Takamine EG512C Acoustic-Electric Bass  

I have owned this Bass for about 8 months and love it. The neck feels very much like that of my Fender Electric. It is not loud but it it will work unplugged. I find the tuner to be plenty accurate. I could not get the correct case when I bought it. The point on the head makes it a tight fit in the case I ended up with.

I went from guitar shop to guitar shop and playing different A/E Basses. No matter how many others I tried I kept coming back to this one. When I found one that I thought I liked better it was usually double the price, and what I liked better on the more expensive models was always that the bodies were narrower which made them comfortable to sit and play. The Michael Kelly's were good, but inconsistent from model to model. They've flooded the market with their A/E basses, so they will no doubt be the market leader soon, but in terms of a specific bass, unless you are looking to pay double the price I'd get my hands on the Takamine EG512 as soon as you can.

the luckiest thing that ever happened 2 me was a botched attempt at buying amichel kelly bass... hadnt even considered takamine but got the surprise of my life when i sat down and played this thing... the tone was superior to that of a fender i saw for 2x the $$$.... its pretty big for me as i'm only 5'1" but it sounds so very sweet.... the only problem i have is with the tuner.... other than that it's the beez kneez....

I test drove a number of other acoustic-electrics at the local guitar retailer, and found this one to be the best value for dollar in a long-scale bass, especially with the hard shell case included.  I was disappointed with the bridge set up once I got mine - the E and A strings are unplayable above the tenth fret, and the D a bit off above the 14th, which makes chords sound bad.  This will require a significant repair at my local luthiers.  But if you're playing only single notes, this bass rules.

Great bass right off the start.  I needed something to take camping (tired of feeling left out when friends break out accoustics) and this has done the trick.  More than the trick.  It is my primary bass now.  I play more on this baby than any of my other axes.  It has great tone; it projects clearly; even slaps well... I know... I know.  I love this bass whole heartedly.  It is a bit large and cumbersome at first, but the sound it produces is worth it.  I dislike the built in tuner, but hey, nobody says you need to use it.  I had a strap button placed at the bottom of the neck and she hold and balances beautifully.  If something were to ever happen to this baby, I would cry my eyes out, track down the mother who stole/broke it, and then kill 'em.  After the worthwhile revenge, I would order another exact model to play while I spent the rest of my prison term in comfort... holding my EG512