Twisting Shadow Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 Ok; I was shopping for a new guitar the other day (a bass, rather), and I came across a brand I'd never heard of before: Traben. They looked like they were the real deal (3 band active EQ, quilt maple top, 5pc neck, etc), so I picked on up, and played on it for a while. I was amazed. It played quite well (VERY well), and the active PUs were fantastic. Quite possibly the coolest feature of these basses are the bridges, they're HUGE, not to mention gorgeous. Supposedly the large size (and numerous bolts holding it on) increase sustain of the bass. Anyway, here's their home page, and here's the bass I'm looking at getting (Probably in blood red). This thing's going to run me just under a thousand bucks (cdn), which is quite alot for someone on my budget, so I'm just wondering if anyone could tell me if the quality is there, and if Traben is worth buying from. Thanks in advance! - Xander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 If you haven't already, check out the Harmony Central Reviews. i always go there. The phoenix gets decent marks, but only 2 reviews.. one person said 583 for cost. For an import, a grand is pretty high. But ultimately, if it plays well, who cares where it came from. If I had a grand to blow on a bass i'd find a used american jaxx or music man. Ok; I was shopping for a new guitar the other day (a bass, rather), and I came across a brand I'd never heard of before: Traben. They looked like they were the real deal (3 band active EQ, quilt maple top, 5pc neck, etc), so I picked on up, and played on it for a while. I was amazed. It played quite well (VERY well), and the active PUs were fantastic. Quite possibly the coolest feature of these basses are the bridges, they're HUGE, not to mention gorgeous. Supposedly the large size (and numerous bolts holding it on) increase sustain of the bass. Anyway, here's their home page, and here's the bass I'm looking at getting (Probably in blood red). This thing's going to run me just under a thousand bucks (cdn), which is quite alot for someone on my budget, so I'm just wondering if anyone could tell me if the quality is there, and if Traben is worth buying from. Thanks in advance! - Xander ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moreau Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 is that real metal or is it pick guard material? if its metal, youll have to baby the hell out of it. for 1000 CDN u have alot of options, wait a month or two till u got a lil buy something else. if u got a bass as is, u may as well wait abit. I dont think that huge bridge will add much sustain over a badass or something like that. JMO. but it looks cool. dunno how cool it would be to polish every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twisting Shadow Posted April 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 @Mledbetter; much thanks for the link (it helped alot!). About the price; $583 US is around $740 Cdn, and after some warranty/setup/etc stuff, my local shop is selling the phoenix for $800ish; which comes to just over $900 after tax...That's just under a grand (I hate the canadian dollar). @Moreau; Yes, the bridge is metal, but I won't mind polishing it daily; I already give my craptastic Samick Corsair a daily cleaning. I'll just do it after I wipe down my strings (when I finish playing). As for saving up more...I've got alot of stuff to finance (everything from paintballing to computer upgrades), so I've got to keep a strict budget; that means I'm sticking to a limit of (about) $1000 for a bass, unless I find a sweet deal on a musicman/warwick (highly unlikely). Thanks for the replies so far, lets keep 'em coming! - Xander Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sepultura999 Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 1000 canadian for basswood, quilt maple, maple - walnut and rosewood with active pickups? i dunno if i'd pay that much since it's imported. But if it suits you so much that you love it to death and no other guitar can match it then go for it. One guitar I love is the Dean hardtail import but here in Toronto it goes for 1100 bucks. Pfft, i'd rather buy the Dean Vandetta 2.0 for much less, same wood involved (gotta love the mahog), looks way more awesome, etc. I don't know what your fave. tonewood is, if you have one or not, but why not just buy a fender made in mexico or ibanez bass, add a veneer top, repaint/gloss etc.,add your active EQs you'll prolly have something better than the traben, something you love, cost maybe the same amount and definitly a cool project. i really like inlay and detail but the whole fire scheme on it is just too much for me. i may be a bit biased or an arse here and if it's not "all black and white as you may think" than let me know -Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MzI Posted April 25, 2005 Report Share Posted April 25, 2005 My local shop carries em I personally dont much care for them but if you wanted some more info on em they have a website parkwaymusic.com also you can try calling em up and asking them they are very knowledgeable MzI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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