Who Cares The noname Japanabass is utter shit. It does, however, have the most unique and wonderful sound. It sits in a mix like a Fender P, with more low mids. Roll the tone off, and it seems to dissapear. It just thumps out all the essntial tone to keep a song moving. Roll it back up, and it cuts, literaly, like a knife, through Big7, the strat, drums,... Nothing stands in it's way. It's best to play it without a strap though, because it's e.q. curve insists that it creak like a motherfucker.

The Steinberger five-string has a good modern tone. Good for heavier rock, but only with new, heavy strings.