Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass 

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

A lot of the reviews on here really negative. I've owned this bass for over 5 years now, I've had no issues that aren't my own fault. The only problems I've had due to manufacturing are that the finish is coming off the head and the tailpiece resonates. The finish is coming off because I've banged it up a bit playing it on the go for so long and the resonance is an easy fix. This bass looks incredible and feels great to play. Using the skeleton body is a must and is a fantastic inclusion. The sound is not the thump of an acoustic but I didn't expect it to be. All of the hardware is solid and reliable. The size and weight is fantastic since I play in different locations and often small spots. I would strongly recommend this bass for the price and the style can't be beat.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

Take it from me and the others who have written about the VE-500, don't waste your time and money.
Great looks - poor construction.
The VE-500 upright (in my opinion) is the best looking of any electric upright bass. However the workmanship and parts on this instrument are substandard. I've owned 2 now and both have had issues. The tuners are the worst I've seen on a bass (of any kind). The first VE-500 the tuner key broke off in my hand the first time I tuned it. The second VE-500 I recently owned came in with the fingerboard seperating from the neck. It's too bad because I really wanted to have a cool looking upright on stage, but this is such a poorly constructed instrument.
Not worth shipping and returning several units to find one good one.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

This instrument has great potential, but you will need to put in a little money into it. Change the stock strings right away. While you are at it, change the pickups too. If it is not a problem now, it will be problem later on. This mighty be little tricky if you don't know what you are doing,so be careful. There is considerable amount of discussion on this instrument online so i suggest you look into it. It's all about customizing this one, and everyone ends up with quite a different sound.
It is very enjoyable overall, but the neck could have been a lot more comfortable to play. It's a good instrument to learn how to play the upright, it is a lot more easier to play than a traditional upright. However, it does not at all emulate the slap playing of a traditional bass.
I say a little too expensive for the value.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

Undoubtedly some of these have quality control issues maybe but mine didn't. It plays great, sounds great and looks great. Not sure if i like playing in on a stand better or not but been playing it on a stand now for a couple years. I love this instrument

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

This is a great bass for the price, and great for that transition to an upright. It allows you to listen through headphones which is a great feature. Beyond that it's pretty simple with no frills, just straight boom. I do recommend the warranty. I haven't had any problems yet, but based on other reviews I'm anticipating some, so better safe than sorry!

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

Got this about 2 months ago. The pickup did split in half the 1st time I started tuning the bass. Not sure exactly what cracked, haven't examined it. The adjustable metal leg at he bottom has a rubber insert for traction. When manufactured, after the tube is cut, the edges are very sharp which makes it grind thru the rubber insert, which means that the contact between your standup bass and the floor is a knife sharp tube, so you can't use it anymore or you will destroy any floor it stands on in no time. Who ever thought of this, is a major idiot and should be fired. Same applies to the imbecile who came up with the pickup design. I had to find some other rubber insert for the leg. But over all, so far, for the money I paid, I am pretty happy. It looks good and sounds ok. My friends are impressed. Hope it stays this way.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

I got this a week ago and it looked so cool and the reviews were great. As soon as i opened the box i had to assemble it. So while i was putting the bridge on the pickup split in half. It still worked but that just irritated me. And, there was a LOT of feedback. It was even uncomfortable to hold. On top of that the neck had this black stuff that whenever I touched the bass it would make me look like I was covered in coal. After about a day of owning it, it needed to be tuned. So while i was tuning it the 30 cent piece of metal holding everything together at the bottom broke. Piece of crap. Don't buy. Trust me.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

I was very excited to get the Palatino VE-550....great price, good looking bass, sounds good. After two months, however, the sides began to crack and separate from the front and back. After that a buzz developed on the G string which I traced to a cracked weld in the extremely lightweight tailpiece. No instructions on setup or adjustment were included or available on their website. Am sending it back for warranty but am planning to trade up to a more substantial unit. Highly recommend getting the 3 year warranty if you go this way.

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

I'm not an accomplished bass player, but I usually record my own bass tracks and sometimes I even know what I'm doing.I've been interested in getting an EUB for a long time. I went through 3 Stagg basses, all had severe buzzing and fingerboard issues. I figured I try the Palatino and I'm happy I did. This bass has a beautiful ebony fingerboard and a 'real' bridge-not a plastic arc. Tailpiece needs a little dampening to cut down the overtones--as a temporary measure, I placed a small square of foam rubber behind it and that helps a lot. There's a lot of information online on how to do many simple modifications on these to make them play even better. For the price, this is an excellent value, and appears to be a very good quality instrument. Very nice!

Comments about Palatino VE-550 Electric Upright Bass:

This bass is really cool. I'll start with the actual instrument. It seems like it is built like a tank, the knobs are nice and firm, not cheap and loose. The bass itself is rather heavy, not heavy like its too heavy, but a nice weight. The hardware is good. The only two flaws with this bass are the endpin and the tailpiece. The endpin, while still having two screw tighteners, has a tendency to slip in a bit if pressure is put on the bass. The tailpiece has a resonance to it that can be heard thru an amp, while its not loud, it can be heard on short notes in particular. The feel of the bass impressed me the most, it has an authentic upright feel. Now for the sound. I've heard mixed reviews, but in my opinion, it sounds awesome. Now, of course it doesn't sound like an acoustic upright bass, but it sounds like an electric upright, if you can imagine. Like comparing an acoustic guitar to an electric. For me, the sound is perfect for what I use it for. Overall, the only two flaws are its tailpiece and enpin. Aside from them, its a very good instrument. As always, its important to play the instrument before buying if at all possible.