Reviewed by:
Dyuha, on november 30, 2004
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 469
Purchased from: Music123
Features: - Flame Maple Body
- Rosewood/Dot Fingerboard
- Maple Neck
- Set Neck Joint
- 1.65" Nut Width
- 30.5" Scale
- 2 Mini-Humbuckers Controls
- Laminated Maple Body Style // 10
Sound: This bass has a nice tone that at its extremes echo every finger movement or can be toned down to give only the most subtle accompaniment. With two pickups and a tone control, you can get all the sounds you want. Nice full sound, it's really good for any style. It's not fair to deduct points to it just because you can't slap it, it has too much treble, it's buzzing, and you can't play it when playing heavy metal etc. because it's not made for that. If you set your amp's bass on high, playing with this naturally cleaner sounding bass gives such a unique sound. It's truly perfect for maintaining deep bass while clearly hearing each individual note. This bass is just as good either in the studio or on stage. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The factory setup was fine. The strings are nice, the action was high, but not unbearable. The intonation was perfect. The finish is beautiful, nice and shiny. The flame maple tops were all beautiful, even on less than perfect finishes. The necks all felt great. The floating bridge on the other hand needed some work to get the intonation right but when its there you'll know quickly because the notes are clear and tight. Minor flaws: dots on the 12th fret no perfectly aligned, black plastic guard around the top, treble pickup not perfectly square (but very close) and a couple of sanding touches needed before laquering on the edge of the neck with the fret dots. All hardware and fittings excellent, except the strap knobs did not extend out enough. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Hardware looks really solid - no junk metal. Finish is solid and should last a lifetime. Definitely an instrument that sings live! This is a bass that you can depend on without having to have a back-up bass. It's Epiphone and has a lifetime warranty. Very sturdy bass. Feels substantial in your hands. // 10
Impression: This bass is awesome. Lightweight, great sounding, and easy to play. I have heard complaints about the, low end of the viola, but I think it has plenty bottom end, but its more of a mellow, acoustic kind of bottom end. For that vintage semi-hollow tone, you can't beat the quality and sound at this price. It's a very comfortable bass to play, light weight, narrow short scale neck. You'll love Viola because she is beatiful to look at and easy on the shoulder, and opens up new musical ideas. // 10
/ my profile 
Was this review helpful to you? 