The "Squier" killer?!...
This EKO JB 300 5-string Sunburst weighs about 4.3 kg (weight not indicated in the description), and was sent to me in a "Woodbrass" box, which itself contained the original EKO box, which had some holes/light impacts, but did not cause any damage to the guitar inside, which was secured (polystyrene and folded cardboard), sufficiently wrapped in 2 plastic films.
It arrived in impeccable condition, just like the finish of the instrument; the varnishes without defects, no apparent knots in the maple neck, etc... Only a few screws to tighten (always check whatever instrument you buy, whatever the range). N.B.: Never tighten the screws of a pickguard; just block them enough so it doesn't crack and holds over time. Also be careful with the double plastic film that covers and protects the pickguard, which you can gently remove afterwards, but no screw was really abnormally loose (unlike my Squier Classic Vibe 70's, received a few months earlier, twice as expensive, and less "finished" than this EKO, which I will keep!...).
The supplied string set is surprisingly good, quite well mounted, and must contribute to the excellent sustain of the notes (very good resonance/length/sustain of the notes).
The tuners (headstock and bridge) are very good, considering the price of the instrument, and do the job.
Now the electronics: the pickups do not emit "noise", the neck pickup is really nicely "fat" and "round" as desired, even in the highs which keep this grave roundness, with a nice presence of mids/lower mids, typical of "Jazz Bass", with a satisfactory output gain level, and it is quite well balanced. Nice surprise, I expected worse. The bridge pickup, on the other hand, lacks a bit of gain, and "fullness/roundness" in the mids. On these three rather "cheap" potentiometers, the heavy chrome metal knobs have small finishing issues, but from afar, it is not visible... I replaced them anyway with black plastic "Jazz Bass" knobs with indicators (dot and small white bar on the knob), to be able to visually dose the settings, the original metal knobs having no graduation or indicator. Moreover, I find that these "vintage" knobs improve the look of the guitar, but that's just a personal opinion...
I will try to gently raise the bridge pickup, it might bring a bit more presence, at low cost... But well, anyway.
The small issues/defects looking for the little beast:
I feel that the guitar body is a bit too light compared to the neck weight, and it tends to tilt towards the neck (not too much trouble playing standing, but sitting, you have to apply slight pressure on the forearm resting on the top of the guitar body). You can solve the problem by "weighting" the strap on the "bottom" side of the body... So it is slightly unbalanced this bass, but nothing that really bothers me to play.
The fret edges need filing on the treble string side, as they stick out slightly too much and "catch" a bit on my copy. Also, the neck was way too "straight", so I had to act on the truss rod, which fixed the small buzzing problems present at first tries. The action was also a bit too high, and the intonation not adjusted.
I would therefore advise you (if you don't know anything about it) to have it set up by your favorite luthier; it's not very expensive, but once set up, this bass has a quite comfortable neck (and I have small hands, short fingers). Maybe I will change the nut, but for now, let's work on my scales...!
One last small defect noticed: the string guide for A and D on the headstock deviates the A string a bit too much. But again, I'm "nitpicking"...
Really very satisfied with my purchase, I enjoy having started playing 5-string bass, I also appreciated the TS Jack cable supplied with the bass, and I strongly recommend this instrument and the "EKO" brand, unbeatable value for money.... (Show more)
Certified
Posted on 23/07/2025
By Gautier D.
en 
Certified
