Kala U-Bass Spalted Maple 4 NT

The guitar I received came with damaged strings (with very fine scratch marks, like they were dragged on pavement), some frets (12th on A string the most, but not only) do not produce sound at all, it's being damped down immidiately, and I don't know if it's fret issue, or saddle, or just bad guitar design, but it's hard to care at this point. I did try to higher the strings action, it did not change anything. I am really dissapointed, I tested harley benton earlier, but I had some concerns so I actually went for something I considered higher standard. But it's not, oh not even by an inch. I know it's probably cheapest models, my expectations were not high, but playability and new strings is kind of a baseline I think.

I generally like it. The woodwork on the inside of the instrument could be a bit better. The backplate is screwed on, not magnetic, unlike on some other models - this is just a note, not a downside, at least not personally. I like its open-back tuners, tuning the strings is not that straightforward though. You have to pull them and make big turns. The frets are well processed - no sharp edges. It produces a pleasing acoustic sound. I like the feel of its Thundergut strings, but I find them harder to play fast than metal strings, because of the material. They are slightly sticky. I find the E string a bit quirky - the sound is muddier than on the others and sounds slightly out of tune when played close to the sound hole. I prefer the sound it produces when it's tuned slightly flat (the E string). I'd prefer the guitar without the active electronics - with a different (simpler) pickup system. I'd like to eventually swap the strings for Thunder Reds to see if I like those any better. I haven't yet tried making any neck adjustments to see if I could get rid of some of the quirks that way.