Stellar Neptune 001

Made around 06 in Japan I think. 5 string. Apears to be solid wood. Passive pickups which I prefer. Neck appears to be maple or similar wood. Case came with bass. Case and bass are not exactly made to fit as the bass has an extremely tilt-back headstock. However, I was able to re-shape the case's interior to make everything fit and now the headstock lays as it should and the keys never touch the case. The features on this bass are just standard. Nothing fancy and that's what I wanted.

I've had it for about a year now and It is probably my favorite bass. It fits my style perfectly (country/gospel and a little rock). There's no noise to speak of and it has a wonderful sound. I really like and recommend this bass.

I have not done anything to this bass. It came out of the box feeling and sounding great. No problems at all. Strings are good and everything works.

If a person takes care of his property then he/she will never have a problem with the durability of this bass. Drop it, throw it, step on it, etc, just like any other, may make it, may not. Just use brain power when handling your instruments...duh!!

The finish is just fine and it shines well. However, I prefer satin finishes as they need lots less maintanance. I depend on this bass and it hasn't failed me yet. I use this bass with no backup.

Don't know, haven't needed it yet. However, good luck trying to buy one. I can't find them anymore. Only place I ever found one was on e-bay. Would like another but no one sells them that I can find.

I've been playing a long time... a long time. If I were to lose this one I'd try to find another just like it. And what a fantastic value. The case is worth nearly 90 bucks alone. Thats a 65 dollar bass that plays right out of the box and sounds as good as any I've heard except up into the 1000.00 range and beyond. If you're thinking of getting one, stop thinking and just get one. Heck, for 155.00 if you don't like it use it as a spare for giving lessons or something. I use mine for lessons too! If anyone knows where to get one of these new, EMAIL ME.

I bought my Stellar 5-string bass about two years ago. I think it was made in Florida. The frets are lightly bowed and are accurately placed. It has three control knobs: a gain for each pickup and a tone control. I usually play the mid pickup with the tone control just above full bass and the bridge pickup off. The electronics are passive and loosely (typical of factory work) wired. I plan to replace the jack with a balanced 1/4 and will rewire the electronics to match this.

My bass is black. I use it in concert twice weekly for two to five hours depending on what the venue is. I bought an ATA case from SKB which was left in the sun on the apron in Las Vegas and warped. SKB offered to replace it. The bass was not affected. From freezing to broiling temperatures--I work in the Mojave Desert--my Stellar bass seems not to change other than that requiring minor tuning.

The plastic (head) nut fractured under the B string. I replaced this with a carbon fiber nut. The strings ease over the new nut transparently. The machinery has plastic thrust bearings that fracture and misalign the worm gears with the ring gears causing the mechanism to bind. A simple nut (that would fit on a screw) which had an OD that matched the working surfaces and an ID that allowed the tuning key shaft to pass through, was just the right thickness to center the worm gear and work smoothly. I've replaced two cracked plastic thrust washers so far. I like this bass enough to consider replacing all the machinery with good high quality parts this summer. What I have now works fine as is.

The bridge was reasonably easy to set with a medium action and true fretting at 12 (pitch matching the harmonic). I restrung my bass after a year with DR strings and had to widen the bridge opening and saddle for the new B string which was the thickest one DR made. This gives a roaring deep B string that nicely matches the tone quality of the E and A strings both in color and sustain.

I connect through a small Behringer mixer with an XLR split on input to two channels. This gives me an EQ for each channel (left and right) that drives the speaker cabs without crossovers. Left channel drives an 18" speaker and Right channel drives a pair of 10" speakers with a mid to hi horn. The mixer feeds a 200 watt Crown theater amp. I set the controls on the mixer to 0 dB and the controls on the amp to the actual gain for the house. The mid pickup on the bass is set at 90%.

I fill the house or stadium with the channel driving the 18, and then color the sound with a nice silvery edge from the 10's, using the gain controls on the front panel of the Crown. I leave enough headroom on the bass to keep up with the band. The mixer FX is a good DI (direct input) for FOH (front of house) if needed and as a good send for recording.

I replaced the cloth strap with a wide black suede strap. The original strap let go in a concert, and I caught the bass just inches from the stage floor. I finished the rif on my knees, and nobody knew. I use QDs (quick disconnects) now. This works well with my many setup and strikes each week.

The bass is head heavy and will slither down as you play. I use the suede strap to stabilize the bass (it sticks to my shirt), and I support the bass with my left hand as I play. This could be better accommodated with a heavier body, but that would make my fatigue level increase. A longer horn would move the mass to a more balanced position but would be in my way. I have gotten used to this unbalance both standing and sitting. Even in the case, it is head heavy and will not travel flat. You will need a sturdy bass rack because of this.

I like the rich black color and simple style. When I come on stage holding this clean bass with the full length strings and serious appointments, the audience quiets and expects something great. This is a good way to start. I play 50's, 60's, 70's music with country and rock. I also play in a brass jazz band. My style is lead bass coming from a supportive strong rhythm.

Since I change my amp for the venue, using either a 200 or a 450 watt system, I can keep the punch and color the same wherever I go. I like a long sustain with a fast action, and if fingered carefully, a nice polyphonic lead bass results. My Stellar bass behaves like a mid to high priced instrument. I believe that the responsibility of the playing belongs to the player, and having a "vanilla" sounding bass gives the best range and expression. My Stellar does this well.

Harmonics are rich and hold with expression. The bridge pickup brightens the color. New strings add to the overall effect as expected. Slides, trills, hammer-ons, and pull-offs can be easily controlled with the comfortable, medium inter-string spacing. D on the E string is almost as open as D on the A string. The expected snub of the short fat E string fretted at 10 is surprisingly minimal. This makes a slide from low G to D on E match color even with a slight gain on D. Ending a piece with a low D on B or a low C on B with an easy, long sustain makes this bass seem bigger than it really is. Its staccatto performance is quick without fret buzz. There is enough space between the strings for a considerable pitch bend with no scraping noise from the frets. Having a sixth string allows me to play the E string quickly without falling off the fingerboard. The thickness of the neck seems correct. I can change position (frets) quickly.

When recording, I sit comfortably, the bass supported on my right leg. Usually, I stand on stage. The only time I was uncomfortable was when I was playing in an open field--I needed earplugs to stand in front of my cabinets. There was no unintended feedback from the pickups.

There is a tendency to hum in step with light faders in small venues. This is probably a feature because the bass centers on these frequencies, and the pickups are not the highest quality. They are good enough for a bass. Usually turning left or right a bit will null the hum.

I want a rich, deep, smooth, swelling bass with enough highs to add color and definition. My Stellar 5-string does that well.

My bass arrived with the strings loose and wrapped in paper to keep them from marring the finish during shipment. The action was neutral and reasonably accurate to tune up and play right away. I never adjusted the pickups. I noticed a slight discoloration in the blond wood near the head, but after my new puppy knocked my bass over and placed a few dents in the surface, this was not an issue. The outer coating, whatever it is, is quite thick, and no wood showed through the dents. I think this bass will weather quite a lot as the years go by. It has that seasoned performer look now.

The controls are smooth and electrically quiet. I found that I would overshoot an adjustment made during a performance because there was no damping on the pots--the knobs turned too easily. A simple black elastic (Scunci--no metal) hair band wound under the knobs provided just enough drag to give a more secure, tighter feeling.

A passive system means no dead batteries and fewer parts to go south during a show. I do all my effects at the mixer. Mostly, I prefer a simple clean bass sound.

I play this bass in concert at least twice weekly. I rehearse with three bands at least two sessions weekly as well. Each trip, my bass is packed up, tossed in my pickup, unpacked, played, packed up, tossed yet again in my pickup, and finally brought into my music room. This bass is not wallpaper. It's a working instrument that takes it all.

The nut is plastic and will break. Replace it. The machine head uses plastic thrust bearings that will break. Replace the plastic parts or the whole screw assemblies when they need it. The strap is lame. Replace it.

I swapped the strap buttons with quick disconnects. I picked the type that still will accommodate a button strap should I forget mine. The wood screws were quite long and bit firmly. After a year, no looseness shows. I have never adjusted the truss rod.

This is my primary bass. I do not take another along on a gig, and I can borrow one should I need one. I am looking at other bass guitars and will upgrade when I find one that really gives me an improvement in playing. So far, I just play with the thousand dollar basses and keep my Stellar as my main bass. When I get my next case, I will have paid more for the case than I have for the bass itself. This is not important. I really like my Stellar 5-string. I like even more the applause for a good performance and unique sound.

If you play every now and then, you probably will never replace anything. If you quit, you can sell it for the same price you paid for it. If you are starting out, this is your bass. You won't need another for quite a long time. The Stellar 5-string bass is a good investment.

I never needed customer support. I've probably voided the warranty as soon as I got the bass. This is unimportant.

I used to be flight ops for a rocket company. I got sick of working with alpha-dominant, grand standing engineers and stepped away clean. Two years ago I started the bass as a real 8 hour/day job. I've gone a long way since. My instructor played with Steppenwolf, was the Cowboy in The Village People (he wrote "Matcho Man" and "In the Navy"), played guitar for the Stones, and played bass for Elvis. He studied with Chet Atkins. He and I do concerts together, and I work with two other bands. He knew who made this promotional bass and recommended it. I'm glad I bought it.

I have listed quite a few shortcomings that all can be overcome. Most players will never even notice these variances. The positive elements well exceed the negative. If you need to be spoon fed, you need to pay for a more expensive bass. If you are serious, you will become a great bass player with this Stellar 5-string bass.

5 string bass. Appears to be new bass, like 2006-07 timeframe, pretty sure its made in China. They (the ebay sellers) say its a solid Alder body, and their pics of the brown one appear to be solid wood, but I bought a black one which feels like solid wood.
Looks like maple or similar hardwood neck, and rosewood or other dark wood for fretboard. One of the tuners was dead on arrival, and had to replace. The nut was cracked, and I glued it for now and its fine for today, but will also replace.
Its a nice lightweight body with a jazz bass pickup configuration. This would be an 8 or 9 but the busted nut and tuning key bring it down.

In short, this thing is really sounding nice. It really sounds punchy and growly. Reminds me of a jazz bass sound, but perhaps a little different. For all I know the wiring and pots are way cheap, but so far thing thing really sounds the way I want it to sound.

I'm surprised how good this thing was set up. As usual with these budget chinese instruments mostly seeming to come straight out of the factory, and which I've now bought a bunch of, I had to torque the truss rod a little and lower the bridge using a small allen wrench.

I did have to do minor sanding to correct a buzzing fret, but the frets are really pretty clean with no burr edges to speak of.
Its nice and light weight, which is what I was hoping for, because my other 5 string, (an SX Jazz bass copy), as good as it sounds, is a bit heavy for me.

Overall seems like it will last, but the broken tuning key makes me think the other ones will need replaced pretty soon.

Dunno. I haven't dealt with them.

I've been playing bass on and off for 30 yrs plus. I play guitar too. The fact is, for now the price of decent instruments has gotten lower due to china and other foreign countries getting into this racket. So of course it sounds great to me who grew up before things were that way. Its a decent cheap lightweight 5 string bass that I got for about 155 bucks including a hardshell case off of ebay. But it was a risk I could have fared worse on. My only problem so far is the bad tuning key and the busted nut.

I hope nobody in American made this peice... I would guess Korea, but I have no real idea.
24 fret
Pressed Body. A total NO-NO in the instrument world.
Bridge is (and I quote my guitar tech) 'a step above aluminum foil'
Case is decent, but certainly not air travel quality.
Cable sucks, as does the strap.

It sounds horrible because the body is pressed PLYWOOD. Doesn't matter what your setup you have, it sucks. This bass is horrible. DO NOT BUY IT!!!

Action was sooooo off when I first got it the first 2 E strings broke. I swear they screwed the neck on the moment it left the factory. I know UPS is hard on this stuff, but they don't take them out and adjust the trust rod. The wood's are horrible, the tuners buzz, the bridge is crap, the nut and bridge are poorly cut. What else?

I wouldn't dare drop this bass. It'd shatter. I wouldn't gig with this, period. It's horribly made and Stellar sucks.

Decent, but they sell an inferior product and they know it. A rating of 1 it is

I've been playing guitar for 5 years now and I helped my friend pick out this bass. Originally I was gonna go with a Cort Action Bass, but this was $20 cheaper and it had a hardshell, so we figured we take advantage of the 30 day trail. Biggest equipment mistake either of us have ever made.
My advice? Buy the Cort and save yourself a whole lot of hassle. This bass will end up in the trash sooner rather than later and we'll have a $200 sub-par hardshell.


DO NOT BUY THIS BASS!!!

New 05 model - I believe it was made in florida
5-string - maple neck - rosewood finger board
2 - volume
1 -tone
Come with nice case - strap - cord

I play hard rock - metal - seems like a decent studio guitar - I bought it mainly for recording. I am really a six string guitar player. Guitar has a nice full sound and can produce a punchy sound also.

The guitar can from the factory set-up and ready to play. The string nut had a crack (needed to be replaced). The black paint job has many flaws and looks like someone took a brush to it - very poor.

This guitar is not a professional guitar. It simply is a $160.00 guitar (the case is worth a $100.00 of that).I would not play live without a back-up. If this guitar ever left my studio I don't think it could take alot of abuse.

I purchased from ebay - I did try to return the item, and they referred me to there web site that said "must return withen 14 days" - buyer has to cover shipping costs.I had a local music store install a new nut for cheaper than it would have been to ship it back.

I have been playing guitar for 20 years. I own many top line guitars, and this is not one of them - but what do you expect to get for only $160.00. It does meet my needs for throwing down a bass track on my recordings. I might have receieved a lemon - or just the final inspection process falied. Comparable to any low dollar bass you might find at guitar center. Anyway - Nice case!!

Made: 2003 or 2004. The company is in Florida and I believe they are built locally.
Frets: 24
5-string
Looks like a solid-top
Two tone controls, one volume control
Two Stellar "Razor" pickups, passive electronics
Body and neck are maple, fingerboard is rosewood
Finish is a beautiful redburst - very well-done
Body style - jazz
Tuners - nonlocking, no brand name identified
Included with initial purchase was a strap, a cord, and adjustment tools for the bridge.

I play in an indie rock band - the bass has bright trebles in the upper frets and a growly low B string. I run it through a Korg effects box into a Toa KD-3 amp. I'm debating whether to replace the strings that came on it with a set of Black Labels (and I probably will). The three tone pots are a little confusing at first, because for the volume to be turned all the way down, ALL pots have to be turned down. With a bit of practice it becomes second nature. It's a very lightweight instrument, with a body thinner than that of my Westone Spectrum GT 4-string. It has excellent sustain and a bright sound. I'd use it onstage or in the studio.

The bass arrived already strung and only needed minor adjustments to the bridge to be playable. It holds tuning well. The action is smooth and fast, allowing for technically-challenging play and difficult riffs. It would be well-suited for progressive rock or jazz and would probably make a very melodic solo instrument (for anyone who cared to do so). The finish is very good and shiny. One tuning peg isn't set quite straight and another is a little low and rubs the body a bit, but could probably be adjusted if I felt the need.

The bass is very lightweight, as I said before. I can flex the neck fairly easily, which I hope doesn't mean it is poorly-constructed. My other bass is a tank that was immune to being dropped, sudden temperature changes, and general abuse. This one feels like it's more fragile, and might not respond well to rough play or accidentally smacking into a mic stand. I'd be more careful playing this onstage, since the thinner body and neck would be more easy to permanently damage. The finish on the body seems very strong, but the neck finish seems like it would rub off with lots of playing. I haven't formed an opinion about whether or not I'd use it without a backup yet. Until then, I'll bring a backup.

I bought this through eBay factory-direct. They have a 30-day warranty for 100% refund of purchase price. I haven't contacted them for anything else, but I received it less than one week after winning the auction and making my payment.

I've been playing bass for 14 years, keyboards for 26 years, guitar for 8 years. Besides this I own a Westone Spectrum GT bass, a Taylor acoustic guitar, and an Ibanez guitar. I also have a Roland XP-50 keyboard, Korg effects, and a Toa KD-3 amp.

If the bass was stolen, I'd replace it with another. The price is outstanding for a brand-new instrument, especially considering the company's MSRP is $719. I bought it because I needed a 5-string bass for some of my band's music (www.freedom-toast.com). This might end up becoming my primary instrument, replacing my long-loved Westone.