The first thing i noticed about this bass was how nice the neck feels. It's thin and lets your fingers play fast, good for sweeps and speed runs. It also the pickups can handle the low b string quite well, but can lack a little on the top string. the three band eq is very versitial, and can give you anything from deep bass to barking mids. And i was relly suprised how well this bass sounded when i plugged it straight into a p.a. system. very convienient for me seeing as i play with acoustic bands and hate carrying around an amp.

so, i got this bass a year ago, and i'd have to say that it is amazing. wonderful tone, comfortable neck (even with it being my first five string), beautiful finish (vintage white), and i really dig the active pickups. i had to take it in when i first received it, to get a set up, and boy did it sound great afterwards. one of the best basses i've played on, i'd definitely recommend it to any intermediate player.

I bought mine in 2000 and was pleased with the over all quality and versatility of the active electronics. After a few years I noticed a small crack in the back of the head stock, coming from the small screw that holds the low B tuner in place. Fender covered it under waranty and replaced the neck. Four years later the same thing happened again!! I asked a warranty shop about replcing that neck, but was discouraged not to pursue it. I was just going to upgrade to another bass, but due to economic difficulties, I have stayed with it. With this being my only bass, it really bothered me that the neck was cracked. So I asked a different warranty shop and he pushed Fender for a replacement neck - which I received! This neck is cool! It has the satin finish - nice feel. So, a comment I read earlier about MIM quality being hit and miss is valid - as the 3rd neck is now rocking. I thought the mids were kind of "hard" sounding, but the more I play with different rigs, I can say I really like the punch an over all tone. Re a push/pull active/passive mode switch, that would have been a nice touch. I asked the warranty shop about putting one in, I was discouraged - he said a loud pop would occur when switching modes. If anyone has a good experience with this switch, please respond to my e-mail. Over all, I dig it.

I have had this bass for about 2 years now. At first it was *ok* but not great. Then I did 2 major things: replace the cheap plastic nut with a bone nut and replace the active pickups with passive bartolini's. Now it just kills. The sound is perfect for my taste. Not like a j-bass with an extra string, but like its own unique voice. but it will get you a j-ish tone just fine. I like really heavy strings and low action. This bass takes a pin straight neck setup and super low action with no buzz just fine. very comfortable and well balanced, not neck heavy at all. I couldnt be happier.

This is an amazing bass with great sound. Great tone and sustain, and the active pick ups are awesome. You can play full force or passive with this bass with minimal adjustment. This bass holds its tuning really well, I have tuned it and carried around all weekend before and never had to touch a tuner knob the whole time. Overall a great value, I highly recommend it.