DeArmond Pilot Deluxe 5-String

I bought this in the summer of 2001 from a major musical chain on clearance. I believe they were built by Samick of Korea for Fender before Gibson supposedly bought out Samick. Excellent woodworking for an Asian unit. Three piece maple neck with two interspacings of walnut in a neck-thru-body design. Dark rosewood fretboard (almost looks like ebony) with dot markers. The body wings are northern ash I believe, not swamp ash as suggested by another reviewer. The coarser grain of the ash being the identifier. The finish is natural, rubbed down with tung oil I believe. Nice. It's 22 frets, 35" scale (a bit of a stretch at times), 5-strings, a very wide 3/4" string spacing (a la Fender) unlike the narrower-necked Guild 5-string Pilot. Two DeArmond "made in USA" soap bar pickups. Active only electronics. Controls: Volume, Balance w/center detent, +/- Bass w/center detent, +/- Midrange w/center detent, +/- Treble w/center detent. Easy access 9-volt battery door on the back. No-name tuners and bridge with satin chrome finish. They're OK, but black would've been better. The bridge uses a Fender style barrel saddle setup with two set screws per. I had to back out the set screws completely to get a desireable low string setting. I replaced the set screws with shorter ones so I wouldn't rip my hand apart from the protruding studs. The bridge casting is fairly heavy, a plus+ compared to a Fender. I've only had to set the truss rod and bridge height once in the past five years, and that was upon initial setup. Pretty good. No case included, I put it in an aftermarket hardshell one that my Guild Fretless Pilot came in after purchasing a Guild case for the fretless. No damage to the neck from the bass swinging on one of those store wall neck-hooks, Thank God. Kill ugly display schemes. It balances nice for me, sexy reverse lower body bout offset, good reasons why I prefer Pilots.
I rate it at an 8. PROS: Comfortable neck-thru-body style version of my favorite bass, excellent construction for medium price range, tung oiled natural finish (no painted over garbage wood), active electronics. CONS: The hardware should've been better, the pickups could've been wound a little hotter (as another reviewer mentions), and two individual volume controls (one per pickup) would have allowed greater tonal exploration than the original proportional balance control.

I always play my solid body guitars acoustically first, put my ear to the body and listen. Tone? Sustain? Bad sounds? Then plug it in and compare. The DeArmond Pilot bass has a very good tone range and solid sustain. There are no "bad" sounds or settings, it's not noisy. Warm, dark, moody, rich/full sound? Sure. Overly bright? Not. You won't sound like Chris Squire on this. It's not over the top like a $4000 Pedulla, but a very versatile "working-man's" bass. I call it my "road bass". It's good for blues/jazz/rock/progressive, but not quite aggressive enough for grinding heavy metal.
I play mostly progressive rock/jazz/old school metal thru a Sunn Coliseum 300 Bass amp with a Sunn 2x15 cab for performance, Sunn SB 160 for jams & low volume situations, a Crate Taxi for street performance (regular channel). Usually no effects.
It's not a studio bass. I'd haul out my mythical Guild Advanced Pilot with the active Bartolini's for that.

You mean it's not factory tuned and setup?? Wow! I set it up to my own specs. I initially setup the string height, adjust the truss rod, and then adjust the pickups' height to the new string height(usually 1/8" clearance between the pickup cover and the bottom of the outermost strings while depressed at the highest fret). I haven't had to readjust it yet. I reset the intonation with every new string changeout, though.
Overall quality is very good. The bridge and tuners could've been better. A name brand at the very least.

The DeArmond Pilot Deluxe Pro V is a solid bass. It'll hold up just as well as any other bass in it's category. I don't need a backup. If you're into bass abuse; like sledge hammer, screwdriver chisel & fire, then maybe.
As with anything else, if you take care of it, it takes care of you.

I haven't had to deal with Fender, yet. It's long out of warranty and I know guitar and amp repair. No problem.

I've been playing since about 1970, mostly progressive rock & jazz/old school metal. I own mostly Sunn & Supro amps, Guild guitars and Basses.
I bought the DeArmond Pilot as my main utility bass, as all my Guild Pilots are presently collectable and I didn't wish to put anymore unnecessary wear & tear on those basses.

Made in Korea
22 fret
5 strings
Neck-thru body
2 Humbuckers
Active electronics with volume, blend, bass, mid and treble
natural finish, string-thru bridge
35" scale length

This bass, has the potential to sound good, but it just falls short. I play in a band whose musical style ranges from blues/southern rock to modern alternarock to super-progressive art-rock, and I can get almost the sound I want, but it never quite makes it. I play through a Trace Elliot (pre-gibson buyout) 200W head and 2x10 cabinet, and despite being a good amp, this bass just doesn't cut it.

Action was mediocre (required some adjusting), pickups were fine, and the hardware was great.

You couldn't destroy this bass if you wanted to. Everything on it is rock solid.

Have no idea.

If this bass was stolen at a gig, I'd pity whoever took it. It plays well, but sounds like butt. It would help a lot if they put better pickups and electronics in it, and gave it a decent finish, but unless you want to dump another $300 in it for those things, stay away.

5 String, Swamp Ash, Neck-through body. Korean made, rosewood fingerboard, satin-chrome hardware, Active Soapbar style pickups with Treble, Mid, Bass EQ; Volume; and Blend controls.

Guild Pilot shape with "naked" oil finish.

For me, it sounds fantastic. I can get everything from a nice round, laid-back sound to a full, in-your-face "THWACK" sound. Running it through a Johnson J-Station for gigs and my Hughes and Kettner Attax 80 Guitar Amp at home for learning songs. The pickups and controls are more than what I'd probably use. I tend to find a good sound and stick with it, but this bass would certainly appeal to the most advanced studio musician looking for a bass that will float across all styles.

I bought the bass on-line from samash.com as a blowout. I wanted to spend about $350 or so and was gearing up to buy a Carvin Bolt 4-string Kit. I was talking to one of the guys at samash.com buying my J-Station and explaining what I was planning on buying. He said for about the same price, they were selling these active 5 string DeArmonds on a closeout. He said he had bought one of the blow out guitars and was very happy with it, so I trusted him. Good move on my part. The set up was just about perfect. I usually take every one of my new guitars to the local shop for a fret job and once-over, but after tuning this bad-boy up, it's got great action and everything just seems to fit into place. The Neck is SUPERB. Thin from front to back, but stiff feeling - the perfect combination. The oiled finish is the perfect finish for the back of the neck and the frets seem to be about right. A slight buzz on the D string at about the 4th fret, but kind of a cool buzz if you know what I mean.

Taking it out of the box, I was VERY surprised at the overall quality of the look and feel. I would originally have preferred black hardware over the Satin-Chrome but after seeing it in person, it's gorgeous. The tuners work very well and there's no crackle in the knobs or sound whatsoever. I couldn't be happier with the action, fit, and finish.

Bass is all of 1 day old, so I couldn't tell you about reliability, but based on the feel of the bass, I think it will last a lifetime if I take average care of it. I've been playing for 15 years now and this bass is the best "bang for the buck" of any guitar (Electric Guitar OR bass) that I've ever bought.

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I've only owned one other bass - an Ibanez Soundgear from about 10 years ago and this bass absolutely DRILLS the Ibanez. The Ibanez had a pencil thin neck that was very easy to accidently bend to get out of tune (front to back). The sound is much better and I paid $29 more for this bass 10 years later.

It's too bad they stopped making this bass and discontinued the line. I hope they relaunch it as a Squier or other brand. It's suitable for the Fender line up although it's quite modern for what Fender seems to be going after.

Manufactured in Korea by Fender. Built in 2001. Guild Pilot shape body with 22 frets, 5 strings, maple/walnut 35" scale neck-through construction with solid ash body, oiled finish. Controls are volume, blend, bass, mid, treble. Dual DeArmond humbuckers, active electronics. Stock bridge and tuners, satin chrome finish. No case, three allenwrenches and mini owner's manual.

Used for classic rock/blues/jazz/what Johnny plays. This is an outstanding built Korean instrument, although it required setup upon delivery (thanks John at Sam Ash :O) for a great job). Played through an Ashdown 130-12 Electric Blue, sweet and smooth throughout the scale. I play it wide open (eq full out, blend at center detent, volume "7") and the tone is to die for. Kinda Entwistle/JP Jones/Geddy all mixed into one (my best analogy). Playing with the bass EQ provides moderate changes in tone, the Ashdown with 5-band EQ allows much greater tonal flexability. No studio time to comment on, but playing live this little mother bakes the bread.

Factory setup sucked, high action and neck bow probably because of California/Arizona/Florida transportation. Again, John at Sam Ash made her right :o). Pickups seem to be well balanced, I have not made any adjustments to the electronics, although Bartolini pickups are a maybe (just need to know which ones?). Bass was essentially flawless, unique ash wood grain makes her one of a kind, I could spot her in a lineup no problem-o. Solid build through and through.

The instrument is extremely well constructed. I put her in a SKB44 case, she will last a lifetime with a smitten of care. Hardware, finish, overall build is very, very good, I added Dunlop Straplocks to be sure she didn't tickle the floor or my toes. I would feel safe with this bass alone, but will keep a back-up just ICAE.

Fender is kinda strange, you cannot email them directly for tech assistance. My questions had to be answered by Fender distributors, and I find most of them fall in the "how-can-you-tell-a-salesman-is-lying-because-his-lips-are-moving" category. Since DeArmond is discontinued, the "Lifetime Warranty" will be backed up but to what extent remains to be seen.

I have played bass since the early 70's, Six stringed for many years, talent lends me to return to bass. I currently own an Ashdown 130-12 Combo but am looking for a gig setup. This is my primary bass, a 4-string P-Bass lies in backup. I checked out Alembic, Yamaha, ESP, Spector, Ibanez, American Fender, blah-blah-blah, let's face it, a neck-through 5-string quality instrument that lists for $1049 for less than $300? Come on, I ain't no dummy, with a proper setup, this bitch swings, sounds great, and is built to last. If she went away, I'd get another (can't say the same about my ex), either 4- or 5- or 6-string. By the way (shameless plug), the guys at thebassplace.com are great help and a class act, be sure to ask Lee, Dennis, or Kyle for input and they won't steer you wrong. Maybe a Ken Smith one day, this little honey will fit the bill just fine for a long, long time.

Bought in 2001 made in Korea.<--but plays better than most American made main stream basses. It is a five string, and a powerful one at that. It has a natural finish and is perty. It has 2 humbucking pickups that seem to pickup every tone and frequency of the bass. I did adjust the pickups like I do on every bass I play...I simply raise the low end just a tad just to better feel the thump and hum of the low-b and make the e sound just as good. DeArmond also makes their own pickups and the pickups for american fenders. Active electronics with preamp. (vol, treble, mid, bass, and blend). It is neck-through with a mahogany body. The neck is wide at the nut but still flat in the back so you can get your hand around it. It has a big ol scale to it, at least 35''

The sound is great. I play funk and groove and a little bit more of everthing. This bass suites all my needs. This bass can sound smooth and low with very little outside noise for groove or you can add the mid and treble through the preamp and slap or play wanting some metallic sounds.

This bass is well made. I bought it with no flaws and it still has none. All the hardware is excellent, it is chromium.

I have only toated this bass around for a month across the country but it has played well everywere. I haven't had to make any adjustments. I wouldn't use it in a gig without a back up but no one should do that anyway b/c something freaky could happen to anyone. But this bass is my favorite.

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I am glad I haven't had to call them yet, i think that is a good thing.

I have only been playing for about 8 years but have played tons of basses lately. Before I bought this one i played hundreds of others in a 10 month span and found this one to be the best for under $1300. I also play a '95 Fender Jazz Bass. If my DeArmond was stolen or lost I definitely would replace it b/c it is the best for the money. I compared it to Warwick, Fender Jazz 5-String, Earnie-Ball Sting Ray, and I like it best. I feature I like best is the big 'ol nut, that is why it beats out all the five string i have played. I like warwicks because I like a big piece of wood so i can feel what i am playing rather than having a flemsy bass, but i like this more than a warwick. It is definitely a good bass, also made by a company that doesn't just mass produce. So you a also assured your bass isn't owned by every bass player in town or on MTV or VH1