Cruise 4-String Bass

Black finish, 20-frets, 3/4 size
Stock pick-ups, bridge, non-locking tuners
Year Made: Unknown

I no longer own one so I can't give specifics. At one point, I did own two Cruise Bass Guitars, both purchased used from second-hand music dealers. They were the first bass guitars I ever owned, so I was neither impressed nor disappointed by the features of the bass.

For my first instrument, I was happy enough with the sound. I was playing the Cruise through a cheap Gorilla Amp (which didn't last through six months of playing). My bass had a nice bright sound, which was neither here nor there for a guy just learning to play an instrument. At that time, I wasn't concerned with "sound quality" as I just needed something to play.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem recording with it, but I wouldn't use it to perform live anywhere, not even just to jam with friends, for reasons that have nothing to do with its sound quality.

I never adjusted anything on the bass, I just played it "as is". The construction of both Cruise bass guitars (body, neck, frets, what-have-you) were better than other "beginner guitars" I've run across since then. No buzzing from the frets, the neck wasn't warped or twisted and the bridge never caused any problems.

The body & neck were durable enough, and the finish never chipped no matter how many times I banged it against something. I felt that the neck was the guitars' best feature, since they had a nice finish to them. However, I had numerous other problems to deal with.

The reason I owned two Cruise Bass 4-String Guitars is because I needed a second one for spare parts. The first one I purchased was missing one string. When I replaced it, the tuner snapped, leaving me with a "3-String Bass". On the second Cruise bass I bought, one of the pick-ups eventually didn't work at all and the "Tone" control would not move, even after tearing the control apart to see what the problem was. That one would also end-up with a snapped tuner, leaving it as the "parts guitar" for the first bass. As soon as I bought a different bass guitar with a similar sound, I stopped playing the Cruise simply because I couldn't rely on it.

I've been playing guitar/bass/what-have-you (non-professionally) for almost two decades (holy crap, I'm old!). I currently have every guitar or bass that I have ever purchased since Day One, with the exception of the 2 Cruise Bass Guitars which were both given away & junked years ago. That said, I wish I had still had at least one of the two, not only for nostalgic purposes, being my first guitar of any type, but because I'ld be more willing now to try upgrading & fixing all the problems I had with it. Underneathe a lot of less-than-impressive hardware & faulty electronics is a nice looking guitar that I wouldn't mind playing every now-and-then.

My opinion: If you're reading this because you're thinking about buying a Cruise Bass, I would say if it is cheap and it's your first guitar ever, go for it. By the time it starts breaking-down, if it ever does at all since others seemed to have had better luck than me, you'll probably be ready for another one anyway.

yr where i hav no clue
4 string 20 something frets
volume and tone knobs
standard presion
passive electronics
body idk neck and fret r maple and rosewood i think
solid blue finish it ok scratches little to easily
precision body style
non lockin tuners
extra long if i remember right
i got an amp with it

I play metal
it sounds good for my style
it gets buzzy and hums sometimes but i use for practice so w/e

idk i got it used i dont know how the factory set it up

it has with stood massive damage
it seems like every thing but the strings and pickguard will last for ever

the finish has and will last at this rate
button r solid the straps break but they dont
i depend on it for my practice and ive had to adjust the neck a few time no biggy
use it in a gig prolly not its not a very good 1 to show off in public

wat support

ive been playin for a while now idk something like 2 yrs
i like it its a very well rounded bass
worst part is pick guard which im gonna make a custom new 1 and maybe get it painted

first off, this bass is like 6th generation, passed from band to band. i happen to be the 4th generation owner and recently reaquired it. this thing is a legend among local musicians. it just never seems to die. it was made sometime in the 1990's and has an all black finish. it has 21 frets, and p-bass style pickups, a tone knob and volume knob. i have no idea what it is made of, but i would guess alder. its about a 3/4 scale bass, about the same size as a strat.

for how cheap it is it actually sounds ok. ive used/seen it be used with a variety of amps (crate, swr, fender bassman, peavey, ampeg..) and it sounds decent with all of them. sometimes it gets little crackles and pops, but nothing too bad.

umm... i don't think the little kids in the sweatshops really took any time to set-up the bass at the factory, but its set up ok i guess.

this thing simply won't die. the pickups keep going and the bass, despite taking a HUGE amount of abuse has survived. it has been rained on, stepped on, dropped hundreds of times, fallen down concrete stairs, and still plays the same. since buying it the strap button and the tuner key for the e-string has fallen off, but other than that the bass is completely playable and seems like it will last a long time.

i don't even know where this company is located nor whether or not it still exists. it would be impossible to contact them (i've looked extensively and there is no record of them even existing around).

ive been playing roughly 10 years or so (mostly guitar, though), and own a one bass and numerous guitars. i have had a couple similar "throw-away" guitars like this in the past, and this is the ONLY one that actually holds up as being playable, and at that it sounds surprisingly decent.

Cruise bass, "created for VMI"... 4-string, 20-fret. Two passive pickups, tone and volume knobs. P-bass style bridge. Tuners are OK and generally keep in tune pretty well. Came with a thumb rest, which was thoroughly odd. I took it off of course.

Mine's black with a black pick guard, and the satiny-smooth finished neck. My favorite feature would definitely have to be that neck. I wish my Ibanez had that kind of finish.

All in all, nothing special. Just the basics.

The sound that came out of this thing when I first got it was not that bad, and mostly still isn't bad. Over time, the knobs got loose and wires were pulled and tweaked. This resulted in some annoying clicking and scratching noises from time to time, even when hands were off the knobs. The tone knob in particular has issues; sometimes you turn it down and it doesn't brighten when you turn it back up.

But these are more an issue of fit and finish than sound. The sound of the bass, when it's behaving well, is not bad -- not especially good, but not bad, especially for a beginner bass, which this seems to be (to me anyway). On its own, I actually tend to find the sound of this bass kind of hollow... mostly upper-midrangey, without much bass. Of course, that sort of thing can be compensated for with EQ adjustments and you can actually end up with a decent sound. I have used it with a Peavey TKO115 and a Gallien-Krueger 400RB head with a GK 4x10 cab, and both make it sound great, with a little tonal tweaking. Like I said though, the sound of the bass itself is just kinda... blah. Nothing special.

Aside from a slight bit of buzz (barely noticeable) when playing the 5th fret on the G string, the action is fine. I don't know much about how pickups should be adjusted, but it's possible this is partly responsible for the hollow sound I mentioned.

As I mentioned earlier, the knobs came loose, and consequently there was some internal damage. Nothing that can't be fixed with a soldering iron, mind you, but I really wish I didn't have to deal with it. That was its only real flaw though.

Other than the knob issue, this bass feels pretty solid and will probably last a long time. The pick guard is weak though... mine was broken by a drunken passerby stepping on my cord, which precipitated further electronic problems as you can imagine. Regardless, the rest of the bass feels like it's not coming apart or loose or anything. I would probably have a backup for it anyway though (well, actually in my case, IT is my backup).

I have not dealt with VMI. I bought it at a pawn shop, and, well, it's a pawn shop, they could give a $%^&.

My particular bass had electronics issues, but they are easily fixable. The pick guard isn't especially thick, but if I had been paying a little more attention it would have been fine. Sound-wise, not the best, but not bad at all, with the potential to sound really good through the right equipment.

Overall, I have to give this bass a 6. Not the best-sounding or best-made bass, but not bad for the money.

What year was it made? I think the ad said something about it being bought in 1999.
How many frets? How many strings? Short scale, 24 frets, 4 strings.
Solid-Top? Laminated top?
Which controls are given? volume and tone only.
Make and model of pickups? unknown, standard as far as I can tell.
Active or Passive electronics? Passive
Body and neck materials? my guess is alder.
Body style: P Body type.
Tuners: Non-locking?
Neck/Scale: medium in thickness.
Any included accessories? gig bag--nicely padded one.I'

I've been playing bass on the pro level since 2003. I bought this bass knowing that the plug needs to be either cleaned or replaced as it currently has some buzz. The sound is very warm and it sounds better than some Fenders.

This bass is pretty damn solid. The action is set at about medium and feels perfect. Nothing seems cheap or poorly put together.

I think you could launch this from a stage and pick it up, and it'd still be perfectly in tune and not broken. This little bass...it's black BTW....is hella rugged.

I haven't tried to contact the manufacturer, butI might to see if they are still making these.

I needed another bass. I found this one on ebay because the seller didn't list it correctly and I think he put it in the guitar category. I've played all of the main brands and a few of the not so known brands and this one rates up there with the best....but seriously, who knows much about this little company?

this bass just kinda fell into my lap; i'd baked a pumpkin pie for my friend tak (short for takashi takemura. never having had a thanksgiving in japan he flipped out over it) who in exchange for six more pies gave me this bass, gig bag, some quarter-inch cables, and a small danelectro amp.

well if it sounds too good to be true... it's been on the cement floor of a hardcore band's practice space for the past year - perhaps exposed to the elements for two or three months. the pick guard is significantly warped, the strings showed large orange rust spots, the tone knob wobbled around, loosely attached to the body. i cleaned it up as best i could, and considering its history im pleased.

20 fret, p style bass, one volume and one tone knob. some of the red paint has chipped off and it looks like plywood underneath, can't be sure as its mostly marked the color of whatever chipped it. sounds like nice plywood at least. p/j passive pickups which cut out briefly once but only once. 3/4 size and small enough for me to handle without any awkwardness (i'm a 5'6" 110lb. girl... when i hold a full scale it's satire. gentlemen, be thankful for stronger longer fingers and enough body mass to counterweight your instrument).

it works, it doesn't sound like crap, i'm sure at some point it sounded nicer but its current state is a testament to its durability.

oh, and to resolve the identity crisis over vmi:
first round of searching pointed to VogtlandischeMusikinstrumentenfabrik, until i read this "By fullfilling highest artistic demands, our instruments have found their way into renowned orchestras the world over. We place considerable emphasis on communication with artists and musicans. Their knowledge and advice is incorporated in the manufacturing process in order to achieve optimal response and intonation, together with tonal richness in all ranges." wrong

THIS IS VMI:
VMI Industries
18000 Studebaker #550
Cerritos
CA
90703
(562) 809-5050
(562) 809-4570
CLASSICAL/NYLON-STRING GUITARS, OTHER FRETTED INSTRUMENTS, RESOPHONIC GUITARS, FLATTOP STEEL-STRING GUITARS

they do not, to the best of my knowledge, have a website.

i started playing bass because an engine backfire during a routine prop-check left me over 70% deaf in my right ear with severe and permanent damage in the left. it stayed that way for almost ten years, but now its coming back, only without low frequencies. so, what do i think of the sound? um, it's there. i hope it gets louder... it's a little rougher and more muddy than my instructor's, but there are other ways to spend a month's rent money.

yeah, i already told y'all... i can't believe you can plug it in and sound comes out. i've had to adjust the truss rod twice in two months through no fault on its part, should have asked for help the first time. it has been played by a guy in a hardcore band who tended to slam it against monitors, mic stands, fans... all in the dankest sweat-drenched beer-bathed teeth-on-the-floor--bloody-nose-on-the-bar dives in the South. it's picked up a certain smell... brings back memories of high school

what's that? but i should give the benefit of the doubt since this sale situation isn't common

This is a good bass for me, since im not yet at a skill level that would warrant a more expensive one. personally i prefer to wait as long as possible before investing... not just to get the most value but mostly because it makes me appreciate the quality of what i have instead of what i don't.

swingdevil, first off i would like to thank you for taking time to participate in a democratic forum like this. your poor grammar, atrocious spelling, weak and unresearched arguments, and smugly self-righteous ignorance have been invaluable to us all. where would we be without your unprovoked and unwarranted attacks on random strangers. but please, you've done so much already. relax, because if you don't like spoon's bass, then you don't have to play it... or gripe about it. ::you, sir, are blacklisted among women:: (what? you thought we just yak on all day for no reason? its a network;)

3/4 size 'p' style bass with P/J pickups and ugly strangely shaped headstock (shape also used on some 'Lotus' instruments). Mine's black with a black 'guird and chrome knobs. Likely made in Indonesia, although possibly elsewhere in Asia. Plywood body, nicely finished nato or agathis neck. Strange control arrangement with volume control, Gibson style pickup selector switch and most oddly 2 tone controls (electronics designed by the Department of Redundancy Department). Cheap but functional bridge and tuners. Stock pickups really not bad at all, in fact better than expected. It's a functional inexpensive student bass. I've played worse basses with better brand names on the headstock.

I changed the stock pickups with a Dimarzio P/J set I had in my junk pile. There was nothing at all specifically "wrong" with the stockies, though the DiMarzio's are deeper and more powerful. I also changed the tone caps from the standard "too muddy".470 to "somewhat less muddy".330, which I prefer (YMMV). I put Labella 'super steps'on it, because they're cheap reasonable quality strings. It sounds "like a bass" - it is not lacking in any way that I can hear. I play mostly through a Zoom BFX 708 for practice and also occasionally through an aging Yamaha bass amp. I have older, heavier, tube stuff, but I'm too lazy to lug it around.

I bought this bass used in "as-is" condition. I figured it was a gamble, and if it sucked I'd just scrap it for parts. I was pleasantly surprised. I adjusted the truss rod and did a minor setup with some fresh strings, and it was fine. The modifications I performed later were my preference, but not a necessity. There are a few overhanging fret ends that could use a slight filing, but I've owned a G!$#*n that was much worse. No complaints, especially considering it was an inexpensive used and somewhat neglected instrument.

I've played out on cheaper basses than this. Yes, it would withstand
live playing, it's the perfect weapon for fending off the mutants at the local dive. I might take my cheap-o 3/4 size Magnum 'Electric Bass'(jazz copy) along for the ride, but it probably wouldn't be necessary. The thin, satin finished neck may or may not stay true when exposed to high humidity and summer heat. We'll see.

Elderly's customer support is generally top notch. (As far as the mysterious manufacturer, I wouldn't expect a heck of a lot from them, even if I did know who "VMI" is.) Elderly rates at least a '9'...

I've been playing bass since '79(?). My first bass was a lurvely '66 green sunburst Baldwin-Burns Jazz Bass (with "wild dog sound"), later destroyed by an angry biker at a punk show in late '81(god I'm old).
I wanted a decent short scale bass, but I'm not willing to pay $400+ for a "vintage"(gag)Musicmaster that sold new for $200 back when I was a kid - so I took a chance on this Cruise. I play it several times a week, mostly by myself with drum machines. It works. I really like the neck. I have a few other cheap-o short scale basses, but this is my fave. I like to offend "brand conscious" musicians (and audience members) with my instrument choices. Piss Off, Snobbo!

Made in Asia I guess. There's a "Made In..." something sticker, but the country part is ripped off. There's some "Inspected By" sticker on the headstock, but that doesn't help. 20 frets. The scale is approximately the same as the average guitar. This bass looks to be 3/4 scale.

The body is a downsized Precision Plus-style (Precision shape with PJ pickups) but there is no contouring. No biggie though, as the body is super tiny like the neck. Pickups are generic and passive. There's a selector switch, one volume knob, and a tone knob for each pickup. Interesting setup. One problem though: when the switch is in the humbucker-only selection, it sometimes cuts out. Reminds me of a Vox I played. Works fine otherwise.

Who knows what it's made of. The body is a solid gloss white, while the bolt-on neck is has a satin finish. Good feel. The neck is about as narrow as that of a Stratocaster. About as long as one too.

Hardware is solid-feeling with run-of-the mill tuners and a regular P-Bass-style bridge. The pickup selector switch is kinda neat though.

I'm surprised how nice it sounds as a bass considering the body is smaller than a Stratocaster's. It's not terribly warm or deep, but that's to be expected for something this size with passive pickups. I'm sure it'll sound better once I change the extremely-old strings (I just bought it this afternoon).

One problem though: when the switch is in the humbucker-only selection, it sometimes cuts out. Reminds me of a Vox I played. Works fine otherwise.

The action is quite balanced. Not too high or low. Pickups sound okay as far as I can tell. There are no splinters or rough edges but there's some dings in it, but it hasn't gone out of tune and there's no buzzing or visible neck warping. It's okay considering I bought it heavily used at a pawn shop for about $130. The sound cutting out in the humbucker-only selection might be a factory flaw, but it might also be just due to age.

It seems like a fairly solidly-built bass. Nothing feels or looks like it's going to fall apart anytime soon. The paint looks like it'll adhere better to the wood than my vintage Hamer Blitz Bass, and it's certainly a better instrument than one of those bottom-rung Squier P-Basses that are chock fulla problems.

But since I haven't had it for more than a few hours, I can't be certain. Hence a rating lower than 10 (for something built like a tank).

Ha! I have no idea where this company is. I don't know where it's made or when or why...heh. I bought it used at a pawn shop. I'm sure if there's any problem with it, one of the music stores around here could fix it. It's a very simple instrument. No opinion since I didn't buy it new.

I've been playing for 11 years. I also own a Fender Jazz Bass Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition, Dean Edge 5, Hamer Blitz Bass, Peavey TKO 115 amplifier, some generic 2 X 12 cabinet, and an old Peavey head unit I found in my house as I was moving out of it.

I had scoped it out for a few months before buying it, just to make sure I wanted it. I made sure it played and sounded well before plunking down any cash on it, since I'm not dumb and know pawn shops don't give cash refunds or offer warranties. If it's stolen (which I doubt anyone would take it) it's easily identifiable because it's so damn small (I also know the music store guys around here pretty well and would let them know right away) and I'd have my renter's insurance take care of any losses.

I kinda wish it had come with a case. But I can just buy a generic Strat-style guitar case and that would probably work. The pickup cutting out like that is a niggle, but an easy fix. Of couse I'd prefer if it had a 24-fret neck, maple neck, black bar inlays...contours...blah blah blah active electronics..yadda yadda yadda but it's a cheap no-name bass and it's still pretty cool.

Also, I can't wait to get up on stage and have the crowd take a sec to figure out which one's the bass player.

One more thing: The headstock resembles that of an old Ibanez. Anyone have company info? It looks like it says "Cruise - Created for VAI (VMI?)". It's hard to tell. Who the hell is VAI or VMI or whatever?

ok first off this instrument has been rated by 2 crackheads that dont know what their talking about, spoon is smarter then the other guy, hes actaully played one, hmmmm that could help, owning one or having owned one helps too, not like the crack head who doesnt know what hes talking about, and second off, when does it say its made out of ply wood? ok mines solid wood ok? i know theres a paint chip missing cause my brother dropped an amp on it, secondly necks arnt bannana shaped, where did u come up with this one? u over tightened it and figured thats the only way it would be tuned? lol, it was entaining reading the second guys one, cause he doesnt know shit about the instrument he just rated, ok, now actaully into the guitar, has basic features, simple, also it has a sunburst finish

sounds good like spoon said

no flaws that ive seen, except the neck is extremely flexible, and bends when u over tighten it, making it hard to play the lower frets

this bass will last through a lot, like spoon said, i mean hes dropped the thing down stairs, and my brother dropped an amp on mine, and all that happened thern is it took of a chunk of paint

overall its a good begginer bass, could play anything, and that other crack can stick it up his but, cuz it can, and some people do, its not overly complex, as i said its just a basic guitar, realiable and can with stand playing for a long time, but needs frequeent tunning, pain in the ass, overall it is a good guitar for being basic, if u want to dis on it for being bass u better dis fenders spuires, that like the most basic guitar i know of, so go do that if u want too

to fully understand this one, you have to read the very first comment about the Cruise P-Bass made by someone who left the name Spoon. In this comment, this person reveled over the bad-assness of the cruise P-Bass, finally giving it a 9 ourt of 10 and saying it was awesome. Well, mister... spoon is it? I would like to turn you on to an awesome little instrument we here in music-land like to call the bass guitar. The bass guitar looks a little bit like the cruise p-bass, but past the fact that they both have 4 strings, everything changes. first, the bass is made out of WOOD, not plywood. The neck on a guitar is meant to be straight, not like a banana, see? and the pickup on any instrument... it's meant to amplify the string, not the background hum and feedback.
"made somewhere in asia". correct, i'm sure those poor orphaned slave children appereciate your aknowledgement of their hard sweatshop labor." high-mid grade plywood body," said spoon. i din't know plywood really came in any "grade" though. you go to sears harware and buy plywood. the whole point of plywood is to get the crappiest wood possible, and glue it in plies with other wood to make a cheap yet strong board. "cheap but decent non-locking tuning keys." perhaps spoon is revelling in the fact that they're shiny and chrome yet foretting that they also need to hold the tune.

"I play all types of rock blues folk punk, you name it. And this bass is just fine for all. It's got slightly above average tone, even with the cheap pick-ups." i love the little genre cross-rock, blues, folk, punk. Gene Simmons, Jaco Pastorious, Herbie Hancock, and Chris Noveselic, all in one room, al on one sad excuse for a bass. If this bass has an "above average" tone, i'd really hate to hear a crappy tone.

"Every thing was EXACTLY how I would expect it to be (though that might've just been my friendly neighborhood music vendor's doing)"
ha. hahahahaha. hah hah hah hah hah hah. you can lowride a geo metro, put 5 thousand dollar fosquate speakers in it and a 200 cd changer, but it's underneath still a 3 cylindar fiberglass car that crumpled down to half its size inthe 40 mph road crash test done by car and driver.

"this bass is as sturdy as a Peavey amp!!!"-spoon
that is probably one of THE funnies things i've ever heard a guitarist say. it's like saying, "this man is as safe with the kids as charles manson!" "this new pentium computer is as fast as my old commodore!" it's just funny that this statement is so true. and you know what? peavey amps suck. go to the repair room of a guitar store or a dirty old pawn shop sometime and tell me what kind of amps you see there.

generic crappy companies tend not to have anyt customer service. go to guitarshop.net, but a cruise, and NEVER hear from the retailers again.

i have a few suggesstions in instruments for you. here's my pick of good basses for the money. thiunk about it... anything but cruise! ****100.00-300.00 Fender P-Bass (299), Squire P Bass (140) P-Bass Special (220), Cort SB-10 (215), Washburn XB100 (199), Ibanez Gio Soundgear 100 (179) or GioSr 200 (199).
****300.00-500.00 Fender J-Bass (319), Ibanez SR-300 or 360 (349) SR-400- 4, 5, or 6 string (449-499), Ibanez Ergodyne 600 (499), DeArmand Pilot 4 or 5 string (299-319), Spector NS2000 (329), Schector SB1 (459), Danelectro DC Bass, (300), Jackson Concert (499)
****500.00-1000.00 Fender Active Jazz (500.00), Ibanez SR800 4 or 5 string (680-720), Ibanez ATK300 (700.00), Reverend Rumblefish (679), Spector NS2000 (749), Yamaha John Myung 6 String, (999), Carvin LB70, (900.00), Conklin Groovetools 4 or 5 string (800.00), Tobias Growler (999), G&L ASAT bass (900), Pedula Rature (999), Vaccaro Xray (999)
****(over 1000,00) Fender Am. Deluxe Jazz (1100), Ibanez BTB Custom (1000), Modulus Flea Sig. (1600), Conklin 6 String (1200), Alembic (1000-8000), Jerzy Drozd Obsession 4,5,6,7 string (1700-3200) Ken Bebensee 4,5,6,7 string (1900-4000), Pedula Thunderbolt (2000), Sadowsky Jazz (3000), Warrior Custom (2000-9500), Zon Sonus (2000) and so on...
And AMPS. For 300 bucks you can get a fat 90 watt 15" driver Hartke B-90. For 400 bucks, a nice Crate Bx-100, a Fender BXR-100, or a Kustom. For a a little bit more, just get a Hartke or GK head with a Transporter Hartke 410 cab. Or an SWR or an Eden... or if you and very nice and bankrupt-ing, go Mesa Boogie.
so consider this. the more money you pay, the better sound you sometimes get. you don't need the best, you just don't need a piece of crap like a cruise. please, man! burn that accursad hex to the living musicians! don't let jaco's ghost come and beat you up! And one more thing. Peavey is the band of may existance, almost as much as Yamaha. (as least peavey doesn't make lawnmowers and personal watercraft)
THE END