When I heard that somebody was designing and building world-class bass guitars right here in Portland, Oregon I was skeptical. I mean, why would talent like that hang out here? Well, why he's here I still don't know, but David King definitely builts top of the line custom basses.

I tried dozens of different guitars in the $2000+ price range while shopping for a 5-string fretless but there was always a trade-off. Always something that made the guitar slightly (or considerably) less than my dream bass. So, why not pay the roughly the same amount of money -- if not less -- and have one built to my specifications?

And built to my specifications it was. Neck shape & dimensions, body styling, electronics and David King's craftmanship and attention to detail coupled with his own custom designed and hand milled headless system (bridge, tuners, nut and string lock mechanism) make this the best bass guitar I've ever played. And I've played quite a few, including some very high-end basses.

Simply put, this guitar was built for ME. It fits my body and hands, balances the way I like, feels and plays the way I like and sounds the way I like. The Lane Poors let the sound of the guitar itself come through. And David's design innovations (integrated body length thumb rest, headless system, seamless/screwless cavity covers, signature body styling) make this bass guitar a piece of art. A friend of mine even suggested I hang it on the wall like a painting when I'm not playing it.

If you're shopping for your dream bass, stop shopping and come to Portland. Browse David's inventory of woods, see his shop and talk tone and feel. Then let him get to work building a dream bass for YOU!

Construction	100%
(Excellent craftmanship and attention to detail)
Playability	100%
(Built to my specifications to play the way I want it to play)
Appearance	100%
(Sexy body styling, wood choices and hand rubbed finish)
Sound	100%
(Excellent classic fretless sound)
Value	100%
(Why pay the same or more for a bass off the shelf?)
Cust. Service	95%
(I'd like him to work faster)
Overall	100%
(Every serious bassist should have at least one David King)
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taylorsherman@home.com sent the following review
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Neck Type	5-piece maple w/walnut, neck-thru
Fingerboard	ebony
Body Type	walnut
Finish	tung oil
Pickup(s)	Carvin MM+J (HB2 + J99)
Controls	active/passive, vol, pan, b, m, t

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Nice bass. Typical amazing Carvin quality for less than a grand. I have had a bit of difficulty getting the action as low as I like, but I might have unrealistic goals, having played fretless for the past few years. So right now it buzzes if I play moderately hard? It sounds very good - not the MM sound from the bridge pickup but a good one nonetheless. The neck, J99 single coil, has quite a lot of 'bite' to it, it sounds MUCH better by itself than the H50 neck on my LB76. Gripes: single-coil mode on the MM is a lot lower output than humbucking (series I believe) as well as the J99, which is pretty hot apparently. Single coil operation picks up a lot of hum. Using the bridge pu in humbucking mode picks up a lot of buzz. I've got some Lane Poors on order.

One other thing: the sound quality between active and passive modes is quite different. A *lot* more upper-mid honk in passive mode. This is into a fairly high-impedance input, too. I don't know what that's all about. It's nice for variety but kind of annoying.

If the review sounded a little negative, keep in mind the bottom line: best bass I know of for <$1k.

A note on customer service: the first salesman I talked to sold me a bass that they didn't even have. I was lucky to find out before it arrived and UPS drove away. I think they fired him, but I have to knock some points for that. . . :)

Postscript: Will people please stop giving everything they review 100s in every category? thanks. If it seems perfect now, the day after you bring it home, wait a month or two. :)

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Construction	100%
Playability	85%
Appearance	95%
Sound	75%
Value	100%
Cust. Service	60%
Overall	85%

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