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MGR/Kieran « Samick Corsair CR 1 »
Published on 08/27/03 at 15:00I 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
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