Tennwalker Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Hey alll.. I want to know if anyone has played or owns one of these $149 wonders. What i am lookin for is an honest unbiased opinion or facts. THanksssssssss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser_dup2 Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I played a Dean acoustic bass guitar last year, when I was looking for an ABG. I'm not sure which model it was, or if they even have more than one model. My opinion was kind of mixed; it wasn't the best I played, or the worst. Besides that one, I played Fender, Ibanez, Takamine, Michael Kelly, Martin and Tacoma. I bought the Michael Kelly. I almost bought a Fender, but I wouldn't recommend that unless you can find one of the older 34" scale models. All of the current models I see in stores and catalogs (except for the signature models) are short scale. Short scale ABGs don't have much going for them. You get what you pay for with a $150 instrument. I actually own a Dean Playmate solid body bass, and it is just about what you'd expect from a $150 bass. With some adjustment and a new set of strings, it's playable. The fretwork is not that good, so I can't get the action as low as my nicer basses. The finish leaves a lot to be desired; there are swirl marks and gouges, and some hazy patches. The electronics are pretty basic, just two knobs, volume and tone. When I took the cover off the electronics cavity, I found lots of buffing compound-- obviously, they throw these things together pretty quickly. Why did I buy such an inexpensive instrument, when I had a couple of much nicer Carvins at home? Well, I was on an extended business trip in Florida (I live in California), wanted something to play, and didn't feel like shipping one of my Carvins across the country and back. I had travel money burning a hole in my pocket, and bought the least expensive (but still playable) instrument I could find. It was nicer than anything I could find in a pawn shop (pawn shops in beach towns are not the best play to shop for musical instruments, I've learned). I actually intended to leave the Dean in Florida, but someone offered to ship it to me for free, so now it's my designated beater bass. I haven't played it for months, because I loaned it to a beginner to learn on. But I have taken it to jams, it sounds good through an amp, sort of P-bass-ish. It's fun to play, and I never worry about scratching it, because it came from the factory with scratches. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpedebass Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I had a 5 string Playmate acoustic. Emphasis on the word "had." It sounded pretty good unplugged, but once you play it through a system it sounds like oatmeal. I got mad at it and sold it. Probably should have tried new strings first, but I didn't. Love God...Love People! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred TBP Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 cheap. so's that electric URB they're selling everywhere. not worth your time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red 67 Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 Playmate part bass part cooler. hehehe Big Red's Ride Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbn Posted June 8, 2006 Share Posted June 8, 2006 I've got one. It plays fairly well. It doesn't sound bad unplugged. The action is high and the stock strings are garbage. The action isn't really "adjustable" and the trussrod is pretty much crap. It is probably worth the $150. It would definitely be worth $100 used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted June 9, 2006 Share Posted June 9, 2006 Fred, are you refering to the Pace? Flirting with the idea of adding an URB to the collection. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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