Flea Sig Bass RDWRN SHP : Better than expected

I was skeptical at first, as I wanted to get a replica of a ‘60s pre-CBS era J-Bass, with stacked controls, nice pick-ups and a rosewood fretboard, not particularly impressed by a MiM + Roadworn and Artist Signature at the same time.

Considered alternative were the AVII series, but I cannot stand the binding on their necks plus I have noticed some QA issues with these that I consider unacceptable for the inconsistent advertised moniker and high price.

Eventually I opted for this “Flea” signature model that won me on its looks and final price.

After receiving it in a well padded carton, along the “gig-bag”, I proceeded with setting up the action and doing a little truss-rod adjustment as i was expecting. Nothing serious, intonation was okay but there is no truss-rod adjustment slot on the body so the neck has to be removed.

After all I am very happy with this MiM, it feels a very good workhorse, not a boutique one has to be afraid if it gets some sweat, dust and scratches when played: one day I might carve that truss-rod slot myself, if ever needed again 😎 because of frequent touring.

The sound is great, the knobs works flawlessly and the overall build quality is almost excellent except for some - not really visible, but still - scratches almost on each fret probably due to some worker being too lazy to protect the wood while using a file…😒

The provided gig-bag is “cheapo-grande” with little storage and soft floppy padding, worth of being directly thrown in the rubbish bin: more bubble-wrap would have been useful to keep instead 😂 Better off ordering a good one or get a hard-case!