Product: Galveston 8-String (Paired)
Price Paid: USD 319
Submitted
09/15/2009
at
05:17pm
by
buchrob
Features
:
7
Bought this on a whim a few weeks ago. Lots of surprises good (mostly) and a few bad.
Good tone controls, comparable to Ibanez, with a center bump spot for reference. Pickups (active) need batteries often or else you will hear a lot of hum. Volume control already crackles after only onw week of use.
Nice finish on wood-of-the-day. Was advertised as being mahogany, but what do you expect at this price level? Beautiful satin finish neck, with excellent action. Tuners hold tune well.
With a little work, this baby can be a terrific instrument, see below.
Sound
:
8
Keep it fed with fresh batteries or you will be listening to the original King Kong broadcast on the radio.
The original strings are really JJJUUUNNNKKK unless your style is Buzz-bass. Replaced everything with GHS strings on hand and now we have something we can work with.
Sound is now bright and clean. Works well with tube and solid state amps. This bass can play the Hard Days Night guitar solo cleanly with the new strings!!!
My recommendation: not every tune needs octave-matched bass, but if the strings were separated just a little more at the bridge (which I intend to do), this instrument will be a killer 4-string bass with dynamic fill if and when you need it. Just have to pluck the thick strings upwards during normal play.
Think in terms of Pink Floyd's "Money" as being quiet or LOUD ehen it has to be.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
5
Action and pickups were fine.
But it never ceases to amaze me how those oriental factories can ship stuff which has some smart commercial promise with the crnmmiest snow-tires on the planet masquerading as strings. They must save at least 0.75% of the value of the instrument and risk their reputations.
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
Not enough experience to vouch, but what do you expect for a few hundred bucks, a Rickenbacker?
Seems solid enough for the time being.
Customer Support
:
1
Dealer on eBay musicians_heaven was not responsive at all when I complained and said I would be happy with just a new set of strings.
Overall Rating
:
No Opinion
Been playing off and on since 1963. I have owned real junk and real beauties including Rickenbackers, both guitars and basses. Not everything branded as cheap is junk by any stretch of the imagination.
This one still has real promise musically with some adjustments. The dealer and the strings as delivered suck big time.
I have to consider this one an experimental project rather than a bread-winner.
