Dean Edge 09 (E09-CBK) Bass

I had been without a bass for a while now and figured it was time to get one. Knowing full well that I don't play bass MOST of the time, and that it's really only something to have some fun on once in a while (or record the occasional bass-track) I didn't want to spend too much money.

Previously I had owned a Samick Brand Bass which was basically a typical Fender P-Bass clone with a Black Body, White Pickguard and my preferred maple neck & fretboard. The thing weighed a ton, but was fun to play on.

Looking for a new Bass I definitely wanted another black one (favorite guitar color) - The choices were quite overwhelming, but setting a strict budget of Less than $150 narrowed down the field quite a bit! Normally I'd cringe at setting such a ridiculous max-budget knowing full well you'd be guaranteed to end up with a painted piece of plywood, but I just need something to throw around occasionally. This price range also definitely knocked out any 'combo' deals , but since I had a few amps sitting around this wasn't really an issue.

On one of the big warehouse sites (can't remember which one, either MusiciansFriend / SamAsh / SweetWater etc) I saw a black Dean 4 String bass..

Running down the checklist I saw:

• Black 4 String Bass - Check
• Looks Nice - Check
• Cheap - Check
• Maple Neck/Fretboard - no.....

But figuring 3 out of 4 wasn't bad I decided to let go of my obsessive 'maple only' philosophy and ordered it anyway. The specs according to dean are below:

From the Manufacturer

This no-frills bass from Dean features a lightweight basswood body, a Dean vintage bridge, a single Dean soapbar pickup, and a speedy maple neck. It's an affordable axe that's ready for any modern style.

EDGE 09 Specs Body: Basswood Scale: 34" Neck: Maple Fingerboard: Rosewood Inlays: Abalone Dot Tuners: Die Cast Hardware: Chrome Bridge: Dean Vintage Pickup: One Dean Passive Finish: Classic Black

Dean passive soapbar pickup with volume and tone controls.

A vintage-style bridge provides precise intonation.

Dean's Edge Series
Sure, beauty is skin deep, but the Dean Edge Bass might be the exception. Dean started with a body styled and contoured for comfort, and made it lighter with basswood construction. The maple necks were profiled to be faster and sleeker than most, and Dean designed a custom neck joint and heel, for uninterrupted access all the way up the two octave neck. The Edge Bass is offered in four, five and six string models. The Edge 09 is the most affordable instrument in the Edge Line.

Mahogany Looks
The Edge 09 features basswood construction, but it's topped off with naturally finished mahogany. The basswood means this axe is lighter than most its size, and the eye-catching mahogany grains give it plenty of class.

34-Inch Maple Neck
The Edge 09 features a speedy maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and classic abalone dot inlays. It's a 22-fret model--this barely matters on some instruments, since access to the high frets is difficult, but a deep cutaway and Dean's custom joint/heel mean you can ring out the high notes when you want.

Dean Passive Pickup
The Edge 09 features a Dean "soapbar" style passive pickup, for smooth low-end, aggressive high-end, and plenty of response to your playing and the tone control. Dial it in no matter your musical style.

Chrome Dean Hardware
The vintage-style Dean bridge lets you set things up perfectly on the intonation front, and Dean diecast tuners ensure that you'll stay in tune.



No Frills was right - 1 Tone Knob, 1 Volume Knob, 1 Pickup - However that was exactly what I was looking for and I've been very happy with it. The bass actually says Made In China which in guitar-making hierarchy would be basically the on 'bottom' as far as quality goes etc, however so far it has held up nicely.

It IS very light (relatively) and much thinner than any other bass guitars i've played on (probably even thinner than my telecaster or strat!). A little thicker/more solid feeling would've been nice, but surely that would also make it a lot heavier. That aside - it feels & plays great (for my use & (lack of) skills) especially with their custom neckjoint. Another nice 'feature' I found was that while the fretboard is standard rosewood, the back as usual is Maple - however the finish on mine felt VERY thin (almost 'woody') which I enjoy tremendously. One of my biggest beefs with guitars is always the neck being so thickly coated in polyurethane that it feels like plastic.This guitar makes it feel like you're holding a nice smooth piece of maple in your hand which is always good in my book!
As far as the rosewood fretboard... meh... It's fine... 'tolerable' I guess, but just not my thing.. I guess it's just one of those things I'll never click with just like Gibson/Les Paul Guitars ;)