I EMPATHIZE WITH BASS DESIGNERS. Not only have they chosen a career that ranks somewhere below professional musician on the stable-income scale, but they’re contending with the most design-conscious customers around, each with wildly polarized notions of what looks and feels good. As a reviewer, the subjective unpredictability of taste requires a judicious touch—a bass I find fugly might be another player’s pin-up. Considering this, more objective qualities like playability, construction, and sound usually weigh more heavily in my conclusions. To wit: I think the two basses Tregan sent, the bolt-on Standard and fancier neck-through Signature, are, um, well … I’m sure they’re pretty on the inside. Others might love the look. Thus, I’m happy to report that in terms of those things we can agree on, the Tregans are a success.
Though the contours and electronics of each bass are the same, their composition differs significantly. The Standard’s basswood body and bolt-on neck suggest a less frilly instrument than the Signature, with its walnut and alder body and maple and walnut through-neck. The other elements are the same, including fairly thin and cozy neck profiles, monorail bridges, and Grover tuners. Each Tregan was well constructed, with a hand-filed nut, solidly installed hardware, and a well-shielded control cavity with good quality Alpha pots. The made-in-Korea basses evince the country’s instrument-building competence; each arrived with excellent fretwork, a silky medium-low setup, and no buzzes or rattles to speak of.
The Tregan’s love-it-or-leave it body shape was comfortable strapped and lapped, but for one annoyance: neck dive. In my lap, the truncated middle bout didn’t leave quite enough room for good anchorage on my leg, so the massive headstock tended to send the neck floorward. On a strap, the upper strap button is on the back, a compromise to preserve the pointy horn. Again, the balance wasn’t ideal. I did dig the neck’s shallow-Cprofile feel, and the Signature’s sculpted joint allowed for unimpeded high-fret access.
SOUND
I was pleased to discover that Tregan chose passive electronics for its new basses. Active systems can be wonderful, but at this price point, manufacturers often source mediocre preamps. I dig it when mid-cost builders eschew the whiz-bang allure of onboard EQ and instead focus on delivering an effective passive system. Here, the Tregans nail it. The generic import P/J pickups are mated to a straightforward Volume/Volume/Tone/Tone wiring scheme. In the past, I’ve seen this seemingly simple circuit executed poorly, with unpredictable sonic results. The Tregan’s electronics, however, functioned in an intuitive way. Turning up the neck volume yields the expected sound, and vice versa with the bridge. Each tone control functions independently of the other, yielding an impressive palette for such a simple scheme.
The Standard and Signature Tregans sounded similar, with a few subtle differences. The Signature seemed to have a more blooming low-mid voice and more texture and detail across the midrange frequency spectrum. The Standard was a bit thinner, with a more cutting and assertive personality. Each offered a solid variety of supportive and compelling tones. With the P-pickup soloed, the basses were thick and aggressive with the tone full up, and dark and brooding with the tone rolled off. The soloed-J tone was punchy and nasal, but with a nice top-end sweetness, particularly with the tone rolled-off halfway. Blending the pickups made for a versatile sound with slightly hollow mids, a controlled bottom, and a not-too-brittle treble response— a great tone for slap.
I can happily recommend the Tregans to anyone looking for a solid-sounding, wellbuilt bass that falls well outside the cookiecutter mold. While I could never quite get with the look, maybe you can. There’s no accounting for taste!
SHAMAN STANDARD
Street $620
Pros Excellent construction; solid array of supportive tones
Cons Neck dives
SHAMAN SIGNATURE
Street $840
Pros Excellent construction; high-end look at a decent price; solid and refined tones
Cons Neck dives
Weight Standard, 8.5 lbs; Signature, 9.5 lbs
Contact www.treganguitars.com
Made in Korea
Contact www.treganguitars.com 877-262-0018