Wired Wood
Guitars
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Crafter Cruiser CSR20 Bass
It was badly set up, but for £80 and with a gig bag at 1/2 price, I was happy with the deal and set of home on the bus (not recommended). The usual truss rod tweaks, action and intonation adjustments and fresh strings quickly established a decent degree of playability. I gave it a good polish and lemon oil as well to make it look good. I was happy with the instrument until a trip to Stockport where I saw a bass beginners outfit in a music shop which featured this instrument. It claimed a "Short scale bass guitar, ideal for beginners". On closer inspection , comparing it to others in the shop, it was indeed short scale, about 33". I wasn't happy. Full scale length was one of the few things I was fussy about. I didn't want to learn on anything none standard. I did eventually get to the bottom of it. The Cruiser beginners outfit contains a very similar looking, but obviously cost reduced, instrument. Where the CSR20 is a full 34" scale and sports 24 frets the beginners bass is indeed short scale and has only 21 frets. The instruments are very similar to the eye. The main visual clue is the jack socket. It is mounted on the top of the beginners, but on the side of the CSR20. The CSR20 spec is completed with a Basswood body, maple neck Rosewood fingerboard, and an RRP £129.99. So I did get a good deal after all! I have made just one modification. The pickups and original wiring are based on those of the Fender Jazz bass. Two single coil pickups wired in parallel. The other common bass guitar configuration is the Fender Precision bass, which has a single hum-bucker pickup which produces a thicker sound. Fender have produced some models of the Jazz bass with an "S1 switch". This connects the two single coil pickups of the Jazz in series to give a "Precision like sound" With my preference for rock music I fancied some of this, so I added my own S1 switch. Nice. The photo is not my actual guitar, so it doesn't show the switch, which is a small toggle just above the pots. Both my wife and daughter, both violin players, do occasionally play this bass. However, so far it hasn't been anywhere near the school orchestra. Perhaps this is due to the weight of a bass amp? |
Pretty
much since I took up guitar I have pestered anybody with a bass to let me have a
go, and for 6 months I had been dropping hints to my wife. It was actually the
day before my birthday and I was in Dawson's Manchester playing this, badly. My
wife entered the shop at the far end. It is a long thin shop, so she suffered my
playing for a while before getting close enough for me to notice the broad grin.
"Ooh that's nice. I could borrow it for school orchestra. They don't have many
deep instruments! How much is it" Sensing that I may be pushing at an open door
here I revealed that it was second hand and cheap because it needed attention.
"Go on, treat yourself for your birthday". Result!