focused more on the shielding. Sigh....... Cheers for now!
So true, your review was honestly appreciated. I myself have stayed old school passive. That bass was great when used in passive but that preamp was wasteful. I just bought a Sire V5 with none of those problems, has killer tones.
Gain trim pot is acctualy good thing. I think it is there to compromise low/high pickup output and give a lot variations. Main issue here, I think, is a lot of gain on fillters which, in combination with gain, can make amp clipping.
Great summary. I love DiMarzio pickups (ultras and model series) but I'm not a big fan of preamps, especially when the preamp detracts from a good bass as so many do. It would be nice too see them offer a passive only model for a less less scratch. I'm a keep it simple player, volume for each pickup and master tone. I can mould my sounds with a Boss GEB-7 if needed.
It sounds great in passive. Rip out that active EQ, throw in v/v/t with one of those Artec Distortion modules with a gain knob and BAM! Killer bass again.
It's amazing what kind of junk 900 bucks gets you these days, apparently a non functioning preamp on a brand new bass. I bought my first MIA P bass new for only a little more, and I'm not even that old. If we are considering 80s hair-metal style PJs, I would much rather put this up against the new Fender Boxer. For a couple hundred more you get MIJ quality, and it's still rear routed which would make it easier to add a preamp if you wanted. Also it appears that the J on the Charvel is in the 60s position, if you are using it just for bite I prefer the 70s position like on the Boxer. Anyway thanks for another informative video, I'm really looking forward to you working your Lobster magic on this lime green turd.
I’m assuming you already have the video completed for the dark glass tone capsule install. You have the bass on the shop…so can we get that video ASAP??? I put mine in and want to see the comparison of mine and yours. Don’t know if I should ditch this b or not. Can you tell me. Haha
After watching these videos on this bass Id be hard-pressed to buy it. In Canada, the bass sells for $1280 Canadian dollars and for that price I want something that works well straight out of the box. Thanks!
If they just sold the neck by itself I would buy one. I played one at GC and it was very noisy and the preamp was like, stabby sounding. Very similar to the Meteora, must be the same preamp. They should have released this passive at $800 with the control cavity large enough to add a preamp.
I have! I got the shirt back in 2011 when I was doing a Euro Delivery of a BMW. Did a couple laps in my car. Never experienced such simultaneous fun and terror hahaha
The real question to me is if you make it passive, what can you do with 5 knobs? I'm thinking V-B-T and then a two knob envelope filter based on the exact oogway-oogway-oogway-ooo tone of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer."
6:10 tell Charvel that they should rip out all the extra crap and sell this in a straight up passive P model that's like 250-300 bucks less and you've got something that I think would move a LOT of units as well as probably fare well against most mainstream offshore built p basses...
With all that space between the split coil and the neck butt, they could have went ahead and given us those 4 more frets, easily. DMZ doesn't make preamps so I think there's a path to hook almost anything up to them, someone's tried it since there is no OEM drop in option. I also think that this platform is nicely representative across a lot of basses that other companies make so that you can have a decent confidence that what you test in this one will work well for most people who have a similar but non Charvel platform at home. Maybe I'll just bolt stuff to body blanks of the same size so we can truly evaluate tonewoods with a controlled test set up that has most variables removed. This place near here (not cross promoting but it's fun to browse wood slabs bc I'm a dork) called Goby Walnut that has more stuff than walnut and things like gunstock blanks, etc for pretty cheap, actually...it's nice to dream but when I get a kiln I'll pay some kid 15 bucks an hour under the table to go drag out "firewood" logs for me. :-) Bandsaws are also next to nothing - honestly, if you've got a closet at home that you can put a dehumidifier in and 3 to 6 months of time, you can just go slab out a chunk of wood, put it up on stickers, and just leave it there and it will cure out enough to work a bit. What's sad is by the time we're able to really do a lot of things of actual value in this world, our time here is almost up.
I find just barely turning up the bass and treble while either leaving the center zeroed or barely cut does it. The preamp has a lot of unusable range. It works best in small doses.
With all of the other great options out there, this is really surprisingly bad. The color looks cool, and of course I can't tell how it plays, but for that money seems like a lot of better options out there. To be fair, I am allergic to cream pick up covers. Uck. Seems like it would sound better as a passive bass? Why mess with a mediocre/bad pre amp that seems to make the bass sound worse?
To have to do ANYTHING to a new bass is a no go for me. I buy NEW instruments to use right away, not to add, fix, or change in any way. If I want to do that then I will modify an instrument I already main. That is bullcrap that they let that ship that way.
100% agreed Joseph. I like to mod and tinker for fun, but you're absolutely right. No instrument, especially one near $1000, should arrive in this condition.... let alone two of em (this was my second!)
real disappointment all fender had to do was put in the guts of a deluxe jazz bass in a different body shape and it would have been a killer bass. Or better yet put in a aftermarket preamp like musicman did with darkglass to make it a unique tool.
You can't polish a turd even if it's a Fender bass/guitar. Lol. Poor Fender needs to fix their quality control in Mexico. Maybe they could learn from Fender America & Japan.
I just picked up this bass. I watched your video on it beforehand so I was specting it to be noisy and at least mine is not at all. I tried this and a bunch of other basses at Long&McQuade and the neck was just perfect. Definitely a winner
Glad to hear later models are better. I plan on revisiting this bass at some point.
I literally took delivery of one of these this last Thursday and the electronics were an absolute mess… The preamp PCB actually popped a resistor after I plugged in for the first time after 30sec completing the circuit. Once I opened her up I discovered that the blend pot was connected by a preschooler that attached the neck pickup hot lead to the ground ripping a hole in the space time continuum.
That said, this may be one of the most comfortable basses I have ever played and the pickups are in fact fantastic. My solution… Back a dump truck up for all of the supplied electronics and throw a tone capsule at that bad Larry. Now she sings like season 1 Kelly Clarkson. I also put a concentric pot in to add passive tone control on top of the hi-mid and swapped out the tone capsules supplied 50k pots with 100k pots to better level the active output.
Had purchased a set of Aggy DCB PJs to put in as well but not sure if I want to do that anymore with how well she sounds since the the old pre is gone… maybe…
I'm glad you got it working! They are cool basses but I wouldn't have any tolerance for that. I think I'd rather spend a couple hundred more and get the MIJ Boxer Precision, the colors are just as obnoxiously 80s as the Charvels.
@@57precision A boxer was on the short list of options but ultimately lost out for a number of reasons. It was that all of the components individually are of higher quality IMO (electronics not being included in that statement because I think the TBX is a joke and would replace that as well had I opted to go with the boxer). The charvel stamped high mass bridge was a nice touch as well as the body being made of a harder wood, already having the battery box installed, and the metallic paint job really can’t be described unless you see it in person honestly. The main reason however was the neck. The compound radius and overall quality of the fretwork and construction is absolutely top notch on the one I got. The roasting is not too much and not too little and the luminlay sidemarkers are perfect. It just feels great. On the flip side it was difficult to decide because you know you are getting superior craftsmanship out of Japan but at the end of the day I build my own basses as well so I am completely fine doing any work needed. For example a shit electronics job 🎉🥳💩
@@TheIronMustache47 Sounds like you made the right decision then. Basswood body is a hit against the boxer (although they do make Bongos out of it so go figure), and the neck on the Charvel really is beautiful. If you're capable of making the mods then the San Dimas sounds like a great platform to work on.
@@57precision other than the electronics I can’t find a flaw on it to be honest. I had been looking for something in the realm of a precision with a slim neck and rear control cavity and it really came down to this or the boxer. I played both quite extensively before pulling the trigger on the charvel from a reseller across the country and I couldn’t be happier. To be honest though in a case where anyone would have to pay to do any modifications the boxer would have the edge ever so slightly!
I was planning to get one of these and throw a darkglass tone capsule at it too. Do you have any sounds samples rocking around?
Shielding it and fixing the preamp/wiring mess would clearly make it punch above it's weight.
I bought this green beast 3 weeks ago and HOLY COWS what a Monster of tone!
Comfy bass, very versatile , super killer looks , perfect weight , very cool specs like a HiMass Bridge, String tree(retainer) on the headstock, DiMarzio Pickups, Smooth Roasted neck, pearloid dots and Luminlay Sidedots so you dont get lost on crazy bass lines in the dark... for 800 bucks aprox this is a Home Run Win🔥❤
Great review lobster 🦞 so awesome of you to listen to everyone with the darkglass preamp! That a great reason why we love your content 🤘 the charvel definitely needs the lobster touch to spice her up can't wait for that!!
Thanks Jeremy! I'd say half of the project ideas come from you crazy people ;P
How's the Jaguar H coming along? Mine is on it's way to me. Can't wait to start moding it. I'm going for a new MM with series/para/single and I'm thinking about routing out for a LZN-B90. Itching to see what you will do about yours.
It sounds like the company launched ( Rushed to commercialize ) the product without any outside 3rd party user focus group feedback. This is why this channel ( Honesty & Transparency ) is so valuable to the bass community. Thx again Lobster.
I love the green
One of these days I'm gonna wait to click the like button and you're gonna sit there for a while shaking your claw so I can jam out to the Temple of Time song.
I had a chance to play the 5 string version of this a little while ago and I can't say I was very impressed. There were even two of them to try and neither sounded or felt good.
Thanks dude XD! Bully just got a 5'er and he has the same thoughts about the preamp. The Area J pickups are the same that I use in my Sires and I looooove em, but the preamps they use are parts bin specials for sure!
This video was truly popcorn-worthy.
By the way Lobster, how do you like Fender Japanese basses (Aerodyne Jazz, etc)?
Hey JL! I love the MIJ stuff, hoping to check out more
That bass is so cool. Love the design and aesthetics. Passive sounds like gold. Great thickness, warmth and the top end sings with bite. Dark glass pre will be super interesting. Otherwise, I’d run it passive into my SansAmp for tone shape. That neck and headstock- the wow factor.
Looking forward to your as always great pick up upgrade...💙👊😎
May I ask what strings you have on please? Iv just bought this bass, no noise at all, very quiet and plays great. Although it doesn’t sound as bright as this example so maybe it needs new strings and I like the sound of whatever are on this. I may even consider replacing the preamp but would want a bass mid treble set up that matches the pups better than the stock budget one that is fitted.
Thanks in advance
Edda ;-)
Hey Lobster thanks for the vids! I'm thinking of picking up one of these basses and installing a new preamp. I saw the Darkglass vid, but would u have any recommendations for a lower cost upgrade?
Ok so.... I realy like the way this bass looks, that green body and white pickups with a roasted neck is sweet. Big bummer about that noise issue. Could this be a great bass with the right preamp? I'm looking forward to mod of this bass!
Yes it would be. He's going to replace the preamp as a mod :)
Ah, that stock pre-amp is such a disappointment. So glad you demonstrated this bass before I pulled the trigger on one! Great video as always, sir! 😊🎵🎶👍🏼
I'm glad you decided for the Darkglass. Is the preamp in this the same as in the Fender Deluxe Active Precision? . Have you been able to compare the Fender vs the Charvel .
Great job again. 👏
I was thinking maybe getting a squier PJ and modding or maybe the Fender American Percormer precision or just go for the Deluxe Active Precision So many choices. I really need to try them all out .
Thanks Stuart! Me too :). I'm not sure about the particular preamp model as there are no markings on it and I haven't played many active fenders
I got excited when I saw these Charvel videos, dream come true in so many ways, but soo many quality issues 😢
It would have been much better if in lieu of the preamp they had proper grounding and shielding then just left it passive. I do agree with you on those DiMarzio pickups, I have an 80s Japanese Fender Precision that I put an old 70s DiMarzio into and that bass sounds fantastic, plus it has a hotter output than my active basses.
Thanks Michael! Great comment!
Yeah! You fixed the hummmiiiinnng!
I kind of wish you put a emg setup on this baby and some kind of darkglass preamp for that dark deep tone.
Nice review Lobster 🦞🦞👍
Another good one Lobster. I was thinking how good a Darkglass preamp would sound in that bass, and then you mentioned that was on the docket. Good call! I also think that the Charvel product design team had too much coffee and not enough sleep when they came up with this preamp. Perhaps they should have spent less on the preamp and focused more on the shielding. Sigh....... Cheers for now!
Looking forward to that Darkglass
So true, your review was honestly appreciated. I myself have stayed old school passive. That bass was great when used in passive but that preamp was wasteful. I just bought a Sire V5 with none of those problems, has killer tones.
Gain trim pot is acctualy good thing. I think it is there to compromise low/high pickup output and give a lot variations. Main issue here, I think, is a lot of gain on fillters which, in combination with gain, can make amp clipping.
could you pls explain how to turn down the internal gain of the preamp?
Great summary. I love DiMarzio pickups (ultras and model series) but I'm not a big fan of preamps, especially when the preamp detracts from a good bass as so many do.
It would be nice too see them offer a passive only model for a less less scratch.
I'm a keep it simple player, volume for each pickup and master tone. I can mould my sounds with a Boss GEB-7 if needed.
It sounds great in passive. Rip out that active EQ, throw in v/v/t with one of those Artec Distortion modules with a gain knob and BAM! Killer bass again.
Holy.... I would use it in a church band. To surprise my sound engineer
As always a good review, and why this bass is off the list for me. Will you be doing a follow-up review of that gorgeous Satin Honey Bongo?
That's a nice bass, but I'd have to change the preamp. That color😍
It’s like Mountain Dew metallic. 🤌
It's amazing what kind of junk 900 bucks gets you these days, apparently a non functioning preamp on a brand new bass. I bought my first MIA P bass new for only a little more, and I'm not even that old. If we are considering 80s hair-metal style PJs, I would much rather put this up against the new Fender Boxer. For a couple hundred more you get MIJ quality, and it's still rear routed which would make it easier to add a preamp if you wanted. Also it appears that the J on the Charvel is in the 60s position, if you are using it just for bite I prefer the 70s position like on the Boxer. Anyway thanks for another informative video, I'm really looking forward to you working your Lobster magic on this lime green turd.
I agree with you. The boxer looks a better bass overall.
I’m assuming you already have the video completed for the dark glass tone capsule install. You have the bass on the shop…so can we get that video ASAP??? I put mine in and want to see the comparison of mine and yours. Don’t know if I should ditch this b or not. Can you tell me. Haha
:)
Can i jus swap the preamp but with the same pickups ?
Yes! My next vid on this bass (next week) will involve swapping the preamp whole keeping the pickups and the vol/blend with the bypass
I like that tone you think is not useable.
Thanks Ralph! That's why I provide the clips. My opinions are my own, but the clips will speak to everyone differently and I'm glad you enjoy them :)
After watching these videos on this bass Id be hard-pressed to buy it. In Canada, the bass sells for $1280 Canadian dollars and for that price I want something that works well straight out of the box. Thanks!
Glad you found this helpful :)
This must be designed for multiple models of Fender made basses, hence the trim pot
Great bass, and great video (as usual!!!)
Love you channel.
I would like to have this bass with only the split pickup in that configuration and a volume control. I play pop punk, and that's all I need.
Got up early to study for my exam at 12 but watching LEL instead
Are you gonna replace that Pre-amp?
You know it ;)
If they just sold the neck by itself I would buy one. I played one at GC and it was very noisy and the preamp was like, stabby sounding. Very similar to the Meteora, must be the same preamp. They should have released this passive at $800 with the control cavity large enough to add a preamp.
Have you ever been on the Nürburgring?
I have! I got the shirt back in 2011 when I was doing a Euro Delivery of a BMW. Did a couple laps in my car. Never experienced such simultaneous fun and terror hahaha
@@LowEndLobster That's awesome
Are you sailing this
So good bones bad guts
Yup!
The real question to me is if you make it passive, what can you do with 5 knobs? I'm thinking V-B-T and then a two knob envelope filter based on the exact oogway-oogway-oogway-ooo tone of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer."
2:50 *laughs in Hohner B Bass Pro*
3:30 *laughs in DarkRay*
6:10 tell Charvel that they should rip out all the extra crap and sell this in a straight up passive P model that's like 250-300 bucks less and you've got something that I think would move a LOT of units as well as probably fare well against most mainstream offshore built p basses...
With all that space between the split coil and the neck butt, they could have went ahead and given us those 4 more frets, easily.
DMZ doesn't make preamps so I think there's a path to hook almost anything up to them, someone's tried it since there is no OEM drop in option.
I also think that this platform is nicely representative across a lot of basses that other companies make so that you can have a decent confidence that what you test in this one will work well for most people who have a similar but non Charvel platform at home.
Maybe I'll just bolt stuff to body blanks of the same size so we can truly evaluate tonewoods with a controlled test set up that has most variables removed.
This place near here (not cross promoting but it's fun to browse wood slabs bc I'm a dork) called Goby Walnut that has more stuff than walnut and things like gunstock blanks, etc for pretty cheap, actually...it's nice to dream but when I get a kiln I'll pay some kid 15 bucks an hour under the table to go drag out "firewood" logs for me. :-)
Bandsaws are also next to nothing - honestly, if you've got a closet at home that you can put a dehumidifier in and 3 to 6 months of time, you can just go slab out a chunk of wood, put it up on stickers, and just leave it there and it will cure out enough to work a bit.
What's sad is by the time we're able to really do a lot of things of actual value in this world, our time here is almost up.
XD Thanks Russ!
I find just barely turning up the bass and treble while either leaving the center zeroed or barely cut does it. The preamp has a lot of unusable range. It works best in small doses.
Lets build a bass with a killer paint job, roasted maple neck, badass bridge, quality hardware, and a dogshit preamp.
YUP! It's literally one of the worst preamps I've ever experienced in a bass
It's a fugly green
Radioactive loogie ;P
With all of the other great options out there, this is really surprisingly bad. The color looks cool, and of course I can't tell how it plays, but for that money seems like a lot of better options out there. To be fair, I am allergic to cream pick up covers. Uck. Seems like it would sound better as a passive bass? Why mess with a mediocre/bad pre amp that seems to make the bass sound worse?
Bingo Mark! Yeah they really messed up with the preamp here. Out of the box, a passive setup would have been way better
To have to do ANYTHING to a new bass is a no go for me. I buy NEW instruments to use right away, not to add, fix, or change in any way. If I want to do that then I will modify an instrument I already main. That is bullcrap that they let that ship that way.
100% agreed Joseph. I like to mod and tinker for fun, but you're absolutely right. No instrument, especially one near $1000, should arrive in this condition.... let alone two of em (this was my second!)
On paper this is exactly what I'm looking for. It's really a shame about the preamp. I'll just stick to my stingray.
You said turd. :)
;P
real disappointment all fender had to do was put in the guts of a deluxe jazz bass in a different body shape and it would have been a killer bass. Or better yet put in a aftermarket preamp like musicman did with darkglass to make it a unique tool.
Having to rip out a preamp on a $900 bass is ridicules . you could put one of your extra Sire preamps in there.
I have to agree with you the preamp just sucks.
I like a lot of their instruments, guitars far more than their basses, but on this one there's just a lot of unusable total range, to my ears anyways.
Yeah man! It's the accountant special preamp ;P
You can't polish a turd even if it's a Fender bass/guitar. Lol. Poor Fender needs to fix their quality control in Mexico. Maybe they could learn from Fender America & Japan.
Agreed!
Sound's good not amazing .