NFBD (New Featherweight Bass Day)

[Cato]

I've been thinking about getting one of these for a couple of years, mainly because I really like the aesthetics and the idea of a Thunderbird in a more compact package also appealed 

 

Anyway a couple of days ago I gave in and ordered this from Gear 4 Music.

 

 

When the courier handed the box over I was immediately struck by how little it weighed.

 

Intrigued (and half wondering if I'd been sent the right instrument)  I eventually got my new Epiphone Embassy out of the packaging and again was struck by how light it was.

 

I'm fortunate not to suffer with problems that mean that I usually worry too much about a basses weight but I had to find out how much or rather little this thing weighed.

 

Using the with/without bathroom scales method and after double checking a couple of times I got my answer.

 

7.2 lbs.

 

I've got a thinline Tele skinny stringer that weighs about a pound more.

 

What doesn't really come across when you see these in pictures is firstly that the body is smaller than either a P or J and the overall length of the bass is 2-3 inches shorter, largely due to the 2+2 headstock.

 

 

Secondly and I suspect this is where most of the weight difference is, the body is significantly thinner.

 

 

Enough about the weight.

 

It's early days and I've only had it a few hours, but so far I'm happy.

 

Unlike the body, the tone is far from thin, it's a lovely warm tone, full of bass and mids, it lacks some of the higher frequencies I get from my PJ and J basses but I don't think it's a bad thing to have something a bit different.

 

The bridge pickup solo'd is  a bit of a revelation, it's got far more body to it than my single coil basses which makes for a very usable tone.

 

As I say, early days, but very much looking forwards to spending a lot more time with it.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2023 by Cato

[Pea Turgh]

They do look ace.  Nice colour, too!  I didn’t realize they were that compact - even more tempting….

[neepheid]

To offer an alternative viewpoint, I found mine to be too light - to the point where it felt wrong, it was distracting and off-putting. I moved it on. I just didn't feel right while playing it.

 

Shame, as they're great looking and sounding basses. The green one is awesome, but the gold (which I had) isn't far behind. Enjoy!