Before I start, I have to be clear on one point: This is *NOT* a 4-star bass in general. My rating is relative for what the expectation is for a beginner bass guitar.

I’ve been playing guitar for some time now and decided that I want to try out a bass guitar and see if I even enjoy playing it. I have tried out a few demo models in stores, but you really need to take one home to know if you like bass or not. This kit is a good choice if you’re in the same situation or are buying for someone in this situation. I will comment on my experience with everything in this set:

* Guitar body: This is a replica of Fender’s looks. Very light weight; I’m guessing it has to be hollow body. The design overall is a little sloppy. I had to clean up the glue from one spot (easy to wipe) and tighten a couple of screws that were obviously not done. Good thing they give you the tools 🙂 You’re gonna need them. It’s in nice and clean condition after 10 minutes of maintenance.

* Fingerboard: I inspected this very closely a few times because I have had funny experiences with guitars before. There is no warping or bends on the fingerboard and the neck, which is a good sigh of relief for anyone who has seen cheap guitars before. I will update this review if it starts warping in a couple of months.

* Action: Well, this is the reason I deducted one star from my rating. The first couple of frets make a noticeable buzzing sound, specially on the low E string. I have been playing around with the height of the saddle and it’s a little better, but you still notice the rattling sound if you listen for it. The output signal from the pickups is very weak, you’ll need to turn up the volume on your amp quite a bit to hear anything.

* Price & delivery: At the time I bought this, it was .95. The price seems to have changed since then, so use your own judgement to adjust my review for the new price. The guitar itself was well wrapped and there were no damages to the body at all when I received it. Kudos for that. Shipping was right on time, too.

* Gig bag: This is actually a good case. Something that you can find on this site for about -ish. So when you find yourself growing out of this guitar and moving on to something better, you can still keep the case and use it. +1 for reusability.

* Accessories: Well, the amp cord works. Nothing to write home about. The strap is quite flimsy but holds up. I wouldn’t trust this strap with more expensive things though. If it was any thinner, they could have made a nanotech patent for nylon that’s only 1 atom thick.

* Strings: Meh, this is pretty much the same quality of strings that you find standard on any low end instrument. Normally I would have restrung it with better strings, but that would be half the cost of the guitar + accessories.

* The inlay dots on the side of the neck don’t seem to be centered. Maybe I’m just being too picky.

Overall, it’s playable. In a couple of months, I will probably either move on to something better or quit bass. Oh, did I mention you can use the bag and the cord for other guitars (bass or not). That’ll cover like of the cost for your next guitar. If you’re brave, you can even reuse the strap too.

Got this for my son for Christmas. Great deal. He’s just learning bass so this is a great starter piece.

Bad:

This falls under "you get what you pay for." I’m glad to have found a bass for such a low price but there are several spots on the fretboard that buzz 100% of the time, hopefully I can take it to a guitar shop and get that sorted out (I’ve tried a couple things myself like adjusting the truss rod to no avail). The strap broke within a couple days.

Good:

Looks and feels good. Knobs work well and feel sturdy. Other than the buzzing in a few spots sounds great plugged up to an amp, works great with Rocksmith. Tuning and intonation are easy (haven’t changed the strings yet to see how that is). As mentioned above, great price.