Ktaxon 5 String Electric Bass Guitar, Full Size Standard Right Handed Rosewood Fretboard Bass Kit with Gig Bag Strap Cable Wrench Tool (Upgraded Black)

I've bought many guitars. Half the time you get a guitar in the mail or at a music shop, and you have to screw in the screws all the way. This guitar is really not bad. It's slightly intonated on 2 of the 5 strings, but otherwise, it only needed to be tuned and was 100% playable out of the box. It feels solid. The strings are meh, but I'm going to use them. I bought a set of 5 string ernie balls for a third of what this whole guitar costs, figuring I'd replace them right away, but no. The stock ones are fine.Because of the price, I was fully expecting to smack that fat b string and hear tuners rattle. I was expecting unavoidable hum when I turned it up, or crackling from a potentiometer while adjusting the volume/tone knobs. I anticipated having to adjust everything and tighten it all down, or maybe even replace parts outright. There is no need for any of that. Whether I choose to upgrade/mod is a different story. I'd consider playing out with this as-is, honestly.The pickups are single coil, and hum quite a bit when using only one. I was pleased to find that the pickups are wired correctly, and they cancel each other's hum when both are turned up to the same volume. Who's not playing at max anyway? I've got the tone pots doing a lot of shaping, but really enjoy having the neck tone pretty far down for deep warm punch, and the bridge allll the way up to get that midrange clarity at the same time. It sounds like a guitar that costs 4-5 times as much.There are no sharp frets, dead frets, or fret buzz. The shape of the neck is comfortable, and 24 frets is nice. The tuners stay put.The volume output is a bit less than my 4-string, but it feels like I get a bit more nuance at max volume by comparison. Turn up the amp, and all is honky-dorey.The fretboard is unfinished wood. Pick up a Mexican stratocaster, and there's lacquer on the fretboard, which is appaling. I rubbed some lemon oil on this bass, and it actually looks pretty decent. Feels like is should have cost more.The body is very light, and I sit to play mostly. This makes the neck rest at an uncomfortable angle. This problem is not unique to this guitar. The body is a fingerprint magnet. Again, what guitar isn't? The only real problem I found out of the box is that the knobs are different heights off of the body. One is nearly up against, 2 have a 1/16" gap, and the other sticks up almost 1/4". I only found this while looking for something negative. It's a non-issue for me, and hadn't even noticed while playing.Fresh out of the box, this looks, feels, and tastes like a $300+ guitar. I have yet to adjust the bridge, but it does look chintsy. Being a musician on a budget I've dealt with this before, and being ginger with wrenches should let me make adjustments just fine. I wouldn't recommend wrenching the heck out of anything on this guitar, or be prepared to replace parts.I know this is not a premier bass guitar. The under $100 price tag had me thinking I'd have a beater guitar in my closet for funsies. This is actually going to be taking the place of my Washburn 4-string, hanging on the wall, ready for recording. Note that most of what I do is through somewhat expensive modeling software behind a focusrite scarlett DI. I have lots of fancy tools that clean up my sound. If you plug this into a cheap practice amp, your results may not be as good. If you're just wanting to try a 5-string on a budget, you probably won't be disappointed.I bought a 7-string guitar last year, and wanted a 5-string bass to compliment. I had low expectations buying this bass, and for what I got, I'd happily pay 2-3 times as much. Before purchasing, I read other reviews that are quite negative. Maybe I got the one that was built on a Monday, I don't know. The bass came in a guitar shaped cardboard box, and that was inside another rectangular box; pretty par for the course, buying a guitar online. The inner box had 2 different types of tape. I think the retailer opens and quality checks these after they get them from the manufacturer. If so, that could explain why it wasn't a dud.If you're looking at this bass and have read my review, just buy the darn thing. You're not going to get much better quality until you hit the $400+ price range... If the one you get is as decent as the one I got. Again, maybe I got lucky. Maybe I just have low standards?A bonus is that there was no branding on the headstock, so I get to have fun with decals. I'm considering slapping a Yamaha logo on it, and see if I can trick a couple buds into believing it costs $900.

Came in perfect condition. The wood on the bass looks nice, with good grain matching at wood joints so as they were barely noticeable. The body is finished with high gloss and looks really nice. I see this toning down with regular use, Which I think I'll prefer. The curvature of the body is comfortable against the body and the bass itself is light and easy to hold. The neck appears to be unfinished/unsealed maple, and is smooth enough while offering a bit of friction for hold. I much prefer it to a sticky poly neck.Intonation was easily dialed in via the adjustable bridge, and string height was near appropriate. Only have had a J/P pickup setup prior, so I was surprised at how quiet it was initially. Raising the pickups to appropriate height increased output considerably, but I don't feel like these pickups have much in the way of higher frequencies. The lows, however, are full and wicked and the low B and D string BOOM bass. I think I'll try to locate another pickup for presence in higher tones to pair with one of these humbuckers.I can't believe how great a value this bass is though, and couldn't recommend it more.

After not playing bass for a few years, decided to give it a go again. Bass shipped 3 day. FedEx delivered it's a Glarry box. It's basically shipped in Styrofoam and a box. Opened it, found bass not damaged at all. Gave it a once over, everything looked fine. Plugged it in, electronics all work. Bass was almost in tune, the strings were intunated correctly, action looked good enough, neck was straight. Strings are a little "rough" feeling, but nothing to loose my cool over for the price. Sounds good. The B even sounds good thru a Fender Rumble 25. The bass overall doesn't have a lot of weight, probably half of what a 5 string Fender would have.The bad. So the A string isn't perfectly centered in the neck, but pretty close. The bridge has a slight cant about 1/8" closer on the B side than the G. The bridge has a few spots of tiny specks of rust (maybe?). There was some weird cream looking stuff on the back cover edges and around the pickup cavity (maybe polish compound).Overall, very pleased with my sub $100 bass guitar. Is it a Fender or a Sire? Nope, but it's good enough for a beginner.If the bridge was straight, it would have been 5 stars.

I'm an experienced guitar player and wanted an inexpensive bass to do some home recording. Out of the box, the bass sounded decent and is playable but with some minor work.....fret filing and sanding, intonation set, and a new set of strings (I went with the lightest gauge I could find because I'm a guitarist 99% of the time) and it's much easier to play which also makes it sound better. Regardless of price it's a very good bass but when you factor in the price, it's a ridiculous deal. I used to be caught up with G.A.S. but at a point in my playing where it's become pointless and idiotic to focus on that vs. playing and having fun. If you don't have the skills to set up your guitar/bass, watch some videos and take the time to learn/practice and you'll save yourself thousands in the long run. Small investment with huge returns.

The Ktaxon 5-string bass might have a budget price tag, but it punches way above its weight. It sounds incredible, especially when run through amp sim software, with a rich, fat tone that fits every genre. The build quality and playability feel way more premium than the price suggests. If you're looking for an affordable bass that doesn't play cheap, this one's a hidden gem.