Product: Samick SB5PJ1 Silvertone
Price Paid: US $260.00
Submitted
02/19/2001
at
09:14am
by
Bryan
Features
:
8
I have no idea in what year this thing was made, I believe it to be a 2000 model, but it has 24 frets, 1 volume and 2 tone knobs, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. It has a black body with two p & j pickups. It looks pretty impressive, and I dig the body style. It (like all Samicks) was made in Korea, of course.
Sound
:
7
Okay, this is a five string, but through my rig, the sound is kind of muddy. I use a yamaha pre-amp, and have to blast it up pretty high to get a decent sound out of this bass. The pick-ups are passive, but don't seem to pack an incredible wallop or anything.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
The action is probably the coolest thing about this bass; I literally had little or no adjusting to make this thing playable. I have always considered Samick basses to be decent in this aspect, they almost always have a very player-friendly action.
Reliability/Durability
:
6
Okay, now for the bad-the tuners on this thing are a pain, they come loose and I have to re-adjust every few sessions or so. The strap buttons are decent, but I totally despise the bridge on this puppy. I also have a little problem regarding the jack (re-adjusting due to it coming loose every so often.)
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I haven't had to deal with Samick personally, but wish they'd start paying just a little more attention to the construction aspect of their basses. I know that they have probably some of the lowest priced quality instruments in the business (in my opinion) and that you get what you pay for, but come on guys...
Overall Rating
:
7
So I no longer own this bass, having upgraded for yet another Samick (5-string)with active pick-ups and (hopefully) better hardware, that is a reasonable facsimile of an Ibanez. But the sb5pj1 Silvertone also lacked in the area that the strings were just a little too close together and made slapping not only difficult, but sloppy sounding. Don't get me wrong, I know it seems that I am lambasting Samick in general (and maybe I am a little), but in their defense, I have seen some beautiful instruments with their logo on them, and realize that these were just a few minor flaws on one particular instrument. Despite all of this, I will probably be purchasing another Samick in the future (hmmm...I do need another four string.)
