Kawai RB865A

-Made in Japan I believe in 1988.
-24 Fret, 4 String
-Solid Ash, Natural Finish
-Lousy stock electronics were replaced by Bartolini active pickups with a Volume, Bass, Treble, and Pan knob.
-Graphite Neck, Bolt on.
-Schaller Tuners
-Came with case, though it doesn't fit right - I stuff a towel in to keep the bass from moving around in the case.

I guess I have to say this bass is my style. I have owned a dozen basses since buying this 15 years ago, and I have sold every one of them. I always keep something as a backup on stage, but I've rarely played anything else.

I use a GK 400RB head with a SWR WorkingMan's 2x10 Cabinet.

The bass has a very bright tone, very punchy midrange. I find to get a nice deep, shake your balls kind of sound out of it, you need a compressor and it helps to tune down to D.

It's incredible in the studio - I don't even use a direct box, just run it straight into the board.

Action is amazing. I have not made any significant changes to the setup since I bought it. This thing has withstood tons of abuse, drops, falls, spilled beer, etc. I get a little rust on the bridge now and then but it cleans up easy with a couple passes of #000 steel wool.

The clean finish is amazing. Only a couple small chips after all this time and some dulling from my belt buckle scraping the back.

Electronics still perfect, but as I mentioned it was gutted and replaced with Bartolini insides by an amazing luthier in Georgia, Greg Curbow.

I can't say enough about how tough this thing is. It has outlasted 3 bass amps, an entire PA, several straps. I have done stupid things like knock over cymbal stands with the thing and still haven't hurt it. I use it on gigs all the time without a backup. The more important the gig, the more likely I am to bring a backup, but I've probably only used a backup once or twice in 15 years.

Never dealt with them, but don't expect any support. They haven't imported basses to the US in over 10 years. If something breaks, take it to a good luthier.

I've been playing for 17 years. If something happened to this bass I might just quit playing.

I bought my Kawai bass in 1987 and it has been with me as my only bass for the past 16 years. Obviously I'm a huge fan of it. It's got great active EQ, a wonderful tone and solid hardware. For a Japanese bass this one is exceptional. Although it was available with a graphite neck I got the all-wood version.

The sound is very warm and rich due to the active EQ. I currently have it going through a GK1001RB amp with two cabs, 1 with 4-10s and the other with 1 15". I get a little grounding feedback sometimes, not sure what is the cause and it's infrequent.

The bass looks great. It has a natural wood finish with the ebony fret board. Even though I've had it for years the bass is and always was quite comfortable and light.

I've been playing this bass steadily for 16 years and it only let me down once - problem with the electronics. Also, towards the beginning the neck warped and I shipped it back to Japan for replacement (no problem since).

The only exposure to CS that I had was shipping it back to get the neck replaced in 1989 (or there-abouts) No problems.

I highly recommend this bass. It has given me many, many great years and is still going strong. What more could you ask from an instrument?

this is a Japaneese 5 string, extended bolt on neck, gold hardwear, and a glossy white finish. the body is white ash, hard maple neck, Schaller bridge, Kawai pickups. Wolume, balance, bass and treble.

i thought that the sound, although it had a great botom end, did not perform quite as well with the treble. I was always able to get the desired sound out of it, no matter what i was looking for. This bass performs even better in the recording studio.

i thought that the action was great, i had to get the neck ajusted because the dealer improperly stored it and the neck was warped. they fixed it for free and i have been happy with it ever since. it feel better than any other bass i have ever played to this date, standing or sitting. the paint job, although not in a desirable color, was painted and finished beautifully.

other than the neck warping, the only other problem i have incountered was the 1/4 inch jack, it came loose and i needed to replace it. weather that was faulty construction or constant abuse; i will never know. The rest is in tip-top shape.

absolutely none; other than an e-mail adress on thier rather pekid website, i have found no warranty or customer support number. But whenever i bring it to a guitar shop to be tuned up, i always get guitar junkies pining over it, asking my where i got it.

if i ever came across another Kawai bass, i would buy it in a second. Many people say that Japaneese guitars are inferior, but Kawai has proved them all wrong by surpassing them all in Quality, Price, and performance. I play bass for Forty Eight Rooms, an East Coast band that enjoys great success. Visit www.48rooms.com!!!

I bought my Kawai in 1999, I think it's made in japan. It's a 24 fret, 34" scale, bolt-On 5-String with the E and B Strings Thru-Body. She's got a beautiful satin finish USA white ash body, and rosewood finger board. The bridge is a Schaller(Gold), tuners are Gotho(Gold). As for electronics, 2 Kawai 5S Pickups (J style) with 9V Active Circuit, Master Volume, Pickup Balance Control Bass, Cut/Boost ?18dB, Treble Cut/Boost ?12dB. . Kawai's electronics are not too bad, but I'd love to hear this think with a pair of Bartolini's in it. A simple but refined looking bass

I play mostly jazz and funk, this bass works well for me. I can get a good percussive slap, or a mellow warm growl for finger style. I play with DR Lo-Rider strings, through a Carvin RSP Preamp, Makie 1400i Power amp, to a Peavey 4-10 cab. I took me a little while to get the tone I wanted, the DR's really helped, But now I love the tone I'm getting. It never gets noisy (wiring and shielding were done nicely). I did however have to repair a noisy outputjack, but that was a quick fix. Stands out well on stage,but I've yet to hear it on a recording.

I had to tweek the setup a bit out of the box to suit my liking. Just a small truss rod adjustment, and I lowered the neck pickup and raised the bridge pickup to even out the tone. A few frets had sharp corners that needed a quick file too. That's about all I had to do though. The action is super low, no fret buzz. The neck is real straight. I could not find any flaws in the finish.

I've been gigging with this bass for about a year. I've never had to use my back up bass. Nothing has ever failed on this bass yet.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been playing bass for 10 years. This is my third bass. I played a Peavey T-40 before this bass for 7 years. I needed a fuller jazzy tone, but could not afford a the Fender or Musicman I wanted. For what I payed I think this bass is an incredable deal. Good solid mid-level bass.