Best Epiphone Newport Bass California Coral Alternatives

Based on 7 reviews

Are you on a fence between a passive and an active bass? This one is for you, since it's basically both. A majestic looking and sounding beast with a toggle switch for passive and active mode. It can be a bit overwhelming in the beginning since it has 5 knobs with 7 different settings to adjust, but you get the hang of it soon enough. I found out that having most of it on 12'o clock works best for me, anyway. About the sound, feel and playability of the bass: It's a professional bass for one fifth of a price. Plays great out of the box, it's light, sounds great and it'll cover a wide variety of sounds.

Based on 6 reviews

Overall, this is a fantastic bass and well worth the money. Fretwork, build quality, fit and finish are all excellent. Comparing it to my 2018 CV 70's P-bass, it's just as good in those aspects. My particular bass is very light, around 3.5kg. The pickups are good and the controls versatile, giving a wide range of possible tones. I am happily surprised by the 32" scale length (it was originally listed as 34" at the time I pre-ordered it, but it is in fact 32"), it's really fun to play and sacrifices nothing in tone. The tuners let the side down, however. They are poor quality and it shows ("grindy" and inconsistent in feel), I recommend to upgrade them as soon as you get it. Still well worth it, though, it's a great instrument and I'm really enjoying mine!

Based on 5 reviews

Use: at home, occasional gig. Through Ampeg Portaflex 500 and 2 4x10 Kustom cabs. Like: pretty much everything about it. I like blue guitars, but that’s just personal preference. The rounded edges on the neck are a lovely feature that makes playing even for long periods a pleasure. Starting at the headstock. Excellent high geared tuners, holds its tuning very well. Nut, perfectly set. Fretboard, rolled edges, well dressed frets. Neck joint, no gaps or blemishes. Bridge, I like the option of string through (the way it is shipped) or bridge string location. Saddles are rollers. Electronics, this is where the bass really shines. I no longer need to use different patches on my Boss effects pedal to radically change tones. The range of sounds available is truly astonishing, even if it...

Based on 4 reviews

I purchased this bass as I wanted to try out a Music Man Stingray bass without the investment needed for the American version. For the money spent this is a fantastic bass. Pros: Really comfortable Jazz style neck with a satin finish. Build Quality is really very good. Not quite the USA Stingray sound but very very close. Nice 2 band pre-amp with plenty of tonal variety, Loud! plenty of headroom and bite. Cons: Tuners feel a bit cheap and are stiff. Needed some new strings and a good set up to really make it shine. Overall, these basses as fantastic value for money and would not hesitate to recommend to a beginner or intermediate player or someone looking to dip their toe into Music Man territory without breaking the bank.

Based on 4 reviews

Very good bass guitar, if you like this Ric sound of course! Very punchy sound, with the classic trebly Ric sound while delivering plenty of low end. The neck is quite thick, but it felt very comfortable to me. This is definitely a special instrument. My only complain would be the setup: the bass came not properly intonated (which is absolutely no issue to me) and it took me 2 hours to set it up properly due to the "special" bridge design. I would hope Rickenbacker could a bit modify this bridge design to ease adjustments. But once the bass is properly setup, it's a dream to play!

Based on 4 reviews

My first Yamaha bass, and extremely satisfied with the look, the feel but most of all the sound. This is one of Yamaha's cheaper basses but don't be mislead, it's japanese makers have put quality first in this 'budget' bass guitar. Great quality bridges, beautiful soft feel on the neck and fantastic humbucker pickups. Simple electronics make it easy to use. It is lighter than my other bass guitar which makes it easy for even younger bassists to pick it up and play. What I love the most is how you can easily slide all the way to the highest frets due to where the neck is fixed on the bass. Overall this is a great precision bass for anyone looking to start or anyone on a budget looking for a decent electric guitar. Definitely not my last Yamaha bass!

Based on 4 reviews

Grym kvalite! har inte märkt något fel med denna bas! Det enda ingreppet jag gjort är att byta strängar från roundwounds (som den kom utrustad med) till flatwounds. Den blir direkt mycket härligare att spela på samt får dedär speciella ljudet! Ett ingrepp jag planerat framöver är att byta ut den kinesiska ”control platen” mot en tysk! Förväntar mig högre ljudkvalitet efter en sådan förändring men kan absolut inte klaga på ljudet som denna bas producerar ”straight out of the box”.

Based on 3 reviews

First, let me start by saying that the stock strings hit the bottom of my rubbish bin after about 5 minutes of playing. I'm not even sure what they were, probably D'Addario XLs or something similar. Not that they're bad. They're just not my taste and DEFINITELY not on a Starfire. For me Starfire means Pyramid Gold and the "San Francisco sound" of the 60s (think Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane). This mean that everything I write about the TONE of this bass is based on the tone I get with Pyramid Golds installed. I think this is fair because 95% of people who buy a Starfire will probably want THAT tone anyway. In fact, I think these basses should have been shipped with Pyramid Golds as they are so strongly associated with THAT sound. Anyway... Pros: -Very good build quality....

Based on 3 reviews

I was browsing the Harley Benton basses for a P-style bass and noticed the new models, which instantly caught my eye with its striking shape - particularly the elongated upper horn reaching out to the 12th fret. I'm a fan of roasted maple necks/fretboards, so this was another plus point to me. The bass arrived and I was excited to open it and I absolutely wasn't expecting the bass to look as nice as it does - the satin 3-colour sunburst with the grainy finish is stunning and the amber middle section of the burst isn't too bright, almost matching the colour of the roasted maple neck, which I really like. Fit and finish are all spot on - have seen worse on basses twice the price. Hardware all works perfectly well - I do like the brass-coloured saddles on the Wilkonson bridge - nice bit...

Based on 3 reviews

This a really beautiful bass in every way; great sound (s), great feel, great finish, great looks, great price. The pre-amp gives you easy access to loads of sounds and if the battery goes onstage - flick a switch and you're back up and running old style. The through neck gives a sustain to die for. To play is a very comfortable experience. Cort lead the thinking about all guitars - I have an electric and an acoustic as well as the bass. You get top knotch gear without wrecking your bank account.