Bass Videos

Fender Kingman SCE Acoustic/Electric 4-String Bass Review

Published on June 26, 2018

Have you always been looking for just the right acoustic/electric bass?

Have you always played electric at the acoustic shows and not sure if an acoustic/electric bass would be the right fit? All I can say is look no further than the Fender Kingman SCE Acoustic/Electric 4-string Bass.

So, as usual, when I do a review, I test it “in the field” on a few gigs, as well as a little bit of recording. I had a gig coming up with a couple acoustic/electric guitars, piano, and percussion, so I thought, why not try the Fender Kingman SCE. The tone is ear candy, amplified or not. I always like getting feedback from others, but it was offered before I could ask. Quite a few people right off the bat stated, “You need to keep that one!” Well, that was my thoughts exactly.

As you know, I don’t tend to try and get too technical in my reviews, instead I review from the point of view of a player…

Does it play well, who will it work for, and other stuff like that. I haven’t been this excited about a full-bodied acoustic/electric bass like this in quite some time. The neck feels great, and if you like a jazz profile neck, and really who doesn’t, this is another plus. Personally, the Fender Kingman SCE, with the exception of having an acoustic body of course, feels like an electric bass from a playing standpoint. To clarify, it doesn’t feel bulky in the sense of the way most acoustic basses feel.

The dreadnaught shaped body consists of laminated mahogany for the back and sides with a solid spruce top, with the rosette around the sound hole being checkerboard and the bracing is scalloped X, which provides excellent stability and a more balanced voice.

The 34” scale neck is maple with a “C” shape jazz profile, finished off with a 20 fret Walnut fingerboard, complete with block inlays and a Fender jazz bass headstock. The body and neck both have a beautiful gloss finish. The bridge is comprised of Walnut with a compensated bone saddle, with the nut also being bone material. The tuners are chrome, vintage style. Strings are .045 – .100 Fender Phosphor Bronze. It also comes standard with a hard-shell case.