Product: Gaskell Viking bass
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
09/09/2009
at
07:57am
by
ROOB
Features
:
10
First of all I don't care about "cheap" guitars - if I want a "cheap" guitar that will fall apart in less than 12 months I would get an AGILE or a DOUGLAS - what they sell through Rondo Music. Gaskell guitars are not CHEAP. The Viking is a 4 string bass made out of ash and is neck thru. these two facts alone instantly tell you it is NOT A "CHEAP" GUITAR. If you wanted to make a throw-away cheap guitar you wouldn't do that. Having said that, the Viking is not the cheapest priced left handed bass on the market nor should it be for what it is. It is a proper, pro bass guitar, reasonably priced and not "cheap."
Sound
:
10
It sounds great. It would sound better if it had $400 DiMarzios or Seymours, etc but for the Wilkinson pickups in it it does the job and it does it well. good enough to gig with.
It is patterned on the Rickenbacker 4004 - the one Lemmy from Motohead is famous for. It has not pickguard or vintage knobs so it looks more modern, this one.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Action was good. The guy they use to do set ups in Sydney is a veteran who has 30 years in the business. The finish is EXCELLENT. This WILL blow you away.
I got black stuff on my fingers when I played it but it is new and I think they oiled the fretboard during the set up. Like any new guitar it needs to be PLAYED and BROKEN IN so to speak.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I don't know how this will fare in a gig situation. I guess it will be fine. I can't see why it would not. It stays in tune, sounds great and is solidly built. I couldn't give this a 10/10 as I don't know yet. I haven't had the guitar long.
Customer Support
:
9
The warranty is for 12 months. You can buy these through a couple of places now in Australia. The head office in Australia are good to deal with but I get the impression they are getting quite busy now so I suppose that is a good sign. It means sometimes it takes a day or two to get a response to an email. But at least they get back to you and care. Most music stores and brands don't give two hoots about you when they find out you are a lefty guitarist. As if we are second-rate citizens. Gaskell Guitars is fair dinkum.
Overall Rating
:
10
For a bass that is neck thru, made of ash, and made this good, the price is awesome. I am not very experienced as a bass player so I can't say I know what I am talking about compared to someone like Billy Sheehan or Bob Daisley or Steve Harris for example but I believe this is good value and I like it. I would get another one if I lost or had this one stolen. No doubt about it. Rickenbacker don't make left handed guitars at all I believe. So thank you to Gaskell Guitars.
