PK40 Review

Features:	6.3
Sound:	7.7
Action:	7.7
Reliability:	9.3
Impression:	7.3
Overall rating:	7.7
Users rating:	6.5
Comments:	12

These full size, long scale beauties really are the bass business! Low enders will appreciate the timeless shape of the double cutaway bodies with their vibrant finishes, the elegant maple necks with dark rosewood fretboards, and the stylish headstock design with its four large, easily-adjusted tuners.

overall: 8.4

Featured review by: 4-string-4-eva, on may 21, 2004

Purchased from: N/A

Features: - 20 frets
- 4 strings
- 1 tone and 1 volume control
// 6

Sound: // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Apart from a loose tone control knob this bass came as perfect as they come great! // 10

Reliability & Durability: This is a very durable bass, I have knocked it about a bit and it has never let me down, it only has one scratch to show for being in the house with an especialy clumsy owner, an even more clumsy owner's sister and a cat. Allthough the strap does have a tendancy to come off and that isnt good at a gig but apart from that full marks. // 10

Impression: If you have never had a bass before and you want to get a good bass to learn on, this is for you, if you have been playing a bit longer and you want something with lots of tone controls and the like then I suggest you look elsewhere. // 8

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: nesveikuolis, on april 21, 2008

Purchased from: Midiaudio

Features: 20 frets, 4 strings, 1 tone, 1 volume controls. It was in a big cardboard box, witch screamed "hey, I was a tree once". The box was really big for a relevantly small instrument and apart from the guitar, it only had paper work for the warranty, a newbie guide (which mainly talked about the classical guitar, and only a few sentences about bass). When I got it, it was already in good tune and had very decent strings on it, but they were too soft for me. // 7

Sound: I bought this bass half a year ago to start playing. My bass has a considerably clean and warm, but still very low sound. I use it with a Hiwatt Hurricane (small, yet has enough power for "bedroom sessions") and a Zoom B2 effects pedal, to achieve my desired sound. Without the B2, the guitar sounds great, but not versatile enough. I play many different types of music, from rock to funk to grindcore. It has a very good tone for such a small price. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Pickups were great, had very little noise. The action was a little bit too low, but the fret markers got grinded away so fast, that I didn`t need to adjust that. // 8

Reliability & Durability: The body is rugged enough to take the beating of a anxious newbe. Well, from what I see, this bass is not for live playing. First of all, have you ever seen somebody perform professionally with a 125 euro guitar? I thought so. This guitar is solely for learning purposes only. The strap buttons failed after a month, but a quick fix was all it needed. As I said in the sound section, it is not versatile enough on it's own, to achieve a sound worthy of a good bass player. I bought it solely to learn the basic stuff. Just because this bass took the beating of usage, it deserves a 10, but the failed button strap made me angry. // 9

Impression: It is reletevly good for any style (If you are just starting out). I've been playing it for half a year now, and the button strap is the only thing that failed. I play it with a Hiwatt Hurricane and a Zoom B2. From my other options, this was the best bass for the money. If it were stolen, I would not buy it again. It was just for learning. Overall, it deserves nothing more than a 7, just because it's a trainee bass, but good for the price. // 7

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: the_guy, on october 09, 2006

Features: 20 frets, 4 strings, 2 controls (volume/tone), single coil pickups, Precision style tuners and body, beautiful pearlescent pickguard, body finished in dark blue, passive electronics, came with Kustom KBA10X 10W bass amp (reasonable), gig bag (rubbish), strap (uncomfy), cable (broken), and the worst tuner known to man. Luckily it did come with a very helpful tutorial video. // 6

Sound: The bass has a nice deep low end tone, however it can become boomy if the amp EQ is on a very bassy setting. The high end is very uninspiring and thin. I'm using it with a Hartke A100, and it sounds pretty good, however it also sounds reasonable even with the 10 watt Kustom amplifier. If the tone knob is turned all the way up it makes the amp crackle, the single coil pickups are of poor quality. However, for a beginner’s bass it has quite a nice full sound. It's not great for slap (no precisions are) and it isn't very versatile because you have to keep the tone knob quite low down to stop the hiss from the amp, leaving you with only one setting. It is quite a good setting for rock however, full and deep. // 7

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is okay, a bit high but not intrusive when playing. The pickups were not screwed in brilliantly as they came a bit loose. Bridge is solid and the neck is straight and true. Most of the cosmetic parts are generally solid. However a tuning peg came loose, and both the volume and tone controls came loose and fell off. They wouldn't go back on either. The neck is finished in a horrible shiny gloss and it looks cheap and nasty. // 5

Reliability & Durability: The guitar will withstand live playing, but it won't be used for live playing. The hardware and electronics are very reliable, especially for a brand which make cheap Precision/Strat copies. I can depend on it, there is never a feeling it will completely fail. The strap buttons are not very solid as the strap keeps coming off. I wouldn't use it at a gig, but it would definitely be reliable enough to withstand live playing without a backup. // 9

Impression: I play rock music and the Encore is a good match for it, because of the rich tones not usually seen in basses of this price. I have been playing for nearly 2 years now and also own 2 amps (as mentioned earlier). As I knew nothing about guitars when I bought this, I wish I tried out the Squier Precision Bass, with its better quality and amplifier. I wouldn't buy this guitar again if stolen or lost because I feel there are better basses out there for the same price made by more proven manufacturers (Squier, Epiphone etc). The things I like about this bass are: it has good sound for the price; it looks like a Fender Precision; it has a beautiful pearlescent pick guard and it is easily upgradeable, fit some Seymour Duncan SPB-3 pickups and possible a Badass II bridge and you've got a very good axe. The things I hate about this bass are: the finish on the neck; the volume/tone controls are weak; the fact that it's an Encore and the uninspiring high end sound. My favourite thing is the way that it looks, but it sounds OK to. I wish this guitar had more features like another tone control, but it’s a beginners bass. Overall this bass is good enough for beginners but I would spend slightly extra to get a Squier P-Bass/J-Bass or an Epiphone EB-0 because they are of better quality made by proven makes. // 7

Comments

[sirikas]

it is not so good guitar, neck is so big that is hard to play and very huge

[Greg Harper]

i agree encore basses are terrible. the actions bad and they sound like shit

[the_guy]

its impossible to reach the higher frets because of the awful neck

[RyanX21]

i agree it is a shite bass lol but there cheap n make a noise

[JunBass]

i own one, i play with a 20 watt amp , but thats because im a beginner, just 2 weeks playing, but im learning fast

[ishalleatyou]

this is my case
its really good to start on but after about 10 months you realise its sounds shite so you get a better one

[Calsar]

if you buy this to learn on, great, but then, dont go out and buy another one, stick some new Pickups and whatnot on it. worked for me. i use and epiphone thunderbird IV for live, but i acctually use this for studio work. sounds grat and is cheaper than buying a whole new guitar.

[nesveikuolis]

I`m actually gonna buy it for myself in a few weeks(My first one). I tried it today on an Ashdown Fallen Angel series cabinet and it played nice, comparing to my other options (Jolana d-bass; another Russian no-brand bass or a garage-made custom for 1/4 th of the price). To be honest i really loved the whole feel of the design, it just feels right when i hold it, but the saddest thing is, that it just does not want to do Pops`n`slaps. It even feels (No talk about sound) better than a vintage.

[richeylikemusic]

I used to have this bass back when i was starting out. Its decent but to Calsar I'd say if i were you i WOULD buy a new bass, especially for studio work. New pickups/hardware or whatever can only make a plywood bass so decent. You'd be better off buying a mexican fender.

[TONE DEFFMAN]

Hmm .... or a Peavey. Price wise, these Encores are great fun. Pound for pound it's worth its weight in gold. As your comparing it to , like prev bloke said no-named brands..A GOOD START but NOT A GOOD STRAT {;op

[syngates17]

i have one of these its my first bass and i am quite happy with it i recommend it too everyone starting new ive been playing for 3 months now and never had a single problem with it

[Duncas]

i started learning bass on one of these, its extremally tough, keeps its tune well and for the price is exceptional!