That old Peavey T40 is cool. The art work, that takes it to another world.
I have had my Epiphone Viola for a little over a month now.
This was an unexpected purchase, I had intended to save up for one of those HB ânot a Rick clone, honestâ basses that Thomaan sells.
I wandered into the local music shop, we donât have a lot, intending to look at hard cases and maybe the short scale Fenders/Squiers as there had been a thread about them and I wanted to see what the fuss was.
Anyway on an impulse I picked up the Viola on the way out. I though I would compare it to what I have which includes a Chinese made 500/1 clone bought through an Australian importer (Axiom).
My clone is quite good I feel, hollow and very light with a thin neck and thumpy, but it just doesnât blow my hair back.
I had seen the viola in the shop previously but not paid a lot of interest as it had always been around to $900-$1000AUD mark.
Anyway I picked it up expecting meh, however I surprised myself.
I suppose this is what having more experience and having played more basses does, I was blown away.
The neck feels like a âstandardâ neck ie; solid, robust, fills the hand nicely.
The body felt solid, it is heavier than my other Beatle bass, but in a good way. Not as heavy as my solid bodies but with enough mass to let you know it is there and is a solid instrument.
Then I looked at the tag $669 reduced from $1200 (for the overseas readers Australian prices on everything are insane), at that point I started having evil acquisitive thoughts, placed it back on the rack and left.
This was a Friday.
All weekend a tiny part of my brainâs RAM is turning over this bass, keeping open multiple tabs and generally being disruptive.
Yes, I Googled and read reviews, yes I searched Bassbuzz and TalkBass for threads.
Monday at lunch I though, Iâll just go have a look and maybe put it into an Amp.
Bad mistake. It followed me home.
The finish is just beautiful and draws in the eye, the burst is not lairy or overdone, there is no pickguard which I appreciate.
The Bridge is solid, I have no problem with it being a floating bridge (this seems to stress people out apparently-I have played fiddles and banjos so, no worries).
I like the headstock.
The frets are not sharp and seem even.
First thing I did when I got home was change the strings and put on the deep Talkinâ Hofner flats that had been on my other bass-it came with zingy rounds with red silks.
It has 3 control knobs, Vol Vol Tone.
Now the sound, this is what attracted me also.
It does not sound like my hollow light âHofner cloneâ which to my ear does sound a lot like the real thing.
Here are the two together:
Front pickup alone does sound close, it is deep and thumpy, rich, but not as thumpy as the ânearly-Hofnerâ.
Unlike my clone the rear pickup is loud and clear and gives a good sound by itself with a bit of âtwang(?)â (in a good way).
There is no hum even with the tone turned up.
I tend to like front pickup and no tone but I do play with them a bit and it is quite variable in what can be produced (especially with a Zoom B1).
The strap buttons are in the usual Hofner positions of rear of heel and base of the tail piece.
This means that it tends to flip forward so I changed that ASAP.
Being a gun nut I thought what is a better solution than Uncle Mike quick release loops.
so I got a couple and did both basses at the same time.
That worked well.
As you may see from the top pic I am experimenting with putting the strap under the tail piece but I may stop this as I donât want to wear away the finish.
I have been using this as my goto bass since I got it, playing standing and sitting, playing Beatles, Deep Purple, Kiss, The Doors, basically every thing and it is quite versatile.
I have a little bit of affection everytime I take it from itâs case (which was a lucky find a few months earlier-a Hofner shaped case I bought for my clone which was about $40AUD!-found on Facebook)
Overall I am very happy and a little bit in love with this bass, it can do vintage and modern, is well made and looks beautiful.
Comfortable to hold and play.
For a very spontaneous purchase I think I did pretty well.
My other basses just glare at me sullenly when I practice now.
My itch to buy and learn the bass coincided with a 10th anniversary sale at a local music shop. On Wednesday, I purchased the Warlock and Peavy Max150 at a great price. That evening, the shop advertised to Cort. The next day, it was home as well⌠Now comes the learning phase.
Buys two basses before learning to play. Youâre going to fit in very well here. 
Congratulations on the basses!
I gotta consider them motivational toolsâŚâŚlol
My new Harley Benton JP-45OP just arrived. The fit and finish are excellent and it sounds great through the little 3 watt headphone amp I keep at work. Iâll give it a proper setup with some LaBella flats when I get home.
That is a beauty mate, nice grain, burst and tort
This is my super Purple Sparkling Sterling by Music Man Stingray Ray34.
I really really love the deep warm sound of this guitar.
You had me at Sparkling Purple!
âŚand Stingray. Gorgeous! Congrats.
you are the forumâs new hero.
also a nice rug would really tie the room together.
Oh, I like how you did the bass hangars.
Welcome to BassBuzz!
Whew! If you one day decided youâd rather wanted to support a struggling 3rd world country, I am sure we can find some candidates for you
Thanks!
I got it over here: Best Guitar Wall Mount Hangers | Guitar Hooks | diamondLife
They run sales occasionally, and looks like they are at the moment.
The hangers themselves, Iâm maybe not in love with, but the actual slat board itself is excellent. I find that their hangers arenât super wide, so on my 5 strings I have to have the bass turned when I slide it in, and then rotate. Construction wise, the hangars are awesome though. You can order them in different hanging lengths if you want to turn the guitars sideways to hang more of them, etc.
Haha, there is a rug its just comically undersized. I used a spare rug we had at the house already. We repainted the room and installed the floor recently after tearing out all the carpet.
Itâs for sure on the list of things to get, but I also donât have a StingRay yet⌠