Epiphone Allen Woody Bass

All of this has been covered. No extras included

Like the sound a lot, but the pickups are very noisy when facing the amp.

The action was terrible. I liked the look of the bass very much, but the fretwork was terrible. The frets needed to be filed due to excessive string buzz. I bought the bass due to the very good price. Big mistake. The only was to induce any bow in the neck was to loosen the truss rod completely and use much heavier strings (Ken Smith .106). The finish of the bass was excellent. One plus is that the intonation was good.

The bass looks and feels solid. Only complaint is the factory setup. Never had a Fender come with such a bad problem with frets. This bass is not a primary bass for me. No more cheap basses.

N/A

With a proper setup this bass would be great.

All has already been talked about...Its a short scale bass with a tremendous amount of bottom...everything you need is here

for me this is the bass Ive been looking for....super bottom end...Ive received many compliments from the tone of this bass...I play through a Peavey 130 TNT and am able to shake the windows if needed...I play stuff from the 50 through now...nothing super heavy but pure rocknroll...this guitar cant be beat for blues and rocknroll..

bought the bass used and it came with some weird black plastic strings....they truly sounded like garbage...changed them over to Dddario Half Rounds short scale and the difference is day and night...If I was told I had to use the black strings I wouldve sold the guitar...

Ive had the bass since late July and have used it live about 20 times...Never,NEVER had a problem....holds tune...nice and light weight...great finish...Bought the epi hard case for it and with a little care should have this bass for a long time to come...

Never dealt with epi so no opinion...

Started playing bass in the early 60s then stopped in the mid 80s..Started playing guitar again about 5 years ago with no interest in playing bass again..too many bad memories...got a call from my guitarist and singer from high school and they hooked me into trying bass again...Its been amazing since then...Its like Ive never stopped..Used to own a 60s Hagstrom and a Les Paul Triump...Had an ampeg v4b and cabinet at one point and the 2 svts and 4 cabs...Man I never want to do that again...Now Im thrilled with this Allen Woody bass...If lost or broke Id definitly get another...

made in Korea, see the other descriptions, had everything this bass should have

likes: neck is like butter, action is low after adjustments, intonation perfect (after adjustments) which is surprising to me.

Sound is very round and rumbly if u need it. Not for slapping.

stage or studio: fine for both

needed set-up, but i am very picky...

strings sucked still havent replaced, had to adjust the pu's up on bass end, lower on treble (otherwise d and g strings were just too out front). Attribute to strings at this point.

some sander-boy got too excited near neck slot on top, otherwise the fit and finish were beautiful.
surprisingly so.

Live playing: yes with hardshell case and being responsible

Hardware; Hmm gold looks good but seems like it tarnishes quickly

Finish: fine, will need to either cut my thumbnail, or get other anchor or resting devise or i will plow thru finish.

Tuning and intonation remarkably stable.

I never gig without 3 or more basses, ok for me, bad for roadies.

too early to tell


This is a great bass... i have played everything for about 40 yrs, and I like this very much. I had shoulder surgery and this is light and comfortable. The neck....that's the best point. If I play my Fenders, Musicmans, G and L...they feel like cold cords of wood...this feels like silk.

This topic has been adequately covered by other reviewers.

It does EXACTLY what the name says. It will shake the rafters. If you like a short scale bass and you want bottom, this is your instrument. Give high score because it delivers what it promises.

Very well made. Beautiful. No complaints. Looks like a piece of jewelry.

It will hold up fine if dealt with intelligently, and used to play music, and not as a stage prop.

No history here.

Been playing short scale basses since my first Hofner in 1965. I got this bass today, and am taking it back. The tendency to nose-dive is the worst I've seen on any bass, and I've owned almost every short-scale made.

Yep others have listed the Korea, 2 x mini humbuckers, mahogany semi hollow body no F holes with what is supposed to be flamed maple top. To be honest mine looks more like Spruce than anything else, short scale (30") neck, 20 frets.

Mine came without a hard case and its been difficult here in Oz getting hold of one.

I use this bass as a sound foil to my main instrument (a heavily modified 72 Jazz bass) and as such its fantastic. It has an incredible expansive fat warm bottom end without any woolyness and this is combined with excellent punch and definition in the upper mid region. Forget about click or sibilance from this bass, even with the Ken Smith Round wound short scale strings in the more comfortable gauge (for me) of .044 .063 .084 .106 this baby still refuses any of those nasty sounds.
It shipped with the lighter gauge 40, 60, 80, 100 factory fitted strings. Honestly the only thing I found less than all ready to go on this bass.

It does have a reasonable tonal variety for studio work but basically has one (2 at best) live sounds, which when combined with Ampeg gear is just downright fantastic and this sound alone is more than worth the Aus$550 I paid new for it.

It came with medium guage roundwound strings which I presume was Woodys choice. I've read a lot of chatter about using flats, coated and other similar strings which I'm not comfortable using but would suggest 2 things on this issue. 1. Woody designed it and he played with a pick exclusively and 2. He used Roundwound strings. That said, I'm not a pick player and this bass still plays beautifully. It did need a fret level out of the box but the neck was perfectly tensioned.
Tuning pegs are Grover style 2 x 2 and lovely and tight with a smooth turning action.
The bass is put together incredibly well for something in this price range. The nut is a bit rough but not anything that needs work.

Hardware is pro quality and tough, the Finish is gorgeous transparent wine red an looks like a top quality finish. Cant see any reason why this bass couldnt cope with being a full time frontline instrument.

No experience here.

I've been playing for 30 years, 10 of them for a living.

My main bass is a heavily modified 72 Fender jazz.
The amp I run is a Bi-amp rig with a single 15" EV and a single 12" EV. Ampeg SVP-PRO preamp into an EV x-over and Perreaux power amp.

If the Rumblekat was stolen I would definitely replace it. Its filled a place in my sounds than Fender basses do not go to IMHO.

I love its tone and its bottom end and the fact that its the only instrument that I've ever owned that I havent had to modify in any after market way.

I dont need the pickup selector for what I do compared to a few of the other players posting reviews here and I suppose nor did Woody or he would have had one designed into it.

Got my woody about 5 mo. ago. The wood looks nice, but the neck has that cheapo graft about 3 inches from the headstock. It's not an eyesore, but
shouldn't be there at $500.

love the sounds...well actually there's only 1 1/2 sounds, but they work for me. I play 60's garage/psychedelia, and originals in the style of The Move, The Small Faces, etc.
I'm using a Mesa/Boogie 400+ with a Sunn 2x15, or a Fender Bassman 135 into a Fender 2x12 bassman cabinet.
I don't think I'd record with this, but on stage, it will fit perfectly.

it's fine. Set up correctly out of the box. Workmanship is fine

I'm sure it's fine.

I dunno

I've been playing for 30 years.
I'd buy it again.
It is balanced nicely, sounds good, is very easy to play, looks cool.
I wish it had a pickup selector.

2006 model, made in Korea.
looks like a Les Paul Bass with a 30" short scale.
more info available on their website.

I rate this a 10 for features NOT for the "tons of features" suggested by Harmony Central, but for the few essential features that I need out of a bass.

LOVE THE BIG FAT SOUND!! why do you think they call it a BASS??
I put on a set of Rotosound Tru Bass Flatwounds- the kind with the black plastic coating. Instant reggae - dub/ "Family Man" Barrett
Or Motown/ Jamerson sound or Booker T/ "Duck Dunn" -get the idea??!! Combination of fast narrow neck and slick strings make it really easy to play.
PHAT FAT PHAT SOUND!! Dark, warm, and did I mention FAT ???
I would say it probably is not a good bass for the roundwound/ slap thing but hey, why not be a maverick and give it a try???

Pretty good set up overall. One fret was left rough on the end. Easily fixed by me with ex-girlfriend's fingernail file!!
The nut was not cut for perfect string alignment nor height but certainly playable.
Action and pickups adjustments were fine.
Finish on the body and neck was just beautiful!!

It should withstand live or any kind of playing, short of using it for self defense on stage!!! Hardware looks and feels very sturdy (though gold would not have been my first choice)
It seems to hold neck adjustments and tuning just fine.
I can't afford to have ANY backups on stage!!
What can go wrong on a passive bass anyway that can't wait till you get off stage??

Epiphone was marginal at best when I had an amp die under warranty.
Hope I won't need them for anything.
I think it is a "lifetime" warranty against defects.
Of course it is their call on the definition of defect!!

I have been playing bass off and on for 15 years or so.
I have a Mesa Boogie Walkabout that I play though. (great sound, great build quality, great factory support, ultralight, just a great company!!!)
I would buy the bass again, definitely.
Hard to find any short scale basses in general.

Features? 30" scale and very traditional and simple electronics : 2 volume and a tone control. Very nice looking bass, nice paint-job on it. Gold hardware is a nice touch. Bridge and pegs were fine. They keep the tuning well. No need to replace those.
Pickups are very versatile and they respond well to changes in amp settings - that was a pleasant surprise.

Deep, dark and moody sounds out of this bass I would say. A lot like my '63 Hofner violin bass, but closer to a Club 50. Can also get that vintage Gibby EB-0 molten thunder & rumble quite effortlessly.
Fender bass fans and modern slappers need not bother with this bass.
This is made to rumble in the blues,classic and stoner rock settings. Some country can be played on it as well as some cool jazzy stuff. I use 40 gauge strings on all my basses, either the LaBella plastic covered flat ones or Ernie Ball roundwounds - depending on what sounds I need.
Plays well through my Boss CE-2b Chorus to my Ampeg B-25b.
It also DIs very well to console.

I had to give the bass a lot of TLC. Out of the box I just couldn't play on it. Neck setup was off, intonation was all over the place and action was a nightmare. Problems were easily taken care of.

The mods I did are as follows:
I replaced the bridge with a Gibson one just 'cause I had one.
I the middle pot and installed a Gibson Les Paul 3 way selector switch and rewired her two remaining pots to a master tone and a master volume. Since I bothered to go to surgery, I then replaced all wiring with George L's & the two remaining pots and jack with Gibson ones I had around the house.
The result was a more profesional sound with a tad less noise from the interplay between wiring, pots & pickups. Nothing you really notice on stage but made a tiny difference while taping.

Costruction here is solid as cement. Finish and binding are flawless. Once you get its playability in shape it compares with instruments that cost four times the amount I paid for it. Very sturdy and very light. I gig with it four times a week. I don't even tune it most of the times. It's mostly dead on.

Never dealt with the Epi boys. I take care of problems on my own.

The 30" scale is a dream to play on. If stolen, I would find it and beat the poor sod that stole it to pulp. I'm the only guy around here that has one. I would definetly get another but would't mod it again. It doesn't need mods. I did them 'cause I had parts around.

Simple bass, simple review. Features have been covered well in previous reviews, so I won't bore with minor details. I will say however that the placement of the mini humbuckers is just short of genius. For the price paid, this is one hell of a bass. The low rating here just means that if ya' want alot of features, buy something else.

Mini humbuckers are extremely fat, rich and round sounding with much more volume than I had expected. Straight into an Ampeg for that classic rock, blues, boogie and country thump. So from that you can tell what genre of music I play.

Fully expected pure crap here, but was pleasantly surprised that all was in great shape, action neither too high or too low and intonation was dead on ( maybe I got lucky? ). Wine red finish and cream/black binding with gold appointed hardware give an appearance of a "new classic". The plastic nut might be the only weakness here.

Seems like you might have to baby it a bit, which I'm not real good at, Hollow chambers make the bass almost feather weight, so maybe that's why it seems that way. It definately ain't a "drop it from the stage an it's still in one piece and in tune Fender bass". Not enough road time with it yet to see how it will hold up.

Have not need 'em, and hope to never!

Great overall bass. take a little time to get used to the shorter scale, but once you do, whoa look out, it's a whole 'nother world. Played Fender P's all my life, and this is the only other bass that I might consider making my full timer. Sounds are comparable to a P bass, it's the lighter weight of the Woody that I would make the change for. Never thought I'd buy an artist endorsed/ model bass with someone elses signatue on the peg head, but hey, guitarists have been doin' it with someone named "Les Paul" for years. This is a comparable situation. Yes, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat.

Made in Korea, 2 mini-humbuckers; semi hollow. If you are reading this you know what it is and what the features are. This a very basic, generally utlitarian instrument. I could do without the the gold hardware and Mr. Woody's signature.

With the stock roundwounds, this bass sounds aweful. Put on a set of flatwounds and it becomes a very cheap, very attractive Hofner Club Bass alterntative. My band plays some early Beatle tunes and some Allman Brothers and with the flatwounds and a pick, the sound is perfect for this type of music. With roundwounds, it would get a 2, with flats, it gets a solid 8.

I have owned a number of Epiphone guitars and they look like superb instruments from 20 feet away. Get closer and they have a cheap, clunky feel. I own several Pedulla basses and there is no comparison in quality. The Pedullas are expensive and they feel it. This bass is cheap, and from the factory it feels it. The factory strings and set-up are aweful. Throw on some flatwounds and set it up and it's pretty acceptable. The finish had no scratches and the gold plating didn't look too bad. As for fit, some of the tuners are installed off center and the lower volume contol sticks up way too high.

Looks solid, it should hold up; tough to say.

I've called Gibson/Epiphone on the phone a few times and they are generally helpfull, but not too knowledgeable.

I am forced to give this a decent overall rating based on value more than anything. I needed something to give me an early McCartney type sound. I did not want a Beatle violin bass, because anybody but Sir Paul looks like an idiot when playing one. I priced the Hofner Club bass and at $1,800+ it did not make sense for something that I only use for 6 or 7 songs a night. I figured I would give this a shot. Forget using this for fingerstyle, the string spacing is too tight. This bass with flatwounds and a pick sounds very good and is is a very usefull tool to fill a niche soundwise. Forget about making it your main bass, it has no versatility. It does one thing and does it well for a very low price. If you need one bass that can do it all, steer clear. If you need to capture that early 60's smooth bass mojo every once in a while you will not do better pricewise.

OTHER REVIEWS HERE ARE PRETTY MUCH ON TARGET,SO I WONT REPEAT....MADE IN KOREA....AND VERY WELL DONE ! NECK FEELS GOOD, FAIRLY SLIM, A LITTLE WIDER THAN FENDER JAZZ BASS, BUT A VERY "SURE-FRET" FEELING. AS A GUITAR PLAYER, WHO PLAYS BASS OFF AND ON,...THIS BASS IS EXCELLENT,....HOLDS LIKE A GUITAR (NOT TOP HEADSTOCK HEAVY) SHORT SCALE IS VERY COMFORTABLE.....MAKE SURE BRIDGE IS UDJUSTED WITH AN UP-WARD ARC..SO AS TO PUT A LITTLE MORE PRESSURE ON SADDLES,...AS THEY ARE NOT SNUG AND WILL RATTLE WITH STRING VIBRATION.......ACCEPT FOR CORRECTABLE SADDLE THING I HAVE TO RATE THIS BASS HIGH

THIS BASS SOUNDS EXCEPTIONAL....BIG, CLEAN ,FAT LOWS AND NICE MIDS THANKS TO PICK-UP PLACEMENT,...AND PU'S RESPOND WELL TO AMP SETTING, SO YOU CAN GET PLENTY OF TREBLE HIGHS IF THATS YOUR BAG...MIDDLE PU WILL LIKELY BE IN THE WAY FOR SLAPPY TREBLE POPPERS,...BUT IT WILL SNAP,CRACKLE, AND POP, JUST KEEP PUPS SET LOW,....BOTTOM LINE THOUGH,..THIS BASS WAS MADE FOR BIG DEEP SOUND,...C L E A N, AND ARTICULATE NOTES.....IF YOUR SLAP-HAPPY, YOU NEED SOMETHING ELSE...

YOU CAN SET THIS ACTION UP THE WAY YOU WANT,...NECK ADJUSTS PERFECTLY,....BRIDGE VERY ADJUSTABLE (JUST KEEP SADDLES TAUNT)I HAVE MINE SET UP LOW ACTION , AS LOW AS ANY BASS CAN GO...YET NO FRET BUZZ. PUPS ARE WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THIS BASS TO DO WHAT IT DOES.....AND THEY ARE "HOT"

ITS SEMI HOLLOW, AND FIXED NECK......SO NOT GREAT FOR USE AS A WEAPON, BUT IT APPEARS WELL CONSTRUCTED AND SOLID, ITS NOT FLIMSY,BUT YOU'LL NEED A HARDSHELL CASE FOR BEST TRANSPORT PROTECTION. HARDWARE IS ALL SOLID, TUNERS VERY GOOD

I TRIED THE OTHER SHORT SCALES...ONLY ONES I COULD FIND WERE ENTRY LEVEL CHEAPIES..THEY DONT PLAY OR SOUND ANYWHERES NEAR AS GOOD AS THIS MID PRICED EPI...THIS IS A VERY PROFESSIONAL QUALITY BASS. I REALLY LIKE IT...I MEAN "REALLY" LIKE IT....IF YOU LIKE A SHORT SCALE (AND I CANT IMAGINE WHY ANYONE WOULD'NT)....AND WANT A QUALITY SOUND FOR MOST VENUES....THIS IS A SUPER BASS.....

Explained very well in the first post. I wish it had a pickup switch, and may eventually replace the tone pot with one.

I play in a drummerless alt-country band, with acoustic guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. I started with a Squier P-Bass special, moved to a Rogue violin bass (a copy of a Hofner), and now use this Allen Woody. A short scale hollow body bass has the more acoustic tone that's right for this music, but an actual acoustic bass guitar is too boomy and lacks the definition needed to drive the songs. The Rogue bass is the woodier-sounding of the two, and I prefer it for a few songs, but on the majority of our material I prefer the sound of the Allen Woody. In addition to working with the band I'm in, I'm loking forward to using this bass for blues, blues-based rock, more electrified country, basically the whole gamit of American roots music.

I play it through a Vox T-25, no effects. It's quiet and has a rich tone that's both dark and warm, with great definition all the way down. I find that most basses lose definition below the low A, but this one doesn't, even with the bass on my amp almost cranked. That makes it perfect for me, since I like a big round warm bass tone but still want to hear every note.

I haven't tried to get a bright sound out of it because that ain't my bag, and that ain't the bass's bag either, but it has more variety of tone than I expected and is very responsive to the EQ settings on the amp. I haven't used it in the studio yet so I can't compare that to its stage performance, but I am very much looking forward to recording with it.

Bottom line, I love the sound of this instrument.

The setup was excellent and I'm particular. I put on Hofner flatwounds and adjusted the intonation a little. Left the action and pickups alone. I have yet to find a flaw. It plays beautifully, the most comfortable bass I've ever had my hands on.

One of the reasons I bought this bass was because my Rogue doesn't hold tuning well when the temperature fluctuates and we were getting gigs outdoors. I played my Allen Woody outdoors at night, with the temperature in the forties and falling, and it was extremely stable. Everything about it is very solid. Can't speak for how often the neck needs adjustment because I've only had it about a month, but the neck seems very rigid. Yes, I've already used it on gigs without a backup, and will do so again.

Haven't dealt with the company.

I've been playing for thirty odd years with a couple long breaks, so say about twenty years all together. If it were stolen or lost, I would cry, then order another. I love how it plays, how it sounds, and how it looks. My favorite feature is the neck, which fits my hand like no other; I have fairly big hands, and the neck is wider and flatter than the Rogue but not too thin. My only complaint is the lack of a pickup switch, but I love it just using the neck pickup. This is my favorite bass that I've ever played, period.

The previous person has explained the features quite well, so won't bore you with that. It isn't set up like a space shuttle with bells and whistles, but if you've ever heard Allen Woody play, you'd know not to expect that anyway.

I use this mainly for blues and at that it excells. If you want a hyped-up treble monster which you can slap like your drunk ex-girlfriend who maxed your credit cards while in Mexico with your best friend, this ain't the beast for you. However, if you want a bass that will rumble the lower lobes of your lungs while still providing high end which is more closely related to an acoustic upright, this will definitely fill the bill. I play it through a 1976 Fender Bassman 100, Carvin 2X10 and a Genz Benz 1X15 and it rattles the floor boards. Provides a great lower shelf for blues, but with excellent note definition. It's low AND clean...imagine that?

Obtained it used and it came to me set up okay. I lowered the action a bit, adjusted the truss slightly and put on a set of GHS flatwounds. The action on this is excellent. Very fast, easy to play, and the weight because of the chambered body is a joy after my '79 P-bass which weighs just slightly less than my first VW bug. The fit and finish are both excellent. Deep red wine color, binding looks great, frets are set well and smooth. The only squawk I have is that the nut looks a little cheap. Am seriously considering replacing it with brass or bone.

It's built quite well and I would imagine years of enjoyment out of this if it's not used to forcibly remove intoxicated skank from the stage Babe Ruth style. Unlike my old P-basses which I could use to jack up the truck for a flat, this I will definitely require a little more TLC. However, all components appear to work fine and I've had absolutely no problems gigging with this over the past 5 months, three nights a week.

Don't know. No reason to call them.

I've been playing for over 25 years, mixing it up with rock, blues, jazz, etc. You name it I've done it. If this was stolen I would definitely pick up another. I usually take 3 basses to each gig, this, my 79 P-bass and a 76 Jazz. However, for blues this gets the most use by far, at least 95%. I'm glad it is basic in nature, no bells and whistles, and provides exactly what it's namesake would want it too...straight rumbling balls to the wall low end. Period. It excels at what it was designed for, so overall I'm giving it a 9. Afterall, how can you compare an earth mover and a Prosche, right? You gotta compare where fair, right?

The Woody Allan Signature Bass I purchased was made in November of 2002, I ordered it from Musicians Friend In January. It was manufactured in Korea. The bass has a chambered body based on the "Cat " series of guitars, which is mahogany (without the f-holes) with white and black binding. The headstock is a traditional 2 + 2 with Gotoh-style tuners. The set neck is a short-scale (30") with 22 standard vintage-style frets. It's neck is maple and is thin in both width and depth (the whole bass is very similar in both body and neck dimensions to a Hofner Club bass, although it is not a copy). The bass has two humbuckers in the mid and bass positions, with two volume controls and one tone control (standard Gibson/Epiphone knobs) and is passive. Wine red is the only color I know that it comes in, and has no flaws that I could find. All hardware, including the Epiphone standard 3-point bridge, is gold. It came with a 10 foot cable. Smaller than the average 34 inch scale bass, it was a great buy for me due to arthritis.

Playing primarily both southern and country style Christian music, its deep throbbing sound fits these styles perfectly. I imagine it
would sound great with both blues and traditional rock & roll styles as well. I am currently using it with a Nemisis 210 combo bass amp with a Zoom BFX108 effects pedal occasionally. The humbucking pickups sound very nice with little or no noise (I have recorded with it and not noticed anything). Although both picups are situated closer to the neck (like a Hofner Cavern bass) I was surprised how much treble I could get. The bass excells in the mid to low rumbling range, how ever, and the highs cannot be mistaken for those of a Jazz Bass. A really great sound for traditionalists. Due to pickup placement and vintage size frets, poppers and slappers probably would not like it.

The Allan Woody Bass is very well made. The fit and finish was excellent. All the binding, hardware, and neck (It's a set neck) were flawless. The set-up was a little lower than I liked, so set it up and put on a set of short-scale strings that were more to my liking than those that came with it, although it sounded good out of the box. The only thing off was the intonation, which was easily fixed.

The bass seems to be very solid, especially for a semi-hollow chambered bass. The finish seems very durable and should last many years if not abused. The same could be said for the hardware. The truss rod is at the headstock end, and needed only a slight bit of adjustment when I set it up for the new strings. No adjustments have been needed since. It seems solid enough that I feel no need to take a backup when I carry it out to play (my guitarist takes his own bass to play on tunes where I play mandolin). I've had no problems thus far.

I have bought several instruments from Epiphone in the past, and what problems I have had, they have always done their best and fixed it without any hassle. Epiphone guitars and basses come with limited lifetime warranties.

This bass fits my needs for a live bass. It is smaller than the average bass and has a short scale neck. It is very comfortable to play and does not tax my arthritic fingers and shoulder (guess how that came about) like the long scale heavier basses I previously played live (I still play my Carvins and Fenders in the studio). If it were stolen or destroyed I would do my best to find another just like it (Limited Edition). The bass is a great value in price, playability, and sound. It is , in my opinion, the best short scale bass Epiphone/Gibson has made, if not the best one on the market for under a grand.