PRS guitars turned 30 years old in the guitar building business back in 2015 and one of the things they did to celebrate was to create the Gary Grainger Standard line of US made basses.
This is the updated vesion and it features a lot of improvements.
Even if they've always been devoted to guitars we can find different times when they produced basses. Michael Manring used them on this first solo recordings in the late 80's. Then the 90's saw a new series of passive PRS basses that caught the market by surprise. Then for many many years there were no basses until the great bassist Gary Grainger approached PRS to have a custom bass built. His signature Private Stock bass is among the best instruments to ever come out of the PRS factory. Unfortunately Private Stock instruments are not affordable for everyone so we are really glad to see that the new Gary Grainger Series of basses by PRS is within reach of many more people.
A quick look at this instrument tells you immediately why PRS are the absolutely best when it comes to carving gorgeous maple tops for their instruments as well as their deep stain painting process. If the good news stopped here, this would be just a great looking bass but we are glad to report there's more. Much more, actually.
As soon as you play the first notes yo realize that the dimensions of the neck are about perfect and it feels more familiar and comfortable than other 24 neck basses. Everything is within reach and there's no feeling of effort at all. Everything seems easier to play here. Of course the fingerboard sports PRS's trademark bird inlays.
The bridge is equally interesting: it combines the low mass/high resonance concept with a thin base plate along with brass saddles for the best tone and sustain and extra long intonation screws. Cool!
Electronics are also impressive. The previous model was active only but this one is Active-Passive. Two powerful Gary Grainger Humbuckers and a 3 band EQ have been installed and this combination seems to be just about perfect. The pickups themselves are really good and seem to offer the clarity of Single Coils with the performance of Humbuckers (more ouput, noiseless). The bridge pickup can be as incisive as you may ever need but the onboard EQ can make it sound smooth too. The neck pickup sounds absolutely wonderful too with a big and deep tone to it that doesn't lack clarity. Mix them and you'll get a modern scooped type of sound that will fit into a lot of different music styles. Passive mode sounds much more vintage and midrangey so here we hae the best of both worlds: a delicious vintage sound in passive mode as well as incredible precise and clear active sound in active mode.
We are also glad to say that this bass is quite lightweight, something that your shoulder and back will no doubt thank you for long sessions.
To sum up: a top noth bass that is gorgeous to look at, really comfortable to play and sounds awesome. What more could you ask for?
Please note: this is a second hand bass but it's never been gigged. Home/studio use only. It is in pristine condition (just a couple of minor scratches at the back of the body".
Original hardcase included.
Here's some additional info from the PRS website:
"These basses give me everything I need for recording and playing live... all the tone, clarity, power, and feel... everything. They are works of art and great tools for working bassists.” - Gary Grainger
The Grainger 4 is the evolution of our Private Stock Gary Grainger Bass line. As the primary designer of our Private Stock basses, Gary (John Scofield, Dennis Chambers, Frank Gambali, etc.) collaborated with many bass artists, including Wyzard (Mother’s Finest) and Kevin Walker (Justin Timberlake), to create a Core PRS bass with all the character and quality of Gary’s Private Stock models but with a more universal appeal.
Want a bass designed and created by PRS? The PRS Grainger 4-string Bass solidbody electric bass guitar gives you the thoughtful design and craftsmanship that only PRS can deliver. An evolution of the Private Stock Gary Grainger Bass, the PRS Grainger 4-string Bass uses premium tonewoods and electronics to create an extremely versatile and playable bass. The mahogany body, figured maple top, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard combine to give the bass a solid and toneful foundation.
Custom pickups and tone-sculpting active electronics on the PRS Grainger 4-string Bass deliver the punch and tone needed for live and studio gigs. PRS Grainger 4-string Bass Solidbody Electric Bass at a Glance:Solid mahogany topped with maple looks and sounds amazing. Active electronics provide the power and tones you need. A PRS V12 finish feels like nitro and protects like acrylic. Solid mahogany topped with maple looks and sounds amazing to give the PRS Grainger 4-string Bass a rich yet balanced sound.
Comes with a hardcase.
PICKUP SWITCHING FEATURES:
Knobs 1-2 are volume controls and passive/active switch:
- Knob 1: Neck pickup volume.
Down = Active, Up = Passive. If this knob is up and Knob 2 is down, only the neck pickup (passive) is heard.
- Knob 2: Bridge pickup volume.
Down = Active, Up = Passive. If this knob is up and Knob 1 is down, only the bridge pickup (passive) is heard. If both knob 1 and knob 2 are in the up position, both pickups (passive) are heard.
Knobs 3-5 are a 3-band EQ control:
- Knob 3: Bass EQ. Functions with pickups in active mode.
- Knob 4: Mid EQ. Functions with pickups in active mode.
- Knob 5: Treble EQ. Functions with pickups in active mode.
The bass will function passively without batteries as well.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Body:
Top Wood: Carved Figured Maple
Back Wood: Mahogany
Neck:
Number of Frets: 24
Scale Length: 34"
Neck Wood: Maple
Neck Shape: GG 4
Neck Depth At The Nut: 26.5/32"
Width of Fretboard at the Body: 2 1/2"
Width of Fretboard at the Nut: 1 19/32"
Fretboard Wood: Maple
Fretboard Inlay: Birds
Hardware:
Bridge: PRS 4-String Bass Bridge
Tuners: Bass Tuners
Hardware Type: Nickel
Electronics:
Treble Pickup: Grainger
Bass Pickup: Grainger
Controls: PRS/Grainger Active Electronics (2 Push/Pull Volume Knobs & 3 Knob EQ)