WASHBURN CB-16SP
In yet another feat of “flat-earth” manufacturing prowess, the Washburn CB-16SP successfully pulls off several boutique- y design cues. The bookmatched spalted-maple top was handsomely figured with beautiful three-dimensional flame spreading from the center joint and jet-black spalting running throughout. I dug the body contour’s outline, and the top has some complex curves that add nuance to its look in person (and helped make the bass comfortable for my forearm). The pewter-finished hardware also looked elegant against the figured top, and functioned well. The stop-tailpiece bridge felt solid, although intonation adjustments are a little less refined with this design than with a bridge that uses a threaded-saddle-plus-screw arrangement for adjustments. Considering the Washburn uses the Buzz Feiten tuning system, precise intonation is an important consideration.
The Washburn’s construction was mostly tough to fault, but a for a few concerns. The fretwork was good, but there were a some sharp edges as I ran my hand down the fingerboard’s edge. This dual-trussrod bass uses an overly large plastic trussrod adjustment cover: In order to slip it out to access the trussrod nuts, the strings have to be seriously slack—not the quickest option, so I’d probably just leave it off. The electronics package, particularly the Eden-brand pickups, was intriguing. Eden and Washburn are owned by the same parent company, so their appearance here makes sense, and Washburn says that the same engineers working on Eden amps designed the pickups. The pickups are com- bined with a factory import preamp that sounded and worked well, but may not be the best platform to really dig into the pickups’ essential personality. The control-cavity assembly was okay—I appreciated the shielding foil on the cover and conductive paint in the cavity, but wished they hadn’t attached the preamp module to the cover, thus making upgrades a slightly bigger pain in the rear.
The CB-16SP played well across its range. Its ergonomics were good, but it was neck heavy, so I had to exert some physical energy resisting the headstock’s tendency to fall floor-ward. I especially liked the carve at the fingerboard’s body-side end, which was perfectly contoured to allow for dug-in finger pops. The 16mm string-spacing felt like a reasonable compromise between comfort and playability.
Clear and detailed, the Washburn’s airy voice was well suited to the kind of upper-register work that many like to explore on a 6. The blended-pickup tone was most reminiscent of a scoopy StingRaystyle sound, although less aggressive in the upper mids. The soloed bridge and neck positions do the expected, but are not as inspired as the settledsounding blended tone. The treble control is voiced fairly low, so if you’re after real sizzle, you’ll have to look to your amp. The bass filter, conversely, seemed to have a particularly low voicing, so subtlety seemed key to prevent overwhelming boominess. The bass was well balanced but for the C string, which was a tad shy compared to the other five.
PEAVEY GRIND BASS 6 BXP NTB
Among my early memories when I began at BP as Technical Editor was a growing awareness of the high-value/low-price import trend. One of the first examples of what is now the dominant paradigm was the Peavey Grind NTB, which we reviewed in December ’02. The made-in-Vietnam 4-string wowed us with its exotic woods, neck-through construction, and stout tone. The Grind BXP looks to have a lot in common with its predecessor, but there are a few subtle visual differences. The biggest difference? In true 2009 fashion, it’s made in China.
The Grind also takes the boutique-style approach, pairing tropical hardwoods with neck-through construction. The result is a handsome, if non-descript, instrument. The woods looked cool enough, but were perhaps a little wan for my taste. But whatever— the bass is under $500. The construction was good, my only niggles being a plastic nut with seriously rough-looking slots and one rough-turning knob that made a slightly funky zipper-like sound when turned. The Peavey’s fretwork, on the other hand, was remarkably accomplished, considering the price. I appreciated the chunky bridge, which allowed for either through-bridge or through-body stringing. The passive Peavey uses a fairly atypical wiring scheme: Volume/Volume/Tone/Tone, although Peavey says they chose this to extract as much sonic variety from the passive electronics. But for an easily tightened nut on the jack, the electronics assembly was acceptable and the cavity was well shielded.
The Grind was exceptionally comfy and well-balanced. Neck-through construction means no neck joint, so high-fret access was a cinch. The smoothplaying neck was relatively shallow, and felt slightly asymmetrical in the high register. The Grind had plenty of dig-in depth for finger pops, but the 15mm string spacing felt a little too tight for aggressive slap.
Playing the Peavey was a sonically rewarding experience. I truly appreciate that Peavey went with passive electronics on the bass—with so many manufacturers sourcing less-than-stellar preamps for their low-end models, it makes sense to just let the pickups do the talking. On the other hand, the Peavey’s circuit is highly interactive and a little unpredictable. It’s capable of a rewarding collection of pleasantly gutsy and organic tones, but the scheme is counter-intuitive in practice. I really dug the Peavey’s sweet top end and strong fundamental, but I’d be even more sold if they moved to a Volume/Volume/Tone configuration.
Washburn CB-16SP
List $1,149
Street $690
Pros Good looks; clear tone
Cons Neck-heavy; a few construction issues
Peavey Grind Bass 6 BXP
List $619
Street $470
Pros Excellent ergonomics; balanced, natural tone
Cons Unconventional electronics scheme
TECH SPECS
Peavey Grind Bass 6 BXP NTB
Scale length 34"
Body wings Imbuya
Neck Imbuya/maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Pickups Peavey humbuckers
Electronics Passive (Volume/ Volume/Tone/Tone)
Weight 9.7 lbs
Made in China
Gig bag/case Not included
Warranty Five years with warranty card
Contact www.peavey.com
Washburn CB-16SP
Scale length 34"
Body Mahogany
Top Spalted maple
Neck Maple
Fingerboard Rosewood
Pickups Eden J-style and soapbar humbuckers
Electronics Active with 2-band EQ
Weight 9.8 lbs
Made in Indonesia
Contact www.washburn.com