Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Steve (stevO) Thompson
Experience	22
Email	stevekel@inav.net
Review date	March 24 2002
Manufacturer	DeArmond
Model	Pilot 4 Deluxe
Price	295.00
Item owned for	Less than 1 month

Bass type	4 string fretted
Neck join	Neck Through
Neck construction	maple, walnut, 5
Fingerboard	rosewood, 22 frets, 35"
Body	swamp ash, 2
Finish	oil
Pickups	DeArmond humbucks
Hardware	gotoh, chrome matte
Electronics	3 band active

I wanted an inexpensive, good sounding and reliable bass; for $300 I couldn't go wrong. It's light, 8 lbs or under. slim body and neck, somewhat like a Jazz. Don't let the thin neck fool you, its 5 piece lamination with .25" fingerboard will be able to handle the humid summers of east central Iowa. Easy to use! My fingers don't even notice the diff between 34 & 35" scale. The neck has small vintage style frets, which means you can get the strings near or on the fingerboard, this is a plus! The oil finish is thin, I plan on refinishing it with 4-5 coats of Formby's oil.......hand rubbed. With the bass set flat, and my rig (Hartke 350 watt head, 4X10 cab) set flat, the bass offers a full, punchy warm sound. I can hear a P/J type sound with a hint of Gibson growl. You can boost the quiet preamp and get a "spankin" or good slappin' tone to it. Also it does very well with the pan knob selected on the rear pick-up; a jaco-esque tone. It feels good to my fretting hand and body; my right wristfeels strained after long use due to the small body size....oh well! The bridge was mounted on crooked, sloppy sheilding paint, miles of wire, preamp mounted to the cavity cover and a thin oil finish, These are things that I can easily fix. I feel that it is still a bargain for $300. If it were stolen or destroyed by ? I would quickly replace it. I really like this bass, it's built to last. I will be using it as my main axe for gospel and motown gigs. If you have any further questions, feel free to mail me. I'll give this bass a 9.5

Construction	90%
(well laminated)
Appearance	90%
(couple of sanding flaws, no big!)
Playability	95%
(after I set it up)
Sound	95%
(PHAT N LOW)
Customer Service	50%
(stilol waiting for my missing nylon washer on the tuner shaft.)
Value	100%
($300.00 WOW!)
Overall	90%
(I'm not one for owning boutique instruments, I love this bass, suits me just
fine.)