Few headstock designs are as iconic as the fender scroll-profile, so it seems a shame that most of the acoustic instruments produced under the Fender brand sport the comparatively anonymous three-tuners-to-a-side square head that denotes "acoustic" for just about every other instrument manufacturer on the planet. I remember seeing pictures of vintage Fender acoustics sporting the six-to-a-side headstock and lamenting that those instruments were no longer produced. These instruments, introduced in 1963 and dubbed Kingman in 1966 (after the CBS takeover of Fender), were discontinued in 1971.

Do you know what looks even worse? The two-by-two acoustic bass guitar headstock. When I tried it out a few years ago I was pretty happy with how Fender's BG31 acoustic bass guitar played and sounded for its price point, but it wasn't significantly better than a number of other acoustic bass guitars in the same price range; the fact that the there's nothing aesthetically distinctive about the BG31 did it no favors, either.

You've Got The Look
That's why I've been itching to get my hands on a Fender Kingman Bass ($499 MSRP). Just look at that thing: a ‘70s-Jazz-inspired, bound and block-inlaid fingerboard terminating in a big scroll headstock and affixed to an acoustic bass's body. It's unmistakably a Fender, and a far more distinctive looking instrument than most acoustic basses under $1,000. (There's also an acoustic guitar version of the Kingman which sports the same aesthetic appointments and what I supposed could be referred to as a Jaguar-style neck).

The cream-colored neck binding and faux-abalone inlay on the Kingman Bass's neck are well executed with nary a flaw to be found. The rest of the instrument is a relatively understated affair, with a minimalist soundhole rosette and 4-ply binding. The only radical body-design element is a gold-toned pickguard, which actually helps re-direct visual attention back to the neck by blending in somewhat with the solid spruce body-top. The body finish is semi-glossy and, again, well-executed. The body back and sides are laminate mahogany, which is typical for this price range.

Necking
The good news about that neck is that it plays almost as good as it looks. The instrument's setup was, in general, above average for this price-range; intonation was good, and I'd call the action from the factory "groovy" if not "shreddingly" low. The neck profile is classic Jazz: narrow at the nut but with a generous C-radius that made for some very comfortable playing. I could even do some less-demanding tapping on the Kingman, though mid-neck chordal work got a bit fatiguing, more so than on a comparably priced electric Jazz. I'm going to go ahead and blame that mostly on the D'Addario acoustic bass strings that the Kingman ships with.

(Side note: I really loath acoustic bass guitar strings. These phosphor-bronze-wound bridge cables are not only stiffer than electric strings of the same gauge, but they produce a sound that's all wrong for bass; clicky pick attack and bright overtones may be a boon to acoustic guitars but why, oh why, would anyone think that that same string formulation would work in a bass guitar's register? Look at an upright bass, would you? What are those imitation gut strings wrapped in? That's right, nickel. Manufacturers, please—just ship your acoustic basses with electric strings. OK, tirade over.)

For the most part, the Chinese-made Kingman is a well constructed axe, with a few exceptions hopefully limited to this particular tester. While it didn't necessarily impede playability, the plastic nut on my Kingman seemed to be a bit over-sized, with the top of the nut actually rising above the G and D strings (typically a nut groove should be just deep enough for about half the string to be exposed above the nut's top plane).

A more major issue was the G and D string's string tree. Given the extra distance from the nut to the termini at their respective tuners—and in lieu of titling the entire headstock away from the fretboard—the high strings on a Fender bass require the assistance of a string tree to ensure proper angle of incidence and pressure on the nut. The string tree on the Kingman was loose to the point of exerting no effect upon the strings’ above-the-nut angle, resulting in unpleasant-sounding and sustain-sucking buzzing on the open-plucked D and G strings. When I tried to tighten the string tree with a Phillips-head screwdriver, it became clear that the screwbed itself was stripped, meaning I'd have to employ some wood filler or re-position the tree to a patch of virgin headstock territory, neither of which is, in my opinion, a reasonable option. If this weren't a tester I'd send it back for a replacement.

I have to assume that the string tree issue isn't endemic to the model, and again, the nut height did not affect playability. Those gripes aside, I reiterate that the Kingman is a solidly built bass.

Seen, But Not Necessarily Heard
So it looks good and is of generally good build quality. Great. Now how does it sound? Lets just say there's good news and there's bad news.

(NB: As you can probably infer at this point, normally I'd remove strings like the ones the Kingman ships with as soon as I got the thing out of the box. Because, however, I'm likely in the minority in my aversion to acoustic bass guitar strings, and since I assume most folks are interested in how Fender's version of the Kingman sounds, for this review I did not change the strings.)

The bad news first. Played finger-style and acoustically, the instrument's volume is very low, and there's a serious lack of defined fundamental that makes it difficult to keep up with even a moderately loud acoustic guitarist/singer. It also made chordal work blurry and made string squeak and other non-musical noise seem very loud in comparison to pitched frequencies.

The good news is that the Kingman sounds far more alive when played with a pick, with some seriously growly lower-mids appearing out of nowhere. The exaggerated pick attack lends itself nicely to punk and classic rock styles. If you're a pick-player, the Kingman will be loads of fun. But the unfortunate fact of the matter is that I find it hard to recommend this bass to non-plectrum-players; they'll feel like they're putting too much effort into creating too little sound.

Thankfully the Fender Kingman comes equipped with a better-than average electronics package by way of a Fishman Sonicore under-saddle transducer and top-loaded Fishman Aero preamp unit. Other than its built-in tuner, the preamp is utilitarian in function, offering enough control (3-band EQ) to sculpt an electrified sound that more than makes up for the Kingman's lackluster acoustic sound production. If you're planning on recording with the Kingman, blending in a bit of direct piezo is going to be a must. If you're planning on playing the Kingman in a live setting, the lack of innate acoustic projection will at least keep feedback at bay (there's also a phase switch on the preamp for combating feedback; no notch filter, though).

Balancing Act
If the instrument's uninspiring unplugged sound isn't a deal-breaker for you—and I'm not saying it was for me—then consider this: the bass is terribly neck-heavy. Like a greedy Spanish Galleon overloaded with Incan silver, the flashy Kingman neck sinks like a rock when the bass is played standing with a strap. It fares better balancing on a knee, but the strap balance is so bad that it actually impedes playability.

Solutions I tried included hanging the instrument from my right (plucking) shoulder and using a string to attach the strap at the headstock. Either way, you're not going to want to use the strap button on the instrument's upper bout.

The Kingman Wears No Clothes
An instrument this oddly-shaped should really ship with a matching case or gig bag. Alas, the Kingman Bass SCE does not, and finding a suitable case or gig bag is a bit of a challenge (the Fender Deluxe Jumbo Acoustic Bass Gig Bag [model 0991534006] will likely fit; Fender does not yet make a hard shell case that will fit the Kingman Bass SCE).

All This Useless Beauty
This instrument's greatest asset is its looks. Take that statement with all its possible implications. It's not that Fender has completely struck out with the Kingman—after all it does sound good played with a pick, the neck action and feel are great, and the electronics are above-average—it's just that the instrument's cumulative negatives make it difficult for me to get truly excited about playing it. Which, considering how cool the Kingman looks, is a downright tragedy.

Pros: Classy looks. Neck plays great. Good picked sound. Better-than-average, Fishman electronics.

Cons: Very low acoustic volume. Dull fingerstyle tones. Exceedingly neck heavy. Some build issues on this tester. Good luck finding a case that fits.

Owen O'Malley is a writer, musician, and opinion-haver living in Chicago.