Reviewed By: Jac Harrison
Purchased from: Manufacturer
Street Price: $899.00 USD with soft case +
shipping
About:
Gamma Custom Bass Guitars is a manufacturer
of boutique electric bass guitars based out of Holmdel, NJ.
This Alpha model is a 34" scale with a
maple neck dressed with a matching maple fingerboard featuring
black block fret markers and binding topped with a Tusq nut on an
alder body.
Hardware:
Chrome oversized machine heads with (1)
volume (1) tone knobs.
Electronics:
(1) "P" style pickup with (2) CTS 250k
pots.
Sound
Amp used:
SansAmp Bass Driver DI into the board
Cables used:
Intex
Action, Fit & Finish:
The finish is spotless. The action was low without
any fret buzz and the intonation was dead on.
Reliability & Durability:
The guitar seems to be well made. It is solid through and
through. There was no hum or crackles from the electronics, all knobs and
hardware were installed snug and proper.
Impression:
This is a fun spin on a traditional bass guitar.
For many years Mr. Leo Fender dominated the bass guitar
market for two very good reasons. He was the inventor of the modern
style bass guitar and he was always making improvements to
his design to stay ahead of the curve. Unfortunately for the Fender
Guitar company they stopped making improvements on their traditional design
due to their superiority complex (in my opinion) leaving a huge
hole in the bass guitar market for custom shop and boutique builders to pick up
where Leo left off.
This is an excellent example of just that. This
bass guitar has most of the characteristics that the Fender custom shop precision bass guitars have. For example, Fender's Adam Clayton
Limited-edition is $5,100 USD and the description used on the
Sweetwater sound web page from Fender is "4-string electric bass with
alder body, maple neck, 1 x custom pickup, block inlays, vintage hardware, and
hard case - gold sparkle". It is almost the same
build materials as this Gamma guitar -- so you will be paying
over $4,000 USD more because it was made in the Fender factory.
I don't know about some people, but I
would not want to spend over $4,000 USD more for a guitar just because it
said someones name on the headstock (unless is was my name and then that
is completely understandable). Fender is no longer a person, but is a
company - and a company does not have the same passion as a person when it
comes to the precision in the build. So... if you are wondering, yes
this Gamma bass plays as well if not better then most guitars in the upper
price rage -- and is an excellent example of an entry level boutique
bass guitar.
What I would change:
For an entry level boutique bass guitar I wouldn't change
anything. It is a great value at under $900 USD.
My advice:
If you are looking for your first boutique or custom shop
bass guitar you should play a Gamma.
