I am not a bassist, but love to play, my major in college was instrumental music, so I have spent a lot of time with a lot of different instruments and how they play, their intonation, workmanship, tone and value for the player. I can say that the Mule is well made, easy to hold, plays in tune, has a great tone, quality components and is simply a great value. A big thanks to Dean for making great instruments at an affordable price so great sounding music continues to be played!