Brian Moore Guitars i5

I bought this hot little number from an internet auction a little over six months ago and it has become my favorite instrument to play. I think it is a 2000 model, imported from Korea, 24 frets, 5 strings, quilted cherry burst top with neck-through construction and rosewood fingerboard. 3 band eq has individual controls, along with volume and pick-up balance controls. Active 9-volt electronics includes a slap contour switch that allows rapid tone changes at your fingertips for cutting through, then blending back into the mix. I think this has a maple body, with a creme binding that really finishes off the body and fretboard joints. This is a 34" scale machine with gotoh tuners and came with a hardshell case. The bass was like new when I received it, with the exception of one small nick on the back of the neck. The finish work on this is the finest I have seen from Korea. I don't know if the craftmanship on this bass was better than average but this is a fine instrument.

My hobby band plays a combo of classic rock, classic R & B, Blues, Country, Metal, fusion.....not exactly everything, but a pretty wide range of styles. I don't really adjust my tone settings on the bass after they are adjusted for each venue because my amp (Mesa Basis 2000) has all the tone switching I need, except that for a monstrously processed solo I'll use the slap contour switch to boost the highs for a volume swell effect. The tonal range is fairly wide, although I would consider this particlar feature on this particular bass to be just slightly above average compared to the other basses I have owned with active electronics. The pick-ups are silent. No hum or buzz.

The bass is a little heavy, but most neck-thru's are. At one point the rear pick-up came loose. The way these rock around makes them kinda unstable so I paid a luthier to mount them directly to the body(more sustain, he said. EVH did it to his Kramers in the early 80's he said.) I can't really tell that it made any change to the sound, but they don't rock around or come loose anymore. The back of the bass is concave while the front matches this profile by arcing in parallel. This creates an EXTREMELY comfortable elbow-wrist-thumb position for me (I am tall and "lankey"). With the jackplate and strap button located on the rear of the body the strap and power cord NEVER get in the way while playing. The wide, flat fretboard is backed by a relatively flat 16" radius neck. The finish on the entire bass, which is painted and/or stained, is immaculate in terms of beauty and quality. This is the first laquer finish neck that I feel I can go fast on. The creme binding makes the body and fingerboard joints "seamless". When I first received the bass the action was fairly low. I restrung it with a set-up I learned from a master and the action is now killer. Still with no buzz. Perfect intonation at the 12th. Pretty darn close, even at the 24th. All of this simply means this the most comfortable bass I have ever played with regard to ergonomics and action.

I have never had a problem with this bass, except when the battery died. But the quick change style battery pocket made replacing it about a 1 minute job, including looking for the battery. I am playing this bass for both practice and live functions and I have total confidence in its reliability. I have not made any truss rod adjustments to this bass because after I adjusted the bridge heights the way I wanted them, the action is GREAT and there's no buzzing. Although I don't worry about taking my G & L as a backup to gigs, I don't think I've owned it long enough to fairly judge its durability.

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I am an amateur player, and have been playing bass in a hobby band for about 3 years now, although I have played guitar and bass for about 8 years total. I am comparing the features, craftmanship and playability from the perspective that I have owned about 10 different basses over time, including an American Fender 5 string with flamed maple top and a custom five string neck through with active electronics I had made to my specifications. Don't get me wrong, the Fender AND the custom were/are absolutely FINE machines, but I've recently sold those 2 basses (although I kept my G & L 2500 cause NOTHING I've heard so far has that much tonal range, including the i5). I need to play this bass a while longer to judge its durability but if I somehow lost the bass now I'm pretty sure I would look for another. The only thing I can knock this bass in the teeth for is the tonal range--it's pretty good, but if only it had the combination passive/active electronics with individual high and low EQ boost switching that my G & L has---this bass would be PERFECT! But for the combination of playability, comfort, appearance and even tone this my bass of choice for now.