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Status Kingbass


TheGreek
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..but do I really???

I lusted after a Wal for years and when I finally got one I found I couldn't get on with the neck profile..I'm told that Kingbasses also have their own quirks and ideosyncracies and that they too aren't everybody's Cappacino. What regularly gets mentioned is the tone of a Graphite neck and how they can be "tinny" and characterless..

Give me a clue here..what are the pros and cons of owning one of these..??

Edited by TheGreek
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Had a 5 bolt-on Kingbass a few years back.
Would probably buy it back if it became available, but the reason I sold was I didn't find it that comfortable when gigging.
If you want something that sits against the body like a jazz or Precision then forget it.
I had the 32" bendwell with 16.5 string spacing. The neck was a joy to play (when sitting down).

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All my own opinion of course......

The Good Bits - Amazing build quality, great looks, innovative design.

The Bad Bits....Personally didn't get on with mine at all - the Mark 1's have a very powerful eq, so had issues trying to get a nice clean sound - ended up getting a solution from Rob Green to have the output reduced. Also, you have to remember the basses were (obviously) designed for how MK has his, i.e. very high up on a strap - i found mine (a Mark 1 Artist with full LEDS) sat strangely when put a bit lower. Also, found myself endlessly tweaking to get a decent tone for both slap and fingerstyle.

I would definately try before you buy, and I don't want to put you off as the above may well be just personal to me.

Cheers

Graeme

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[quote name='TheGreek' post='1363445' date='Sep 5 2011, 08:58 PM']Give me a clue here..what are the pros and cons of owning one of these..??[/quote]

Cons: ???

Pros: Great tone. Great looks. Balance well as long as you wear it in the correct position (high up the body). Instant coolness. It's a Status too, so you're joining a friendly club of owners and the customer service from Status is as good as it gets.

It'll be a million miles away from your Wal in a way. A difference that could be described as 'night and day'. My ACG and Status Series II are like this. My ACG is a lovely boutique 'coffee table' bass with a complex filter based EQ and two big humbuckers, my Status is a sleek, boutique slice of 80's cool which still feels very much ahead of the competition even now!

I love the Kingbass, I was looking to buy one before I stumbled across my Series II, which I prefer to the Kingbass by some small degree.

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had an early status matrix - they are definitely not tinny there is bags of response right across the spectrum but maybe they give the perception of being tinny because there is so much presence at the top end which doesnt seem to be absorbed the same way a wooden neck does

pros - you can hit an open string put the bass down go make a nice cuppa and come back and its still ringing

cons - even with the top end of the eq rolled right back they are extremley unforgiving of sloppy technique!

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I find Kingbasses a bit small and don't hang well on me because I don't wear my basses very high, I much prefer the S2 Classic which fits me perfectly.

The Kingbasses have a slightly snappier sound than some other Status basses in my experience but they could never be described as tinny. While there is lots of top end clarity and clean mids, there's also a lot of ooomph and bassiness available too.

You could argue that the graphite necks have less character than wooden ones, I find they take on the tonal characteristics of the string more than wooden necks, which I find quite useful. They also don't have some of the less desirable characteristics of a wooden neck, like deadspots, they don't need adjusting when the temperature / humidity changes etc. They feel alive anywhere you play on the neck, the harmonics really project well.

It might be worth dropping in on the Statii.com forum, there's plenty of info and opinions on the different models there.

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When searching for Status Nirvana, I booked an appointment at the Factory and tried out everything of interest;

Streamline
Kingbass
S2 (not a "fancy"one)

Just to see how they "sat" on a strap when worn.
All were headless.

The Kingbass just didn't sit right on me. Top horn too short and kept digging into my sternum. I need the upper strap fixing further to my left than the body shape allows. I guess that'll save me money on certain Alembic, Jaydee and Gibson models, too.

As for the tone, I often think my Streamline sounds a bit odd, even when jamming along to songs. Put it in a mix where it's the only bass and it shines. Clarity and Bottom end.
(And I'm ignoring its main strengths of stability and portability)

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[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='1363896' date='Sep 6 2011, 11:02 AM']The Kingbass just didn't sit right on me. Top horn too short and kept digging into my sternum. I need the upper strap fixing further to my left than the body shape allows.[/quote]
Exactly the same issue with me. I contacted Rob to see if there was a way round it but no, and he acknowledged some other people querying the same.
Soundwise great.

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If you can make the trip I'd definitely recommend going to the Status factory to play some basses.
Rob and Dawn are both really lovely people.

WARNING: once you've played a few basses you're going to have seriously bad Status GAS.
(I'd find it very hard going back to a wooden neck now)

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I bought a Kingbass 5 from someone who didn't keep it long. It didn't matter what it sounded like but I struggled to play it, ergonomically it was a nightmare and I do have my basses quite high. The guy I sold it to sold it on in no time at all as he couln't get on with the ergonomics either.

The tiny body meant that the neck was shunted left away from my body. I couldn't fret the 1st few strings properly at all and I tried it mounted very high too just like the man himself. I'm 5' 10" and have fairly long arms too, longer than MK's.

Definately try one for a reasonable period of time before you buy (I didn't but wouldn't touch another).

Peter

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Come on guys! You're all giving reasons why [b]you[/b] think they're great - or not so great.
It's of very little use to TheGreek who obviously loves the look of the bass. He needs to check the feel and sound out for himself.

I can see this ending in disappointment for TheGreek...again!

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