Samick Corsair CR-1

I acquired this guitar used from an old friend of mine. He had been a somewhat unkind to it, so it had unfortunate dents and scratches on its body. However, the electronics were all in good working order and the bass as a whole was still very functional. I was very much a beginner at the time and had no understanding yet of variations in quality amongst basses. I bought it off my friend for $150. At the time it was 2 years old.

Like I said, when I owned this bass I was just starting out. Regardless, I could tell right off the bat that the instrument felt comfortable in my hands. Frets were well-sized and the good spacing between the strings allowed for precision in plucking. Not too heavy either, it didn't kill my back or shoulder to play it for hours on end. The electronics were very simple: volume and tone. Not much to play with, but it let me get comfortable with the basic sounds of the bass.

Although learning on this bass was quite enjoyable, as my skills improved it eventually became obvious that this instrument was not of tremendous quality. Playing for extended periods of time on the bass eventually resulted in lots of rattles and unfavorable vibrations in the machine heads. Plus, the electronics soon gave me trouble. Repeated repair jobs at the local guitar store provided only temporary relief, as the machine heads would soon start rattling away again and piece by piece the electronics started giving out.

I'm not certain how much I can attribute my troubles to the fact that the original owner may have been mean to the instrument, or to the fact that this bass wasn't built very tough to begin with. Probably a combination of both. The volume and tone controls never felt very sturdy or solid, and the pickguard was rather cheap looking. I treated the bass very well, but that didn't stop the bolt-on neck from coming loose of the body after I owned it for 2 years! Rather disturbing.

Based on my experience, I would only recommend this bass for a beginner. It is tough enough to stand up to a typical beginner's rough and tumble playing, but in the long run this bass just isn't built sturdily enough to survive. My guess is that after about 3 years of playing, just about every important mechanical and electrical component starts to give up. And the chronic problems with the machine heads were very annoying when trying to play for anybody else besides yourself. Long story short, beginners only. Advanced players need not apply!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Channel mapple designed by luthier greg bennet.
Precision Bass copy of fairly standard.
1 volume, 1 tone.

UTILIZATION

I was only little by the time (2003 or 2004 ...?), I was just looking for a bass my personal hacks (I'm playing guitar).
From the store, I found the original sound terrible, but I took it anyway because I had not the means for others.
It was confirmed over the years: in my songs, the bass was almost never his place: his hollow, poorly defined, no heat and no real presence and a big lack of attack. A little better through a small pedal for bass (digitech RP80), but hey, the sound is not modeled on his bass and worse it does not save any ...

Things have already improved significantly when I lined the cavity to foil pickups.
I recovered with a low background noise reduced by 80%. Not negligible ...

Lately I've ridden over the kit EMG P-Bass who needs no introduction, and it is day and night. There are the attack, roundness and warmth, and my bass lines are finally bringing their key to my songs. I would have had to change the pickups years ago!

SOUNDS

As stated above, the original sounds disposable (at least on mine ...)
Strongly agree not to attempt a comparison with a MusicMan ...!

With the EMG-P kit, it sounds everywhere, in an amp in a pedal in a table ...
Without changing the pickups, you can not do much without an amp simulator and / or a good amp behind ...

OVERALL OPINION

Initially, let's be honest it's still a real low entry level, a single copy of PB pourrave with microphones and no shield for the electronics, but with a nice round (thank you greg bennet).

But ultimately, with € 100 investment in micro and application of good old trick to cheap, I'm happy with the bass is also quite light and offers a good grip.

Cheap all the way, but not if deg 'it

UTILIZATION

Channel merdouillique still a little, I had to retype
The rest ... bof
It crachouille not bad, even by inspecting all cricuit and changing the knobs ...
on the other hand (see below)

SOUNDS

A lot of buzz but with flat net ropes a bit old you get a p. .. its good excellent vintage, well used.

OVERALL OPINION

Am separated me because I have to make a little room at home, but just for the vintage sound, for a minimal investment altogether (say 50-100 € for purchase-cash barter strings and slightly past) it might be worth looking at that one its type (it's pretty close to the "cargo cult" to bluff well).