Michael Kelly Dragonfly 5 5-String Fretless Acoustic-Electric Bass (Natural) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)First of all, I want to get the "bad news" out of the way. Although Michael Kelly (MK) touts its "top dot position markers," the fact is for the 5-string fretless, these are useless. I have found no natural position for the instrument that allows you to see those markers while playing. Not only are they a bit too "subtle" to be seen easily even when in plain sight, but they are obscured by the big, fat B-string! So if you were looking at this as a factor in your buying decision, forget it.

Okay, now the rest is "all good." The instrument plays like a dream, is well-made and very fun to play. You may well discover that you're going to need a good set-up upon taking delivery of the bass - well, what else is new? I have yet to buy ANY instrument, even at a store, that didn't need to be set up before it was "perfectly" playable.

I am not overly fond of the D'Addario bronze strings that come with the bass. They're not "bad," just not particularly colorful IMO, and the B-string is "floppy" to boot. Once you put some decent strings (e.g. DR or even Elixir nano-web) on her, though, she's fine.

I have had two MK acoustic bass guitars, one fretted and this fretless. They have both been great sounding. But the fretless bass advertised (and reviewed) here has the newer MK-spec preamp, and the difference is astonishing.

This ABG sounds "good" unplugged, but plug her in and she's INCREDIBLE, lots of "thump" and a very full, near-string bass sound.

And she's beautiful to look at, a real show-stopper. I have the "natural" finish, but the black finish is equally beautiful.

Bottom line, if you're wondering if this instrument is worth the price, never fear. You will NOT be sorry if you pull the trigger on this purchase. A high-quality instrument, and a unique one at that, for a very good price.

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Product Description:
A fretless acoustic bass has always been hard to find. The new Dragonfly Fretless bass makes the search worthwhile. This limited edition bass features the new Dragonfly limited edition inlay. The Dragonfly Fretless also features Michael Kelly?s exclusive Top Dot fretless bass marking system. This unlined fretless has side dots located where they would be on a standard fretted bass and additional small dots on the top clearly marking the fret position.