Reviewer Michael R. Nelson
Manufacturer Alvarez (St. Louis Music Company)
Model Black Villan
Price $600? new (bought used $150 with a trade
of a Washburn Acoustic guitar)

Neck Type Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Body Type Ash
Finish Transparent Black
Pickup(s) P & J configuration
Controls bridge and neck vol. with one master tone
I purchased this bass as part of a trade-in. I started playing classical bass in grade school and then switched to the electric (a 63' pre CBS Fender Jazz bass) when in junior high. I sold the jazz in 79' and stopped playing bass for some time. I have recently purchased the Alvarez and began getting back into playing the bass. I spent over seven months trying every bass I could get my hands on before making the purchase of this instrument. With that background aside let's begin the review.

I found this bass to be of superior construction and playablity. The bass is Korean made, but suffers from no perceived faults that people are usually associate with Pacific rim produced instruments. The neck (like a jazz bass) is the finest I've ever played. It has a natural satin finish to the maple which is a joy to work with in position switching. The fret work is immpeccable. I am able to keep the action quite low on the neck with no drawbacks in the sound and sustain department. The neck show no warping or twisting of any kind.

There is some thought put into the instrument. The head stock is a tilt back design thus eliminating any string trees. The machine heads are offset so that there is extra lenght for the E string. The bridge is oversized in mass offering more sustain.(somwhat like the design of the G&L).

The tolerances of construction are of highest quality, with the next joint (it is a bolt on) looking like a set or through the body next in the tightness of the fit.

The bass is passive in it's P and J pickup configuration. Although it does not have the wide range of tone that an active instrument would have, I have been able to obtain a vast spectrum of sounds by balancing the vol. to tone. It is superior to my old Fender in that respect.

The model name "black villan" is misleading. One would think that it would be a bass for heavy metal. It is not. The bass is very much like a Fender Jazz but much lighter in weight without the loss of sustain. It is at home playing gospel, jazz, and funk. The body style resembles that of an Ibenez SR series bass. For those into apperance, the transparent black finish looks solid black in daylight, but is strikingly transparent under stage lights showing the wood grain in detail.

I only have two minor drawbacks about the bass. First, I have done a lot of slapping and it seems that the frets have worn out faster than usual for most basses. (Could it be my stainless steel Rotosounds??) Second, I would really like to see this bass and for that matter all basses with an adjustable high setting for the nut. (like a Warwick Corvette).

I will probably have the bass wired to be active someday, have periodical fret work done, and put an adjustable nut on it. Other than that, I can't imagine ever wanting to part with this instrument. When I bought it, the store owner (a bass player) told me it had a "seductive neck" on it. He was right I've never played a bass with a better neck yet.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this bass to anyone looking for a great passive instrument. It is superior to my old Fender in everyway. It is a shame that we bass players get caught up in the marketing and image of a particular brand or year of an instrument and close our minds to some of the more economical alternatives that are available. In the case of this bass, I'm glade I didn't.The price is attractive to the upstart professional and would keep a veteran from spending thousands on a passive vintage Fender.

Construction 98%
Playability 100%
Appearance 85%
Sound 90%
Value 100%
Overall