Those that don't like mahogany and sidewinders are probably not going to be converts. This bass however offers a bunch of really cool features for those of us who love Gibson and Epi shorties from the 60s. I give the bass itself a 10, my only complaints are the shite strings and the high cut nut, for me these are a easy fix but for a young player checking it out in the store it will be enough to make them check out the nearest Squier. Epi used to have a USA QC stop before being sent on to dealers, they may want to reinstate that.