That's one of the (many) things I like about your channel. You do not just review the big names over and over. You review basses that I've never heard of from the cheap-to-the-expensive. Thanks!
There are two big local brands here in Brazil: Giannini and Tagima. They are usually everyones’ the first or second instrument. The quality varies over time and from model to model.
@@LowEndLobster I kinda feel a little guilty because I've never owned one. This one you reviewed sounded quite good. I had some cheap brandless chinese basses, then I had a couple of Condors (Condor is the third one of the big Brazilian brands) before selling them to get my Stingray.
Tagima is a great option here in Brazil for good instruments for low (not so low) prices. The Woodstock series is very nice! The TJM (blending j and mm pickups) is great!
I got one of these to be my flat wound bass. It’s actually a really great bass. It’s nice to have options like this to throw a fret less neck on, or hot rod and have some fun.
I watched this on my computer to get a better sound. I must say this bass does sound really good. Once more this proves that you don't necessarily need an expensive instrument. 😉
Oh yeah! Been waiting for this one. I knew you would do wonders with this one. The nice tone did creep in when you did the unboxing. Sounds pretty good now L.L. Thanks for the demo!
Thanks Gerald! I do not have as high hopes for the 65 mainly because of the PJ config without a hum cancelling J. With a JJ, the two single coils will cancel the hum. However a P is already self cancelling, which makes the bridge J hum quite a bit. Review coming soon :)
I got the tw73, replaced everything I can. Tuners, pickups, bridge, nut. Sound amazing, my daily bass. The wood is amazingly good. Great review, maybe my next one in line.
@@LowEndLobster hi! I was able to replace with a gotoh 201b, using the same holes. The 201b is a replacement for any Fender bass, so that was my cue. And the pickups, I used Seymour Duncan SJB-3s 4-String Quarter Pound Jazz set. The only thing waiting is a new set of pots. Best regards 🦞
I did the same with a TW73. All except the bridge swap. Duncan’s with an obsidian wiring vintage plus controls and pots. I just sold it as I needed to free up a few dollars for a new Fender Jazz but that Tagima played VERY nice once setup. It rivaled my CV Squire easily.
Hi... I am living in BRAZIL, and i have a TBM 5 BY TAGIMA ... Is a perfect instrument, BRAZILIANS BRAND, my bass like a MUSIC MAN, and, this instrument TW 66 will be my next shop!
I had my eye on one of these for a couple weeks. Your video was just a little push I needed to go down to my local music store and buy one. I got the butterscotch finish. Good sounding solid instrument. Thanks for the “push” 😀
Hey Lobster, glad to see you got that bass working . I had one for a while but its very similar to my Fender Tele P bass so I sold the TW66 ( only so much room :( )
Great sounding inexpensive P bass, I would not be surprised if that P pickup stood up well against other higher priced replacement pickups; it sounds surprisingly good in all of the settings you demonstrated. As far as the bridge goes there are a lot of replacement bridges available that have that screw pattern so replacing it would not be hard unless one went with a Fender style bridge.
Tagima instruments are recommended over Fender Squier basses and guitars at a local dealer. Tagima's jazz basses would be interesting to test with Fender Squier jazz basses.
You're like that really cool uncle I wish I had. I'm really confused on what bass should I get next time! i'm kinda low on budget because let's face it i'm still a student, but I don't know what to get next time, either a Squire, Sire or the TW series from Tagima!
Indeed! Very happy with this post-setup, and excited to see how the other pickups will sound in this. Unlike the Stingray series, I'm not going to buy a million of these and instead just do separate videos on the pickups and then a mega-clip.
I was at my buddys music store today and he had one of these hanging up and I was super impressed by the feel. Didn't have a chance to play it due to time constraints. Also had a really nice 70's Ibanez Jazz bass that kinda over shadowed this bass right next to it. I was hard pressed not leaving with one.
Nice review and playing. I would recommend trying out the Entwistle PBXN Neodymium P Bass pickup. They're cheap and sound incredible. Entwistle pickups come stock on Revelation guitars and Basses. Another great budget bang for the buck brand. Cheers
Wow. What tone! I'm thinking of getting the Butterscotch actually. Hope you could also review the Harley Benton JB-75. I'm kinda on the fence between the two basses. Thanks for the review, very informative as always 🙌
@@LowEndLobster Awesome. I'm a pbass guy. Just a bit curious whether that Harley Benton jazz bass gives a decent pbass tone with just the neck pick-up. Looking forward to it!
This bass is cheap even in Brazil. Anyway, somehow their jazz bass from the same series sounds surprisingly good. At the least one I tried and got in the store. This tagima instruments usually are bought to mod.
@@Reny_btw I didn't tried. I'm happy with my ray34. What I know is that at some point in time they changed their MM model and some people likes it and some people don't. There was another chinese model that I'm really looking for. Its a passive jazz bass with a MM pickup in the middle. It's a great bass to upgrade. The model name is jmj 4. You can find some videos online.
Great review and nice playing. Just don’t ever play high stakes poker. Your laughing is a huge tell when you enjoy a bass!🤣 You might want to change your ‘claw’ rating system to the ‘giggle’ factor. I’m excited about this brand. I saw Phil McKnight (know your gear) review a Tagima guitar and he was impressed considering the price. How many basses come set up out of the box? Especially sub $300 basses? Not many especially your favorite HLK 🤣 My concern with the fret buzz from your unboxing video was about if the bass needed a fret leveling. I think that would be beyond the ability of a youngster or even non-player parents. But a tweak of the truss rod and better strings is definitely within a youngster’s or non-player parent’s ability with so many RUclips videos about set up. The finish looks really good on that and the gloss on the maple FB reminds me of my T-40 and T-45. At $250 that seems like a great deal. On sale at $211 shipped it’s a no brainer. I don’t have a tele style P bass so thanks for the G.A.S.! Any drips or runs on the finish? Rough spots? Glue smudges? I need to see if there’s any Tagima dealers in my area. Thanks for the review. Always well done and informative.
Sweet bass,did the price include shipping? Ny Samick V.A.C.S was like that, it sounded HORRIBLE,until I did a complete setup on it,now it's one of my top basses,
Why do so many manufacturers insist on white pickguards for entry-level basses? I almost always end up switching them out for a different color. And with this base it has a different shape and screw pattern so it's either all or nothing seems like with this one.
lobster it would be cool if you tested the pickups that are manufactured here in Brazil malagoli, customy pickups, cabrera, gerhing and GRS. I love your videos
Sounded ‘honkier’ than a regular P bass. With my eyes closed I could have sworn I was listening to a J bass. I’d love to have heard it against your MiM P bass. Nice sound though, and as someone who has a bass styled after a 51 P bass, I dig the looks.
The local music chain we have in the Bay Area, sells these. I had no idea that they had a “high end”. I’d be interested to see what those are like. Also, have you ever played a Chowney? I was checking them out a while ago and I always keep an eye out for a used one, but I never see them used. I was wondering if people just aren’t buying them or, they are and just not parting with them when they do? I may have asked you this before...but, my memory bailed on me a long time ago...I think. Cheers lobster thank you for sharing
Thanks Tommy! Indeed, the higher end ones are over $1k as well and handmade in Brazil (the TWs are Chinese). I have not played a Chowney but I've been eyeing them! I know Steve had some production issues in 2020 due to Covid, hoping to snag one in 2021 :)
That’s got some nice tone to it.Where is the truss rod adjustment at ? Also,what size wrench did you need and did it come with one ? Thanks for showing this one.
Thanks! Great question, truss rod adjustment is at the headstock (not very noticeable but it's there). I didn't pay too much attention to the extra stuff like wrenches because I have so many, I believe it's a standard size.
Too bad they didn’t use a straight single coil pickup.I have a Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder that I never used.That would be interesting except for maybe the hum of the single coil.
Hey Mr. Lobster, since I'm here, can I suggest a video? I bought a source audio Eq2 on the place of buy an active circuito for a bass and I don't have any regrets. In fact I think I can mimic some circuits if I get the right freqs. So I think the eq2 is a cool pedal for a review! thanks
Looks good and sounds good too. Didnt expect it to be so clean and so defined for this price. I would def rock that for a tryout. Does it stay in tune well?
Lobster, love the videos. Avid watcher. Do you know what kind of magnets are in the stock pickup of this bass. Anything I can find just says Tagima P bass pickup but never anything about the magnets. Have you figured it out? I am looking at one buying one.
hey Lob, have you ever seen the Tagima TBM basses? they are a fairly nice and affordable MM SUB inspired instruments, think they are worth of a review :)
Hey Daniel! I have not, those look interesting. Doesn't seem to be available on Reverb or Ebay, but if I see one come up for purchase in the US I'll def snag it
There are! The automated technology and process to hone the quality has really matured so that manufacturers can really mass produce decent starter/mod platform level instruments easily.
2:23 *waits for death clatter of doomy death* . . *doesn't happen* The tone right out sounds p good too. Hardware can be changed out, but I don't recall what it was like last time but the better the string quality the more you can tell about the fret/finish, and the neck sounds pretty playable right away. Again, I will make my argument about being able to offer honest service at a fair price by bringing inexpensive gear here, setting it up, and upcharging $75 for the setup + shipping and be transparent about it. I've been a tech for pretty much my working life, everyone gets paid and if you stiff the tech it's almost as bad as forgetting to give the IT guy/Admin Assistant a crapton of praise every review cycle. I am well worth it and I wouldn't enter an enterprise without personally guaranteeing any work I did or will do. Had to shift from the workbench to get the tank setup...TLDR: my physical therapy set up is finally happening, so I need to focus on that for a bit even though I'd rather be earning more cash ;-)
4:08 Solution: add electronics and high mass bridge to the butt and lighter hardware to the head, sounds like they were really going for the "I am meant to be upgraded" platform.
In the UK, the Tagima would be roughly $395 shipped, whereas the Squier Paranormal J bass would be about $425. I know you rated the Squier, so which would be your choice bearing in mind the $30 price difference? Thanks.
Paranormal for sure. The Tagima as a $200-250 instrument (post-setup) is great, but the Paranormal is VERY solid at the $399 USD price. From what I've seen of other reviews and examples (the ones that didn't use my bass), the build quality is top notch and the pickups are good enough (and easily swappable!). With a $30 difference between them, I'd go with the Paranormal.
I have one of this, Butterscotch body; put some La Bella Deep Talkin' flatwounds strings, and now sounds more old school, more vintage. Have some covers on my channel with TW66, check it out. Cheers!
Man, my friend bought one of those and it was pretty terrible. I hated the neck and overall feel. Perhaps they've improved. It didn't sound that bad, but I'd opt for a Squier that has development behind it...If we are talking about cheap stuff, of course🥂
Bummer! I wasn't a fan when I unboxed it, but after a very light setup (truss rod and new strings) mine was much better. However, I have a sample size of 2 (my TW66 and TW65 which I'm not crazy about) so I can't accurately comment on the QC. I'd say it depends on the Squier, as the CVs from Indonesia that I've played were all over the place.
I'd be taking that pickguard off pronto...I'm not a fan of 51 pickguard without the proper pickup...but still not really a fan bcuz of the upper bout. I mean, why all that pguard up there? If it's a vintage bass then ok, imo. Sounds like a P, though! Not bad, not bad at all!
Hey Lobster (and anyone else knowledgeable in the comments section) I've been researching for my next bass buy, specifically looking at p and pj basses, and I'm interested in Tagima but I was looking at the higher end made in Brazil models and there is very little info or reviews I can find. I am looking at a Tagima tpb-4 and I was wondering if anybody had any experience with that specific model or at least any other made in Brazil Tagimas. I just want a sense of the build quality and electronics vs other options.
Great question Alan! Just a truss rod adjustment and new set of strings. I don't think it was more than a half turn (I don't remember exactly - so many basses haha)
tuners must go after a year, and weightwise, a lot of it is laquer and sealer, i left mine on wood finnished with oil and it is a surprising lot lighter. Deafineatly neck heavy, but i love mine, super trusty and robust, the neck just does not move, almost never have to tune it
Thanks for sharing! Did you have to drill new bridge holes, or were you able to find a replacement that lined up with the existing ones? I definitely appreciate how much sturdier the neck is on these vs the Squire CVs that I've tried (the P I had was all over the place).
@@LowEndLobster no, the 5 in the back align with every standard bridge, i commented otherwise below but it was a confusion, just checked (my bridge had 7 screws, 5 in the strap button side and 2 in the pickup side, i don't know if the parts are the same, coming from china they may be not, and i am in Argentina, so i don't know if the basses we get here are the exact same spec in the US)
Thanks Dean! My MIM P needs some work (jack replacement, might make a video on that), might take that opportunity to restring 'er with flats and do a flats to flats comparison!
Trust me, a MIM Fender is a much better instrument. Plus, Fender customer service is excellent. Squiers are better instruments than the import Tagimas. And if something goes wrong or you get a bad one, you are on your own. Trying to be helpful here.
@@markyurick6699 I have no doubt. I have a squier affinity pj bass in black with a black pick guard. I bought it with the starter pack. I guess I got lucky and by no means is it a bad bass. I have since heavily modified it tho. Lol. I put the geezer butler emgs in it, replaced the bridge with a black babicz hi mass, and a vintera roasted maple jazz neck with black gotoh tuners. Lol. It looks and sounds great now.
So this is awesome even with stock pickups??? Amazing punch, growl and high ends. I can tell by the vibe that you really enjoyed this bass xD Now jam along with "Just around the corner" by Herbie Hancock, a sweet funk groove in G-minor.
Just pray that nothing goes wrong with it, because their customer service is ridiculously poor. Basically, you are on your own. That's whats great about Squier, for example. Fender takes care of its customers. Tagima will ignore you. So, you're taking a risk. Plus, their quality control is not inspired. Anyway, good review as always.
Thanks Mark! That's one thing that I generally don't evaluate is customer service as I generally just do the repairs and stuff myself. That's a bummer that their qc, cs and community outreach isn't great though. My biggest thing that I tell people to look out for is the return policy of the shop you buy from. Manufacturers can definitely be hit or miss when it comes to warranty issues or responses to complaints, but vendors generally are much better about this stuff. Always protect yourself!
Unfortunately, you probably won't find a Tagima at Sweetwater or Chicago Music Exchange. Relying on a small independent vendor can be hit or miss, in my experience. Always enjoy your reviews. I agree that this particular bass has a nice throaty character. It will be interesting to see whether the neck pocket fails and cracks.
That's one of the (many) things I like about your channel. You do not just review the big names over and over. You review basses that I've never heard of from the cheap-to-the-expensive. Thanks!
Thanks Matthew! So glad you're enjoying the vids :)
As soon as you started playing I thought, "damn, that sounds shockingly good." Wow. That stock pickup is nasty in a wicked way. Great video!
Thanks Taconeko!
There are two big local brands here in Brazil: Giannini and Tagima. They are usually everyones’ the first or second instrument. The quality varies over time and from model to model.
Cheers. Thank you, I’m actually learning a lot about this company.
Thanks Rodrigo! One of my friends has one of the higher end Tagimas and LOVES it
@@LowEndLobster I kinda feel a little guilty because I've never owned one. This one you reviewed sounded quite good.
I had some cheap brandless chinese basses, then I had a couple of Condors (Condor is the third one of the big Brazilian brands) before selling them to get my Stingray.
Giannini faliu!
Great tone......deep and rich, it doesn’t sound cheap in the slightest, looks good too.
Thanks Keith!
Tagima is a great option here in Brazil for good instruments for low (not so low) prices. The Woodstock series is very nice! The TJM (blending j and mm pickups) is great!
Thank you! I def want to try out some of the higher end ones, they look sweet
I got one of these to be my flat wound bass. It’s actually a really great bass. It’s nice to have options like this to throw a fret less neck on, or hot rod and have some fun.
I watched this on my computer to get a better sound. I must say this bass does sound really good. Once more this proves that you don't necessarily need an expensive instrument. 😉
Thanks Al!
Oh yeah! Been waiting for this one. I knew you would do wonders with this one. The nice tone did creep in when you did the unboxing. Sounds pretty good now L.L. Thanks for the demo!
Does the 65 have good potential as well?
Thanks Gerald! I do not have as high hopes for the 65 mainly because of the PJ config without a hum cancelling J. With a JJ, the two single coils will cancel the hum. However a P is already self cancelling, which makes the bridge J hum quite a bit. Review coming soon :)
I got the tw73, replaced everything I can. Tuners, pickups, bridge, nut. Sound amazing, my daily bass. The wood is amazingly good. Great review, maybe my next one in line.
Thanks Andres! Great to hear. Did you drill new bridge holes or were you able to find a bridge that had the same pattern?
@@LowEndLobster hi! I was able to replace with a gotoh 201b, using the same holes. The 201b is a replacement for any Fender bass, so that was my cue. And the pickups, I used Seymour Duncan SJB-3s 4-String Quarter Pound Jazz set. The only thing waiting is a new set of pots. Best regards 🦞
I did the same with a TW73. All except the bridge swap. Duncan’s with an obsidian wiring vintage plus controls and pots. I just sold it as I needed to free up a few dollars for a new Fender Jazz but that Tagima played VERY nice once setup. It rivaled my CV Squire easily.
@@andres.moore997do you know if the TW73 bridge holes are the same as the TW66?
Looks and sounds cool! If I didn't already have a P would be enticing for sure! 😊👍
Thanks Boomer :)
Glad to see the bass redeemed itself with a little love! It just needed a caress of the claw.
Indeed! That made me happy as well, very happy with how it turned out post-setup!
That thing has a great sound. Basses are becoming cheaper and better. There are so many good basses for under 400.
Thanks Ross! Indeed, it's nice to have such a nice variety on a budget.
Your grooves and licks are getting juicier with every video you pull out. Noice
Hi... I am living in BRAZIL, and i have a TBM 5 BY TAGIMA ... Is a perfect instrument, BRAZILIANS BRAND, my bass like a MUSIC MAN, and, this instrument TW 66 will be my next shop!
Thanks Yuri! I love seeing the enthusiasm of Brazilians when I mention Tagima :). It's wonderful to see such pride in a Brazilian domestic brand!
I love this guy he has an honest claw
I had my eye on one of these for a couple weeks. Your video was just a little push I needed to go down to my local music store and buy one. I got the butterscotch finish. Good sounding solid instrument. Thanks for the “push” 😀
Hey Lobster, glad to see you got that bass working . I had one for a while but its very similar to my Fender Tele P bass so I sold the TW66 ( only so much room :( )
Thanks Michael :) I'm glad this one only needed a little setup.
Dude I'm holding a clf l2000. Thanks for representing g&l I never knew about the clfs. I think the l2000 gives j and p in one. So much bass. Cheers
Thanks James! Those CLF L2000s look awesome!
This thing sounds great! I hope they have a short scale option for this model.
Great sounding inexpensive P bass, I would not be surprised if that P pickup stood up well against other higher priced replacement pickups; it sounds surprisingly good in all of the settings you demonstrated. As far as the bridge goes there are a lot of replacement bridges available that have that screw pattern so replacing it would not be hard unless one went with a Fender style bridge.
Indeed! I was impressed with the tone and character as well. We shall see in the P pickup shootout :)
Tagima instruments are recommended over Fender Squier basses and guitars at a local dealer. Tagima's jazz basses would be interesting to test with Fender Squier jazz basses.
Thanks Ralph!
@@LowEndLobster tagima vs squier would be an interesting video. Mods too!
You're like that really cool uncle I wish I had. I'm really confused on what bass should I get next time! i'm kinda low on budget because let's face it i'm still a student, but I don't know what to get next time, either a Squire, Sire or the TW series from Tagima!
Thanks Augustus :)
There are the Tagima XB 21and XB 31 modern passive models. Nice to review too.
Thank you! I will be checking out more Tagimas this year for sure :)
Oooooo now that’s definitely not poop anymore! Can’t wait to hear it with some emgs!!! Too bad about the bridge though :(
Indeed! Very happy with this post-setup, and excited to see how the other pickups will sound in this. Unlike the Stingray series, I'm not going to buy a million of these and instead just do separate videos on the pickups and then a mega-clip.
I have one of those with EMG GZR pickups and flats. It's a monster.
It's great to see a Brazilian brand here.
Thanks Fernando!
I replaced the bridge to an expensive high mass bridge but did not like the new tone as much as the original. So, I switched it back.
Wow! Gorgeous P bass tone 🥰
Thanks Ej!
I was at my buddys music store today and he had one of these hanging up and I was super impressed by the feel. Didn't have a chance to play it due to time constraints. Also had a really nice 70's Ibanez Jazz bass that kinda over shadowed this bass right next to it. I was hard pressed not leaving with one.
Nice review and playing. I would recommend trying out the Entwistle PBXN Neodymium P Bass pickup. They're cheap and sound incredible. Entwistle pickups come stock on Revelation guitars and Basses. Another great budget bang for the buck brand. Cheers
Oooh! Thanks for the recommendation Paul! Definitely will check those out.
Wow, that sounds *surprisingly* good.
Thanks dude! Right!?
Hey that’s actually kinda cool!! Thanks for reviewing this one lobster. Fingers crossed we can get it in kangaroo land
Thanks dude! :)
You always have my attention! I can afford better bass guitars but love the low end gems you find!
Thanks John! This is definitely one of those low end gems :). The TW65 on the other hand... we'll well have a separate review for that ;P
i ordered the butterscotch model and i can't wait.
I like the look of it! A interesting bass for mods.
Thanks Martin!
Wow. What tone! I'm thinking of getting the Butterscotch actually. Hope you could also review the Harley Benton JB-75. I'm kinda on the fence between the two basses. Thanks for the review, very informative as always 🙌
Thanks Michael! Yes, we'll be snagging some Harley Bentons again soon. Need to make another Thomann order!
@@LowEndLobster Awesome. I'm a pbass guy. Just a bit curious whether that Harley Benton jazz bass gives a decent pbass tone with just the neck pick-up. Looking forward to it!
Please get Lundgren and Lindy Fralin pickups! Would love to see an A/B of those two!
Thanks Stephane! Absolutely! Assembling a list of pickups :)
Love that p bass tone!
Thanks :)
That really sounds good!
Thanks Kirt!
Sounds nice. Klaymeister is right to suggest flats.
Thanks Sam! Yes, yes he is. I have a few spare sets. Will do a separate vid showcasing this with flats :)
Nice Nice review. Not bad also. Could you please do a review on the Orange O Bass?
I would appreciate it very much! Thank you
Thanks Keith! Yes, I'll snag one eventually. They're on my radar :)
P bass... my kind of bass with some upgrades would be great, nice one Lobster. 💙👊😎
Thanks Carl-Samuel :)
This bass is cheap even in Brazil. Anyway, somehow their jazz bass from the same series sounds surprisingly good. At the least one I tried and got in the store.
This tagima instruments usually are bought to mod.
Thanks Daniel :)
@@Reny_btw I didn't tried. I'm happy with my ray34.
What I know is that at some point in time they changed their MM model and some people likes it and some people don't.
There was another chinese model that I'm really looking for. Its a passive jazz bass with a MM pickup in the middle. It's a great bass to upgrade. The model name is jmj 4. You can find some videos online.
I wonder if lobster could ever get through a video without saying "not bad". Sounds like a good challenge...
Challenge accepted!
@@LowEndLobster 🤘🤘🦞🦞
Great review and nice playing. Just don’t ever play high stakes poker. Your laughing is a huge tell when you enjoy a bass!🤣
You might want to change your ‘claw’ rating system to the ‘giggle’ factor.
I’m excited about this brand. I saw Phil McKnight (know your gear) review a Tagima guitar and he was impressed considering the price.
How many basses come set up out of the box? Especially sub $300 basses? Not many especially your favorite HLK 🤣
My concern with the fret buzz from your unboxing video was about if the bass needed a fret leveling. I think that would be beyond the ability of a youngster or even non-player parents. But a tweak of the truss rod and better strings is definitely within a youngster’s or non-player parent’s ability with so many RUclips videos about set up.
The finish looks really good on that and the gloss on the maple FB reminds me of my T-40 and T-45.
At $250 that seems like a great deal. On sale at $211 shipped it’s a no brainer.
I don’t have a tele style P bass so thanks for the G.A.S.!
Any drips or runs on the finish? Rough spots? Glue smudges?
I need to see if there’s any Tagima dealers in my area.
Thanks for the review.
Always well done and informative.
haaha thanks B Mac!
Sweet bass,did the price include shipping? Ny Samick V.A.C.S was like that, it sounded HORRIBLE,until I did a complete setup on it,now it's one of my top basses,
Thanks Aaron! Yes, price included shipping. My first bass was a Samick P! :)
Poplar is a pretty soft "hard wood" so bridge swap is no problem. Drill baby drill!
Moar powah!
Hail from Brazil!
Ahoy!
Amazing instrument!
Why do so many manufacturers insist on white pickguards for entry-level basses? I almost always end up switching them out for a different color. And with this base it has a different shape and screw pattern so it's either all or nothing seems like with this one.
I know right!? I haaaate plain white pickguards.
try also tagima`s TJB 435 made in Brazil. Fantastic bass.
lobster it would be cool if you tested the pickups that are manufactured here in Brazil malagoli, customy pickups, cabrera, gerhing and GRS. I love your videos
Ola, sou do Brasil, essisti esse review, esse é um ótimo baixa,. custo benefício! Parabéns pelo vídeo!
Great video.. Did you solve the fret buzz adjusting the truss rod or just get a higher string action??
Truss rod and bridge adjust. Action wasn't high
Sounded ‘honkier’ than a regular P bass. With my eyes closed I could have sworn I was listening to a J bass. I’d love to have heard it against your MiM P bass. Nice sound though, and as someone who has a bass styled after a 51 P bass, I dig the looks.
Thanks Rev!
The local music chain we have in the Bay Area, sells these. I had no idea that they had a “high end”. I’d be interested to see what those are like. Also, have you ever played a Chowney? I was checking them out a while ago and I always keep an eye out for a used one, but I never see them used. I was wondering if people just aren’t buying them or, they are and just not parting with them when they do? I may have asked you this before...but, my memory bailed on me a long time ago...I think. Cheers lobster thank you for sharing
Thanks Tommy! Indeed, the higher end ones are over $1k as well and handmade in Brazil (the TWs are Chinese). I have not played a Chowney but I've been eyeing them! I know Steve had some production issues in 2020 due to Covid, hoping to snag one in 2021 :)
@@LowEndLobster cheers buddy. You are always a great person. I appreciate you. Thank you
@@PushSueAside You too my dude :)
That’s got some nice tone to it.Where is the truss rod adjustment at ? Also,what size wrench did you need and did it come with one ? Thanks for showing this one.
Thanks! Great question, truss rod adjustment is at the headstock (not very noticeable but it's there). I didn't pay too much attention to the extra stuff like wrenches because I have so many, I believe it's a standard size.
Too bad they didn’t use a straight single coil pickup.I have a Seymour Duncan 1/4 pounder that I never used.That would be interesting except for maybe the hum of the single coil.
Hey Mr. Lobster, since I'm here, can I suggest a video? I bought a source audio Eq2 on the place of buy an active circuito for a bass and I don't have any regrets. In fact I think I can mimic some circuits if I get the right freqs. So I think the eq2 is a cool pedal for a review! thanks
Hey Daniel! Absolutely :), we're going to try and tackle more pedals and stuff for 2021.
Wow! Didn’t know they were selling out of Brazil.
:)
can you try to review the D&D Lightfoot P&J bass?
Looks good and sounds good too. Didnt expect it to be so clean and so defined for this price. I would def rock that for a tryout. Does it stay in tune well?
Thanks Swain! Yes, I've had no problems with this staying in tune.
That thing sounds good
Thanks Kelsey!
I always felt that the control plate conflicts with the shape of the pickguard. It looks kinda weird to me. idk tho
Thanks Froge! I see what you mean and feel ya. I prefer control plate and no PG if it were up to me.
Nice sounding bass, something about it's looks gives me anxiety though. Might be that the controls look all cramped 🤔
Ah, I see it! The traditional cover is just V/T without the jack. Definitely looks a little cramped with the V/T and jack on there.
@@LowEndLobster agreed
I like this one, now to hide it form the misses! And I have to ask, have you ever given a 5 claw to a bass?
I have! My FGN Mighty Power, FGN Mighty Jazz Dark Evolution, and Status Electro II
Just grabbed one of these with Seymour Duncan for 180 bucks off FB
Lobster, love the videos. Avid watcher. Do you know what kind of magnets are in the stock pickup of this bass. Anything I can find just says Tagima P bass pickup but never anything about the magnets. Have you figured it out? I am looking at one buying one.
Also, did you ever change the bridge on this bass... a how to video may be very cool.
hey Lob, have you ever seen the Tagima TBM basses? they are a fairly nice and affordable MM SUB inspired instruments, think they are worth of a review :)
Hey Daniel! I have not, those look interesting. Doesn't seem to be available on Reverb or Ebay, but if I see one come up for purchase in the US I'll def snag it
It sure seems like there’s more cool cheap bases than just a few years ago. Maybe I just didn’t know about them lol
There are! The automated technology and process to hone the quality has really matured so that manufacturers can really mass produce decent starter/mod platform level instruments easily.
Thank SKNuts! I agree, I think some more obscure brands are starting to gain some visibility with online-shopping becoming the norm.
What kind of drum machine do you use? That bass sounds very nice! A surprise for such a low cost.
I would like to know about the 2019 Spector legend 5classic what Is your view about it! Thanks
2:23 *waits for death clatter of doomy death*
.
.
*doesn't happen*
The tone right out sounds p good too. Hardware can be changed out, but I don't recall what it was like last time but the better the string quality the more you can tell about the fret/finish, and the neck sounds pretty playable right away. Again, I will make my argument about being able to offer honest service at a fair price by bringing inexpensive gear here, setting it up, and upcharging $75 for the setup + shipping and be transparent about it. I've been a tech for pretty much my working life, everyone gets paid and if you stiff the tech it's almost as bad as forgetting to give the IT guy/Admin Assistant a crapton of praise every review cycle. I am well worth it and I wouldn't enter an enterprise without personally guaranteeing any work I did or will do.
Had to shift from the workbench to get the tank setup...TLDR: my physical therapy set up is finally happening, so I need to focus on that for a bit even though I'd rather be earning more cash ;-)
2:32 is that a lacquered fingerboard? *low whistles in Rickenbacker*
3:42 Validated! :-)
4:08 Solution: add electronics and high mass bridge to the butt and lighter hardware to the head, sounds like they were really going for the "I am meant to be upgraded" platform.
"poplar body/maple neck" *screaming in mod me mod me mod me mod me*
6:00 Things just got wooly af lol nice. It's like a furry mudbucker...
What happened with the TW 65 PJ review sir?
In the UK, the Tagima would be roughly $395 shipped, whereas the Squier Paranormal J bass would be about $425. I know you rated the Squier, so which would be your choice bearing in mind the $30 price difference? Thanks.
Paranormal for sure. The Tagima as a $200-250 instrument (post-setup) is great, but the Paranormal is VERY solid at the $399 USD price. From what I've seen of other reviews and examples (the ones that didn't use my bass), the build quality is top notch and the pickups are good enough (and easily swappable!). With a $30 difference between them, I'd go with the Paranormal.
I have one of this, Butterscotch body; put some La Bella Deep Talkin' flatwounds strings, and now sounds more old school, more vintage.
Have some covers on my channel with TW66, check it out. Cheers!
Awesome! Great tone on your TW66, keep it up :)
Man, my friend bought one of those and it was pretty terrible. I hated the neck and overall feel. Perhaps they've improved. It didn't sound that bad, but I'd opt for a Squier that has development behind it...If we are talking about cheap stuff, of course🥂
Bummer! I wasn't a fan when I unboxed it, but after a very light setup (truss rod and new strings) mine was much better. However, I have a sample size of 2 (my TW66 and TW65 which I'm not crazy about) so I can't accurately comment on the QC. I'd say it depends on the Squier, as the CVs from Indonesia that I've played were all over the place.
🦞That slap has a nice sound to it.
Thanks Lighthouse :)
Put it against a Fender pbass... That bass sounds good!
Thanks Oscar! I will, my Fender needs some TLC. Will be doing a separate vid on that and then I think we should compare these :).
@@LowEndLobster wonder if they. Sell it in europe?
@@oscarsantos2608 I'm not sure, I got this from a shop in Oklahoma.
I like cheap basses that are good players... And it looks good...
Thanks BP! Me too :)
I'd be taking that pickguard off pronto...I'm not a fan of 51 pickguard without the proper pickup...but still not really a fan bcuz of the upper bout. I mean, why all that pguard up there? If it's a vintage bass then ok, imo.
Sounds like a P, though! Not bad, not bad at all!
Thanks BC :)
Do a collection tour
Great idea Rick! I'd have to dedicate like 20 seconds to each instrument otherwise it would be too long, but that would be hilarious and informative.
Is this brand aviable in Europe ?
I'm not sure honestly. These models are produced in China, so I'd think there'd be some vendors in Europe. I can't say for certain though.
Hey Lobster (and anyone else knowledgeable in the comments section) I've been researching for my next bass buy, specifically looking at p and pj basses, and I'm interested in Tagima but I was looking at the higher end made in Brazil models and there is very little info or reviews I can find. I am looking at a Tagima tpb-4 and I was wondering if anybody had any experience with that specific model or at least any other made in Brazil Tagimas. I just want a sense of the build quality and electronics vs other options.
Hey Bryce! I've heard the Brazilian Tagimas are awesome, but have only played a couple of the chinese low-end imports.
What did you have to do to get this set properly?
Great question Alan! Just a truss rod adjustment and new set of strings. I don't think it was more than a half turn (I don't remember exactly - so many basses haha)
Mike Dirnt would be proud
:)
i replaced the bridge with a wilkinson without problems
tuners must go after a year, and weightwise, a lot of it is laquer and sealer, i left mine on wood finnished with oil and it is a surprising lot lighter. Deafineatly neck heavy, but i love mine, super trusty and robust, the neck just does not move, almost never have to tune it
Thanks for sharing! Did you have to drill new bridge holes, or were you able to find a replacement that lined up with the existing ones? I definitely appreciate how much sturdier the neck is on these vs the Squire CVs that I've tried (the P I had was all over the place).
@@LowEndLobster no, the 5 in the back align with every standard bridge, i commented otherwise below but it was a confusion, just checked (my bridge had 7 screws, 5 in the strap button side and 2 in the pickup side, i don't know if the parts are the same, coming from china they may be not, and i am in Argentina, so i don't know if the basses we get here are the exact same spec in the US)
Nice I have that bass
Nice! It'll be featured again in an upcoming video with a new pickup :)
@@LowEndLobster ok
Man this thing sounds better than a mim fender p.
Thanks Dean! My MIM P needs some work (jack replacement, might make a video on that), might take that opportunity to restring 'er with flats and do a flats to flats comparison!
Trust me, a MIM Fender is a much better instrument. Plus, Fender customer service is excellent. Squiers are better instruments than the import Tagimas. And if something goes wrong or you get a bad one, you are on your own. Trying to be helpful here.
@@markyurick6699 I have no doubt. I have a squier affinity pj bass in black with a black pick guard. I bought it with the starter pack. I guess I got lucky and by no means is it a bad bass. I have since heavily modified it tho. Lol. I put the geezer butler emgs in it, replaced the bridge with a black babicz hi mass, and a vintera roasted maple jazz neck with black gotoh tuners. Lol. It looks and sounds great now.
Did you buy it directly from Brazil or China ?
Acho que ele comprou dos EUA msm, deve vender lá.
So this is awesome even with stock pickups??? Amazing punch, growl and high ends. I can tell by the vibe that you really enjoyed this bass xD
Now jam along with "Just around the corner" by Herbie Hancock, a sweet funk groove in G-minor.
Yup! Super impressed with these for the money. Tons of tone!
Worthy bass for the price
Thanks Simon!
Try a Harley Benton pb-50
Thanks Vlad! We got more Harley Bentons coming :)
Just pray that nothing goes wrong with it, because their customer service is ridiculously poor. Basically, you are on your own. That's whats great about Squier, for example. Fender takes care of its customers. Tagima will ignore you. So, you're taking a risk. Plus, their quality control is not inspired. Anyway, good review as always.
Thanks Mark! That's one thing that I generally don't evaluate is customer service as I generally just do the repairs and stuff myself. That's a bummer that their qc, cs and community outreach isn't great though. My biggest thing that I tell people to look out for is the return policy of the shop you buy from. Manufacturers can definitely be hit or miss when it comes to warranty issues or responses to complaints, but vendors generally are much better about this stuff. Always protect yourself!
Thanks for the heads up... Worth it to pay $200 more for a squire
Unfortunately, you probably won't find a Tagima at Sweetwater or Chicago Music Exchange. Relying on a small independent vendor can be hit or miss, in my experience. Always enjoy your reviews. I agree that this particular bass has a nice throaty character. It will be interesting to see whether the neck pocket fails and cracks.
But if I had to choose between the Tagima and my $220 Yamaha TRBX174, I'd take the Yammie. "Familiarity breeds investment."
Thanks John! I really gotta try one of the budget TRBXers. I have some BB content coming next week I'm thinkin'. :)
They don't make left handed versions of any of their basses, kind of a dick move IMO.
🇧🇷
For $299 you can get a new Yamaha BB234, a much better instrument.
Thanks Bob! I need to check one of those out.