Malden Motorbass

Brand new bass was Made In Korea I believe. 21 frets on rosewood board with Maple neck. Mahogany body with see through finish shows the nice grain. Single Jazz Bass type pickup in the traditional P bass location with a single Master Volume control. Passive electronics with a side mount jack. Heavy duty Fender style bridge with Fender style tuning keys on the unique headstock design. 34 inch scale.

I was drawn to this bass after seeing it featured in Bass Player last December in their Bass Shootout. I like the Precision style Mahogany body. I've always thought that Mahogany sounds great on a Fender type bass. I'm in a top 40 band and it seems to give the classic Fender tone and the single volume control is great because I like to keep my amp set at the same settings and usually just turn the bass volume down during breaks. I never us the tone control. I always keep them all the way up, so it is nice to do away with the control. The fit and finish are great for a bass in this price range. The neck is satin finish and is C shaped. The rosewood board has a nice inlay at the 12th fret and is very clean looking. The body has a nice arm contour and a unique body contour that really works much better than a traditional one. I thought it looked strange at first but it really does work. I also like the oval pickguard surrounds for the pickup and volume control and the cool headstock. Lots of people dislike these features, but I think they look great.

The bass was close to being in tune when I took it out of the box. It was set with medium action and all I had to do was lower it a bit and not even touch the truss rod. I will be changing the strings to ones I prefer though as it comes with generic nickle rounds and I'm going to use Thomastik Jazz Flats on it. The pickup was adjusted perfectly. A slight downward angle as it approaches the E string. No flaws at all that I can see. The bass played well up and down the neck. Great fit and finish for this price!

I plan on using the bass in a live setting. I'm sure it will have no problems holding up. The hardware is good and the finish is very nice. The strap buttons are well designed and should hold up well. I would depend on this bass to provide a solid foundation for the 70's style funk music we play during a set. I would take it without a backup as it is passive and no battery to worry about.

I've only had the bass for a few days but did email the Malden company on a Friday night, not expecting to hear from them until Monday. To my surprise someone was working late and replied to my email. They directed me to a place where I could purchase the bass and the transaction was flawless. I got the bass I wanted and it was more than I expected. The customer service gets high ratings, which is rare these days.

I've played many basses in the last 27 years. I own other vintage basses by Guild, Gibson, Fender, and National. If this bass were lost or stolen I'd buy another in a second. I love the looks of the Mahogany body and the simplicity of the controls. I only wish I'd gotten the case with the bass now, but any Fender type case would work. My favorite features are the Mahogany body and the single volume control. I'd say it is right up there with the mass produced Fender basses in this same price range, only with a more unique look and feel. I chose this bass because it looked great and the reviews sounded good. I'd recommed anyone looking for something a bit different to try this out. They also make a black version with a Basswood body and matching headstock that is a bit cheaper.