As a four stringer wanting to get into five string i was wary of spending a bundle of cash on an instrument i might not end up devoting time to. So i went looking for a good inexpensive bass. Out of all of the basses i tried this is the one that struck me. I think it is the best i saw in it's price range and even a bit above it's price range.

Designed by Greg Curbow it reflects the overall esthetic of his line of hand made basses. The body is very small with a "carved" top. It's not really carved because it's made out of luthite which is molded. The finish is made to approximate the look of wood grain which is does from a distance. Some don't like the look of this but i do. It stands out from all the other standard Red, Blue and Black basses in it's price range. The neck is slim from front to back and all 25 frets are reasonably accesable. The neck extends into the body all the way to the pickup cavity and is anchored with five recesses bolts that look very sturdy. The finger board is axtended a bit under the bass side of the neck housing two "half" frets while expanding right hand thumb anchoring options. The hardware is Made by MightyMite and is of good quality, especially the bridge.

I would describe the sound of this bass as articulate. It speaks very clearly. It doesn't naturally have the warm sound of wood but i don't think that is the point. The tone is however nicely balanced. It can be adjusted to taste, using the on board pre-amp, to get closer to the sound of a wood bass.

Overall i really love this bass. I can't say enough good things about it and every one who has seen it so far has had very positive things to say about it. The only thing i would improve at this point is to put a bit of a contour on the back of the body. I don't know how this would effect tone and resonance, it's a very small body so it could be a problem. Also some might not like that it is hard to play comfortably sitting because the lower cutaway is so deep. I think it's worth the upper fret acces and i don't think it was designed to be played that way anyway. I usually wear a strap when sitting with any bass so this is not a problem.

Again i love this bass. Its a great five and really great considering it's diminuitive cost. I can barely put it down.

Construction	85%
Playability	95%
Appearance	100%
Sound	90%
Value	100%
Overall	95%
ratings are in comparison to others in it's price range with 75 being on par w
ith others