Johnson JG-622E Acoustic Bass

I bought this new-in-box on e-bay. It came with a gig bag. This is a jumbo 4-string, no cut-away. Maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, 24-fret acoustic with piezo pre-amp. The pre-amp is nice, 4 tone knobs, boost, mid, treb, level and two sliders for volume and mids. The 9-volt compartment is nicely made, you just have to look inside to see which connector goes where. (The compartment won't close if the battery is in backward.) Gloss finish on what I beleive is a solid top. 2 per side tuners.

It came with the 9-volt and an allen-wrench for adjsuting the truss rod.

Unamplified, it is loud, thanks to the huge body. The tone is a little twangy with the steel-wound strings that the factory puts on. I'm switching to flat or half-flat. Very punchy and rich with a pick or when popping. Use soft picks such as nylon or graphite to avoid twang.

Amplified, the tone is great. Very rich, with a good range. The sound stays full and doesn't lose power up or down the octaves.

Well. It was a $200 Chinese bass, but Johnson really needs better quality control. On the neck, after the bass body starts, the frets are cut very roughly, leaving sharp edges, and in some cases flattened ends. Their rationale may be that you don't play those frets, but, well, I do, and the workmanship on these higher frets is piss poor. It doesn't effect the tone, but you'll tear your fingers open if you catch it wrong. I am a pseudo-professional bass player with no money, and I'd like to see an improvement in lower-end guitars. Also, on the back center of the bass, the gloss finish is smudged, leaving a milky semi-transparent "thumb-print" stain, marring an otherwise very beatiful dark wood back. Another such blemish is on the front top also.

The bass was shipped with tightened strings, but out of tune. The action suited me just fine, not too high, but not so low that the strings rattle against the neck.

Everything else about the bass was hunky-dory. After I tuned it and slammed on it a little, it was fine.

I could hit my mother with this and it wouldn't break.

Everything seems solid. The wood is nice and heavy, the neck is thicks. All joints, settings and parts are firmly in place. I'm not an expert, but the tuning keys seem loose-ish, like they wouldn't hold tune if I play heavily (which I do). But they can be replaced down the road.

I would (and will) gig this bass. If I had a choice of guitars to gig, I would still gig this as my primary bass. It's solid, reliable and good-looking.

Not dealt with Johnson, and probably won't unless I contract tetanus from cutting myself on their frets. I may call the company to address this issue.

The e-bay music store I bought this from was fast and accurate, can't ask for more than that. The bass has a limited warranty from Johnson, which is nice. If you are a Johnson bass owner, rally with me and get them to get inspectors on their assembly lines.

I have been playing for 6 or 7 years and have owned a variety of basses. I started out with an Ibanez GSR, moved on to an Ibanez ATK-5 string, a Curbow 4 to an Ibanez SDR300DXL. I play bass through a Behringer Ultrabass BXR1200 120 watt amp and use a Digitech BP200 bass processor. I'm thinking of buying a Brice 6-string bass these days.

I love this guitar, I think it was a good purchase and will last me for a long time. For it's price (being the cheapest acoustic bass I've seen) it's a great value: solid, good sound, great electronics. Other than the finshing flaws I mentioned (which may vary from bass to bass), this guitar will be taken into the fold and loved like any other.

If it were stolen, broken or lost, I would find the person who stole it, take my flatwound strings back and buy another one. I was looking at Dean acoustic basses and Hohner and decided on this one based on reviews and based on the fact that it has ACTIVE pickups.

Basic non-cutaway acoustic-electric bass, spruce top, mohogany sides/back, rosewood fretboard, medium scale (32 inches), which means unless you can find some rare 32" sets, you need to use long-scale, and that can put a strain on the tuners. Has preamp with sculpted midrange. Body is semi deep (deeper than most low-end aco-basses, but not as deep as Tacomas or Guilds). Made overseas, very basic in construction (no fancy work or extra durability). Acoustic-style bridge, four bridgepins are actually strap endpins (larger to keep bass strings secure), and are of low quality. Roundwound strings were mounted. Purchase included a gigbag.

Being used in an all-acoustic setting (bluegrass), and while it kicks out more "oomph" than most low-end aco-basses, it still needs some amplification for performance. Preamp is pretty good, the sculpting midrange is unique and helpful.

Shipped with too low of action, needed adjustment. Frets are poorly cut at ends, and can scratch fretting hand when moving up board. The bridgepins are poor quality, one was actually wedged in to place with plenty of masking tape. When removed and re-taped, it wouldn't hold string at all, and had to be re-worked with some filing.

Electronics are pretty reliable, although there is no way of knowing which way the 9-volt battery goes into the preamp without wiggling it in until it fits properly. Finish is what can be expected from these low-end instruments made in the Orient. It seems pretty reliable, especially as a backup bass.

There's been no need to contact company or seller (I'm not sure if Johnson even has any form of contact). I do most minor repairs myself, and so far, it's been easy

It has been relatively good for the practice sessions, alothough as more acoustic musicians come into the fold, it will be necessary to use a small practice-style amp. Definitel need an amp or plug into PA if using for performance. I have an Olympia (Tacoma offshoot) acosutic bass that is great, and if I considered that one a home run, then this Johnson would be a stand-up double. This one is much more basic, the feel of it is more rough on the neck, and is not as loud when unplugged. However, it would be a good purchase for someone needing and acoustic bass for occasional playing situations and can't fork over the $500-plus for more major brands.