I just learned something new, from the thread at the Gear Page about the new bass. One poster said that the maple neck was a dealbreaker for him. Another poster responded:
i think you've got it backwards, maple is far better for bass. 'hog neck basses tend to be low-end shy and uneven, lots of dead spots. especially if it's short scale, maple will go a long way to overcoming that handicap. Gosh, no wonder my EB-0 is so low-end shy and trebly! Likewise with all my previous Gibson and Guild mahogany basses.
FWIW, I've never had a short scale bass with a dead spot, and only one non-Fender maple long scale with a dead spot.