Rogue VB100 Violin Bass

I am not quite sure about the year on this bass, for I bought it used. Probably 2000 or 2001. It is made in Korea. It seems that in order to get a nice, cool bass that doesn't cost your left nut, it probably needs to be Korean or Japanese made and stuff. This bass has Hofner - style electronics, which aren't that great, but if you have an amp that doesn't totally suck as far as EQ settings and such go, this shouldn't matter. There is a movable bridge. Also, roundwound strings came with these, and it sounded pretty good... but I switched to flatwounds because the sound would be more authentic and hey - you won't slap and pop on this thing anyway, because it would break in half. It is a beautiful instrument. The pickguard is cheap, but, in way, it adds to the character of the instrument. Hell, if you really want, you can buy Hofner parts to replace a lot of the cheap stuff on it, but I don't care... it looks and feels great! oh yeah - rosewood finger board, and if you keep roundwounds on, they will dig into the fingerboard like a knife... I give it an 8 because it looks so trippy.

I play in a Madison band which plays original guitar rock... the music is very 70's-ish. I also like to play in the same style as James Jamerson, the great Motown bassist, and this bass really punches on our music. BOOM!!! It thumps! It sounds well when played high or low... I recently recorded a CD with it, and its presence was better than my Peavey Fury 2 bass. Great sound!

I don't know how the factory set this up - yeah, it's used. The setup was fine... I just changed the strings and raised the bridge so the buzzing on the frets would stop. So, if it buzzes, try raising the bridge... it worked for me!

I've played this bass for the past 3 months. I rehearse with my band twice a week for 2 hours at a time. Also, our gigs last around 2 hours too, and it's held up so far. I need to get a hard case for it. I like this thing so much I don't want to break it!! I use a cool-ass beaded wooden strap that probably weighs more than the axe, so the guitar is very light and easy to carry. I use my Peavey for the slap-pop stuff we do, so I already have a backup if the thing breaks or not... So far, though, it is a very reliable axe.

Geez.... I don't even know if there is a number or email for this place(Rogue???)... I guess Musicians Friend is the Nationwide distributor for this, so if something wack happens, I call them, I guess.

I've been playing for 5 years, and I am self-taught. I hold a degree in Music Ed, and I am working on another degree. So, I know a lot about instruments and what's good (or what's not). I own a peavey Fury2 bass, which is a good bass for a good price, an ESP LTD fretless bass, which is huge and fun to play, and I have a Fender Geddy Jazz on it's way to me, just so I can have a durable Fender in my Arsenal (all bassists should!!). I play on a 70's peavey 115bw combo amp that weighs about 40000 pounds (its got wheels on it!!). I tired out the Hofner reissue. I like this one better. It feels better and sounds just as good. Also, I don't have to worry about accidentally breaking a 1500 dollar Hofner, because it is just as fragile as my Rogue! I would probably try to get another one if it was stolen or lost. It is sweet!! I love how small the scale is, and the action is awesome. It looks totally cool, and I identify with this bass. I really don't have anything I hate about it. it feels better than the rest of my basses, but hey - they all feel good. You see, I own cheaper basses. You might think that I have them because I am cheap. However, I could by a more "professional" bass..... but why? I pick the ones that feel good and look good...and SOUND good! This has it all!

The Rogue VB100 Violin Bass is a really nice ( for any amount of money) 2001 Korean made instrument. It is simply amazing to see the fine quality instruments coming out of Korea and China for very economical prices. The VB100 is not an exact copy of the Hofner Beatle Bass. The bridge, tailpiece, pickups, control console (upside down compared to Hofner) and head stock (doesn't say Hofner) are noticably different. But it looks pretty close to the real thing,anyway. A beautiful sun burst finish - no flaws that I can see on mine. Really nice neck,easy low action. The short scale is great for mainly guitar players like myself.

I am primarily a guitar player, but to me the Rogue sounds great and pretty much spot on for early Beatles stuff (when they had the best sound!). I can't imagine anyone buying this bass who hates the Beatles. On the low strings it does sound like a grand piano. I like the sound best in solo position with the treble switch off. Another good feature is you can put it on standby by turning the treble and bass switches both off. You know, I don't see that the round wound strings are bad. It still sounds like Pauls's sound to me. Again I am a guitar player and don't have a lot of bass experience. I have been using it through a custom (made by me) cabinet with a Peavy Black Widow 15" speaker and a solid state Mark III Peavy bass head. Really easy to play - the short scale allows similar fingering to guitar -not so much stretching as on a Fender bass. I use a pick which Paul primarily did, too.

There was a foam piece (shipping protection) below the bridge that you should remove. But then you need to reset and intonate the instrument. I found I had to move the bridge about 1/2" closer to the rear pickup to intonate proerly. But the factory setup is low, and it does buzz a little if you play hard. But no big deal. I didn't touch the pickup heights. Again no flaws of any kind that I have seen yet.

I don't gigg with a bass, so I can't speak as to durability. But this violin bass probably will not work in a bar fight as well as a Fender bass. So keep that in mind. If one uses a small amount of common sense and care, this instrument will hold up. It is somewhat fragile and light, but that is the nature of the beast. If you can't take care of it don't take it out where it could get hurt. Just about everyone says that they feel the Rogue is as good or better than the real Hofner. If the Hofner can take it, so can the Rogue. But it is light so I give it an 8.

Never dealt with Musician Friend for any probelms, so I have no idea if they are good or not so good on service.

Been playing for 35 years. Used to be in bands but now am a serious guitar hobbyist. Again I am amazed how good imported instruments have become in the low and moderate price levels. And I am utterly amazed and astonished at how poorly finished most Gibson instruments (accoustic and electric) are these days. It is a crime what Gibson charges for inferior finished instruments. I am opininated for sure. But I have played and seen a lot of different brands. For what it is worth Rickenbacker never went sour on quality. If you are a guitar or bass player and a fan of the Beatles(and Paul) this Rogue is as close to a Hofner as you can get. If you have the money get a Hofner, but for less than $300 this Rogue is pretty close. I have Fender Jazz bass, and I like the Rogue better. I could rattle on for days on guitars and guitarmaker. Get a Rogue VB100 and you won't be sorry. And you don't need flatwound strings to have it sound good.

Bought this Bass in 2002. Violin shape Hofner copy. Does NOT have a tone control, just two volume controls and switches, like the Hofner. I suggest adding an external tone adjust or a bass equalizer for best sound.

Excellent sound. I was surprised. In order to get the good sound you have to do the following:

Remove the strings and throw them away
Buy Flatwounds - D'Addario, Pyramid or similar.
Purchase a real Hofner bridge and bring it to a qualified guitar repair person for modification, if you are not good with this stuff, as mentioned in previous reviews. The bridge makes a difference. It is made from ebony wood whereas the one that comes with the bass is rosewood and is flimsy. The ebony probably conducts the vibrations to the body better.

The Action, fit and finish on the bass was quite good except the bridge was cracked, most likely in shipping. The bass was purchased from musicians friend and they have a very weak shipping department. The people who work in shipping do not understand how to pack electronic or acoustic equipment so make sure you are very firm with the sales people on the phone about packing your stuff well.

The neck is excellent. You can play fast walking bass lines quite easily with this instrument.

Looks like it will hold up OK. Nothing loose. Get a hard case.

Musicians friend, the importer of this fine instrument, has many very friendly and helpful sales people but their technical support is just about non-existant. The best you can hope for is to exchange something that doesn't work or you are not happy with. This they will do for you without issue. If you are looking for any real technical info, forget it, go to a local shop or look it up on-line yourself.

This bass, despite the bridge and crappy strings is a very good, well playing instrument if you like the '60s beatles sound and is not limited to just that. You can get kind of a twangy sound out of it if you have an amp with good tone adjustments.

For the price, you can't go wrong. Just insist on proper packing of the box, buy new flatwound strings, Get Hofner bridge and have it modified and for about $300 bucks you will have a really nice Bass.

The features are exceptional. Even the rhythm/solo switch is cool. There are, however, 3 areas needing attention. The strings should be replaced with stainless flatwounds in my opinion. I use LaBella's. The pickguard looks ok but like plastic mother of pearl. I replaced it with a beautiful 3 ply white pearloid pickguard made for me at Precision Guitar in Phoenix ($25). http://www.precisionguitar.net/ for anyone interested. The third area needing attention is the control knobs. It would have been nice to have the old style teacup knobs or resemblance.

I've had 2 Hofners, this has more punch and depth in my opinion.

Never was able to get my Hofners with as low action. I did have to lower the action from the factory set up, no problem as you will probably want to change the strings anyway. The split top finish on mine did not match that well but with the pickguard on it isn't noticable.

I have no reason to believe this is not built as good or better than a Hofner.

Musicians Friend always has been good to me.

Perfectly happy with this bass. I'd replace it if stolen. The price is superb!

I have owned a Ric 4001, Fender Telecaster bass, Gibson EBO and a Fender P-bass but the Rogue VB-100 that I own now is my favorite. But for the life of me I can't understand why they are shipped with those terrible round wound strings. The bridge scares me somewhat but if a person wants to he can purchase a Hofner ebony bridge for around $50.00.

I love playing old Beatle songs and this bass is great for doing just that. I mostly play around the house or with friends so I don't need a monster amp. I use a small 30 watt amp with one 10" speaker. It suits me. I have no problems with this bass other than the two mentioned above.

I had to move the bridge up against the back pick-up which raised the strings just enough to get rid of some fret buzz on the E string. The action is very fast and smooth and if you play McCartney style you know that's important. The finish is beautiful and not at all like the picture on Musician's Friend's web site. All the controls work fine.

I would hope this bass could stand up to live gigs. I'm not an expert when it comes to truss rods so I don't know much about them. I do know a good bass when I play one and this is one.

Musician's Friend seems to be a decent company. I haven't had a problem with them in any of my dealings so far. Don't know about warranty because the bass arrived without any paperwork.

I have been playing on and off for 30 years. At this time this bass and a small amp is all I own. As I stated earlier I have owned a number of basses and amps but for some stupid reason(college graduation) I sold everything in order to krrp from starving while I looked for a job. I do love this bass although I wish I still had my old Ric 4001. If it were stolen I would buy another. This bass has a rich sound that will be even better when I put a set of flat wound strings on it.

I own two 2000 Rogue VB100's violin Beatle bass copys. They have 22 frets set in a rosewood fretboard. The bodys,sides,tops and bottoms are Gravure Mapel. They have a set neck. They use Mini Humbucker pickups with one volume and one tone controll with individual pickup selector and rythem/solo switches. Both finishs are Vintage Sunburst. They are a 30"scale bass. Adjustable bridge,mother of pearl pickguard and controll panel,chrome butterfly tuners,chrome trapeze tailpiece. One of them i purchased with a Rogue Hardshell case, the other one came with a Gig bag.

I play all McCartney's walking bass lines in all the Beatles songs, along with the albums or with friends. I also have a reissue 63 Hofner 500/1, 97 Epiphone Viola, and several vintage 60's and 70's Beatle bass copys. The Hofner of course when played along with the Beatles albums has the exact vintage sound that only a Hofner can deliver,espically all their old classics untill McCartney started playing Fender along with some other basses. BUT BEWARE----the Rogue VB100 does very, very well, when played along with the Beatles music!!The Rogue does just as good wether you're on stage or in the studio. The only BAD downfall is the strings that comes on these basses-------solution-----put on a GOOD set of stainless steel flatwounds, makes the Rogue VB100 come to life like you wouldn't believe !!!!!!!!! The amp i'm using for the basses is a vintage 1970 Fender Bassman 135 piggy-back.

These Rogue VB100 bases are pretty well set up ready to play from factory (with the exception of the string change!!!),i didn't have to adjust the pickup settings, but i did lower the bridge a bit(just above fret buzz),as i like a low action. All the frets are set perfectly in the fretboard, there were no flaws in the body,neck, frets,hardware,pickups,tuners or controlls,finish,etc.

I play both my Rogues as much as i play the Hofner or Viola, and it will withstand live playing, or anything type playing you may do. All the hardware i would say in my opinion, is just as good as whats on the Hofner and the Viola. This is one Beatle bass copy that you can depend on, either one of mine has ever had to have the neck reset,or any other type adjustments. I wouldn't worry about using either of my VB100's by themselves without a backup bass, YOU DON'T AND WON'T NEED A BACKUP !!!!!!

Never had to deal with the company, as i've never had any kind of problems from either bass !!!!!!!!!!! Can't remember about warranty, as i've never needed it !!!!!!!!!

I've been playing 30+years. Along with the two 2000 Rogue VB100's, 63 Hofner 500/1, 97 Epiphone Viola also have in the beatle bass copys a 60's green Greco w/F holes,60's Univox Lectra, 70's Crestwood. Six string guitars are 97 Epiphone Dot 335 in sunburst, 99 Epiphone Less Paul in sunburst, 65 Rocket Harmony 335 3 pickup in red, 99 Crestline 335 in maroon, 2001 Johnson accoustic in blueburst, vintage 1968 Fender Bandmaster piggy-back. I first purchased the Rogue because of its looks as to the Hofner, i like the Rogues well enough that one of them went through a complete look change, i used all 63 reissue Hofner 500/1 parts on it, perloid pickguard (trimmed a little to fit pickups),complete prewired perloid controll panel w/teacup knobs, tailpiece, bridge (had to shave 1/4" off height), white strap buttons, perloid tuning keys, necknut, truss rod cover, repainted head black and used large Hofner gold decal logo, pinstriped simulated head binding, put on a set of LaBella Deep Talkin Hofner Beatle bass strings and a 60's Beatle bass style strap. The other Rogue only got perloid tuning keys, teacup knobs and a set of the LaBella strings and the strap. I wouldn't sell either of my Rogue VB100's as i would my Hofner !!! As far as compairing it to other basses, i've got all the other basses worth compairing it to !!!!!!! JUST AS WELL MADE !!!!!!! SOUNDS JUST AS GOOD !!!!!!!

This is a 2001 Hofner clone made in Korea and sold exclusively by Musician's Friend (though I've seen an identical instrument sold by Jay Turser for much more money. I haven't counted the frets, but I think there are 21. It has a laminated spruce top with flame maple veneer. 2 pickups of unknown origin. Set neck and rosewood fingerbiard. Short (30") Scale. Has nice tuners that are easy to use -- much better than the tiny tuners on a real Hofner. It comes with roundwound strings that are terrible. It has the traditional Hofner layout with the volume controls swapped (i.e., the bridge pickup on the left and the neck on the right), on/off switches for each pickup and the "solo" switch treble boost switch.

If you're playing Beatles music, this is the only bass to use, unless you can afford a real Hofner. The roundwound strings that are supplied with it don't suit it at all. Others here have said that one must replace them with flatwounds. I'll go even further: you must replace them with the Pyramid brand strings made for the Hofner bass. If you do that, you willsound very very close to the real thing. Of course, at $65 a set, you'll be paying nearly 1/4 of the price of the bass just for new strings, but I think that its worth it. The Hofner bass has its own unique sound and with the right strings, this copy reproduces it very well. If you're not looking for that sound, you will be disapointed, because it isn't too versatile. But if you are, you won't find it anywhere else except Hofner.

The bass was set up reasonably well. The floating bridge had this piece of foam plastic underneath it that was hard to remove until I took all the strings off (not something I'd ever do ordinarily). The fit and finish is not bad: it has well applied binding and a nice paint job. The bookmatched maple veneer didn't line up in the center, which is ugly and stupid, but at this price, I'm not complaining (too much). I hated the volume and tone knobs, which are tiny, and originally replaced them with some stock Gibson knobs, but one day I came across a pair of vintage Hofner knobs and bought them. Another $30 sunk into this baby, and now the costs are starting to mount (but still much less than a vintage instrument). One thing that is a bit dificult about this instrument is setting the intonation. As supplied, the floating bridge was crooked, and as I said, had to be moved to remove the foam they put underneath it. You set the intonation by moving these metal bridge pieces that are set into the wood and also by moving the bridge itself forward and back. I tried this for a while trying to find the place where the intonation was best and I never could find the right spot, and also the bridge moves around anyway after you adjust it. So to prevent that, I moved it forward so that it rests right up against the bridge pickup and only used the inserts to adjust the intonation. This actually worked pretty well.

This instrument is pretty light-weight, so one can't tell how long it will last, but so what. At $240, you can always just buy another.

OK, this area is a problem. Musician's Friend customer service is great if all you are doing is buying or returning. But they know nothing about anything they sell. I've had numerous experiences asking them questions about studd I bought, and theynever know anything. In this instance, I asked to tell me (1) the gauge of the supplied strings and (2) where the correct position of the bridge is. As to the former, they were clueless and as to the latter, they implied that my instrument was broken because the bridge wasn't attached (worse than clueless).

I've been playing since 1968, bass, guitar and keyboards. I have 5 guitars of various brands, and one other bass (Rickenbacker). If it were stolen or lost, I'd get it again, as I play a lot of Beatle music, and this is the only way to get that sound at a reasonable price.

This Bass was purchased in Nov. of 1999 for $275 which included the hardshell case made by TKL and S&H from, you guessed it, Musicians Friend. Get the Hardcase if you can afford it 'cuz this ain?t no Tank.... More like a Bicycle! I can't add much to the reviews below or above-Short Scale Bass made of plywood with bookcased flamed Maple laminate on the top and back of the instrument. Much truer copy than Epiphones. About the same quality as the Jay Turser/Galvestons. Probably the same company. The controls, like the Hofner, are kinda goofy. The left switch is for the bridge pickup and the right switch is for the neck pickup (wish it was the other way around) with the right most switch being the Solo/Rhythm switch that gives you a signal boost in the Solo setting. 2 volume knobs for each P/U sitting on either side of the aforementioned switches. Not a perfect copy but, a darn good one.

I love this bass. I wish I had gotten a short scale when I started playing over 25 years ago. It fits my small "white boy" hands just perfectly. Some of the reviews say this thing sounds just like the Real McCoy with flatwounds......If you dampen the roundwound strings at the bridge with the side of your hand whilst picking you can still get that same Tuba Bass sound McCartney is famous for without the expense of flatwounds.....has a nice hollowish sound that none of my other Basses have. Good low end. Great for every kind of music except maybe Punk/HeavyMetal hard picking type of style.

The setup from the factory was ok but, I had to adjust the truss rod to remove some of the back bow and straighten out the neck some. I adjusted the bridge to bring the string height to about 2/32s above the 12th fret on the G and to 3/32 above the same fret on the E . Set the P/U heights and with the bridge at the scale length this Bass's intonation is just about perfect! A little flat on the E, but so little that I am leaving the bridge saddle just where it is. If you don't have the knowledge or tools to set your bass up, I would obtain it/them. It?s fun and easy to learn. If not, pay someone to do it for you. It really can make a difference. Oh, and that Rosewood bridge is very fragile. I recommend putting lemon oil on it and the fingerboard as well. The finish is pretty good. A few errant stain marks here and there. 1 small flaw in the binding. Extra glob of finish on the butt of the finger board. Front bookcase is not perfectly centered. Fingerboard position markers not perfectly centered all the way up and down the neck.....Etc., etc., etc. Typical of a bass at this price point. This stuff is very minor however, and only someone as "anal" as me would probably notice. As a side note-I had a music shop bring in 4 brand new Hofner 501's during the mid 80's. They ALL had things wrong with them so I ended up not buying one! For $250 I am very happy. I too took off the dorky pickguard off as soon as I got the Bass.

As long as you?re careful this Bass is great for gigging. As I stated before, this is a different kind of instrument than a solid body so you have to treat it a bit differently. The light weight really shines during long gigs or long recording sessions-No sore shoulder! The only thing showing wear on mine is the first 4-5 frets. Maybe I should pop for some flatwounds??.....Hmmm!!!!???

Musician?s Friend CS is alright....... Dealing directly with a manufacturer is always better but, it's not an option on these Rogues.

25+ plus years and still going. If you wanna do your McCartney thing for under $300, this is the Bass for you! If you want a light easy to play bass, then get this Bass! I would definitely get another if I had to. I like the short scale so much I just popped for a new Hamer Slammer solid body bass. Just might get an old Musicmaster and or EB-0 as well to even out my short scale collection.

this is rogue's version of the hofner beatle bass with updated features .the headstock is shaped like the old hofner only it has rogue name on it ,i like the way they applied the painted name instead of the cheap plastic glued on name of the hofners.
also the tuners are great the larger size helps give tork power in tuning,hofner should have thought of making larger tuners instead of the guitar size small tuners they sport.
i read past reviews that say it has 21 frets but i count twenty two 22 frets.
this bass represents the 62-63 hofner bass and features.
the wood appears to be maple the body has binding on sides.
it has two humbucker pickups.
it has a switch for each pickup on or off ,a rythm or solo switch
two volum knobs.
the bridge is wood.tail piece is metal.

i own a gibson g3 bass,62 hofner bass,a reissue jazz bass,a mexican jazz bass and other violin copy basses.
if i had only one bass i was allowed to play this would be the one this is by far the best sounding bass guitar ever made ,maby it's the hollow body and pickups but it gets a rich deep slightly doinky sound that i love it resonates like a grand piano only deeper it suits my style which is oldies,blues,classic rock. perfectly.
if you play slap style you should get a fender jazz bass .
this bass can't play all style's especially if it involves being rough or striking it due to the delicate wood bridge.
it doesn't make alot of noises or buzzes and would make a good recording bass.
if you gig i would take a backup bass and be carefull with this bass and handle with care it's a piece of art and as such is delicate, if your mean to your bass get a solid body bass to abuse.

the action was set good from factory but you absolutely need to take the strings off and set the intonation of the bridge which is a bear to set ,if your unfamiliar with guitar set ups take it to a pro because it involves pulling fret like material out of the wood bridge and resetting in different location and the wood bridge is fragile and involves carefull surgery.
if you buy strings you need to get short scale strings like the fender mustang bass strings which is what i put on it and they work fine.
everything is assembled well the only flaw in workmanship is one of the side dots is a little offset also the pickgaurd is a little thick and very hard plastic that might crack if struck.
the finish is absolutely the best part when i first seen the bass my jaw dropped and my eyes widened this bass is beatiful to say the least
it looks like a thousand dollar guitar or more it should have sold for $1100.00 in my oppinion this is one time i feel a company didnt ripp me off in profit,my question is how is rogue selling this great guitar so cheap.

i had this guitar since 07/05/00 with the case which is a very nice case the durability is better than it looks .
it appears to be fragile but is proving to be otherwise but i need more time to tell.
i feel that this guitar will last a lifetime like the hofner basses and probably two or three lifetimes with care.

musicians freinds backup their products but i cant find any info on rogue , but with the fine products rogue makes they will be well known in the future and could be collectible guitars.
look on ebay no one wants to sell their vb 100 bases but you'll find alot of jay turner violin basses.
i havent had a problem with the bass so i cant rate the support in whole.

ive been playing 25 years and have played alot of basses,guitars,amps
if it was stolen or lost in an acident or fire i would buy again in fact i will buy another one to save for my son which is 31/2yrs
i love this bass just how it is and wouldnt and will not change any thing about it it's a dream bass it plays so easy i can see why paul mccartney played a hofner and i believe he would approve of the rogue as a good copy of the hofner.
if you like vintage 60's style music this is your bass get it before cost go up on it soon.

This is the standard "McCartney" style Rogue VB100, made in Korea. It includes the old-fashioned sound controls, including the weird solo/rhythm switch. For a bass of its price, it is a very beautiful-looking instrument. The wood coloration and matching is really well-done. So far the questionable bridge is serving well, although it had to be centered right away. I llike the lightness of the instrument, and it "fits" me really well. There was only one flaw I could find, a bit of a glue glob under the neck. For the price I (and the questionable value of the style), I feel I did very well.

I am pretty much a living-room hacker, so it suits my "style" (such as it is) very well. I'm putting it through a small Traynor bass amp. The sound is very 60s, which is to my liking. I find it very warm, definately not techno-sounding. I can get some very piano-sounding notes out of the bottom end, which pleases me very much. There is a lot of adjustment available on the bass controls, but I am sure I will always leave it in the "solo" position. I love it.

My instrument is a lefty, well-done. The neck was spot-on. The bridge was not centered, but it had to come off anyway because they ship it with a strip of foam under it. I find the neck much easier to play than my previous Ibanez. The strings seem to hold their tune for a long time BUT the original ones were junk. I now have flatwounds. I find the neck a bit noisy - especially the first fret on all 4 strings. My music store is going to adjust the nut. Fit and finish were great.

It's hard to tell. After a solid-body that would have knocked down trees this feels very fragile. Everything seems to be of good quality so I'm hopeful it's just an adjustment on my part. The strap buttons haven't been used yet. I don't gig, so I can't speak to that - but the Hofner that McCartney used took a heck of a beating and kept on ticking, and this is supposed to be a good copy. Fingers crossed.

The purchase experience was a nightmare. At one point I switched the order to another type of instrument; at another point I cancelled the thing altogether. Another order showed up with only 1 of the 2 items in the bag and they won't talk to me about it. Luckily it was only $20. Everybody was friendly and helpful; it just seemed that the thing wasn't going to happen. I think I would order minor items in the future, but nothing this important. Incidentally, 3 weeks after the bass arrived I got a backorder notice for one month's time. Arrgh.

I just picked up again after 25 years off. So, I'm mainly getting the fret hand working again (my pinkie hurts!). I would replace the instrument with the same kind, at least right now that its new. It's the first instrument I ever had that I like to sit and look at, so I guess that's a "good thing". As a 60s guy, Canadian version, the combination of the "Beatle" bass and the Traynor amp is very nostalgic and does my little heart good. I'm very happy to have music back in my life, and very happy that I have this particular bass to play on. For my needs and wants, this is a perfect match.