I asked a while back about Vorson basses and nobody knew any more than I did, which is zilch. How 'bout Artist? Australian retailers of Chinese (inevitably) basses. Any feedback? Curious about their hybrid 5 string electric w/ active-passive knob. Hard for me to find comparable brands even used at their price point. Maybe Cort (although Action models don’t work w/out 'em being ‘active’)? Alternatives? P.S. I live in a ‘Global South’ country with strict customs limits on weight/cost for imports; most comparable models can’t be shipped here. And there’s no bargains on any gear used–sellers here are savvy and new items cost more than in ‘the North.’ My budget is limited to way under $250 w/nothing over 4.5 kilos
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Hey mate, I have the Artist Fretless Hybrid.
It is an active PJ style.
I very much like it.
I have swapped the neck for a fretted one, but I am using the fretless neck on another project.
It is a well made, good sounding bass.
I have D’Addario tapes on at present.
Nothing negative to say.
I was GASing over the 5 string and the Retro Blue 4 string also
My Son’s friend has an Artist P Bass .
I think Axiom is worth a look too.
A bit of a write up (I have since removed the round sticker but Algie is still flying over Battersea
Show Us Your Basses (Part 2) - Gear - BassBuzz Forum
I loved this bass as a fretless but am not (yet) good enough to enjoy it properly so I changed the neck for one I got from NZ and I love to play I even more now. With this one I have just added the cover and stickers,It also has tapes (I think these are Deep Talking Tapes I mistakenly ordered in long instead of Hofner size). I also put on nicer deep red knobs to match the salami tort.
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Got the real basic Artist P bass and upgraded the pickups and wiring.
Neck is well playable and for the money I definitely have no complaints.
If you go to their website and browse the customer returns/ damaged category you can pick up a bargain now and again ( I paid around $80 aud delivered for mine with a loose earth wire)
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Feel like I need to look at their returns now
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Thanks for the positive responses, @Gloucestre. Checking their site it appears they only ship w/in Australia, but perhaps other vendors might be middlemen for overseas s/h?
Where are you?
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Ecuador–It’s listed via a middleman vendor (via Amazon/E-Bay to reship them here as those sites don’t deliver here directly) for a price of $250-ish USD same as a used Cort Action one I am contemplating (w/ bag, strap). Down here there aren’t any great deals; lesser-known makes dominate the new/used market. (Prices higher no matter what; customs would jack up any instrument I’d import on my own about double its value.) Any suggestions? I’ve always heard buy used ‘name brand’ rather than new ‘off-brand,’ but from the reviews I’ve found, I can’t decide between Cort + Artist; I’d be a newbie on a 5’er, out to experiment. (I was also looking at Rogue, 1/3 cheaper, but I suspect you get what you pay for if a bargain?) Thanks for any assistance here, as I’m far away from any music store to try anything out.
Have you thought about Donner at all?
I have one of their guitars and I think it is pretty good.
Well made, sounds good and stays in tune.
This is what I got-I can’t find them on the Donner site anymore.
It is a good solid instrument, nicely finished and put together, great sound from rock n roll to very Bluesy (which I like)
All in all a good budget buy
Oh yes I put DR Pure Blues on it straight out of the box because life is to short to use bad strings (unless there is a reason to)
And I changed the knobs, same reason; life short, ugly knobs bad.
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@Gloucestre I have a couple of Donner pedals, and their pedalboard frame, and I like their products: fairly priced for us beginners. So, I’d be open to Donner’s bass. As for electric guitar, I bought one when I was 15 for USD$15. Yeah, almost half a century ago. I thought my son(s) might have took off w/it, but after 31 years+ buried very deep in the garage, it’s intact. My tech-skilled guitar buddy has been restoring it. It’s be a DelRey Japanese triple-pickup cheapo, sold in the late '60s. I look forward to being re-acquainted with it soon.
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I had the Donner P-bass, and I did about 2/3 of B2B on it, finished the course on it in fact. Great instrument at the price point and a fab mod platform as well. I swapped out the pups for Seymour Steve Harris SPB-4s, and the bridge for a hi-mass. Great times. Sold it when I bought the real Steve Harris bass.
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