Gold Tone micro bass: This instrument has plagued me (23" fretted neck). I love the sound, but the string issues and the intonation (related somewhat) are a drag. The Aquilas gave a nice round tubby sound, but they dented easily, were very expensive to ship to Canada and the resonance wasn't even across the strings (the low E was hugely less resonant). I strung my micro bass twice with the Aquilas and then I went to Pahoehoes. The tension is greater, they don't dent as much, and the resonance is more even across strings. The sound is a bit brighter but you can put more bass in the EQ to help with that. Getting the strings on was a lengthy ordeal. They stretch a lot once they're wound on the tuning peg (so wrap issues), but you have to use a lot of pull to get them on. They keep slipping out of the pegs. My mbass has intonation issues. The truss rod has been adjusted, the saddle's been shimmed and shaved. It's just never in tune. Another issue is that because of the diameter of the strings, they bunch up in the nut, so you have to lift the string off every time you tune. This is unacceptable, and means you can't do quick tweaks when you're playing or between tunes. In terms of sound and portability, though, there's no comparison with anything else, but I have such a love-hate relationship with this instrument. It's limitations are constant.
