Memphis Model B20

made in indonesia i dont kno when 20 frets, plwood body maple neck rosewood fingerboard,black with black pickguard, stock was ok but here are my mods: gotoh tuners, mighty mite bridge schaller straplock and pbx pickups and stung with rotosound swing 66's.

stock was standard p-bass but saw this pick up cheap on ebay so had it installed sounds almost the same with better range though.

got at pawn shop had it setup up a local music store so cant rate.

this bass with care will be able to handle anything u throw at it.

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sweet bass with cheap mods well woth the price.

was told it was a 79'-82'. pretty sure it was made in japan. sparkle blue finish with tortoise pickguard. p-bass style pickups. neck is fucking awesome and worn to hell. fender style headstock had a burn inbetween one of the tuning machines. i had to have it. $100. heard fender sued these dudes, and its totally understandable. it sounds just like a fender.

i'll put it this way, im selling my fender jazz bass because my memphis sounds better than it. its very bright, and has amazing lows as well. sounds amazing through a big muff. i use a 68' kustom 2x15 cabinet with matching head. i play in indie rock bands.

action needed alot of work when i got it. broke the nut the first week i had it too. after a basic setup at a shop its perfect.

seems fine the one show i played with it. never went out of tune once. its a little heavy at times, but the tone is very well worth it. its a tank.

whats this now?

been playing for about 3 years. ive had a rickenbacker, a fender musicmaster, and a jazz bass...the memphis is honestly the best of them all for tone and overall performance. seriously if you see one of these buy it.

I got this bass for free from my stepdad who played in the 90's I've been trying to find out more about it. So far I only go that it was made in Memphis in the 80's. I'm 14 and have been playing for 2 1/2 years and have always used this. The original pickups were really cheap but I got some new fender ones put in. It's a copy of the p-bass (post lawsuit) the features are overall are ok, they have held up really well except the strap pegs come off like everyone else is saying.

My band plays a lot of 80's metal and Pink Floyd type stuff. It works well but it is a little to quiet. I use it with an Ampeg cab, and it sounds fine. Better for studio.

The setup was nice but I have to get the neck straitened out a lot. The original pickups were crap so get some new ones...thats about my only complaint with this. Not to many flaws but it rattles a bit. I have the Sunburst finish and it looks pretty snazzy ;)

THis bass has been through hell and back and it still sounds great. like I said, strap buttons will pop off but thats all Its lasted as long as its been livin and thats good enough for me.

No warranty....company out of business

Great bass...I reccomend it to any beginners.

I have three Memphis P-basses, 2 are "Pre-Lawsuit" with exact Fender style headstocks and both of them say Made in Japan on the neck plate. The 3rd is post-lawsuit with a different headstock and nothing to indicate country of origin. All 3 are exact P-bass copies with fairly thick necks and maple fretboards. One is sunburst and has a fairly light, real wood body. The other two are solid colors and have heavy plywood bodies. All three have top loaded, not through the body bridges, plastic nuts, passive electronics, etc. All three had screw holes for vintage style bridge and pickup covers, as well as thumb rests, but all covers are missing. I may add the covers to one of them someday and return it to pure vintage form.

They sound like P-basses. Plain and simple. My original has been upgraded several times, currently it has a graphite nut, Badass II bridge and active MEC pickups out of a Warwick. That sounds the best, IMHO, but the other two are stock and sound exactly like vintage P-basses should, at a fraction of the price.

Very hard to tell how the factory set these up, since they are of unknown age. Plus they are fairly cheap basses so they tend to get abused more than they deserve. The strap pegs do tend to come loose, and the tuners rattled on my post-lawsuit edition. The pre-lawsuit tuners seem better quality.

Once they're in my hands are are being cared for properly, they hold up decently. The necks are not particularly stable, often requiring a set-up every few months, and the frets are prone to wear. When I was playing my original memphis a lot (gigging hard 2-6 nights a week on it!) I was getting a level and re-crown done every 6 months or so. I did break a tuner peg on my original, but that can happen on any bass with vintage style clover leaf tuners. I also ended up re-pairing the wiring a lot, but since it was not the original wiring I consider that moot. I bought my 3rd Memphis as a backup to my main bass. I had been carrying around my 1st Memphis as a backup but it is both too sentimental and too temperamental to be an effective backup.

Does anybody know who this company was, and how to contact them? I'm just curious, as I love these basses. I've played some newer Memphis's and they suck... the old P's really rival and sometimes beat Fender P's in sound, vibe and quality. I'd love to know who made these and shake their hand!

I bought my first bass, a memphis, when I was 17 and that was 11 years ago. I have been gigging hard for around 7 years, first on the Memphis, then on a Warwick 5 string, and now my Sadowsky 5 string. I've had a lot of bass amps, currently SWR Redhead with a custom preamp tube. I have a degree in music theory/composition, with electric bass as my primary instrument. I love these basses! They don't compare to my $3700 Sadowsky, but they compare favorably to lower end Fender P-basses, in fact when set up right they blow away anything Fender has to offer. I've yet to see another bass player pick one of these 3 up and not be impressed and surprised with how great a bass it is. I thought maybe it was a fluke that my first Memphis was so great, and so far it is my favorite, but all 3 are really nice basses and will stay with me forever. You simply can't beat them for the price, especially if you want a vintage style P-bass as part of your stable for blues jams, etc, or for learning.

No real features. A Fender P copy. One P-style pickup. Simple basic bass. Decent 4 string 20 fret neck, plywood body.

For what it is it sounds pretty good. Good resonance all things considered. Has a slight fret buzz, but nothing that makes it through the amp. It's a Memphis. Just the fact it says that on the head stock is enough for me.

Had to adjust the tension rod a bit, back and forth trying to get the action set. After that, works well. Finish is decent, for a used trash bass, it has held up well.

Reliable and durable. Dropped smacked, used as a drum stick, and never shown any signs of failing. We get a bit enthusiastic jambing and has held up well.

N/A. Company long gone. Made in mid 80's in Memphis.

This is my first bass, used to learn on, and I still use it. It's just got too much character to put it up for too long. Plays well, and for what I play works well.

This bass was made in the USA. I am not sure of the year. It has 20 frets with a volume and tone control. It has a passive P type pickup. I am not sure the body but the neck i think is maple with rosewood fretboard. The finsih I got was sunburst which is really good looking. The body is precison style and the bridge is string through. Stock Tuners but they work fine. I give it a 9 because it works with what it has, but there is always room for improvement.

I play funk, rock, blues, and other types of music and this bass suits it perfectly. I have only played it through my peavey basic 60 combo and it sounds great through it so it will sound even better through my main rig. The bass is dead quiet. I can't get and hiss out of it at all. The sound is full and can be very dark, but it can also be bright with the right EQ. The bass can't get a variety of sounds, but it still works with all types of music. This bass is more of a studio bass because of the quiet electronics, but i think it would work fine in a gig situation. I play through a ibanez phathead distortion, bp200, rocktec flanger, and Dod icebox chorus and it is all good. The only thing that i dont like is the pick up has a very low output.

I did not purchase this bass new, so I cannot say how the action was. But none of the controls have crapped out on me or anything.

I think this bass will withstand live playing. The hardware will last but i still upgraded it just for my pleasure. The finish seems to last fine. The only problem is the strap buttons. They fall off all the time. I think i could depend on this bass. The truss rod needs to be adjusted with the change of seasons like most basses. I never gig without a backup but i guess i could.

I have been playiong for about 4 years. I own a jazz bass and a 5 string fretless cort curbow. I got this bass for free so i dont have any problems with it. I probably wouldn't 'buy' a new one but if i could get it for free again i would. I liked this bass better than my jazz because my jazz makes too much noise. The only thing i wish this bass had was active pickups but thats just my personal opinion.

I ahave no idea when it was made. But I recieved the original strings with it. It was made in the USA. It has 22 or 20 frets, I get confused sometimes. But its a fourstring. It has a solid top. With a sound and volume and tone. The neck is I think maple. or it could be ash... But the neck is really thin, and that helps a lot when im tring to fly over the fret board. I bought mine usedm for a reaal good price. $60. With a 75 watt amp, gig bag, tuner, and some sheet music. It was the one the Hank Williams Jr.'s bass player used.

I love its sound. just what i like, strong start and a lower ending. When used with the right amp and right setting. I set the lows to a
-6 and the highs to a 9. then change arouond the harmonic levels on the amp. lows are set lower, and highs are heard more. It start shaking the room on 5 pre and 2 post. It can change from dark full sound to rich warm tones in the same measure if needed. Not to mention it can get bright when needed also. I think that it would be good for either stage or studio, cause it looks good, and sounds great.

I did not need any adjustments. It was ready for me!

Of course, it is a very sturdy piece of equipment, i wouldnt try to bash it on the stage, but very sturdy. Its just that my strap is old and i need a new one. Always have backup, even the beest epuipment breaks.

Never had to repair it. But we have a shop in town thats really customer based.

Been playing for a year. I own another cheap Squire. No questions needed. But yes i would definatly rebuy this bass. A ibenez, it was too expensive and would probaly get stolen before this one would. A new 5-string or a extended neck Ibenez.

Well I'm not too sure what year it was made, or where it was made, I got it from an ex-boyfriend, and I wanted to start playing bass so he gave it to me. All I had to do was pay 60 bucks to repair it. It has 20 frets, and 4 strings. The pickup is missing a couple of screws, I don't think my ex took very good care of it. It has one volume knob and one tone knob which get very sticky at times. The pickup I believe is passive. The body and neck seem to be made of some sort of cheap plywood. It has a sparkly green finish which I find to be the most attractive part of the appearance. Stringing the instrument is quite a challenge because of it's small size. It has a thin neck which makes it exceedingly easy to play compared to any normal sized bass I have played. When I got it the top strap peg had been broken off and replaced with a screw (how cheap is that) but it works and it doesn't fall off..(because obviously it had before.)

I prefer to play a lot of funk, punk, and metal. When I play metal I use my BOZZ Distortion DS-1 pedal which makes wicked effects. Playing fast solos is exceedingly difficult because of the short neck, making smaller frets, and you have to play very carefully. I am currently using a Marshall guitar amp..I have it set so I can get a nice clear sound out of it until I can afford an actual Bass amp. It has a rich full sound which I do like, kinda sharp though at times. It is good to practice in, but as for doing live shows, I don't think so. I like it's sound and it's look, but I just don't like it's overall quality.

It wasn't set up very well at all. The wiring was done very poorly. Often the controls would become flimsy and wouldn't work because the wiring inside was done wrong. Some of the wires would become disconnected so you would have to sauder them back together. The pickups were adjusted alright, sort of crooked but nothing too bad. There was just a few knicks here and there from the previous owner's temper, but that's about it.

I think you could play this bass live, but it wouldn't sound the best. The hardware lasts just as long as you remember to check up on everything every once and a while to make sure everything is still together. The finish is great, I haven't had any problems with it. It stays beautiful and glossy turquoise. The strap button on the bottom is fine but the first one isn't even there, it is just a screw, so I am guessing the previous owner lost it. It is a pretty dependable instrument, but I can't wait to get a new one. It's a great beginnger instrument. I have never had to adjust the neck rod, it is firmly in place. Yes I would use it on a gig, I am very comfortable with the instrument and wouldn't have any trouble playing it live. In fact I would do even better with it just because I am so comfortable with it.

N/A

I have been playing a year exactly this month. I own two cords, a BOSS DS-1 distortion pedal, a gig bag, and a Marshall guitar amp. I am quite the beginnger player huh? I wish I would've known more about the instrument before I got it. But I am glad I have it. I love playing bass more then almost anything. If it were stolen or lost I would be devastated...it was my first bass..But I would buy something else. I love it's sound and overall look. I hate how many problems it has. I love the style of it the best. I didn't pick the bass because of the bass itself, I picked it just because I needed a bass. I wish it was bigger. I suggest that you get this instrument as a beginniner instrument, but it isn't a bass you would want to use long-term.

Got this bass in 1998 with 20 frets and 4 strings. It has a black finish, 2 controls a volume and tone, P passive pickups. This is your typical P-style bass.

I use 115ga strings on this for that deep sound and so I can get a stable drop-c with none of the muddiness. I use it with a Gallien-Krueger 300B head as a pre-amp and a QSCAudio 850 Power amp and a Peavey 215 cab. I get a clean crisp and warm sound with this rig. I tried the same bass with a different pre-amp(my Crate BX-15), and was not too pleased too much mids too much noise. So I'm stickin with the 300B for a while as a pre-amp or until Gallien-Krueger makes a pre-amp, which should be coming soon.

Also when I put a grunge distortion(DOD FX-69B) and a Danelectro Pepperoni Phaser I get a nice evil sound but it is gonna need compression when I use these effects. Because the bass tends to make alot of unwanted pops especially when I tremolo pick.

And with the right equipment this bass sounds quite alright. And I'm not ashamed of the small size because it sounds pretty phat.

I've had this bass for 4 years. It's headstock fell on a sliding glass door rail and broke a piece of the rail off and the only apparent damage is the bent tuning peg which has not been replaced yet because it don't need replacing. I've carried this in the rain and it fell headfirst onto hard pavement leaving me a few dents a scrapeson the head, still playin it. I've personalized it by beating it with a iron chain, still sounds great. I've scraped parts of the body on the pavement cause I felt like it, still sounds great. I've kept this thing in my trunk for about a year and has been in the scorching heat, still sounds great.

And after 4 years of the abuse and my hard poundings on the e-string, the plastic bridge near the head has broken. But no biggie it still sounds great hehe. A little frizz here and there. So when I get this thing repaired I'm gonna try and raise the plastic bridge to get rid of some of the frizz if at all possible.

Never had to deal with them.

This is my first and only bass of 4 years. I've heard other basses and they sound better than this, but if it were lost or stolen I would buy another one or better depending on my money situation. My goal is to go 5-string but if I have to I can go down to B or even A on this bass, but dont wanna spend my time tuning.

My bass rig:
QSCAudio 850 power amp (using left channel only)
Gallien-Krueger 300B head (pre-amp)
Peavey 215 cab (discontinued 30 year old cab)

Effects:
Danelectro Pepperoni Phaser
DOD Grunge Distortion FX-69B

This is just a cheap precision bass copy. It has one P pickup, a volume control, and a tone control - nothing too special. It has an agatis body and a maple neck. The neck is very short and pretty thin too. I bought this bass about 5 years ago as a first bass and it was just something to get started with.

I play all different kinds of music: anything from rock, punk, metal, jazz, blues, funk, and everything in between. I've found that this bass is the best for punk because of it's simple, basic bass sound. This is definately not the bass for a low-end lover, but you can get a nice, punchy midrange sound out of it. I would say high end is average, but it's not the best bass for soloing. My only gripe is I like a bass with variety and you can't really get too many different sounds out of this one. However, I must say that it does sound quite nice with a distortion pedal while playing power chords.

The action was almost the way I like it when I got it. I had to lower the string height at the bridge a little though because the pickups are kind of weak. It came with a nice shiny black finish - no complaints there. This bass is very easy to play because of the small neck. It's great for beginners of people with small hands. I have a Fender now though and it is very awkward switching from that to the Memphis because there is a HUGE difference in the neck size. It's not a bad thing, just a matter of preference. I also found that I have to have the thickest strings I can find on this bass, otherwise the E string is kind of flappy and buzzes if you hit it too hard.

This bass is very light, so you can play it standing up for several hours without feeling any strain on the shoulder. The pickup is not in the body very well and it will wiggle if you press on it too hard. It is a pretty cheap bass (well what do you expect for a price like that?), but I beat on this thing and it's still together. I suppose if you drop it a few times it won't last, but mine is still in perfect condition after hours of hard playing.

I've never had a problem with it that I couldn't fix myself, so I have no opinion on this,

I will always love this bass and I would never get rid of it because it was my first and this is what I learned on. I ust say that if it wasn't for the small neck of this bass that I wouldn't be as good of a player as I am now (even though I do prefer long scale basses now). I don't think you can get a better bass for this price brand new. I highly recommend this bass to beginners.