NBD - Soloking MJ-1 Classic

[neepheid]

Well, as reported in the "how was your gig last night?" thread, I took the Soloking out for its maiden gig last night.  It did great.  I have no complaints, it sounded good, held its tuning fine, felt nice to play and despite being on the heavier side, being well balanced it wasn't an issue.

 

These basses are fantastic at twice the new price IMO.  If you're put off by the lack of provenance or the stupid name then do yourself a favour, get over it and get one!

 

[LukeFRC]

On 06/04/2024 at 19:00, meesterbassman said:

Thanks for the info. 
one popped up half price (mint condition) online so I took a punt (can use it as a teaching bass/student loan bass if needed). 
£140 delivered as new and a REAL bargain. 
just as well made as my Sire, newer Squiers or higher end Harley Benton’s I own/have played. 
ridiculous for the price (or 4/5 times what I paid!). 
not plugged in yet but would be easy to upgrade if needed. 
 

bridge and tuners look cheap but no more so than anything else sub £500 these days I think!

and again, cheap/easy upgrades! 

lucky meesterbassman!

[meesterbassman]

On 10/01/2024 at 17:43, neepheid said:

 

You don't need to determine exactly what they do because I already have - they're a coil split - both coils in series or single coil (the active coil in both cases is the one nearest the bridge.

just checking (now that I have one of these) - the 3 way switch is pickup selector and the switches are single coil or both (series) for each pickup. 
 

and in addition any idea which way the toggle switches work (I’m assuming the beefier sounds are humbucking)?

 

bass seems great (for £250 let alone the £120 I paid!) and pickups are actually pretty pokey compared to some budget basses I’ve had. 

[neepheid]

21 minutes ago, meesterbassman said:

just checking (now that I have one of these) - the 3 way switch is pickup selector and the switches are single coil or both (series) for each pickup. 
 

and in addition any idea which way the toggle switches work (I’m assuming the beefier sounds are humbucking)?

 

bass seems great (for £250 let alone the £120 I paid!) and pickups are actually pretty pokey compared to some budget basses I’ve had. 

 

Yes, that's right - blade switch is pickup selector, mini toggles are single/series for each pickup.  Down/away from the pickups == series.  Easy to tell by ear though - series is noticeably louder and thicker sound with a big boost to the low mids.

 

It's a really good bass at twice the price, there's a lot to like - and it's a no-brainer if you're too tight (like me) to get an actual Fender Roscoe Beck

 

[Machines]

These are on clearance at Anderton's currently - £149 ! 

 

Metallic Black - https://www.andertons.co.uk/soloking-mj1-classic-4-string-bass-in-metallic-black/

Lake Placid Blue - https://www.andertons.co.uk/soloking-mj1-classic-4-string-bass-in-lake-placid-blue/

[simisker]

I may have slightly mocked the name early in the thread, but I ended up buying a Soloking Meteora-style guitar from Andertons last year, and it's a brilliant guitar for the money. I was extremely surprised/impressed by what I got for £250 [iirc].

 

£150 for one of those basses is just mental. Alder body, stainless steel frets, rosewood fretboard... what a ridiculous bargain. Go grab!!

Edited Thursday at 12:32 by simisker

[Greg Edwards69]

10 minutes ago, Machines said:

These are on clearance at Anderton's currently - £149 ! 

 

Metallic Black - https://www.andertons.co.uk/soloking-mj1-classic-4-string-bass-in-metallic-black/

Lake Placid Blue - https://www.andertons.co.uk/soloking-mj1-classic-4-string-bass-in-lake-placid-blue/

Damn you. I don’t need one, I don’t need one, I don’t need one …

[LukeFRC]

1 hour ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

Damn you. I don’t need one, I don’t need one, I don’t need one …

+1

[Si600]

25 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

+1

I believe the correct equation is n+1

[Machines]

OK mine turned up today ! Superbly finished, the colour is much nicer than the photos on Andertons website.

 

Setup was a bit shonky, it needed the saddles lowering considerably (truss rod was spot on) as well as pickups actually screwed in properly, other than that - good. Couple of fret edges needed a little tiny sand, but overall - this is a fantastic bass. The switches are single coil (bridge coil for each pickup), and series.

 

Weighs in at 9lb 4oz, so definitely not a light weight but nothing crazy.

 

Sounds great - bargain. May end up saving me money as it could very well replace something I have far more expensive.

 

[HeadlessBassist]

I'm sooo tempted to order one of the last few blue ones from Anderton's. There were seven available this morning. I don't need it, but £149 is such a ridiculous deal... 🤔