January 2013 \ Features \ 5 Basses Under a Grand: Fender, G&L, Ibanez, Shecter, Sterling by Music Man

5 Basses Under a Grand: Fender, G&L, Ibanez, Shecter, Sterling by Music Man

Dave Abdo and Steve Cook

Whether you’re an intermediate player who’s recently outgrown your first instrument, a weekend warrior looking for an inspiring new bass, a gigging pro looking for a dependable backup—or even if you’re primarily a guitarist who needs a solid 4-string for home-studio work—this group of quality instruments will satisfy on many, many accounts.


Premier Guitar January 2013
(4 of 5)


Schecter Baron-H Vintage
BY STEVE COOK

These days, Schecter Guitar Research is often thought of as the company that supplies heavy-rock acts with ominous-sounding models like the Omen, Stiletto, and Damien—instruments that tend toward the more modern end of the visual and aural spectrum, and that have churned out some of the hardest-hitting music of our time. But while players such as Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance and Disturbed’s Dan Donegan have enjoyed long-standing Schecter endorsement deals, the company actually built its reputation for quality with more traditional designs. In fact, it still offers many guitars and basses with more classic looks and tones. One such bass is the Baron-H Vintage, a “Frankenbass” in the truest and best sense of the word.

It’s Alive!
Taking a page out of a mad scientist’s notebook, the Baron-H Vintage takes a number of the cooler and time-tested features of a few old-school instruments and rolls them into one. Its T-style body offers a traditional look, but then it’s got a big Music Man-style Seymour Duncan humbucker, a thin J-style neck, and an f-hole for good measure. A cosmetic stunner right out of its included hardshell case, the Baron-H sports a mahogany body with an attractive high-gloss black finish. Although the binding around the f-hole was a little rough, the creme-colored binding on the body and neck adds a very nice aesthetic.

The Baron-H Vintage’s 22-fret neck sports jumbo frets and dot inlays, and I like it that Schecter went with a 34" scale instead of going with a smaller scale that could have made this bass feel toy-like. I also dug the T-style control plate. Our test bass arrived with unevenly secured knobs on the pots, but it only took a little hex-wrench turn to straighten them out. Overall setup was fantastic, and though the lightness of the semi-hollow body allowed the neck to take a bit of a dive when I wore it with a strap, the Baron-H Vintage felt comfortable when standing.

Baron von Growl
The design team at Schecter put some muscle under the hood of this bass. Instead of going with an expected piezo pickup or something on the light side, the Baron is equipped with an active, noise-cancelling Duncan SMB-4D pickup. I can’t say that I loved the thumb-pinching design of the 9V cavity, but the pain quickly subsided once the bass was plugged in.

Ratings

Pros:
Powerful, meaty midrange punches through a multitude of mixes. Light body reduces gigging fatigue.

Cons:
When worn on a strap, the light body contributes to neck diving. Limited variety of tones.

Tones:

Playability:

Build:

Value:

Street:
$679

Schecter
schecterguitars.com

For this review, I used a Warwick Pro IV head and matching 4x10 and 1x15 cabs. Right away, the Baron-H Vintage shocked me with how much punch and sustain it had, especially for a semi-hollowbody. The 2-band EQ can help shape the tone somewhat, but the bass always tends to favor midrange with tones that really jump out in front of the mix. With the EQ dimed, you can get pretty close to the classic StingRay sound—it misses the mark by just a bit. I suspect a solidbody version would get closer, but the Baron-H Vintage has a growl all its own and would be totally at home in a country band, a rock band, and many points in between.

Tonally, this book cannot be judged by its cover. The Baron-H Vintage has snap and bite—you simply aren’t supposed to get this kind of tone out of a bass that looks like this. The feel might take a moment to get used to, but I assure you that at the end of a long gig, your shoulders will thank you.

The Verdict
There are a lot of things to like about the Baron-H Vintage. The rosewood fretboard was smooth and fast, and the light finish on the back of the neck felt great—just a notch above unfinished but not over-lacquered and clumsy. And the Baron doesn’t feel shallow and weak like some hollowbody basses—you can really dig in with your thumb, a pick, or your fingers. I also appreciated that, even with its quiet, unassuming appearance, this bass can roar like a lion with a big, biting tone. All in all, Schecter has paired well-thought- out features with a classic-feeling design and managed to load very big tones into a user- and pocketbook-friendly package.

Watch our video demo:


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Comments

 (18 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Barry
on 02/25/2013 		Nice looking & sounding Bass. I play a G&L JB-2, similar in looks & sound. Differances in the neck.
Richard Hatton
on 02/24/2013 		Looking to get a good starter bass, I might have to give this one a try
NOTCHmusic
on 01/04/2013 		Exactly Zal S and through the same amp....Impossible to get a reasonable comparison
fhsmct
on 01/03/2013 		No mention of the Carvin LB70 series instruments??
fhsmct
on 01/03/2013 		ion of the Carvin LB70 series instruments??
Hankster
on 12/18/2012 		I ordered the BT Jazz from MF, I tried to like it, put on new regular slinkys, and still found the pickups to sound tinny. I returned that bass and ordered the MIJ '70s P bass, which is less than $1000 and it blows away the BT Jazz IMHO. 2cents
stringbender 53
on 12/14/2012 		Hey- you mean someone at Fender finally came up with the idea of putting two P-Bass pups on a Jazz along with a higher mass bridge? I LIKE! The Mexico built Fenders are a great deal for the dough,although the pickups leave a bit to be desired. I could see replacing them with some Seymour's and depending on the colors available adding a White or Black M.O.T.S. pickguard for some flash factor and having a bitchin' working rig.
LowB'Bob
on 12/14/2012 		This is one great review!!! I teach bass for free because I want my student to put the money they would norm spend on lessons toward the best bass they can afford. Great demo of finger, slap and pick style. ROCK ON PREMIERGUITARS!!
Ed in Ohio
on 12/14/2012 		Very informative and interesting review. Thanks so much for this. Based on its overall write-up and its other category ratings, doesn't the 'value rating' for the Fender Blacktop seem low when one consider it's more than 25% less expensive than the next less expensive bass reviewed here? Would love to hear how you folks would rate the Fender Geddy Lee J-Bass against these. So many say that the Geddy Lee is THE sub-$1,000 benchmark. Thanks again.
Kong
on 12/13/2012 		I tried out the 5-string, and it came close to my MuMa SR5, but not too close. The SR 5 has more punch and I like the neck of the SR 5 better. I decidet to get me one for backup in live-situations, because the sound is quite the same. Just roll in a bit more low end for the Sterling By MusicMan, and it works.



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