Vantage 955BA Neck-Thru Five

Active electronics which can use several battery in a year. HAs a pretty chaotic bluegreen finish. Large frets and long neck. 4 button for volume and bass/treble controls.
Made Samick Music Industries

I use it on a Trace-Elliot 80w 7equalizer ancestor model. Usually don't take long to ajust to whatever i wannna play. I usually play metal but touch to jazz. I never been unhappy with that bass. Clean sound but i had to retouch the electronic because i bought it use. I'll stick to it for a wild but i know i'll have to change it someday.

THe electronic was bad but once the system cure of all insanity of a bad technician it worked fine. There is rust at the end.

Doesn't seem to wanna die after many left foot smashing. Doesn't detune so easily except the 5-string wich last 30 minute intense playing. Only need a spare battery just in case.

FOr what

Vantage (by Samick/Music Industries). Made in Korea. Neck-thru five string. Model 955 BA -7 piece laminated maple neck which runs through body with ash wings, gold hardware, Vantage P-J pickup configuration, active electronics. Has an off-set cutaway body and has a transulucent bluegreen finish. Rosewood fingerboard with jumbo frets. No case. Bridge is--Hipshot? Gotoh? Has volume controls and bass/treble boost controls.

I play everything from country to blues to rock. Has a great slap tone and can rumble out plenty of low/mids when called upon. Also has snappy highs. Not as low ended and boomy as a Peavey bass-has just the right amount of growl and sustain. Has nice all around sound with good bite due to the ash body and P/J pickups. Kinda reminds me of a Washburn XB-400 on steroids. Great sound for recording or live but if the high boost is tweaked too much, it can create a little noise. But is always quiet. I like the option to either go with a P-Bass sound or a little brighter sound with the Jazz pickup at the bridge. Great choice by Vantage to go with a P-J config in a five string bass. I was very impressed with this Vantage because many Vantages in the past have been cheap (Just look at these other reviews of Vantage on this Page!) -- and have shared the stage with the Hondo's, Memphis, Lotus, etc. But not this Vantage, huh uh, no sir. Pretty dang professional in looks and in sound. Too bad they are not produced anymore.

I bought this bass almost sight unseen off of Ebay. All I had to go by was a pic of the front. But when it finally arrived at my home I was satisfied by the constuction and the neck-thru design. The body is an Ibanez-esque downsized design. Neck was straight, frets were good, but the finish had trans BLUE-GREEN on the back and plain trans GREEN on the front. Upon taking the truss rod cover off I found the blue-green finish under it. I believe the bass was sitting in a display window for a time and the blue just simply dissapeared due to direct sunlight. But who cares! It is neck thru, great sound and I paid very little for it! I am more concerned with sound rather than a sparkly new mirror shine finish.

This is a mid priced- high end bass so I belive it will withstand hours of playing. Lets just see how long the battery lasts! Hardware is excellent and the bridge resembles a carvin Hipshot tailpiece bridge that they use now. Finish looks great with the green and blue-green back. The green looks just as factory as the other color on the backside does. Stays in tune even through aggressive playing. I would use this with no backup. This bass can be a person's main axe. Who cares if there is no Fender or Ibanez on the headstock, real players should be after the sound even if a bass is homeade by Joe Blow down the street or is Vantage, or even hondo. As long as the constuction is comparible to the other great basses and sounds just as good, a guy should use them and not be embaressed.

Havent tried.

I have played 15 years and played many basses. This bass is up there on my list, but if you try to compare this with a new Tobias or Alembic, well... But with great features and sound with neck through body construction, this is still a great bass. Vantage through the years had problems with the instrument market and made a last ditch effort to prove themselves with this 955 BA five string. Too bad it did not catch on because this is one great instrument that I will proudly play in front of anyone and just grin to myself with the price I paid and the sound I get. I play this bass more than my Ibanez Soundgear because this Vantage bass just simply put, sounds better. I know a guy who plays Peavey Cirrus basses and many other high ended instruments and is spoiled by perfection, but he liked this bass himself--so go figure. It would be cool to have a mid-boost/cut but I am satisfied with the features it has. I would be soo mad if it got stolen. I couldnt replace it if I tried, they just don't make 'em anymore. I guess these reviews on harmony central are written so that all of us as consumers can go out and buy one after we read these, but I thought I would just brag on this late and great bass.