I’m a small adult lobster with small short claws. Tried the Ibanez Mikro but no matter how much I adjusted the action, truss rod and tuners couldn’t get good sound. Even swapped strings with some rotosound flatwound. Also like the fret markers on the side to help me readjust from a 34” scale. This is by far the best demo of this bass I’ve seen. *gives you some shrimp lobster food*
In my opinion, pretty much all Jackson basses are underrated. All Jackson's are pretty great value propositions. Most of them have carbon fiber reinforced necks. Really a nice feature for an inexpensive bass.
I have this bass. Coming from guitar it was perfect. I have made lots of recordings with it in Garage Band to accompany my guitar parts. For $180 you can't lose.
Thank You LoEndLobster for ALL the help & info . Lost Puppy Forever is giving you shout outs on our new live music podcasts Were a two peace band Bass & Drums female fronted band that plays music about dogs , were really both drummers but Scarlet likes the bass , So started playing still new to the game you have helped in so many ways understanding the bass. Happy New Year ALL.
My first 6 string was a jackson. Idk why people rip on them so much they look great and this one doesn't sound to bad either. Thanks lobster. Keep jammin!
i had some buzz problems with mine and the cure was to use my wireless cables are just junk but with even my cheap joyo wireless no more buzz problems on any of the pups
This was my first bass I ever had, I got it when I was around 10 years old. I still play it from time to time and I don’t think I’m getting rid of it any time soon !!
I am partial to the Ibanez GSRM20(B) Mikro Bass, same scale length, about same price, and in my opnion better looking. I love mine, though like you mention with the Jackson Minion, decent, but not the best pickups so I upgraded mine, and now it also sounds great (first a P/J set of EMG Geezer Butler pickups, which sounded awesome through my old Trace Elliot combo amp, and currently just a DiMarzio Model P P pickup wired directly to the output jack socket, and with the J disconnected and lowered considerably, which in my opinion makes this bass sound even more amazing). As good as perfect fretwork from factory too, at least I can get the action exactly as low as I prefer it without any fretbuzz whatsoever, which happens to be about 1,9mm low E string side at 12th fret, and about 1,5mm high G string side. Now I haven't actually had a chance to try the Jackson out in first person, so I'll give it the benefit of a doubt, but as said I like the looks of the Mikro better, especially the GSRM20B model in the sort of matte black Weathered Black finish and black hardware, as well as it's slightly more narrow frets, being medium, the Mikro also has much better access to the most upper frets. If you haven't already (a TH-cam search shows no results at least) I think you ought to do a video on the Mikro, or perhaps even a comparison video between the Mikro and the Minion, since they are so similar spec and price wise (and the Ibanez actually being the one first on the market, years before Jackson copied the concept), to test your own claim about the Jackson being the best.
This actually was gonna be my travel bass until I found a Squier Jaguar SS with hard case, that I am currently modifying. I actually think the hockey stick head stock is cool, sorta like an old Epiphone Rock Bass or Accubass. Keep the reviews coming Lobster! Happy New Year all and good luck on the give away!
I slapped one in guitar center mainly Jackson basses are Metal basses meaning they are played with a pick but surprisingly they are also good for funky slapping.
I have this same bass in silver and laugh with pleasure...... I absolutely appreciate the runt & glad 😊 to hear your positive review........ I have a squire Modified Jaguar and an Ibanez Talman TMB 30 as well as a Ibanez Talman TMB35..... As far as my S/S basses, I really gravitate towards the Jackson.......... But I believe that has a lot to do with being an 80's hair band fan back in the day LOL 😆 Thanks again for the review of both Stock & Modified..... Much luck and support in your endeavors........ 👍
Thanks Maruniku! That means a lot. She just finished with school and has more time to hang out. I really like having her in the vids as well, very fun moments :)
Really enjoy the large variety of basses i get to see thanks to you. See if you can get ahold of a Bootlegger Headless bass. TRUST ME. you wont regret it. Excellent travel bass. 600 bucks but the quality is better than an american fender. Pick ups are good but.ima put some emg humbuckers in mine. Its a full scale bass too! The owner of Bootlegger is a really great guy too and his company could use some help. There arent many good videos of this bass to show how awesome it really is.
These 28-ish inch scale basses rock. You should compare with Ibanez Mikro and, if you can get one, J&D JB Mini - I have both and besides travel they're great to jam casually on your couch, great size for smaller people like girls or kids, but they also sound surprisingly usable and "normal". I think SX and Squier also do these "minis" now with same kind of scale length.
Thank you! I definitely plan on checking out the Mikro and Squier P. I'll see if I can find a J&D as a mini J would be sweet. I appreciate the suggestion :)!
J&D JB Mini may be closer to what I want although I was investigating the other two; but I think I may want two jazz pickups like the J&D JB Mini has. But a PJ bass may be more versatile???
That is very similar to the Ibanez Mikro I bought my daughter a few months ago. I believe all the specs are the same just different body/headstock shape, fretboard inlays and branding. I'm guessing they probably come from the same factory. Both that Jackson and my daughter's Mikro are very impressive for only $180, and I would choose those over any of the lower end Squiers. So, did you see Ibanez is coming out with a short multiscale (30" to 32") EHB? I hope you can get one of those in for review.
@@LowEndLobster I've got the Mikro and it is awesome! Big, deep tone, plays oh so smoothly and I love the walnut 'flat' finish of mine. And that's coming from someone who can be slightly OCD about those things. I think the Walnut Flat and Weathered Black colourways look a bit better/more expensive/classier than the lacquered ones with the chrome hardware. My bass teacher was surprised at how good it was as well. The Minion was on my radar too when I was bass shopping but the Mikro's looks spoke more to me.
That sounds pretty good! Given that the fretwork on yours came out well, swapping the electronics to something more quiet would definitely make the bass well worth the money 👍 I agree with the other commenter about the headstock though.
This may be the ideal travel bass solution for me. My Squier VI is a short scale, but weighs a ton. This Jackson will be light, portable, and at the price point will be a cheap and easy mod platform. And if it gets dinged up, it's no big deal!
The review says at about 15 minutes that the Jackson Minion bass guitar comes shielded as standard which seems surprising to me at the price. I did wonder if Lobster(?) mis-spoke and meant that shielding was added to the modded guitar; but the wording certainly did indicate it was the original unmodded guitar. Anyway, I contacted the support e-mail address in the UK about this and they gave a pretty vague "it depends" type of answer. This is the relevant part excerpted from the e-mail: "Great to hear that you're interesting in purchasing a Concert Minion JS1X Bass. These guitars are designed by Jackson but the parts used are quite often built OEM manufacturer specs which can vary depending on the production run and materials available. This can include the components like the pickups, wiring diagrams, switches, bridges, pickguards, shielding, tremolo arms, tuning machines etc. Because of this, detailed specification on the shielding is not available to us information is not available to us. The factory may add this on some production runs but not on others so it's hard to say." I was going to suggest, inferring from the fact that the support address in the UK is shared with Fender, that there may be an ulterior motive at play here. But Jackson Guitars is apparently owned by Fender so that wouldn't really make any sense.
The situation with this is that I have been considering the Jackson Minion Bass versus the Ibanez Mikro which has the same 28.6" scale (and maybe at least one 30" scale alternative). I notice one negative comparison of the Ibanez Mikro versus the Jackson Minion in this thread (and, of course, another similar comparison favouring the Ibanez Mikro on Amazon UK...) Another thing is that the Jackson bass looks a bit metal; so while it is quite striking (and not anything really OTT like a flying V) that doesn't really work in its favour in my case.
That's an amazing sound,,from such a tiny Bass,,,my worry is me,personally would fall into the trap of overplaying,,because its so easy too get around!
@@LowEndLobster Glad you like the idea! A lot of the bass guitars in this category are never in stock when I try to go to my local guitar center. Jonny Dibble recently gave you a shout out on his channel and that’s how I found you, and I really like your in-depth reviews. Where do you order your fgns and bacchus’ from? Are they authorized? How good is their English? Keep it up man you gained another subscriber!
Hey Lobster, if I knew this existed I would have probably bought it to my daughter for school, instead of the Squier P mini (awful finish even compared to my 20 years old Squier PJ). Thank you!
The bass look cute and has nice bass tone too. Wish to see a Spectra JS3V in your future review. Another nice quality/tone low price bass as Cort gb64j.
We have one of those. The input jack died about 2 months into ownership. jack was scratchy when we got it. so so. 3 stars. sorry. QC so so. Gonna fix it soon. I play my Mitchell short scale a lot lately. 30" scale 4 string grey. Diadarrio xl strings. Basswood body. 129 bucks on sale woooo hoooo. mitchell bases are ok. little bit buzzy but we like it. : )
hehehehe, the purple one was pre-modded but I actually do plan on making a vid about installing/aligning tuners at some point! I felt like a giant too... I really want to send one to Bully now ahaha
I love the minion. excellent balance, sounds great, easy neck, solid finish. It is compact but it nothing toyish about it - an adult would have no problems playing it. I got it for my son (even though I play it a lot for fun), because he started with the Squier Jaguar Affinity H - and it just did not work out. I didn't like that one much either because of the neck dive and fretwork was iffy on mine. I got rid of it. The minion is so much better.
I should not have watched this. Now I want this bass even more. Just have to figure out a moment to smuggle it into the house and put it on the wall like it was always there. Neon green might not be the best choice for that.
I looked at the Minion one time but it just seemed so small. I bought a Squier Bronco and an Epiphone EB-0 instead. I like both of those short scale basses but now that I hear the Minion, I wish that I would have given it more consideration - especially since I have discovered that my hands aren't as big as or flexible as I thought they were! I recently bought a solid body U-bass and it makes the Minion look like a monster! Any good suggestions on left hand stretching exercises?
Thanks! I had an EB-0 as my second bass. For hand stretching, I just warm up by playing fun songs that I enjoy that move up and down the fret board. Donny Benet- Mr Experience is a nice warmup one actually :)
after a few years not plating bas they both seem now huge (i also moved to shorter scale guitars)... seems cool for solo jamming, although the e string seems too have way weaker signal (tilting the pickups maybe?)
I'm a big buff guy watching all these people saying they want to buy this for their kids. There's nothing wrong with a shorter scale. I play in my office and don't want to break stuff around me - this does everything we need, as adults. We're not opening for Queen in Wembley.
It could be interesting if a short scale bass comparison video make by Lobster. Jackson Minion, Squier mini P, Squier bronco, Ibanez GSR micro, g&l tribute fallout, Schecter Bunchee, Sterling SS Ray4..... it could be fun ！！
That's a great idea! :) Definitely going to do a comparo of the cheaper $200ish ones (Minion, Squier, Ibanez) and perhaps a mid-tier (SS ray, fallout, banshee) one as well :)
Seems a good bass for travelling, and with something like a Nux mighty plug or similar with headphones it'd be truly portable. The pickup mods certainly changed it up a bit too. Then we hit the Aussie conundrum lol "Hey hun, come look at this bass and it's only $180! That's a really affordable bass to start with." Then the boss/accountant/minister of war brings up reality "Is that US dollars or Australian my love?" lmao 🤣😂🤣😂 I have taken a risk though and bought a Fender Rumble, so we'll see if I'm sharing a bed with the dogs outside when it arrives. If I do happen to be still living inside though, I can bring up the argument that an amp is a waste of money without the bass to go with it! 😉🤞😎
Hey lobster. I know it’s an old video but I hope you can reply to this. How well do you think this would preform as a “hope I don’t need to use it” backup bass? Just so I don’t have to drag a spare full size bass to every gig that never gets played. Is it too jarring a difference from 34” to quickly transition, or would a more sensible 30” be easier?
This is an absolutely killer little short scale and is a perfect 'just in case' bass for little money. Probably one of the most well rounded little mini basses out there.
@@LowEndLobster Thanks Lobster. Just the news I wanted to hear. It seem just about perfect as a mini backup and looks like a lot of fun to thing to play. (I’m still considering the Gretsch Junior Jet too, despite “coil-gate”.
Hey lobster. Love this video. I’m a little late on this one but I wanted to know what you thought about the David Ellefson 30th anniversary 4 or 5 string concert bass with the reverses p and j . Seems kinda like the charvel with some electrical differences. Lol. Hopefully less issues.
There’s a Chris Beattie signature Jackson concert bass where the headstock is different and it looks so much better. Not a fan of this headstock either!
I want to get a lefty and a standard one, then swap all the stuff so I have two legit reverse headstocks. Then they're not only easier for lazy me to tune but I can get people on the upstroke without them sliding off the hook. maybe add a barb to it.
Have one of these. I wish Jackson would have spent more money and manufactured this in Indonesia vs China. The volume and tone pots are the biggest weakness on these.
Thanks Brian! Indeed, but at least they're standard sized for easy replacement. I think they're great foundations for mods and solid travel instruments, but you definitely see where they cut the corners to make the body/neck/finish as good as it is for the price
Hey Lobster - just re-watched this review of the Jackson Minion. Question: how do you think this would compare to the Fender MIM PJ Mustang bass (other than the huge difference in price)?
Hey Lobster, I bought a minion Jackson bass, and put the GZR EMG bass pickups in it, and the jazz pickup has a lot of noise coming from it. It is grounded, at least all the possible areas are, and the grounded wire is still touching the bridge. Is there anything you can suggest?
Hey Gary! Contact EMG, they will get it sorted. Sounds like something is up with that pickup. I've taken em apart to try and switch the housing and there's definitely two separate coils in that pickup. I've read that others have had that same issue with other Geezer J's
I got enthused by these as a shorty player about 3 years ago. I liked it so much I ended up with 3. But then the problems began. One of them the earth wire came unattached. So I soldered it. The tuners are bad, don't work smoothly nor hold tune securely. So I replaced them. Worse, 2 of my 3 Minions started rattling after about a year. I looked everywhere for the source and can only assume its the truss rod come loose. Waste of money. Cant sell. BUT last year I got a Squier MIni Precision which is even cheaper but better made, no issues. I replaced the pickup with a Dimarzio and it's my favourite bass. Also recommend the Ibanez Mikro, another properly manufactured item with no structural issues.
Thanks Bryan! Bummer to hear about your experience. We'll be checking out the Squier and Ibanez and do a little cheapy short scale comparison in the future :)
@@LowEndLobster Yeah I've already done my comparisons 🙂👍 Live and learn innit mate. If you don't buy to try you never know what works for you, or works full stop. Eventually you say OK this is it, these pedals, this amp, bass etc.Takes years and it's costly but worth it when everything is *right*
i have just got one, i love how small and light is for a tiny & skinny person like me 8also i have bought it thinking on my 9 years old daughter if she wants in future to learn to play bass), it sounds good but unfortunately my copy has some kinda problem, the fret on the 1 scale sounds annoying with each string and the 4. String played alone and that sound disturb me a lot, so I have to send it back to the music store, they have offered me to "fix the problem" or a return, so I am on a dilemma now cause I really like this tiny buddy.
With the shorter than standard short scale length, do we need to look for extra short strings? I prefer to have the main windings stop before they get to the tuners.
Back with another question. The geezer pickups? What kind of out put do they have since they are passive? I’m looking at a lakland that has these pups in it. I’m so used to active basses. Got any advice?
To be honest out of the 3. Id love to win this one in the giveaway. Ive watched this bass on and off since it was released. Love you did a review lobster!
Great review! You convinced me not to buy Hofner, and I almost decided on Jackson. But please, could you tell me how much it weighs (at least approximately)? I didn't find this information anywhere.
I’m a small adult lobster with small short claws. Tried the Ibanez Mikro but no matter how much I adjusted the action, truss rod and tuners couldn’t get good sound. Even swapped strings with some rotosound flatwound. Also like the fret markers on the side to help me readjust from a 34” scale. This is by far the best demo of this bass I’ve seen. *gives you some shrimp lobster food*
Thanks Jak! nom nom nom
I just bought a purple one two days ago for my son’s birthday.
My wife and myself have been playing it and love it.
Awesome! Thanks Mike!
Shows you how little you need when you have made the effort to be excellent. Gonna get this bass because of this vid.
I just picked up one of these in the neon green. It's a killer little bass. Growls nice and plays well.
Thanks! Great to hear :)
In my opinion, pretty much all Jackson basses are underrated. All Jackson's are pretty great value propositions. Most of them have carbon fiber reinforced necks. Really a nice feature for an inexpensive bass.
Thanks Mark! I really want to try more including the DE sig, they look cool!
@@LowEndLobster the look super metal! Awesome
Wow, not gonna lie, the slap tone impressed me.
Thanks Thiago! :)
I brought one of these for my young cousin to learn on!! I was really impressed by how playable the bass was out of the box and he loves it!!
Awesome! Indeed these are great basses for beginners or travel. Much more playable and fun than the Squier bronco
I have this bass. Coming from guitar it was perfect. I have made lots of recordings with it in Garage Band to accompany my guitar parts. For $180 you can't lose.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Jason! Great comment :)
Thank you for reviewing this. That slap sounded really great! 🤯
Thanks Lighthouse!
Thank You LoEndLobster for ALL the help & info . Lost Puppy Forever is giving you shout outs on our new live music podcasts Were a two peace band Bass & Drums female fronted band that plays music about dogs , were really both drummers but Scarlet likes the bass , So started playing still new to the game you have helped in so many ways understanding the bass. Happy New Year ALL.
Aw thanks! I'll check you folks out :)
I've had mine for about 2 to 3 weeks and love it. I've ordered a set of EMG GZR p/j pickups for it and can't wait. Thanks Lobster.
Awesome! Congrats on your bass, Gary! Happy modding :)
My first 6 string was a jackson. Idk why people rip on them so much they look great and this one doesn't sound to bad either. Thanks lobster. Keep jammin!
Thanks Ross!
Gonna buy this instrument tomorrow! Has great tone! Thanks for the review dude.
Awesome! Let me know how it works out :)
i had some buzz problems with mine and the cure was to use my wireless cables are just junk but with even my cheap joyo wireless no more buzz problems on any of the pups
I really like it when you play with the drums.
"Don't point that at me!"
Thanks John! :)
LEL having the time of his life on a dinky, cheap bass. I love this channel.
Thank you Luis :)
@@LowEndLobster no, I thank you. It's the little things that make your channel great.
This was my first bass I ever had, I got it when I was around 10 years old. I still play it from time to time and I don’t think I’m getting rid of it any time soon !!
Awesome! Thank you for sharing :)
just bought one for my daughter for christmas, this video sold me!
I won this baby, can’t wait to play it! Thanks again!
Congrats Jody!
I am partial to the Ibanez GSRM20(B) Mikro Bass, same scale length, about same price, and in my opnion better looking.
I love mine, though like you mention with the Jackson Minion, decent, but not the best pickups so I upgraded mine, and now it also sounds great (first a P/J set of EMG Geezer Butler pickups, which sounded awesome through my old Trace Elliot combo amp, and currently just a DiMarzio Model P P pickup wired directly to the output jack socket, and with the J disconnected and lowered considerably, which in my opinion makes this bass sound even more amazing).
As good as perfect fretwork from factory too, at least I can get the action exactly as low as I prefer it without any fretbuzz whatsoever, which happens to be about 1,9mm low E string side at 12th fret, and about 1,5mm high G string side.
Now I haven't actually had a chance to try the Jackson out in first person, so I'll give it the benefit of a doubt, but as said I like the looks of the Mikro better, especially the GSRM20B model in the sort of matte black Weathered Black finish and black hardware, as well as it's slightly more narrow frets, being medium, the Mikro also has much better access to the most upper frets.
If you haven't already (a TH-cam search shows no results at least) I think you ought to do a video on the Mikro, or perhaps even a comparison video between the Mikro and the Minion, since they are so similar spec and price wise (and the Ibanez actually being the one first on the market, years before Jackson copied the concept), to test your own claim about the Jackson being the best.
Thanks Ninja! We'll be checking out the Mikro soon as well :) Glad you're enjoying yours!
I do have a 5 string mikro. MONSTER!
I was actually considering a travel bass so this video was very helpful, thanks.
You are welcome!
I really want to see you do a head to head vs the Mikro; compare the neck profiles, string widths and general "mod-ability"
Great idea Kirt! I think that's gonna happen :)
@@LowEndLobster I know you can't buy EVERY variant, but maybe mention the options out there, i.e. the Mikro comes in a 5 string Jazz config... ;)
The stock bass has a nice clear and punchy tone! The moded bass sounds great!!! For $180, this bass is a steal!
Thanks Keith!
Great tone for such a small bass! I really liked the toned turned back a little bit, sounds great! Cheers
Thanks Shannen :)
This actually was gonna be my travel bass until I found a Squier Jaguar SS with hard case, that I am currently modifying. I actually think the hockey stick head stock is cool, sorta like an old Epiphone Rock Bass or Accubass. Keep the reviews coming Lobster! Happy New Year all and good luck on the give away!
Thanks Andrew! I like the headstock hahaha, though younger me would hate it. Happy new year to you as well my friend!
Great Video! This bass actually impressed me, it’s not just a gimmick or child’s bass. Pretty dang cool!
Thanks Roper! :)
I want to buy my son one of these for his 5th birthday. Great review as always man.
Thanks John!
I slapped one in guitar center mainly Jackson basses are Metal basses meaning they are played with a pick but surprisingly they are also good for funky slapping.
Right!? For being a 'metal' instrument, they're super well rounded and pretty nice
@@LowEndLobster yeah I feel like getting a Jackson Kelly bird which is Jacksons take on the Thunderbird and David Ellefson designed it too.
I have this same bass in silver and laugh with pleasure...... I absolutely appreciate the runt & glad 😊 to hear your positive review........ I have a squire Modified Jaguar and an Ibanez Talman TMB 30 as well as a Ibanez Talman TMB35..... As far as my S/S basses, I really gravitate towards the Jackson.......... But I believe that has a lot to do with being an 80's hair band fan back in the day LOL 😆 Thanks again for the review of both Stock & Modified..... Much luck and support in your endeavors........ 👍
The addition of your girlfriend offscreen in these videos is great! She is a good foil for you - keeps you grounded!
Thanks Maruniku! That means a lot. She just finished with school and has more time to hang out. I really like having her in the vids as well, very fun moments :)
@@LowEndLobster Awesome! Keep up the great work. Really enjoying the vids.
Really enjoy the large variety of basses i get to see thanks to you. See if you can get ahold of a Bootlegger Headless bass. TRUST ME. you wont regret it. Excellent travel bass. 600 bucks but the quality is better than an american fender. Pick ups are good but.ima put some emg humbuckers in mine. Its a full scale bass too! The owner of Bootlegger is a really great guy too and his company could use some help. There arent many good videos of this bass to show how awesome it really is.
I saw those! Those things look NUTS! I appreciate you vouching for them, I will definitely snag one in the near future :). Thanks Sean!
Another nice one. Taking me back to the 80s. :)
Headstock is kind of nostalgic for me.
Thanks! :)
These 28-ish inch scale basses rock. You should compare with Ibanez Mikro and, if you can get one, J&D JB Mini - I have both and besides travel they're great to jam casually on your couch, great size for smaller people like girls or kids, but they also sound surprisingly usable and "normal". I think SX and Squier also do these "minis" now with same kind of scale length.
Thank you! I definitely plan on checking out the Mikro and Squier P. I'll see if I can find a J&D as a mini J would be sweet. I appreciate the suggestion :)!
J&D JB Mini may be closer to what I want although I was investigating the other two; but I think I may want two jazz pickups like the J&D JB Mini has. But a PJ bass may be more versatile???
@@LowEndLobster I look forward to seeing the Mikro review; but I may have bought a cheap and nasty guitarist-friendly beginner's bass before then.
Yes,I play a "little" bass....
IT'S NOT NORMALLY THIS SMALL! I WAS IN THE POOL!
That is very similar to the Ibanez Mikro I bought my daughter a few months ago. I believe all the specs are the same just different body/headstock shape, fretboard inlays and branding. I'm guessing they probably come from the same factory. Both that Jackson and my daughter's Mikro are very impressive for only $180, and I would choose those over any of the lower end Squiers.
So, did you see Ibanez is coming out with a short multiscale (30" to 32") EHB? I hope you can get one of those in for review.
Thanks Michael! Definitely going to check out the Mikro too! Yeah I saw that new EHB, very intrigued!
@@LowEndLobster I've got the Mikro and it is awesome! Big, deep tone, plays oh so smoothly and I love the walnut 'flat' finish of mine.
And that's coming from someone who can be slightly OCD about those things.
I think the Walnut Flat and Weathered Black colourways look a bit better/more expensive/classier than the lacquered ones with the chrome hardware.
My bass teacher was surprised at how good it was as well.
The Minion was on my radar too when I was bass shopping but the Mikro's looks spoke more to me.
Definitely cool. That slap tone was really nice
Thanks Mike!
I played one today and it was great! I'm in love
Oh my Geezer!
It sure sounds WAY better once equipped with those EMGs. Oh, the purple tint is amazing of course!
Thanks! Indeed the purple is one of the better colors offered
That sounds pretty good! Given that the fretwork on yours came out well, swapping the electronics to something more quiet would definitely make the bass well worth the money 👍 I agree with the other commenter about the headstock though.
Thanks Takoneko! Something something headstock something zombie apocalypse something ;P.
What a great video concept, thank you for this.
Thank you Midnight!
This may be the ideal travel bass solution for me. My Squier VI is a short scale, but weighs a ton. This Jackson will be light, portable, and at the price point will be a cheap and easy mod platform. And if it gets dinged up, it's no big deal!
Thanks Alex!
I'm getting one, putting 40-95 strings on it, tune it up to F# and play in unison with my Strandberg 8 string. Gonna be a fun studio experiment.
The review says at about 15 minutes that the Jackson Minion bass guitar comes shielded as standard which seems surprising to me at the price. I did wonder if Lobster(?) mis-spoke and meant that shielding was added to the modded guitar; but the wording certainly did indicate it was the original unmodded guitar. Anyway, I contacted the support e-mail address in the UK about this and they gave a pretty vague "it depends" type of answer. This is the relevant part excerpted from the e-mail:
"Great to hear that you're interesting in purchasing a Concert Minion JS1X Bass. These guitars are designed by Jackson but the parts used are quite often built OEM manufacturer specs which can vary depending on the production run and materials available. This can include the components like the pickups, wiring diagrams, switches, bridges, pickguards, shielding, tremolo arms, tuning machines etc.
Because of this, detailed specification on the shielding is not available to us information is not available to us. The factory may add this on some production runs but not on others so it's hard to say."
I was going to suggest, inferring from the fact that the support address in the UK is shared with Fender, that there may be an ulterior motive at play here. But Jackson Guitars is apparently owned by Fender so that wouldn't really make any sense.
The situation with this is that I have been considering the Jackson Minion Bass versus the Ibanez Mikro which has the same 28.6" scale (and maybe at least one 30" scale alternative). I notice one negative comparison of the Ibanez Mikro versus the Jackson Minion in this thread (and, of course, another similar comparison favouring the Ibanez Mikro on Amazon UK...) Another thing is that the Jackson bass looks a bit metal; so while it is quite striking (and not anything really OTT like a flying V) that doesn't really work in its favour in my case.
My nephew got the neon green one when he started playing bass.
That's awesome! They have some funky colors haha
Great chops Lobby!
Thanks Floyd!
Would you say the Jackson is a better choice than the Ibanez Mikro? Thanks for the look see.
Thanks Sparks! That's a great question that I do not presently know the answer to... but we will be finding out!
That's an amazing sound,,from such a tiny Bass,,,my worry is me,personally would fall into the trap of overplaying,,because its so easy too get around!
;)
You should do a mini base shootout with the Jackson, Fendrr , Ibanez and Gretsch !
The upgrade makes me feel good... 💙👊😎
:)
Please please review the Ibanez Mikro !!
I was about to get this one , but when I got back into the store it was already gone. So I picked up Ibanez Micro instead. An amazing little bass.
I think a lot of people would like a “best bass for under 200$” video, and you compare basses like this one, the Ibanez talman and Harley bentons.
Great idea Christian! I like that a lot. I think we can make that happen. Thank you!
@@LowEndLobster Glad you like the idea! A lot of the bass guitars in this category are never in stock when I try to go to my local guitar center. Jonny Dibble recently gave you a shout out on his channel and that’s how I found you, and I really like your in-depth reviews. Where do you order your fgns and bacchus’ from? Are they authorized? How good is their English? Keep it up man you gained another subscriber!
Hey Lobster, if I knew this existed I would have probably bought it to my daughter for school, instead of the Squier P mini (awful finish even compared to my 20 years old Squier PJ). Thank you!
Thanks Gianluigi!
The bass look cute and has nice bass tone too. Wish to see a Spectra JS3V in your future review. Another nice quality/tone low price bass as Cort gb64j.
Thanks Totomo! More Jacksons will be coming :)
My plan for the Jackson minion bass( Bartolini PJ passive pickups & GHS piccolo bass strings)
Oooh! Nice idea!
Great review thank you. I’ve been think of a Mikro but think you be just this to be - 👏👏👏
Wow! Sir you’re so impressive 🤗Happy New year!
Thanks Navarro! Happy new year to you as well :)
We have one of those. The input jack died about 2 months into ownership. jack was scratchy when we got it. so so.
3 stars. sorry. QC so so. Gonna fix it soon. I play my Mitchell short scale a lot lately. 30" scale 4 string grey. Diadarrio xl strings. Basswood body. 129 bucks on sale woooo hoooo. mitchell bases are ok. little bit buzzy but we like it. : )
cute! everytime i tried/played one, i felt like a giant:)
quick dumb joke: next time the lobster will show us how to install new tuna(s)....;)
hehehehe, the purple one was pre-modded but I actually do plan on making a vid about installing/aligning tuners at some point! I felt like a giant too... I really want to send one to Bully now ahaha
I love the minion. excellent balance, sounds great, easy neck, solid finish. It is compact but it nothing toyish about it - an adult would have no problems playing it.
I got it for my son (even though I play it a lot for fun), because he started with the Squier Jaguar Affinity H - and it just did not work out. I didn't like that one much either because of the neck dive and fretwork was iffy on mine. I got rid of it.
The minion is so much better.
Better than the Ibanez Mikro? what do you think Lobster?
I should not have watched this. Now I want this bass even more. Just have to figure out a moment to smuggle it into the house and put it on the wall like it was always there. Neon green might not be the best choice for that.
Dress it up like a cat and pretend it's a pet ;P
A great bass for a guitar player, bass player or beginner. sounds great
Cool! The Beard of Doom upgraded version is a lil beast! Love it! +1 for the witty offscreen girlfriend! She is pretty funny! 😊👍
Thanks boomer! :)
That’s not a bad sounding bass. Can’t wait to see that Christmas bass! Major girlfriends points is she puts a hlk in that music man case lol.
Hahahaha if only ;P. Thanks Wes and happy new year! I got new tone pants for christmas!
I looked at the Minion one time but it just seemed so small. I bought a Squier Bronco and an Epiphone EB-0 instead. I like both of those short scale basses but now that I hear the Minion, I wish that I would have given it more consideration - especially since I have discovered that my hands aren't as big as or flexible as I thought they were! I recently bought a solid body U-bass and it makes the Minion look like a monster!
Any good suggestions on left hand stretching exercises?
Thanks! I had an EB-0 as my second bass. For hand stretching, I just warm up by playing fun songs that I enjoy that move up and down the fret board. Donny Benet- Mr Experience is a nice warmup one actually :)
after a few years not plating bas they both seem now huge (i also moved to shorter scale guitars)...
seems cool for solo jamming, although the e string seems too have way weaker signal (tilting the pickups maybe?)
Thanks Song!
I'm a big buff guy watching all these people saying they want to buy this for their kids. There's nothing wrong with a shorter scale. I play in my office and don't want to break stuff around me - this does everything we need, as adults. We're not opening for Queen in Wembley.
It could be interesting if a short scale bass comparison video make by Lobster. Jackson Minion, Squier mini P, Squier bronco, Ibanez GSR micro, g&l tribute fallout, Schecter Bunchee, Sterling SS Ray4..... it could be fun ！！
That's a great idea! :) Definitely going to do a comparo of the cheaper $200ish ones (Minion, Squier, Ibanez) and perhaps a mid-tier (SS ray, fallout, banshee) one as well :)
I have one. I like it. Great value.
Thanks Jay!
looks and sounds like a nice option for my 9 year old. He wants bass and drums.
I'd think so!
I dig it I own one and hear no buzz from either pickups so you might have a messed up pickup
Seems a good bass for travelling, and with something like a Nux mighty plug or similar with headphones it'd be truly portable. The pickup mods certainly changed it up a bit too. Then we hit the Aussie conundrum lol "Hey hun, come look at this bass and it's only $180! That's a really affordable bass to start with." Then the boss/accountant/minister of war brings up reality "Is that US dollars or Australian my love?" lmao 🤣😂🤣😂 I have taken a risk though and bought a Fender Rumble, so we'll see if I'm sharing a bed with the dogs outside when it arrives. If I do happen to be still living inside though, I can bring up the argument that an amp is a waste of money without the bass to go with it! 😉🤞😎
Thanks Matt! :)
Hey lobster. I know it’s an old video but I hope you can reply to this.
How well do you think this would preform as a “hope I don’t need to use it” backup bass? Just so I don’t have to drag a spare full size bass to every gig that never gets played.
Is it too jarring a difference from 34” to quickly transition, or would a more sensible 30” be easier?
This is an absolutely killer little short scale and is a perfect 'just in case' bass for little money. Probably one of the most well rounded little mini basses out there.
@@LowEndLobster Thanks Lobster. Just the news I wanted to hear. It seem just about perfect as a mini backup and looks like a lot of fun to thing to play. (I’m still considering the Gretsch Junior Jet too, despite “coil-gate”.
Would love to see you try a Cort Action Junior, though they're not as widely available now
Hey lobster. Love this video. I’m a little late on this one but I wanted to know what you thought about the David Ellefson 30th anniversary 4 or 5 string concert bass with the reverses p and j . Seems kinda like the charvel with some electrical differences. Lol. Hopefully less issues.
Hey Brady! Those look interesting, hoping to check one out at some point. Thank you!
Not bad, but I can't get over the headstock
There’s a Chris Beattie signature Jackson concert bass where the headstock is different and it looks so much better. Not a fan of this headstock either!
Think of it as a self defense headstock :P
@@LowEndLobster That's no self defense headstock. That an assault headstock if I've ever seen one.
I want to get a lefty and a standard one, then swap all the stuff so I have two legit reverse headstocks. Then they're not only easier for lazy me to tune but I can get people on the upstroke without them sliding off the hook. maybe add a barb to it.
also if you tried to get over the headstock you might injure sensitive body parts
Blue Steel! Minion! So hot right now!
I don't know why but this comment keeps coming up as if I haven't replied... I WILL REPLY AGAIN!
Looks like a great bass to put piccolo bass strings on 👍.
Have one of these. I wish Jackson would have spent more money and manufactured this in Indonesia vs China. The volume and tone pots are the biggest weakness on these.
Thanks Brian! Indeed, but at least they're standard sized for easy replacement. I think they're great foundations for mods and solid travel instruments, but you definitely see where they cut the corners to make the body/neck/finish as good as it is for the price
Jackson basses in my opinion, are good and solid basses due to the graphite reinforced necks like that of ken Smith.
Purple 🐜 bass is pretty spicy. Lots of emotions from such little bass. I will mod it with build-in nail cutters, so let me win 🤣
Thanks! LOL Built in nail cutters
How do you think this compares to the Ibanez Mikro bass? Given the similar price point electronics material and size?
Hey Lobster - just re-watched this review of the Jackson Minion. Question: how do you think this would compare to the Fender MIM PJ Mustang bass (other than the huge difference in price)?
Heyo! I haven't tried the Fender yet, only the Squier mustang thus far. Definitely looking to try one at some point!
Just ordered a purple one on reverb. Now I can’t excuse the squier in the basement. Hopefully it shows up in good shape.
I like this one, quick question, what do you tune a short scale like that one to? Slandered tuneing?
Yup, EADG! I'd say a slightly lighter touch than a regular bass is required, but nothing crazy.
How does the ibanez mikro gsrm20 bass compare to the jackson minion basses? Just curious as I'm probably going to purchase one of the two fairly soon.
I haven't played a Mikro yet so I can't really comment, but spec wise they are very similar
Hey Lobster, I bought a minion Jackson bass, and put the GZR EMG bass pickups in it, and the jazz pickup has a lot of noise coming from it. It is grounded, at least all the possible areas are, and the grounded wire is still touching the bridge. Is there anything you can suggest?
Hey Gary! Contact EMG, they will get it sorted. Sounds like something is up with that pickup. I've taken em apart to try and switch the housing and there's definitely two separate coils in that pickup. I've read that others have had that same issue with other Geezer J's
@@LowEndLobster awesome, thanks Lobster.
Hey Lobster, just wanted to say thanks again, I just got my replacement GZR jazz pickup from EMG. Sounds awesome!
That is the one coool! 🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞🦞
Thanks megaexidor :)
Mini bass shootout time. Do it Loobster with the Jackson, Fender, Ibanez and Gretsch !
Damn, now I need one!
:) Thanks Jeremy!
Amazing, and awesome color. What is your thought on E string on these 28.6"?
It's more sensitive to harder touch, you need to control how hard you pluck. Otherwise, it feels fine.
I got enthused by these as a shorty player about 3 years ago. I liked it so much I ended up with 3. But then the problems began. One of them the earth wire came unattached. So I soldered it. The tuners are bad, don't work smoothly nor hold tune securely. So I replaced them. Worse, 2 of my 3 Minions started rattling after about a year. I looked everywhere for the source and can only assume its the truss rod come loose. Waste of money. Cant sell.
BUT last year I got a Squier MIni Precision which is even cheaper but better made, no issues. I replaced the pickup with a Dimarzio and it's my favourite bass.
Also recommend the Ibanez Mikro, another properly manufactured item with no structural issues.
Thanks Bryan! Bummer to hear about your experience. We'll be checking out the Squier and Ibanez and do a little cheapy short scale comparison in the future :)
@@LowEndLobster Yeah I've already done my comparisons 🙂👍 Live and learn innit mate. If you don't buy to try you never know what works for you, or works full stop. Eventually you say OK this is it, these pedals, this amp, bass etc.Takes years and it's costly but worth it when everything is *right*
@@bryanleigh6497 Agreed! Satisfaction in one's setup and tone is one of the ultimate bass rewards :)
i have just got one, i love how small and light is for a tiny & skinny person like me 8also i have bought it thinking on my 9 years old daughter if she wants in future to learn to play bass), it sounds good but unfortunately my copy has some kinda problem, the fret on the 1 scale sounds annoying with each string and the 4. String played alone and that sound disturb me a lot, so I have to send it back to the music store, they have offered me to "fix the problem" or a return, so I am on a dilemma now cause I really like this tiny buddy.
Jackson’s look cool. I’m very interested in the cbxnt. Those look nice I keep getting ads for them too. I’m like no! I must not buy.
Thanks Dean! They do look cool! I've been meaning to try more of them
With the shorter than standard short scale length, do we need to look for extra short strings? I prefer to have the main windings stop before they get to the tuners.
I think you need an extra short scale set, though I'm not absolutely sure.
@@LowEndLobster Same scale as Ibanez Mikro and Fender Mini Precision. Hopefully, string makers will keep these in mind when creating string lengths.
Back with another question. The geezer pickups? What kind of out put do they have since they are passive? I’m looking at a lakland that has these pups in it. I’m so used to active basses. Got any advice?
To be honest out of the 3. Id love to win this one in the giveaway. Ive watched this bass on and off since it was released. Love you did a review lobster!
Thanks Brooks! Good luck :)
Great review! You convinced me not to buy Hofner, and I almost decided on Jackson. But please, could you tell me how much it weighs (at least approximately)? I didn't find this information anywhere.
Thank you! They're around 6-7 lbs, very light.
@@LowEndLobster thanks a lot!
Where can i get one like that purple one - already modded ?
I am really impressed by your demo of it!!
What kind of strings do you use on that ?