Kawai F2B 110KS

This bass is incredible! I got it barely used (it was a Kawai rep's demo) for $900 about 3 years ago. I really love it but looking at what other people paid, I should have talked the guy down more. It's an 18v active preamp bass so you'd think there would be tons of tonal control but there's really not. It does well for what I like to play but I pretty much keep it set the same (both pick-ups, mid boost switched off and vol and tone all the way up) though I switch to just the neck pick-up for jazz. Its also a visually stunning bass though a bit heavy. The satin finish is sooooo nice!

Great sound, needs a bit more control. No buzz! I run it through a Trace Elliot AH350smx (I thinks that's right?? It's not here in front of me! You know the one, it's got the black light front panel.) and a Mesa 4x10 cab. I'm looking at getting an Ampeg SVT 810 though because me band is taking off and I need a bit more sound for bigger venues.

Amazing action, I had to lower it a bit when I got it, but it's stayed put.

I've fitted strap locks to it. I have no other basses put together right now so I always use it with no back up. I have no worries about that though. The only falw I've had with the construction was the pick-up screw thing came out of the wood, it just seems the drilled hole was a bit too big, I put a bit of glue on it and tapped it back in and Ive had no more problems.

I guess these were discontinued a while ago so I have no clue about support.

Even with the lack of control over tonality, I still give this bass a 10.

This bass is Alembic like. It has a 5 piece maple/mahogany neck thru body. The body has a maple core that is capped with zebrawood on front and back. Rosewood fretboard. The headstock is capped with rosewood and has a mother-of-pearl eagle inlay. 2 Kawai humbucking pickups, 2 volume, 2 tone, pickup selector, 2 tone select switches, and active electronics with 2 9 volt batteries. Gold Gotoh tuners, a brass Heavy duty Kawai bridge with strings thru the body. This is an awesome bass that is definately worth much more than I paid for it.

I play Rock, Jazz, and Country and this bass suits them all. The active electronics can get everything from bell-like highs to deep dark lows and everything in between. There is no hum at all. It's equally adept both studio and stage use.

I bought this bass used, so I don't know how it was set up at the factory. When I got it the action was a little high for my liking, but a little truss rod adjustment and pridge adjustment got the strings very close th o the frets with no buzz. The bridge was a little tarnished, but some metal polish took care of that. The bickup screw ferrules came out of the body, but a little glue took care of that.

This bass is built like a tank and can withstand almost anything. That one truss rod adjustment when I got it is all it ever needed. I never gig without a backup, but I never had to use my backup bass when playing this bass so I think you wouldn't need a backup with this one. It came with schaller straplocks that were fermly attached to the body. The gloss finish is very good.

I've been playing for 21 years and have always wanted an Alembic. This bass is made just like one for 1/8th the price. The tonal quality and overall quality of this bass is top notch. I'm looking to buy another one right now, so if this one were stolen I would be devistated. I wish Kawai would start selling these basses in America again.

This is a Japanese Made 4 string bass, modeled somewhat after the Alembic Series II bases. I bought it new in 1998 but think it was made some years prior. It is a 34" scale 24 fret(?) neck through body. It has a rosewood fingerboard with medium frets. The body is covered in what looks like zebra wood, ahd has a really nice large grain pattern. This is a very attractive bass. It has an 18 volt active preamp with large soapbr type pickus, and dual volume and tone controls. It also has a coil switch for each pickup. Tuners and bridge are gold finish Schallers.

This bass is on the heavy side; in fact it seems to weigh a ton!. Further, its not all that well balanced (the neck dends to dive). Also, with the cut off bottom horn, (ala Alembic) it really digs in to your thigh when you play sitting down. This is not the most comfortable bass by any means. Sore back for sure after a night of jumping around.

I bought the bass for the tone and the looks. It has the Alembic type sound, real fat and full, but with a great deal of high end if you want it. I like the Phil Lesh type sound, very 'round' and defined, and this is getting there. I use it thru tube heads,(Ampeg and now the big Boogie 400+) and use a pick. It has that warm yet defined sound. I heard a really advanced player slap on it once at a music store, and I thought that sounded fairly good as well. Its not a great J-bass sound in my opinion, as the bridge pick up is somewhat thin and flat/scratchy to my ear. There a good bit of tonal flexibility with the coil switches ,which seem to go from a single to stacked setting. However, I dont particulary like the alternative settings, and pretty much always just use the neck pickup and 'middle' coil tap setting.

Excellent craftsmanship. Ths base is made very well. THe fretwork is clean and the wood work is very nice. They could improve the battery placement thought. The two 9 volts just sit in the cavity on top of the other pots and wires. They should have retianer clips. Also, the pickup mounting screw anchors seem to come out alot so the pickups get loose alot. They can be banged or glued in for a tighter fit.

Good: I had 1 internal pick up wire come off during a gig, and resodered it in 2 seconds. THe neck has never moved in two years, and the bass seems very solid.

Dont know. I did get ahold of the Kawai company when I had a question on getting a form fitted case. They arean US distributir for Kawai and of course are 98% piano oriented. They say they stock parts, but who knows!.

For the $$$ this bass is great for me. It has a really nice look, and the neckplays very nicely. More importantly it has a great sound for the big defined Grateful Dead type sound, (which I know is notthe most popular out there). I've seen these go on EBAY for like $450, and at that price its a steal.