Punisher

2000 Gene Simmons Punisher Bass. USA? This bass is "just like new & unplayed". 4 strings. 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 1 selector. P J configuration. EMG active. Black "like glass" finish. Hardshell case.

Perfect setup. Nice & low no fret buzz, pickups seem to carry the sound from all strings evenly. Fit & finish is top notch. Only complaint was the selector switch & battery holder which I have fixed.

I am using it to play KISS music to eventually become a tribute Gene. Yorkville 400 watt amp. Very versitile sound wise. I just don't like the battery holder (difficult to replace the battery, so I put in a different one). I replaced the toggle switch, it was sloppy.

This bass seems to be built with the best parts possible & the fit & finish is excellent. Sure I'll take it out, but I'll have a backup, so I don't mess this one up with blood.

I bought it used, & I don't think they come with any warranty. There is no contact information on the certificate, website, etc. I don't think any of these will have any serious issues to warrant returning them. They are built extremely well.

29 years on & off. 2 Fender basses, two Yorkville bass amps, gibson Acelp, Epiphone Ace black lp, Epiphone acoustic bass, Silvertone dark star acoustic, PA equipment, etc. I have pondered about buying one for ages. Yes, I am really happy with my purchase. If something happened to it I would replace it. It's hard to compare to other basses, it's in a league of it's own. I just wish I had enough money to buy a Gene Simmons axe bass.

Serial #922, bought from a friend who originally got it at Spencer's.  You know the specs based on the other 5 reviews.  One thing I love is the bridge cover, gives it a unique look.  I used to put them on all my basses, except my Spector.  Neck thru with mahogany body wings, maple neck.  Very long, wide and thin ner neck than what most bass necks feel like.  Pretty huge frets.  Schaller tuners and bridge, the creme de la creme of EMG active pickups, one P and one J.  Durable black finish with white pinstripe around the edges.  Cool symmetrical body shape.  Brass nut.  Perfect bass for me.

I want to have the neck slightly adjusted to get rid of a little buzz on the lower frets.  Other than that, the bass fits like a glove.  The finish looks like it'll last forever, tuners hold well, intonation was perfect when I got it, then again I don't know if my friend had that adjusted or not.  Pickups were right where I want them in terms of height and adjustment.

Through and ampeg SVT 350 and an ampeg 410 cab, it sounds very rough.  The "growl" that everyone talks about is definitely there.  This bass would be good for any kind of heavy music, from Cream to Kiss (hey, there's a thought!) to the ridiculous nu-metal out now.  It definitely has its own unique sound.  I like both pickups together; one without the other sounds weak to me.  I'm planning on getting an ampeg 115 to double the output of my head and I'm sure this bass will REALLY sound Heavenly then! 

Oh yeah, this bass will withstand live playing.  Gene's does, night after night.  I only cringe at the thought of bringing it into a smoke-filled bar to play 3 sets or so, which is why I bought this bass.  I baby my instruments, so it shouldn't be a problem.  I may get it insured like a previous reviewer did. I would play with a backup just in case my pick broke a string or the battery in the cavity (for the active EMGs) died.

I'm sure Spencer's nor Mr. Simmons would be chomping at the bit to answer service calls.  The tech I take it to would handle everything just fine.

Been playing guitar since 1987, bass since 1991.  Sold all my basses and bass amps earlier this year, then landed a gig as a bass player.  Go figure.  That's why I bought the Punisher and ampeg.  I'd buy it again but not for the $1500 that Gene wants.  eBay is the place to go.  I don't even know if Spencer's sells them any more.  It's definitely an awesome bass with an unique sound and playability.  Even if you're not a KISS fan you should give the Punisher a chance.

They were made in 96/97 by Gene Simmons .Im not to sure what country but a very reliable sourse has told me Gene had the Fernandaz guitar factory make the basses for him.(you didnt think he bought an actual factory to make punisher and axe basses did you?).These are 24 fret four string, no leftys produced.Controlls include Volume,tone and a 3 way swich.Pickups include 1-p, 1-j.Both EMGs(the good ones)not selects.Active electronics,Mahogany body , rosewood fingerboard, maple neck, diamond abalone inlay.One of the punishers I own is black with white pinstripe and the other is a natural finish.The body style looks pretty wicked ,it has symetrical horns that only come up to the 18th fret and a big point on the bottom.It has all shaller hardware(tuners ,bridge )and a Fender bridge cover.The neck is long thick and is neck through to the body .Included are leather case, tools and somtimes a coa.

Most of these set in a spencers gift shop for some time with every green haired kid with spikes coming out of his face can get a crack at it, so the original set up is generally a mess.I pretty much summed up all my gripes in the last section.This is stuff you can have reset.  If your playing the thing out its gonna get dinged up anyway.

This bass is not for anyone who dosent want a distinct sound it dosent sound like a fender p bass or a spector it has this certain growl to it. Youve probably heard that before but It really does I play in a rock cover band (motley crue ,kiss,skid row) and I bought another one because my backup bass(spector) sounds so much different if I had to swich basses the sound guy would go nuts redialing my sound in the mix .MY live rig consists of an ampeg 1 svt4 pro, 1 ampeg svt810e cab .My practice rig consists of 1 qsc rmx 1800 power amp,1 art sgxnightbass,1 ampeg svt810e cab.It is not noisy.Hers where I tell my gripes about it.The wiring in this thing is a mess theres about 30 feet of wire that does not need to be there.The first thing I did to both is unplug the jazz pickup(cause I dont use it anyway)put in a new heavy duty toggle switch and velcro the battery holder in so I can get the battery out without breaking anything.They have the battery holder in place with hot glue and it will come lose after a while and rattle around during a show and be a real pain.So velcro to the rescue.The toggle swich now acts as an on off swich for the p -pickup.One of the tuners stripped out on me on the black one(after 2 years worth of shows with no other problems) ,I replaced it.The othe thing that is dislikeable is the fact you need a strap that is custom made to wear it .Mainly because of where the strap pegs are.They dont come with hipshot d-tuners but they come in handy this day and age.

This bass will withstand it all ive thrown mine ,dropped mine ,punched mine ,I bend the neck by pushing in on the top horn and pushing outward on the neck ,Drooled kerosine down the front of it dumped water down the fron of it,played it onstage standing ,sitting ,lying down. The finish is very tough on the black one.Strap buttons are solid but you should change them to a strap lock system (more protection.)I would not use any bass live without a backup because of the strings not the bass.

There is no customer servive. Find a good guitar shop who can do good work in case you have problems.Unless youve got Genes Phone number.Im sure spencers gifts dosent want to know anything .

Ive been playing for 15 yrs and this is the bass i prefer some people like chocolate ice cream some like vanilla.I have ampeg gear and qsc and other stuff but thats not really important  right now.If they were lost or stolen I would be pissed to say the least but yup Id buy them again.I wish they had a better reputation ,I think alot of people dont give them a chance because the marketing of kiss but hey all the more for me I guess.