Encore P-Bass Copy

I bought Precision bass copy secondhand in a Cash Exchange/Converters shop for fifty pounds which I believe was once part of a "all-in-one" bass package. It is very solid and heavy but with a strap felt perfectly balanced. It differs from most basses of this type in that it has a wide finderboard and chunky neck. This may discourage some beginners though I see it as an advantage to build strong fingers.

Whooaahh! The sustain is incredible and beat most basses I've played. What I love about this is that is provides a deep, bassy sound. With so many models I have had to keep the tone control at 1 so that the treble does not sound too twangy. With this tone the treble does not really kick in until about 5 making it easy to control the sound. Sure, you can't really slap and pop like Mark King on it but you can't really expect to. Perfect for getting started.

Well made all over with no flaws. It is as strong as an ox.

My old rock band rehearsed at a loud volume and this bass sounded better than my more expensive ones. As it was cheap I found myself quite creative with it too playing lots of runs and appreggios. With its boomy voice it did not encroach upon the lead or rhythm guitar. I have recorded with it and used it live and though my band members wanted me to cover the large "Encore" headstock!

No idea

If you want a no-frills bass to be part of a band, this is a good choice for a first bass. I was apprehensive about this initially as the Encore strat is a poor imitation but THIS is remarkably good.

For experienced players, if you were about to play live and your own bass stopped working, there would be no shame in asking to borrow this from the teenage metal kid. It is great (and inexpensive) back-up bass. There's no shame about having an "Encore" bass!

standard 22 fret, black with white pickguard. stock tuners, pups etc etc. P-bass shape, one split pickup, with volume and tone controls.

maple neck, but im not too sure on what wood the body is.

paid 40 quid, second hand on ebay and it came with a hardcase, strap and 3 leads, so i definately got my moneys worth.

I'll be honest, i really wasnt expecting much from a second hand, budget bass but i was actually rather impressed.
im not gonna lie and say the sound blew me away, but for the amount i paid for the bass (40 pounds) i cant really complain.

if you run it through a half decent amp, you can get quite a bit of thump out of this thing.

id say it was best suited for punk and rock, possibly for some metal. it sounds much better with overdrive.
if you literally just need some bass then this does the trick, but unless you are a beginner, i wouldnt advise getting one first hand.
there isnt a great range of tones available, but for the money i paid, it does its job nicely.

two words: Fret Buzz.

when i first got it, it buzzed like a mofo around the lower register (the low E is is still buzzy as hell unless you use some serious force to fret)
a little fiddling with the saddles helped somewhat, but you cant really polish a turd, so i think im just gonna have to deal with it.

the action is rather high for my liking, but that seems to be to prevent fretbuzz (which kinda sucks)

the neck is bowing very slightly too, but i think thats just because it is second hand.

fretwires are going pretty green.

and it is a pretty, poorly weighted bass too. the neck feels to heavy and it just doesnt balance perfectly.

all pretty minor problems, but they are pretty much to be expected in a bass for this price.

in this guitars defense, it does seem to be built like a brick. i dont really care for its welfare too much (its just a cheapass bass), so i chuck it about and its held up fine. string finish too.

i would probably use it for gigging if no other alternative was available (it stays in tune very nicely) but i would only use it if i couldnt use something better.

N/A

I've been playing guitar for about 6 years. im a guitarist mainly, but i just wanted a bass for recording scratch tracks at home, and generally playing with, so for that, this bass does the job perfectly.

obviously, its not a warwick but for what it is you really cant knock it. i was going to get an ibanez GAX bass, but this was half the price second hand, and i had just been paid so i went for it.

perfect for beginners, or anyone who just wants a cheapo bass with no frills.

if you seriously wanted a decent bass guitar, then save money and get something else (but if you wanted a decent bass, you wouldnt be shopping for an encore right?)

Standard P-bass features:

4 open tuners
1 split coil p-bass style pickup
1 volume
1 tone
20 frets
Black finish with white pickguard

I read the reviews of this bass and was quite shocked. I have had it for 7 years and have never had a problem with it, except for the tone control breaking, which only cost ??2 to fix, and was my fault anyway because I dropped it.

I gave it a 10, because it is a P-bass copy, and has all the features you would expect from a Fender standard P

Not the best bass sound, but it is a cheap beginners bass - it is not supposed to be compared to Warwicks or Fenders. If you compare it to a bass that costs 10 times the price, it is going to look bad. But for a beginner there is nothing wrong. It does what it's supposed to, and doesn't do it badly for the price.

Again a 10 - for it's price it sounds quite good.

I got my bass from a shop, so it was set up already. No opinion

I haven't played this bass live much for about 4 years, but I have played it. I gigged it regularly for 3 years, and it has survived fine. I play in 9 different groups, so it got quite a bit of use. It has the inevitable dings and chips all over, but that is to be expected when you do lots of gigs and don't wrap it up in cotton wool every time it leaves your bedroom. It also has a large dent in the neck where I lent it against an amp with wheels, but that is a different story... ;)

Never had any problems - therefore never dealt with customer support.

I am going to give this bass another 10. Many people pulled up problems with this bass, or complained about it, but they also compared it to much higher-end basses. I am looking at it as a ??150 bass, rather than a ??1500 bass, and for the price, it is a good buy.

Its got 20 frets and 4 strings.It has 1 volume and 1 tone control.Dunno anything about the pick-ups except that they're fender rips.30' scale and rosewood fretboard.Got it in sunburst(prettiful).P bass body and got a krappy kustom amp(which in fairness is ok),a gigbag,a lead and a plec.

I dable mostly in metal and punk ,i can just about get away with Cliff Burtons work and Mike Dirnts. This piece of shit rips through guitar a drum alike i cant jus fade into the background when i need to.Not even a beginner should curse themselves with this.

Hmmm it plays.Both knobs fell off, 1 off the scratch plate screws fell off, the strap button fell off,the pick-ups are eroding(you heard me)other than that its not TOO bad

I would not take this bass to a gig the headstock is so chipped u could grate cheese with it the paint job is really chipped and it sounds like a lump of shit carved into P bass shape

Wouldnt know (bet theyre shit)

If this was stolen i would say dont forget the amp.I have been only playing for 6 months or so and im already looking for a new bass probably epiphone les paul.All i say is the devil spawned this bass himself

I bought this about 10 years ago and was probably a few years old or so then so I can only guess that it it maybe 15 years old. Possibly.
It's the same as all the others here: 20 fret, standard tone and volume controls.
I have replaced the white scratch plate with a tortoise shell one.

Basically it's a precision copy and with all the features of the real P - it's a simple bass.

Again as others, it was my first bass, but I still have it! About 3 or so years ago I decided to bring it out of retirement and replace those god-awful stock pickups (the main reason for not playing it) with some Seymore Duncan Quater Pounders. And that is how I can give the sound rating 8 instead of 2!

Bought second hand and I've only been able to lower the action by a few mm because it was set up so well. It hasn't changed at all in 10 years and is still as low as ever. The finish is fine, except for the odd war wound.

Apart from the pickup, I might change the tuners, but they still work, so why bother?
When not using my 5-string Dean, I use it as a backup to my Thunderbird or just to get that precision tone. And it's as solid as a tank.
The only thing that has nearly failed is the original pickups.

After 10 years it's still with me and being used. I would replace it with another P-type bass, but not needing to look around for another one I don't know what I would go for.
If you like the feel but not the sound the Seymore Duncan pickup really is the way to go...

dont know when is was made cant say I care!, black body with rosewood neck body is made of some sort of resin. P-bass copy with 1 P-bass pickup. ok fetures if all you plan to do is look at it

This was my fist bass so I had no bechmark knowledge so I didnt care much for sound. but as I gained more experience I realised it sounded terrible. I came into some money and purchased an Ashdown electric blue 150 amp which showed the true colours of this bass (brown)

Terrible. pickup skrews were wonky and neck fixing skrews scrubbed quickly. electronics was awful resoldered the whole thing.

Owned this bass for 7 months i know own a fender precision deluxe and love it. i used this at a gig 3 times and found it embarassing to be honest. the third gig was a few days before my fender was due for delivery so I send her out in a blaze of glory and smashed her. this was suprisingly hard so I will give the bass a 5!

Never dealt with them

Well this is my first bass. A standard 4 string P Bass Copy made in Korea. It has 20 (average) frets, 1 tone, 1 volume, Two P Bass styled pickups. The neck is Rosewood and I dont have a clue about the body. Normal string thru bridge. Non locking tuners. The neck is average its not big or small compared to other bass's I have played. I got a #4.99 gig bag, #2 lead, Kustom Bass amp (ok) and a QWICK Tune tuner.

I bought this bass mainly because it was cheap and was a P Bass copy (John Deacons chioce). I play alot of Queen bass lines and other modern music e.g Darkness, Greenday, Blur etc. Im using it on a Kustom prctise amp at home and the combination is pretty crap! Although on other amps its sounds good. It can be very noisy but it isnt clean. Its very fuzzy on full volume. If you buy this dont even bother using the tone knob because it makes it sound clangy and rattly. Its a bright sound but cant get those low punchy sounds which songs like 'Another One Bites the Dust' need. I have used this in the studio and if you use it gently it sounds quite good. On stage its a good job you have got drums and guitars covering up your sound because its not brilliant.

When my bass came it looked fantastic. If you ignore the Encore badge it could pass for a Fender P Bass. If you look closer the pickups are not set well and there are little dents and flaws and the body. But other than that its has been fine. Knob fell off, just tightened up nut. It came with awful strings so I replaced them with some Rotosound strings which make it sound alot cleaner.

This bass will withstand live playing. I have used it more than once on stage and it has survived. The knobs and electrics on the other hand will need replacing. The body finish is great and is very hard wearing. The strap buttons and truss rod have never had to be tightened or adjusted. I have used it twice on a gig without backup!!!

Never dealt with them

I'v have been playin for a year and it has never let me down. If it was stolen I would get a Epiphone Flying V. I love the shape and colour (see-thru red) but i dont like the fret buzz and dirty sound.

I have #250!!! I thought about buying a Epiphone Flying V but I have started to replace everything on it apart from the body for Fender Parts. By the end I will have a Fender P Bass for half the price and alot more fun!

Update to previous review having fiddled with the setup.

Still sounds like marsh gas rising through a sea of cow shit for the most part, but has improved with a bit of tweaking.No deep bass, no real treble. No resonance. Limited sustain. Allows me to make bass lines. Makes low frequency noise.

Right. Off with the neck and sort the choking frets. A quick tap with a copper mallet after drizzling superglue under them did the trick. No more choking frets. The buzzing frets were dressed out using a fine crosscut file. The neck -did- respond to tweaking the truss rod and is now acceptable. Next to the action. The string saddles could be set low enough. That was the hint to set them half way through their vertical travel range and shim the neck pocket to suit. I also angled the neck slightly. Action now perfect, but what a faff.
On to the intonation. It was pretty much spot on when I got it, which was a surprise!. Fiddling with the neck sent it out, but it was a doddle to reset. One concern is how easily the screw heads chewed. Shonky is an apt term.Shoddy is another. Utter crap suits too.
To set the pickups properly, I removed the scratch plate. The pups are screwed in to the body. The screws were at what could be described as a jaunty angle. Again, not hard to correct, but what a faff. I had to enlarge the hole in the scratch plate, roughly align the pups and refit them. The quality of soldering is reminiscent of pigeon shit and the cable used is metallic vermicelli. So much work for so little reward. Still, it was kinda fun to do. For the action and fit now, I'd give my work a 9, and would like to alter my initial mark to a 1. The -finish- is actually quite me proof, and the neck does feel nice in the hand.

I would trust it as far as I can kick the cliffs at Beachy Head in a live situation. Fortunately, I will never use this bass live!
My work on it has improved it immeasurably, but it would cost a fortune to get a shop to do it.

I've dealt with JHS with regard to other guitars I've had over the years. For the Danelectro and Vintage range, they have always answered promptly, never used my email address for spammage and once supplied me with a new bridge piece for my Dano F.O.C even though it was just out of warranty. How interested they'd be in this P.O.S I don't know.

Been playing bass for donkeys years. In that time I have owned some wonderful basses ( mostly Japanese ), some OK basses ( Fender ) and this POS.
These are marketed at beginners. Please do not buy one if you are a beginner. I went in eyes wide open, in full knowledge they are shit. Even I was surprised at just how nasty they are. They can be set up, but by that time, you could have bought a decent bass. If I was a beginner, I'd take up the triangle. One thing it has done though is inspire me to write bass lines. My next bass will not be an Encore. Of that you can be certain.

I bought one of these back in 1983 when I was a drummer dabbling in bass, and I couldn't believe when I saw reviews on this thing, the fact that they still exist in some capacity is unbelievable.
I think I payed $99 for it because my father wouldn't help me get a Fender Bullet for $130 back then.

It was a P-Bass Copy-it looked beautiful, then you strapped it on and it felt like you put a strap on a 300 lb dumbell.

It sounded like vibrating mud with static. I wouldn't use it outside the home.

Put it this way if it had good action I would have switched from drums to bass back in 1983 instead of in 1998. The action was horrendous.

To be honest I never took it outside or played it much because it really aside from looking cool was unplayable.

I've been playing bass offically for 5 years although I dabbled on & off while playing drums as my main instrument. I know own vintage Fender P-Bass and a vintage Rickenbacker, an Ibanez and another custom made hand built Fender Jazz-like bass.
If the Encore was stolen I dont think I would have cared much.
As for the old adage that it would be good for a beginner I don't buy into that I believe if you learn on garbage you will quickly lose interest like I did.

No idea where or when it was made as the manufacturer is too ashamed to put that info on it. 20 fret 4 string P-Bass. 'Composite' body, maple neck, dark wood fretboard. The finish is called trans-red. Read that as thin coat of red paint. The neck finish is satin, and is actually extremely pleasant in the hand. That is the high point.
Single split pup, cheapo open tuners. No accessories.
Its a P-Bass copy, thus it has no features.

I wanted a bass to work out bass lines for my tunes. I didn't want to spend a lot. I didn't spend a lot. I got what I paid for. I bought it in the full and open knowledge that as a bass, this is not very good. Sounds like a cheap and nasty bass, which is good, because that is exactly what it is. It varies from muddy and crap to cutting and crap. It does have a 'sweet spot' in the tone control which makes it acceptable for laying down a track to take to the band and saying 'This is what I've been working on'. This is why I bought it. Overall, it is quite foul.

Set up?. PAH!
Action was 5mm at the 15th!. The pup was tight in the scratchplate, which made adjusting it awkward. The neck is bent, and no amount of tweaking with the truss rod has been able to adjust it out. Neck pocket not the tightest, but actually no worse than a bottom end squier. Nut cut very well and the finish is oddly flawless. It is shyte, but well applied shyte. Controls not loose and those cheap looking tuners hold the thing in tune despite my best efforts to hammer it to death. Some frets choke, some frets rattle. No fret protudes over the edge of the neck and the finishing of the frets at the edge is very good.
A mixed bag, mostly crap.

No to live playing. Doubtful it will last. Body finish thin and scratch prone. Buttons not solid. I suspect they would pull from the body. Truss rod needed adjustment from the outset.
I am a guitar player these days, but played bass for years previously. Shonkiest bass I have ever owned.

Mwuhahahahahahahahahahaha

Bass for 20 years, then switched to guitar 5 years ago. This is my first bass for a few years. I am not a wealthy man, and just needed a four string to work ideas out on before presenting them. As such, it suffices.
These are marketed as beginner basses. They are not for beginners, unless that beginner just wants to say ' I have a bass'. If I was a beginner, and was given this, I'd take up triangle playing. Buy a Vintage, Yamaha, Squier, Epiphone, Samick, anything else if you are a beginner. Only buy this as an ornament or something to work lines out on. I bought it from ebay dirt cheap. I got what I paid for and knew what I was getting. I would be despondant if I had to learn on this. The only thing I like is the neck finish and the look of it. I don't hate it. I would not recommend it to anyone, but for my needs, it suffices.