Tacoma CB10

I think this was made in late 07 or early 08. It was one of the last Tacoma Thunderchief's actually made in Tacoma. I went out on a limb with this guitar, because I ordered it without actually even playing one first. I was looking for something to replace my POS Rogue bass, and this came highly recommended from the guy I buy everything from. When I asked him to order me one, he said that they might not have any left, because they weren't going to make any guitars in '08 for the factory move. There was only 6 left, none with pickups. All were 4 strings with spruce tops and mahogany back, sides and neck, with a rosewood fingerboard. The bass has 20 frets, but the body kinda gets in the way after the 16th fret. Fairly large body with full 32" scale. Tuner's work smoothly and mine almost never needs tuning. All woods are solid (no laminates) and the top looks almost flamed from a distance and is very strait grained. One would usually frown on a bolt-on neck on any acoustic guitar, but the sustain is nice. I only give it an 8 because there was no pickup when I got it.

I'm primarily play electric guitar, but I have my roots in bass guitar. I don't really know what makes a bass sound good, but I'll tell you why I think it sounds good. It's fairly loud which was the main reason I bought it, it has good sustain, and (to my untrained ear at least) it has a rich and deep sound. On a more critical note, the loudness seemed to drop away when I had a pickup installed, but that could have been purely in my mind. It's pretty clear when are playing fast or even chording. To me it doesn't sound muddy at all.

The guy I bought it from sets up all the guitars that go through is shop, so I never actually played it with the factory set up, but after a month or so, it developed a nasty buzz everywhere, but he released some tension on the neck (maybe a quarter turn) and that took care of it, and the buzz hasn't come back since. The finish is satin all the way around, and the neck is "like buddah". The thin finish kinda has an open grain feel to it so you can actually feel the wood. To me, it plays pretty well, but I'm a guitar player so what do I know.

The think seems to be built like a freakin tank. It's large so expect to have it bump into things. Haven't really gigged with it yet, but it seems like you could go without a backup. The finish is thin so I try to be careful with it.

No contact with Tacoma yet.

I've been playing bass for about 4 and a half years. This is the best acoustic I've been able to play and I've tried Martins, Ibanez's, Fenders, Michael Kelly's, and many others. This is the loudest and sounds the best out of all of the acoustic basses I've tried. It deserves the name "Thunderchief". If it were lost or stolen, I'd cry and then find the guy who took it and beat him over the head with it (I believe it could survive that with minimal damage) ;)

this is the standard model,outfitted with the fishman pickup system,which gives a lot of control over tone shaping.i have had the bass for over 2 years,and it has never given me any problem-i have tried 3 different string types on it,the bronze coated elixers that came with the bass,followed by thomastik acousticores,and most recently,a new fender string that is a roundwound string with a thick black nylon coating-these are the sh*t! the bass is very well put together,and plays great,esp. the satin finish on the neck makes it one of my favorites to play...

this bass can do whatever you're looking for-as an acoustic. i mentioned the string changes above for this reason-with the elixers,you get a lot of treble roundwound twang,and probably the highest volume-but sounds a lot like a typical bass guitar.with the thomastiks,it went toward an upright-ish tone,but more like a nylon string classical guitar really,and with the fender strings-whoa,this is it for me,much more of an upright type acoustic tone,if this baby was only fretless! with the nylon coated strings,you get a really full smooth tone,but not just a dead thud. plus a good overall volume unamplified-this sounds great with acoustic guitar or piano,this is where this instrument really shines-it seems so much more musical than most abg's i have played-it works fine with any amp i have plugged into..more often i plug in the pa...also good..

this bass is very well put together,fit and finish are great,fretwork,nut,all the construction is first-rate

have had the bass for several years,played in clubs,jamming,practices,never had any problem-have had to adjust setup on it when changing to radically different string types,as you would on any instrument

have not dealt with the company,because there has been no need to.

been playing for a long time,have 9 other basses,this is my only acoustic. i always do a lot of research and demo before making any purchases-this is the best sounding abg out there-especially for the price-it blows most of em away,even some that are higher priced.on the wish side,i am considering selling this one,just so i can purchase another one in fretless!

As I recall; my CB10 was built winter of 2001/2002. I purchased this bass brand new. My primary instruments of choice these days are 6-string guitars, an H1 mandola, and a U14 pedal steel. Bass is not a primary instrument for me. This said the 34" scale length and the neck dimensions and proportions are comfortable for me.

The top and back are unbound and installing binding would void the warrantee/guarantee. The reason that instruments are bound is to protect the end-grain of the top and back plates. Given the ever-present collection of cables, stands, and pedal-boards that can facilitate becoming tangled and tripping, and the large size of this guitars body: the lack of binding seems particularly egregious.

At the time I purchased my CB10 it was the only moderately-priced instrument of its type that I liked enough to buy. At less that $900 including sales tax and the Tacoma hardshell case the CB10 was less expensive than all of the other somewhat inferior instruments which I looked at and played. The combination of "like it more" and "costs less" was a welcomed surprise.

The instrument is adequately loud for acoustic jamming without an amp.

When I play it amplified I run through either a Stewart ADB-4 or on the rare occasions when I have used an instrument-amp I merely patched it through a Korg DTR-1 tuner.

Being an acoustic guitar with a large soundboard and a low-tuning it will certainly feedback if the monitor-mix is too loud. Resting your forearm against the soundboard and/or an appropriately unsubtle gesture in the direction of the person mixing your monitors will usually take care of this problem. I now make a habit of mentioning during your sound check that both I and the guitar do not respond favorably to too-loud monitors.

The pickup and preamp/EQ are by Lloyd Baggs. The onboard EQ has useful and desirable crossover frequencies. The battery is easy (for me) to access through the sound hole.

The preamp/EQ control-plate is mounted on the side of the guitar between the waist and the upper bout. This control-plate is nominally placed in the middle of the side as measured from soundboard to the back. I would prefer that the controls were mounted closer to the soundboard and further from the back so that they were a bit more accessible.

I do not know if the onboard preamp/EQ without the battery coneected would be compatible with phantom power. I would welcome some information on this from other reviewers.

With 3 exceptions:
1. the top and back are unbound
2. the pickguard
3. the location the preamp/EQ controls
the fit, finsh, and setup have been fine. The trussrod has not required any adjustment.

My complaint about the pickguard is that it is quite small and it came pre-attached to my CB10 in a location that does not always offer adequate protection. While this is a rather petty complaint given the cost of a sheet of clear pickguard material. The root of my complaint is the pickguard was preattached. I would have preferred to have Tacoma include a sheet of pickguard material that I could install as-needed.

No complaints yet.

N/A

While I did look at a variety of instruments of this type including Washburn (yuck) and Martin (yawn) and several other that I can no longer recall; the CB10 was the only one that made the grade as both an acoustic bass and as an amplified bass guitar.

If I were to go through this selection process again and now I very well might choose the CB10 again. While several additional makers are now offering acoustic bass gutars; I suspect that any of new models I might prefer wound not be price competitive with Tacoma.

I have heard but not yet played a bass guitar by California-based Luthier Bob Taylor and I was deeply impressed with the tone. To be fair though; the person playing it was pretty exceptional.

Acoustic/electric bass with L.R. Baggs electronics, treble, mid, bass, volume, phase controls. See website or other reviews for details

natural finish that is easy to mar but looks great. it is a piece of artwork as well as a musical instrument. 10 for looks 9 for features down to 8 overall because it is so easy to damage if your not careful.

sounds even better than it looks. Rich, deep tones that ring out. The on bass eq allows wonderful tweeking that can be adjusted prior to the amp which is very important with an acoustic electric. Have played it through GK100MB/SWR LA 15/Washburn bulldog, no name 50 watt head with 18 inch cabinet speaker. Sounds really good through all but likes the SWR the best.

Unamplified it still sounds good. This is where you separate the men from the boys with an acoustic bass guitar and this is the superman of acoustic basses. The other day my wife walked into the room and started talking to me, I plugged the guitar into the SWR amp she asked me which amp I had it in before I told her none and her mouth dropped because the volume carries unamplified, which is why I bought it.

As with all electrified acoustic instruments turn the volume down on the guitar and play from behind the amp if possible to avoid feedback.

Purchased from a music store it was setup very well. Demanding instrument to play. It is not forgiving of lazy technique. Quality of components is good and as I said earlier it is a thing of beauty. Everything is where it should be and it works the way the advertising claims.

Recently had it touched up by local luthier and remembered how much I loved to play it.

This bass is durable if taken care of. The tacoma guitar line uses spruce and doesn't put a lot of junk on it. This thing is physically huge and very easy to bump and bang if you are not careful. The strap buttons are solid and I have had no problems with it. It did get knocked over once and landed on the D string tuner, washer bent a little but has not effected its performance or the sound, the neck didn't crack. She took a licking and keeps right on ticking.

This is my primary reason for writing this review. I just called Tacoma because of a problem with the HSC. Two of the feet have come off in the last week. They don't make the case but agreed to send me replacement feet, made suggestions about what I could do to make sure it doesn't happen again, never asked for a serial number date of purchase or anything else. Phone call answered on the second ring. Transferred only once and was off the phone in under five minutes. As a longtime (20 + year)customer service manager I recognize good service and am not easily impressed but they sure did.

I traded a fender acoustic bass and added some cash to buy this guitar new. It was worth the money. I have been contemplating selling it so I could buy a Tele since we have three other bass players in our church band and I don't play much anymore. But everytime I play it I fall in love again. It is, to me, a collectors item. If it were stolen I'd follow the instructions in Romans 12 about praying for my enemies to heap hot coles upon his/her head. Like all acoustic/electric instruments beware of feedback, don't overdrive your amp. I also own a Samick 4 string, an Ibanzez Artcore AF75, an imitation LP and a Washburn acoustic/electric. I have compared this to Fender/Ibanez/Ovation and a couple of others they don't sound like this, they don't feel like this, they don't play like this. I'm in love. BTW this is not based on recent experience but I love it more after two years than I did the first day I got it

1999 model acoustic bass piezo pickup

the sound acoustically was incredible. great for an upright like sound . i used it for jazz. kind of a steve swallow sound. the pickup in mine was hard to use.. had to get a preamp. they have upgraded pickups for these basses w/ fishman lr baggs etc.

the action on this bass was high. due to bad neck pitch. however it sounded so good, i dealt with it. bad neck pitch from factory

well. i played this bass for about 3 years and it completely fell apart. i played many gigs on it. on gig i opened the bass and there were vertical cracks along the top. also the top and back were frequently becoming separated. about 1 year after i had these cracks repaired, i took the bass out to find the top completely destroyed again, cracks everywhere. this wasnt due to poor care and maintanance, i know about humidity and caring for an instrument. this bass is constructed like garbage. my friend bought the thunderchief guitar and the top is warping out on his. my guitar repairman said these were made horribly. he has seen many bridges come off the papooose guitars. the construction on these guitars stinks. it's an abonination!!!!!!!!!!

have not attemted warranty coverage on this bass yet. i will update

bass player for 10 years, william paterson jazz graduate, working pro, teacher.

gear 2 fender jazz, old chech upright, acoustic image head, G.k. head 700 rb, G.k 210. assorted effects octaver, line 6 delay, mooger fooger envelope.

i would never buy one of these again. if i was rich i would get the taylor bass, or some cool boutique acoustic/electric bass guitar. that aint happening.

the thunderchief reminds me of a hot house plant. it sounds/ looks good. but is extremely unreliable and fragile. if you want a good sounding bass that will completely destroy itself in 2 years.. this is the bass for you!!!.

mine is about a 2000 or 2001...everything else has been covered

was ordered from zzounds about 2 or 3 years ago when they were selling them for $750 or so (with the fishman)

this is the absolute best acoustic bass i've ver played, and i have yet to play a bad cb10

i had a couple of cheaper ones prior, and i spent a year looking for the right one....this bass does every other acoustic bass i've evre played....tons more bottom end that PROJECTS

and a very wide range of tones, depending on where and how you play

the truus rod needed slight tightening after playing it a little...no big deal

i use it at home, because no one wants to play acoustic rush...but it seems pretty solid

i've played guitar and bass for many years, and play from shred to blues to fingerstyle to classical guitar to rush........

This is a 1999 (march 17th according to the serial) CB10 with Fishman E4 pickup system, proudly made in Washington, USA. This 20 fret 4 string has a nice-looking solid spruce top, with a solid 2 piece mahagony back and laminated mahagony sides. The neck is 1-piece mahagony with a rosewood fingerboard and angled 2+2 headstock. The whole instrument has a nice natural satin finish that has held up well. Tuners are the standard gotoh-style, and are very smooth to this date. I bought the bass with a great factory hardshell case. It also came with a manual and a trick truss rod wrench / screwdriver combo tool. Lastly, it shipped with Gore Elixer strings.

Its an acoustic bass, what can you say. I don't consider inlays to be a feature, hence the 10.

What initially struck me with this bass was the amount of sound put out on the E string. From the player's position, it is well defined and solid, acoustically.

I have played this bass at impromptu jams in the living room, drum circle style jams, acoustic blues, and on the very rare occasion, non-traditional church services. Also, predominately, i have used this instrument to record, using good condensor mics and skipping the internal pickup.

The CB-10 prints to tape/disk very well. The position/style of the soundhole makes the more common acoustic micing techniques inappropriate. Just keep in mind you have to blend the bass coming from the soundhole with the mids and highs coming off the fretboard, and you should be okay. Standard acoustic guitar techniques don't tend to convey the bottom end of this instrument. And don't bother to record the pickup.

I dig the acoustic sound of this bass. It can easily compete with taylor and whoever else out there makes acoustic basses in a truly acoustic setting. Unplugged, this bass easily gets a 10.

Plugged in, the output is can be expected from an undersaddle piezo pickup. A bit squacky, and string/fret noise is overly accentuated as compared to the desired bass sound. Just goes to show how great the body cavity was designed in terms of acoustic projection. The E4 preamp is nice, though, and can correct the undesirables to an acceptable level. In a live situation, this bass works out very well. At lower volume gigs, when the amp is at similar volumes to the bass, a sort of magical thing happens. The sound actually becomes more full, and the pickups are actually very dynamic, so the sound of the amp and bass blend well, creating a bouncy (dynamic) and fun to play sound. The blend between loud and soft notes translates similarly between the two sound sources.

At louder volumes, the pickup sound takes over. I don't like this sound, but it is convenient when a PA or loud volumes are required. High-mids are over-accentuated to my ear, and the bass response of the body cavity is not translated. A fair amount of board/amp eq in addition to playing with the E4 will yield an acceptable result, but is nowhere near as sweet as the pure acoustic tone. This isn't an issue with the bass, just a product of the pickup style.

(for the record, i use eden/swr amps and eden cabinets)

Since the bass came with pickups, ill have to work it into the score :( If only the E7 package was available (and installed) when i bought this bass....

This bass came setup very nicely. The kerfs are a bit deeper (but consistantly so) than the fret, but they have been nicely filled flush to the edge of the fretboard. The fretwork is well done, no buzzes. The crowns are also clean, with no file marks. The intonation was also dead-on with the stock strings. Also, the dot markers (both side and fretboard) are perfect fits, with no glue filler. Also, the joint on the 2 piece back is very hard to pick out, even though it is obvious it is there.

The ony "flaw" i had with this instrument was that the cable from the pickup to the eq rattled against the top. About 5 seconds of tweaking the cable, and the problem hasn't recurred.

This isn't a fancy bass. It doesn't have abalone inlays and fancy bindings. It is just a no-nonsense sound machine that is attractive in its simplicity. Plus, the paisley/duck head sound hole is unique.

I'm sure this bass would stand up to the perils of live playing as well as any other acoustic bass (or guitar for that matter). Other than a dent or two (operator error), the finish looks just as it did when i got it. Even the pickguard has held up very well, with little cosmetic damage. This is actually a pretty stable instrument. The only time i've touched the truss rod was when i changed brands of strings. It is nowhere near as sensitive to the seasons as my old ibanez SR, which is actually surprising. This bass hasn't let me down in 3 and half years of near daily playing, i don't expect anything funny to happen to it anytime soon.

This guitar comes with a limited lifetime transferable warranty. I've never had a problem with it, so i can't say how much fun Tacoma is to deal with.

I have conversed with support back in '99, trying to decipher the serial numbers (this was before it was included in the FAQ on the website). Emails were promptly answered. Unless things have changed since their popularity has grown, i expect future dialogs to be just as painless.

I've been playing bass since the day after i got my driver's license. I have a few guitar amps, guitars, and more than a few electric basses. I love this bass. It actually has been sitting in its case for the last 6 months, but i pulled it out to write this article. 4 hours later, and i am almost done. It is just so pleasing to play, that it has gotten in the way of my review (and will result in little to no proof reading). Can't believe i've been neglecting it. The unplugged acoustic sound is just so great (^_^) That to me is the only important feature. I will admit, GC made me feel a little inadequate about owning a Tacoma (before they started selling them), and tried to convince me Taylors were signifiganly better sounding instruments. Then i remembered to judge by my ear, and not by the persuit of a commision by a salesman. If it got stolen, i would be very upset, since this bass has a low serial number for the model. Not exactly something money could replace. Id probably get a new one, and constantly complain that the old one "sounded" better. Or maybe spend the money on a PI and try to track it down again.

This bass rocks as an acoustic bass for both unplugged and low volume acoustic playing, and definately for recording. It is not the best acoustic-electric on the market though. I don't consider acoustic-electrics and acoustics with pickups to be the same thing, btw. The electronics are just a convenience package (like air conditioning on a porsche, as in it doesn't make the car faster, it just makes your girlfriend/soundman happier). The CB10 is "just" a fantastic sounding acoustic bass that can compete directly with Taylors unplugged (and whatever else is out there that costs at least 2x the amount of the CB10). And once you start factoring in the price, there isn't much else out there that can even compare.

This is a jumbo acoustic fretless bass with the offset paisley soundhole like the C series guitars. There aren't too many manufacturers making acoustic fretless basses, and none are as nice as this. It's got active pickups, with controls for vol, bass, treb, mid, and phase. The number of frets is ZERO. I'm not too good with spotting wood types, but the top is blondish, and the back, sides, and headstock are a really pretty reddish brown wood. It has a clear pickguard that seems like a thin transparent layer of rubber or plastic or something-- you can barely tell it's there. The body is not laminated, it really feels like wood.

The tuners are nice. They keep it in tune really nicely. The bridge is a dark wood. You really have to see one of these basses-- they are so beautiful!!!! This is by far the finest instrument I have ever owned.

I use this for acid jazz/ trip hop/ whatever you want to call it. I also use it for funk, rock, reggae, spoken work-- anything. I switch between pop/ slap bass and traditional plucking. I mostly use it acoustic, but sometimes I'll just plug it into the house PA at a club I'm playing at and it'll sound good. It's got a ridiculously warm, responsive, creamy sound that really reacts to my fingers in a way none of my guitars do. I put these cool flatwound, nylon coated strings on it that give it a jazzy, motown-y sound. Anything I use this bass for, people's jaws drop when they see it and hear it.

This is a very well made guitar-- definitely the nicest instrument I've ever owned. It's a work of art. Since I got it, I've seen these other fretless acoustics on ebay that look really pretty but sound and play like shit.

The whole reason I got it (I'm really a guitar player, or at least I was until I got it) was that I played it in a store and was amazed by the quality and sound. It is simply magnificent in every way.

The guitar itself is very sturdy, but it's definitely not going to tolerate any abuse. The wood is not laminated, which means that the finish is very thin. I put it in its gig bag, and then put a tuner in the pocket of the bag. Just the rubbing from the tuner was enough to whittle away some of the finish, so now it has a little blemish on it.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that when it's time to play, she'll be ready.

na

I can't say enough good things about this bass. I found that playing fretless allows me to explore different musical ideas than I do when playing guitar. It makes it more about the music than the fretting. Even though I'm well known as a guitar player around town, people are always bugging me to bust out the bass and lay down the funk. It really just adds a whole new layer of experssion to any band I play with.

One problem I have with it is for the times when I really have to be playing fast or complicated, it's hard to stay in tune with the other people I'm playing with. Since there's no frets, you really have to keep an eye on what you're doing. I'm not saying that I wish it had frets, but I think it may be necessary for me to get a fretted bass for gigs, just in case. (those hohner/ steinberger headless basses are really cool-- and they're not "retro" yet so you can get em cheap!)

But you can't put a price on the fact that I have the most unique and instantly identifiable bass sound in town because of this bass. People just go nuts to see it and hear it. If you want to add some different flavor to your music, this is the bass. And even though the retail is something like 1200 or 1500 bucks, you may be able to find one used. Mine only cost me 800 and it's worth every penny.

Standard Tacoma 4-string with Mahogany body and solid Spruce top.
The sound hole is positioned near the neck and can function as a thumb rest. I've been told that the bracing on this instrument contributes to its loud unamplified sound. The neck has a great "raw" feel and all frets are accessible thanks to the cutaway body shape. Plugged in, the Fishman Prefix Plus system really takes over, but that is the subject of a different review. Suffice to say that I've used this system on other basses, and it is superb.
The truss rod is easily accessible, and a very good manual is included - other manufacturers take note! This is the only setup adjustment you'll ever have to do on this bass, so it pays to learn how to do it properly. My bass came with a factory installed strap hook, which is another nice touch. It also has a clear plastic pickguard to prevent scratches, but I'm not too impressed with the positioning of it.
Overall, a lot of nice features for a relatively simple looking instrument.

It certainly is loud, with plenty of defined lows and highs. It has a great organic sound which seems ideally suited to folk, "rootsy" blues and "unplugged" pop music, but it would be unfair to limit its use to these styles. In terms of sound quality it matches the Martin B-1, which has been the benchmark for acoustic bass guitars for years.

It is very well made, no doubt. The pickup system works like a treat, and once again the credit goes to Fishman for that.
The action is reasonably high (which makes the Tacoma a fair bit of work to play cleanly) but the sound you can get out of it is worth every effort. I love the unfinished feel, particularly on the neck. To me it is superior to my 24-fret Martin, which has a more "electric" feel.

I'm sure it will hold up pretty well. Any acoustic instrument is going to be more sensitive than a solid bodied one, so I've deducted a couple of points on that basis.
I've been playing professionally since the mid-80's, and I've never used "backups". Many clasical musicians use one (often antique) instrument for the majority of their careers. Just get a good insurance policy.
I'll use this bass a lot more now than I would have 10 years ago, mainly because I play a lot less with very loud drummers these days. These instruments tend to have feedback problems if you're plugged into an amp & sitting anywhere near it. With my Martin, I tried everything before deciding to fill it up with acoustic foam. When that happens, you've kind of defeated the purpose of having an acoustic to begin with!

Don't know. The warranty seems good, but more limited than some.
I guess Tacoma are not quite "up there" with the Martins and Taylors yet in terms of their world reputation.

I've owned just about everything as far as bass guitars go - except for a Rickenbacker (if I ever do buy one, I've instructed my friends to shoot me on sight). I play mostly Chapman Stick these days, but I do get some calls to play folk stuff on bass, and this one is ideal for that. There is no such thing as an instrument that can do everything. Stingrays are without doubt the best slapping basses I've ever played (and I've owned a Warwick Thumb bass, among others).
Likewise, the bridge pickup punch of a vintage Fender Jazz Bass is unique.
An acoustic bass guitar is no substitute for these instruments, but rather another sound to add to your "vocabulary". As far as acoustics go, this Tacoma is very good in terms of sound quality, outstanding in its value for money and equipped with a pickup system that puts a lot of more expensive basses to shame.

Fretted w/Rosewood Fretboard
L.R. Baggs controls
Jack pin keeps coming loose

Rich full sound

I do some Celtic acoustic gis as well as my regular Blues and Original bad gigs. This bass is great for the Celtic stuff but can be used for anything if you had to.

Tacoma did not resond to my Email when I asked about a small split occuring at the seam on the bottom of the bass. Also you have to ship it off to them in Washington state if you have any warranty repairs.

I've been playing for 35 years. If this bass were stolen or lost I wouldn't buy a new one because of Tacoma's warranty policies. I have 18 other basses and this bass is a really cool bass. I can do acoustic rehearsals and not hasve to drag even a small amp. It doesn't comapre to my Ovation Viper when plugged in but it still cuts very well.