Description
Review of the Ktaxon 6 String Electric Bass Guitar with H-H Pickups
This is a budget electric bass built on a modified IB-style outline, fitted with two humbucking pickups, a three-way selector and chrome rotary controls for volume and tone. It is aimed at beginners moving into bass and at guitarists who want a bass in the room for writing and demo work, and it ships with a small bundle of essentials rather than an amplifier.
The listing dates the instrument to August 2023 and gives its dimensions as 46.85 by 16.93 by 4.33 inches.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Two humbuckers with a three-way selector. Humbuckers use paired coils wired to cancel mains hum, which matters more on bass than on guitar because a bass rig amplifies low-frequency noise very efficiently. The selector gives neck, bridge and both, which is a genuine three-way tonal spread from thick to punchy.
- A C-shaped neck profile. A shallow C is the least fatiguing profile for a beginner’s fretting hand on a long instrument, where the thumb spends most of its time behind the neck rather than over the top.
- Laurel fingerboard. Laurel is the common rosewood substitute since trade restrictions tightened, and it behaves similarly: dense, open-pored and hard enough to resist string grooves.
- Contoured body cutting. The listing describes three-dimensional shaping intended to reduce weight and put the control knobs within easy reach when seated. On a bass, where the body is large, that shaping is worth more than it is on a guitar.
Cons
- The string count is stated two different ways. The product title and the specification table both say six strings, while the final bullet of the manufacturer description says the four string bass guitar kit contains everything needed. Four-string and six-string basses have different neck widths, different string spacing and different playing techniques. This needs confirming with the seller before ordering.
- No scale length is published. On a bass this is the most important single specification. A short-scale instrument of roughly 30 inches and a long-scale of roughly 34 inches feel entirely different, take different strings and suit different hand sizes. The field is empty.
- No weight is published either. Basses are heavy and shoulder fatigue is the usual reason a beginner stops practising standing up. The weight field is blank.
- No amplifier in the kit. A bass is close to inaudible unamplified, far more so than an electric guitar, so an amp is not optional here. None is included and none is suggested.
- No neck material listed in one field and maple in another. The neck is given as maple in the table, but the Top Material and Back Material entries both say basswood while Body Material is left empty, so the body construction has to be inferred rather than read.
Detailed Product Description
The body is basswood on a modified IB-style outline with a glossy finish. Basswood is light and tonally neutral, which suits a bass reasonably well because the pickups and the amplifier shape the sound far more than the body wood does at this price. Light weight also matters more on bass than on guitar, since the instrument is bigger and heavier to begin with.
The neck is maple with a laurel fingerboard, cut to a C profile. Maple is the standard bass neck wood because a bass neck is long and under high tension, and it needs stiffness to stay straight.
Electronics are two humbucking pickups with a three-way selector switch, plus volume and tone controls on chrome rotary knobs. Selecting the neck pickup gives the round, deep sound most people associate with recorded bass; the bridge pickup is tighter and more articulate for lines that need to cut through a mix; both together sit between the two.
Strings are alloy steel. The overall listed length of 46.85 inches is normal for a full-size bass, which suggests a long-scale instrument, but the scale length itself is not stated so that remains an inference rather than a fact.
What Comes with the Product
The kit contains the bass, a portable bag, an adjustable strap, a cable described as noise-reducing, a wrench tool and a plectrum. The listing states no assembly is required.
What is not included: no amplifier, no tuner, no spare strings, no stand and no lesson material. The absence of an amplifier is the one that matters most, because a bass produces very little acoustic volume on its own and is genuinely difficult to practise unamplified. Budget for a practice amp at the same time; amp wattage for home practice covers what size makes sense indoors, and quiet practice options covers headphone routes.
Who It Suits
This suits a beginner bassist on a tight budget who already has or is buying an amplifier separately, and a guitarist who wants a serviceable bass for recording parts at home. The humbucker pair and three-way switch cover more ground than the single-pickup basses common at this price.
It suits less well a smaller player or a younger beginner, because the scale length is unpublished and the overall length points to a full-size instrument. A short-scale bass is the safer choice there, and short scale versus full scale explains why the difference is not trivial. It also suits less well anyone who specifically needs a four-string or specifically needs a six-string, since the listing claims both.
How to Maintain
Wipe the strings down after every session. Bass strings are expensive and thick, and they go dull from corrosion and finger grime long before they wear out mechanically.
Check the neck relief regularly, especially in the first months. A long bass neck under high tension moves more than a guitar neck, and the supplied wrench is there for exactly that.
Keep the instrument on a stand or in its bag rather than leaning it against a wall. A bass is heavy enough that a fall damages the headstock badly. Store it away from heat sources and direct sunlight; storage guidance applies equally to bass.
Tips and Recommendations
Confirm the string count with the seller before ordering. Everything about strings, technique and replacement parts depends on the answer, and the listing gives two.
Buy strings only after measuring the scale. A long-scale set will not fit a short-scale bass properly, and a short-scale set on a long-scale bass leaves the tapered section over the nut, which ruins tuning stability.
Product FAQ
Is this a four-string or a six-string bass? The title and the specification table say six. The last bullet of the manufacturer description says four. The listing does not resolve the contradiction.
What is the scale length? Not stated. The scale length field is empty, and only the overall length of 46.85 inches is published.
Does it come with an amplifier? No. The kit is a bag, strap, cable, wrench and plectrum.
What are the pickups? Two humbuckers with a three-way selector, plus volume and tone controls.
Similar instruments sit under bass guitars. Comparable options include the Ktaxon five string electric bass, the Ktaxon four string full size kit with amp and the Ktaxon electric bass with 20W amp.
