Okay, it's a budget bass, but for the money you can't go wrong. It was playable out of the box and after a few hours of tinkering to suit my style I was pleasantly surprised both at the sound and ease of playing. Many years ago, I had a Fender Musicmaster and from memory this sounded better with no dead spots or buzzes. I had intended to upgrade it with a better pickup and a decent set of flats, but to my eyes that colour was horrible. Because of that, I returned the bass and bought the arctic white version which was just as good, and I went on with the upgrades, but that's another story. To conclude, it's an excellent first bass and good enough for experienced players or maybe a guitarist who wishes to play bass occasionally. Just make sure you like the colour before you buy.