Array Limited 5 Review

Its an agressive looking, and sounding bass. Not for any mellow stuff, just power and punch!

Features:	9
Sound:	9
Action:	7.5
Reliability:	10
Impression:	9.5
Overall rating:	9
Users rating:	6
Comments:	15

overall: 8.4

Featured review by: takingitallback, on july 03, 2009

Price paid: £ 409

Purchased from: GigGear

Features: The Traben Array Limited 5 string bass guitar has a load of great features:

* 5 String
* Traben tribal flame bigger bridge
* Bolt on construction
* Traben sm combo - humbucker and soapbar style pickups
* Traben t3 active pre-amp
* Three-band eq with volume and blend
* Basswood body
* Spalted Maple top
* Rosewood fretboard
* Brass nut
* Abalone dot inlays

When I bought mine a gig bag wasn't included, so on a budget I got a soft case with it for an extra £15. // 8

Sound: This bass sounds like a beast. The 3 band EQ system can get a huge range of tones out, and the humbucker/soapbar pickups are great for a fat, smoother bass sound, however you CAN get pretty much any tone you want from this bass. I play my Traben through a Line 6 spider III guitar amp (I couldnt afford a seperate bass amp), but on green clean and with a bit of chorus and reverb I get a really really nice sound. The tone is DARK, but by turning up the treble and turning down the bass, you can get a good slap tone and a general brighter sound. One thing I don't like about the bass is that it buzzes slightly on the bottom B string around the first few frets. Other than that, sound is almost perfect! And it is TRUE what Traben say about the bigger bridge, bigger tone. No doubt about that! // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is really great. When I bought it, the neck was bowed very very slightly up, which caused the B string notes to deaden after 3rd fret, but I quickly got this fixed by the local guitar shop. The pickups came perfectly adjusted. The basswood body is quite heavy, but very very VERY durable. The control knobs were a bit loose. I haven't sorted it out yet, but they're hanging on quite nicely at the moment. // 6

Reliability & Durability: This thing has hit walls and been dropped a few times aswell, and has endured it all without leaving a single dent or scratch. I haven't played it at any live shows, but at practices it has been messed around with quite a lot, and has come out good as new. The hardware is all good quality, and I'm pretty sure its going to last a LONG time. I can realy rely on this bass, I'd probabaly take it to a gig without backup. The finish is great. Good enough to last for sure. // 10

Impression: I play METAL... And rock, but this bass totally suits both styles perfectly. Its an agressive looking, and sounding bass. Not for any mellow stuff, just power and punch! This is my second bass guitar, however I've tried out loads in the stores before and this one stood out for me so much. For a good price, it is one hella' lot of bass. I even compared it to a Warwick corvette $$ 5, and the tones come pretty close! If it were stolen I would without question, buy me another one. I love it THAT much. Often when I get bored, I get creative and design my very own custom guitars. My ideal picture would be the array, but with MEC humbuckers, black harware, matt white finish and black outlines, and a 3-way Switch. Hopefully in time I might just get that, but until then this bass is definetley the one for me! // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 03, 2009

Price paid: $ 370

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: I don't know when or where this bass was made, but it is made so well it doenst matter. It has 24 Jumbo Frets, 35" scale, and 5 strings. Body is Basswod with a Spalted maple top. Neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard. Finish is transparent red. Active electronic with a Soapbar and Humbucker pickups (these things have BALLs lol. Brass nut & bridge, rarely ever goes out of tune. Over all, it is as good or better than any other bass out there interms of features. // 10

Sound: It generally has a punchy- growling sound, but (thanks to the preamp and pickups) any sound is possilbe. I play blues, metal, rock, funk, and alternative, and it suits all very well. The sound is so rich that you'd have to hear it to do it justice. It has the perfect sound for my style of bass playing. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: It was set up almost perfectly from the factory, although the 5th string buzzes a little on the 1st several frets (no biggie). Everything was in place, and it was ready to play as soon as I got it home. The action was great, and the red finish was beautiful. // 9

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will withstand just about anything short of a fire or masive explosion. It has a couple small dents in the basswood, but that's to be expected from the softer woods. Everything it tightened down and wont break. I've played Live several wimes with it and it held up. // 10

Impression: Overall, I love it. I Had considered saving up for a Warwick, but this was just such a beautiful bass with such a great sound that I couldn't pass it up. Plus, everyone who sees it is impressed as well. The string spacing and action fit my playing style very well. I compared it to several diferent Warwick basses, but still thought my Traben felt and sounded best. // 10

Comments

[sjilie]

OWN IT ****ing love it.

[sjilie]

but i would have to disagree with "its not for mellow stuff". if u turn the bass knob up and treble down u can get a chill reggae bass tone. i think its a very all-around bass. the punch is sick though

[Shinozoku]

With the right EQ almost any bass can do mellow stuff :P Same with guitars. I want the regular Array 5 though...

[Slap_Happens]

Not to knock the reviewer, but I have doubts about his validity of the opinion on sound. He's playing it through a low end solid state guitar amp.

[Chris Schementi]

I bet it plays and sounds great, but I really dislike the shape...especially the flames by the bridge. looks like a good bass though.

[BucketHayden]

fugly bridge

[TheTortured]

Slap_Happens wrote:

Not to knock the reviewer, but I have doubts about his validity of the opinion on sound. He's playing it through a low end solid state guitar amp.

...that should only help to prove his point. if he can get a sick tone on the wrong amp, just imagine what's going to happen on the right amp.

[Vypor]

Im so pissed I didnt get one of these trabens a few years ago. When i was looking for my first bass I saw a bunch of these for REALLY cheap on ebay. The specs just sounded to good to be true, and I hadnt ever heard of traben before(They were just emerging) and the prices on ebay were cheap becuase they were trying to promote the brand.

I passed up on the deals and got a pawnshop bass, and as the years pass it just continues to reflect my bad decision.

Cool basses.

[sjilie]

for those who did not know bootsy collins uses traben and has a signature model

[Angrypacman]

sjilie wrote:

for those who did not know bootsy collins uses traben and has a signature model

So does John Moyer from Disturbed.

[SOADriff]

Angrypacman wrote:

sjilie wrote:

for those who did not know bootsy collins uses traben and has a signature model

So does John Moyer from Disturbed.

HELL YEAH.

[TANKER69]

you will destroy that amp, guitar speakers can't handle bass frequencies

[ppunkrokMr]

i had this bass and loved it. i played through a gk backline 600 and swr bass 350 both atop 6x10's(at seperate times) and got great tone. cutting the mids, bass just above the 0 notch and trebble at 0 gave me the best metal tone ive ever herd. i could also boost the trebble and put in on the soapbar only and get smooth r&b tones. i do have to say however, i prefer my mexican 5 string jazz much better. the neck on the traben is chunky and the b sting is really flabby. at a low b or drop a, you want as much tension as possible

[Shinozoku]

BucketHayden wrote:

fugly bridge

Correction: Sexy bridge that looks sexier on the matte black version :p

[takingitallback]

I bought a line 6 lowdown 175W amp now, for the bass and it sounds 100x better than through my guitar amp, id recommend the combination to anyone. And i was wrong about the mellow tone, turning the bass way down and the treble up loads, you can get some great chilllled tones.