Moon MBC-5

I'm rapidly becoming something of a Moon evangelist. Ever since I got my hands one of their superlative MBC-6 models, I'd been searching for a 5-string version from the same line.

Made in about 1990, it's a 34’’ scale affair, which the shop owner assures me is made from alder. (He was able to tell me this merely by unscrewing one of the strap posts and shining a torch into the tiny hole!)

Despite the effervescent blue sheen of the headstock in the picture on the left, the bass is actually a very dark blue. In fact, it's such a dark blue that if you close both your eyes and turn all the lights off, you would swear it's actually black...

The Bartolini pickups give it the sauce, verve and coquettish wink-of-the-eye that only Bartolinis can, and there's a gratifying amount of tonal variation to be had just by fiddling with the on-board controls.

I recently found out that Moon are still making basses - albeit with the help of a third-party company - and offer a fairly wide range of models. Although the firm isn't making the MBC range any longer, the "Climb" range of 5-and 6-stringers is still a pretty good bet I reckon (even if the price might cause your bank manager's left eye to start twitching uncontrollably ala Herbert Lom in the Pink Panther movies...)

Moon's site can be found at moon-guitar.co.jp and the manufacturer's site (Musicrown) is at musicrown.com.