I had one of these from 1988 till 1997. I loved it! For $400. ($300. & change rounded up) brand new, she was a better than expected alternative for the costly & coveted Steinburger at the time. This thing fell down a flight of stairs in my Bronx apartment and stayed in tune!!! It was in its hard case, of course. This bass withstood me slamming it onto a car hood like it was a baseball bat...and stayed fully functional!!! I really like how fun she (my AXB50 "blackie" ) was to play! Smart body design. Loved the unique tuners, & changing strings was a breeze. Unlike with any other bass, I could bend the neck to touch strings with frettboard & it would spring back to STAY IN TUNE!!!