Now at 199.00! Come on! Active 5-string bass, plays great, in hardshell case...for under 2 bills? Restore my faith in Reverb humanity here!
First, the plain facts. What we have here is a 34"-scale 5-string bass with bolt-on maple neck, 24 frets on rosewood, and active pickups with controls for master volume treble, bass, and pickup blend. The latter three have center detents.
It's in very good condition, and misses being "excellent" thanks to miscellaneous body dings and paint chips.
It plays well, all electronics work, and it sounds like articulate thunder.
Now, the mystery. (If you're a Fernandes expert, and can set me straight by explaining that this isn't a odd configuration but is instead very common, let me know. And if it's very rare, and I'm selling the golden ticket way too cheap, please let me know so you won't feel bad about cheating me!)
In trying to research just exactly which Tremor this is, I find that the line currently consists of the 5x (bolt-on neck, passive humbuckers with two rows of exposed pole pieces, 3-knob control setup) and the Deluxe (neck-through heelless construction, covered active pickups, 4-knob control setup).
I've trawled the net for images and references to the Tremor in user forums, but can find no mention of a bass with exactly this configuration: i.e., bolt neck with active pickups and 4-knob control setup.
It's hard to imagine anyone modded this guitar into this config - because who would change a neck-through config to a bolt neck (and HOW)? So maybe this started life as the passive 5x and someone put the active pups and 4-knob setup on it...but the three knobs that come on the 5x are in different positions than the four on this guitar - AND this one has the obviously-factory battery compartment on the back. Who would go to the trouble to patch all that AND make it look factory, THEN let it get banged up?
So maybe someone got a Deluxe body, somehow without a neck, and put an X neck on it?
None of that holds up. This looks like a factory Tremor 5x with Deluxe pickup setup...or a factory Deluxe with a bolt-on neck.
NOTE: Since I listed this, I've had messages from several helpful Reverbers. One tells me the serial number decodes as December 2003, and the bass is made in Taiwan. Two others agree it was made in the late-90s, and is the first factory version of the Tremor Deluxe - before the pickup spec changed and it went to neck-through construction. That explanation seems to fit the facts here.
At any rate, it's apparently a rare bird. Don't let that slow you down: this is a great-playing, huge-sounding bass with ample bottom, lots of midrange growl, and articulate highs.
But I find myself with two five-string basses. Eeny meeny miny mo, one of these basses got to go. This one looks heavier and more metal, and I'm more classic rock - and I seldom play bass anyway - so off with the Fernandes. _____
Everything in condition as shown. Note network of fine scratches at top of headstock face. Miscellaneous dings and chips in the paint.
I tried to have the color matched at an auto parts store, but the finish was too reflective for their scanner to make sense of, so I decided to make touching up the chips your problem. It's bound to be some Japanese or Korean auto color, and a touch-up bottle would do the trick.
Because other than the assorted blemishes, the paint is gorgeous. The guitar shows well as it is.
Case is pretty generic, but does the job. Note white crud on top of headstock area of case. I couldn't clean it off. Several small tolex tears, and the skin needs glued down along one side of the back, as shown.
Shipping is a wild guess. Tell me your zip code and we'll get it closer.
