Peter Varkonyi
June 18, 2007

Rating: 8/10

I acquired my AFB200 about a month ago. It's the sort of instrument that makes you want to pick it up every day, a beautiful guitar (let down by some scrappy binding at the headstock, hence the lower mark). The look does lead to compromise on comfort, you're strapping a big old box to your chest with no ergonomic countours to rest your arm on. When let go of, the guitar tends to tip slightly towards the headstock, but the overall lightness of the cunstruction means that when your right arm rests on the body in a playing position, no effort is required at all from your left hand to keep the instrument in balance on the strap. The scale of the neck, along with the generous string spacing makes it very easy to play. Some might find the factory setup a bit too high, but that can be adjusted easily. The wiring inside the hollow body is neat and there's no annoying hum or buzzing. The AFB200 delivers a surprisingly rich acoustic tone. Plugged in, the sounds range from bright sixties pop to a deep but defined jazz tone and the vintage acoustic qualities are well translated. Overall, I would describe the tone as snappy rather than punchy. It's definitely not a jack of all trades, the acoustic character of the instrument is present at all three pickup settings. The AFB200 is excellent for laid back jazz and retro-pop, as suggested by the classic vibe, but would be out of its pond in a funk rythm section. Full-on rockers should also steer clear of this one, as the hollowbody construction makes it prone to feedback at high volume. However, it's an excellent tool for studio work and small stages. I recommend it to all players who are looking for a bass that has character and is easy on the hands.