Indie Guitar Company 1064 J Type Deluxe 4 String Pro Bass

Indie Guitars are mostly made in Korea to specifications from the HQ in the UK and then they are finished in the UK. I bought this one from new in 2008, I believe that it was actually made in '07.

This is a Jazz style bass, but a bit less of a plank than most. I like it because I have small hands for a bassist and it has a neck I can grip without too much stretching, unlike, say, a Warwick Rock Bass. It also looks gorgeous - check out the pictures on the Indie site.

Highly polished swamp ash body, white scratchplate, 1 piece hard maple bolt-on neck, 34" scale, 20 frets, 1 piece hard maple fingerboard with black dot inlays. Tuners Indie gold bass, top nut Graphite, bridge Wilkinson WBBC, most hardware gold plated. 2 single JB/Extreme pickups, 2 volume (mine is wired as a master plus fader), bass, treble, active/passive switch (tone controls are active only).

I play mostly classic rock and I can easily move from early 60s thumping to late 70s attack. I use a Digitech multi-effect pedal and a Feder Rumble amp and it works great with those. No noticeable noise in either active or passive. I've had it over a year and still on the original battery. I get a great range of sounds simply from adjusting the pickup fader and usually just rolling the treble up or down. Not used it in a studio setting yet, but it's great on stage. Nothing to dislike - unless you want more than 20 frets.

I bought it from a guitar shop and the owner freely admitted he wasn't used to setting up basses, so I took it into the Indie HQ and they set it up to my spec. Now its great, no fret buzz, intonatino spot on and great action. Nothing else needed changing. No rough spots at all, everything fits and is solid.

It seems very strong, nothing on it is loose, all the gear is good quality. Never needed adjustment after the initial set up. I always take another bass with me on gigs, but mostly because I use two different tunings rather than for backup. But not really had it long enough to know, if I am honest.

The company is extremely friendly. When I went in, they were very happy to give me a tour of the premises and try out other instruments.

I've been playing over thirty years and this is my top bass. Maybe if my Aria had two pickups it would be a lot closer.

As I mentioned earlier, I have small hands, so I need something I can play without getting cramp, so i have a more restricited choice than most people. Would I still have bought this one? I like to think so. It is just ... nice.