Alba Precision copy

Standard P-bass shape and configuration. Nice headstock shape, very much like Fender... ugly logo, 'though.
Blue body and white (3-ply) pickguard.
Simple bass for no-nonsense sounds.
Gets an 8 because it has all the features yo need in a bass like this. Doesn't get the 10 because an extra pickup would be great... although then it wouldn't be a Precision, would it? :-)

It suits most stuff I throw at it... no wonder the Precision is such a popular bas in so many styles.
It came with pretty serious strings, thicker than on my Jazz bass... It sounds very meaty, and growly... I wanted a cheapish uncomplicated bass as backup and this one fits the bill more than adequately, to the point that I may sometimes play it in first place.
Great for funk/rock. Nice to slap (although I'm not so good at it yet!).

I've seen other guitars by this brand, most were well finished... some had clear flaws... but this bass has nothing wrong with it... great build (it's simple, anyway, so not that hard to make). The finish was flawless and the frets seated perfectly, well set up. The action a little on the high side, but that's amenable to be changed to the player's taste... I quite like it a little on the high side so that I can play harder...
I just had to adjust the pickup on the low side, as it was a little high giving some imbalance... just a few turns of teh screw, no biggie.
There was one problem, 'though, or potential problem. I opened the bass, as I normally do, and the wiring was neat, but the pickups were mounted without any support underneath! With the screws you put them towards the body, but there's nothing supporting them from underneath (usually a piece of foam is placed there for this purpose. The pickup itself is just lightly glued to the pickup cover, and it didn't take much effort to dislodge it... I can imagine someone dropping the pickup into teh cavity at the least opportune moment! This has to be changed!.
I had some suitable foam (replaced many pickups over the years) and it took me 5 minutes to refit the pickups properly, so now it's a solid bass... originally it wasn't... watch out for this!
It's a painless and simple procedure, no need to even remove the strings... but it's got to be done if you want trouble free operation for the foreseeable future.
This little problem makes me take off 3 points, because it's a ridiculous thing to omit, and it's hidden from view, so it can well catch you by surprise. Otherwise I'd have given it a 9. It really feels great to play.

After inserting a foam support under the pickups, for sure. before... it's an accident waiting to happen. I'd give it full marks now, but in its original form, just a 4.

n/a

I've been playing guitar for over 15 years, and bass on and off, but a bit more seriously for the past 2. The P-bass is a very simple but veyr effective bass, very versatile especially considering it's got just one pickup... This P-bass is easily comparable to mexican Fenders, in my opinion. I just can't believe they'd overlook something as important and easy to do as putting a foam support under the pickups! Maybe it's just my bass that had this issue... it only took me 5 minutes to open it, see it, and fix it... but it shouldn't be this way in teh first place. So... great bass, but open it and fix this if it also lacks teh pickup supports. Once you've done that, it's a great bass. Overall I'l give it a rating of 9, because the problem is so easily spotted and fixed... but it should not be manufactured like this... imagine arriving to your gig and finding one pickup has dropped into the cavity! It wouldn't cause me much trouble as I always carry screwdrivers and various tools... but you don't want to be messing with your bass in these situations... you want to PLAY.