Ok, here we go. Initial impressions as they come to mind.
Over all construction quality is excellent. As good or better than a lot of far more expensive instruments.
My first reaction when I plugged it in and started playing was "Oh no, what have I done.". I normally like D'Addario round wounds, but NOT ON THIS BASS!!!
The back end of the bridge plate was so high it was almost in line with the strings. This gave very little string angle over the bridge pieces. I screwed that down farther to approximate the position on my other NS Starfire.
Once I put better strings on it (D'addario Chromes for now, but I'm going to try some LaBella Deep Talkin' flats too) and adjusted the action, checked that the truss rod wasn't slack, it transformed into the bass I was hoping for. Good strings and setup made huge difference.
Didn't think I'd really use the master volume control, but I'm finding it to be really convenient, especially if I'm experimenting with pickup balance using the two regular volume pots. However, in an unforgivable lapse in quality control, the master volume knob came loose!!!
I'm not that happy with the cheap pots and jack they used, but not surprised. I'd like it if the tapers were more gradual on the pots, but it's not a big deal. They're certainly usable as is and I'll probably change them out in the future.
At 8 lbs. 6 oz., it's about 1/2 lb. heavier than my other Starfire, but it's got the stock tuners (which make it slightly neck heavy, but nothing a good strap can't overcome), another pickup and more electronics. At some point I'll try some Hipshot Ultralite tuners.
The case is apparently from another (Chinese) maker and is slightly different but as nice or nicer than the first one.
They did away with the cheesy gold printed serial number and Made in Korea text on the back of the peghead. They went with a nice classy label inside the upper F hole with hand written serial number.
The natural mahogany finish is very nice. Looks a lot better in person than any photos I've seen.
I'll take some photos when I can, but I all I have is my cell phone camera. We're getting ready for a mini vacation too, so it' may be a week or so before I can post any.
All in all, after changing strings and a little tweaking, I'm pretty happy with it. It's a keeper. If it could make my back stop hurting I'd like it even more.
Feel free to throw questions my way and I'll try to answer them.
Ric
