I received my Rumblefish 4 last week. I won it in auction on ebay at what I thought was a decent price that included shipping and a two-tone, teardrop shaped hardcase.

The general appearance of the instrument is neo-classic retro/revival. I looks retro but it's not a copy of any specific instrument. A very refreshing approach, IMO

I played it at during a couple of rehearsals last week and a bunch since then so I think I've got a pretty good feel for it now.

First of all, right out of the box, the neck is absolutely perfect for me. It's the best neck I've ever played on any instrument, new or vintage, ever. The scale length is 34 inches and the fingerboard has a nice roundover which is very comfortable. The frets appear to be medium jumbos and are well finished. The satin finished maple is very fast and smooth and the back profile is perfect, IMO. The overall feel of the neck is like that of a well played, ancient J bass. Very user friendly. Can you tell I like the neck? 8^)

I like the retro look and the build quality is much better that an original "vintage retro" piece.

The bass is fairly lightweight. It balances at about a 45 degree angle on the strap and hangs pretty much where I put it. The semi-hollow body is an injection molded rim with a centerpiece of mahogany and a colored phenolic top and back. The edges of the body are slightly beveled giving the look of binding.

The body is slab shaped with a banjo rest which actually works suprisingly well. I feel the body would benefit from a "tummy cut" but it's not uncomfortable without it.

The bridge is stamped steel like a '70s P or J bass. The tuners are the enclosed type of unknown manufacture. The pickups on mine were made by Kent Armstrong and have Alnico polepieces. They're single coils and typically buzzy. When both pickups are on equal amounts they're humbucking and fairly quiet. The pots work well and feel very smooth. The jack is a Switchcraft. The pickguard has a metallic foil shield which is grounded through the pot cases and output jack but the body and pickup cavities are not shielded. The soldering is well done.

When I looked inside the body I found a metal block by the bridge screwed and glued to the center piece. I assume there is also one on the other side of the centerpiece. It helps balance the bass and adds mass but since the bridge isn't attached directly to it, I don't know if it contributes to the tone and incredible sustain of the instrument.

As to sound. Well I got good news and bad news. I'm a firm believer in bad news first, so...

Bad news is it doesn't sound like a Jazz or a Precision or a Danelectro.

Good news is it doesn't sound like a Jazz or a Precision or a Danelectro.

I have a couple of samples of all three of those and the Rumblefish has elements of all of them but it definitely has it's own voice. With the original roundwound strings, the lows are very clear and the highs are sweet. The lows have the much coveted "piano" quality.

Acoustically the Rumblefish sounds and sustains like a P bass I had fitted with a 2Tek bridge but without the weight penalty of the 2-Tek. Amplified it sounds very punchy. I had to boost the lows a little at the amp to get the tone I want, YMMV.

The pickups are angled a bit with the treble side closer to the neck, something I always thought would be a good idea. It seems to be.

Going through the pickup selections, they all sound like what you'd expect from a J/J configured bass but the bridge position sounds more full than a J bass and the neck is clear/middy similar to a P with the highs of a Dano pickup. The sound in humbucking mode is punchier than a typical J bass in humbucking mode, IMO. It's a good, very usable set of tones. Great "meat and potatoes" groove sound.

I usually play with flatwound strings so I replaced the original roundwounds with flats and took the opportunity to change the tuners to a set of Hipshot Ultralights I had handy. They fit the original holes perfectly. The original tuners are fine, I just like the look/feel of the Hipshots. They make the instrument look even more retro with their "elephant ear" paddles. I was going to change the bridge to a heavier one but the original sounded fine and the sustain is suprisingly good, without a hint of the dreaded dead spot, so I left it on.

With the flats I also get a great tone. It fits right in with the roots blues music I usually play.

This bass is quickly becomming my new #1. (along with my DeArmond Ashbory, but that's a different animal altogether)

Oh, yeah, the neck, did I tell you I love the neck???

Robert "Rudy" Rudinski

Construction	100%
(good combination of construction methods)
Playability	100%
(great neck)
Appearance	100%
(great retro vibe)
Sound	100%
(I like it)
Value	100%
(great bang for the buck)
Overall	100%
(my new #1)