![]() However, this is known to be an inherent design fault with T-bass styles in general. Access to the last three frets is very difficult because the cutaway isn’t deep enough. Moving it up just a tiny amount allowed it to settle back to a more vertical position. Otherwise it would tend to lay on me at more of a downward angle than I would like. Because I have a middle-age spread (being a middle-aged guy), I found I needed to raise it up slightly on my body by adjusting the strap. It’s comfortable, and I don’t feel like I have to fight it to accomplish anything. There is a bit of relief in the neck, but it’s still pretty straight overall. I can easily get some rattle and buzz if I play too hard. ![]() The action is quite low, and maybe a bit too low for my heavy-ish playing style. Strings are light gauge rounds, and the bass was fully set up at the factory. Like the knobs, easy to replace, but another small detail that seems to have been overlooked (I have since replaced the knobs). Unusual for a new bass, especially since the TRC is protected to a large degree by the strings themselves. Also the truss rod cover (standard Gibson bell shape) looks scuffed up, like it was used. So far it’s hasn’t had an effect on my playing. It’s an odd contrast with the overall polished look and feel of the rest of the bass. One thing I discovered was that if you run your fingertips along the edges of the neck, you can feel the ends of a few of the frets sticking out like burrs. As mentioned earlier, it has a set neck, but certainly looks like a through neck, since I could see no obvious join. It has a comfortable feel when I grab it. Neck width is more like a P-bass than a J (1 5/8″ at the nut, two inches at the 20th fret) and its not a slim profile, but not a baseball bat either (2 3/4″ around the back at the 1st fret). The back of the neck and headstock are solid black, which I find a bit boring compared to seeing a nice woodgrain, but it has no effect on playability. ![]() The pictures really don’t do it justice (other color options are available from the Gaskell website). The sunburst is vibrant and I haven’t found any areas where the finish appears less than perfect. The jack plug connection is snug and seems to pass a signal with no issues. The Volume and Tone pots feel clean, with no crackle (although surprisingly, the three knobs used do not match each other). Likewise the bridge uses a three-point system to attach to the body and seems to be very solid. I don’t know what brand of tuners are used, but they feel very smooth, and hold well, even with new strings. This moves the anchor point far enough forward that neck dive does not appear to be a problem with this bass. When I ordered this bass, I requested that the pin be relocated to the neck heel instead (like an SG). ![]() The bottom body bout extends so far forward underneath the neck that it offsets the pivot point created by the strap location. T-basses are well-known to have neck dive issues, mainly because the top strap pin is set too far back for the instrument’s center of gravity. Once I had unpacked the bass, inspected it thoroughly and cleaned off the loose foam, I strapped it on and plugged it in. I don’t know how loose it may have been in the container, but it certainly sustained no damage, which is the important thing, considering it came from Australia to the United Kingdom in a week’s time. Although I was surprised that there was not much in the way of anything to secure the instrument within the packing. Since I had ordered the bass without a case or gig bag, it was shipped in Styrofoam, which seemed to have worked very well. Because of CITES regulations, guitar manufacturers are turning to other types of Mahogany. My very first impression of this bass, when picking up the shipping carton, was how light it was for its size, due no doubt to being constructed of Toona Mahogany, which is lighter than “Traditional” Mahogany (fast becoming scarce because of over-harvesting world-wide). It has two Belcat BJ-73 pickups with separate volume pots, and an overall tone control. As far as the basic specs, it’s a 34″ scale with a rosewood 20-fret set neck, made out of Toona Mahogany.
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