Journey Instruments Overhead Electric Travel Bass

The Build

As a testament to its portability, the bass itself arrived disassembled and neatly packed into its backpack. I was surprised to open up the front door to a small, 25-inch box sitting on the porch. You would never suspect that a bass was hiding out there. The custom-designed backpack is sturdy, roomy, and detailed. Once open, every part of the bass has its own designated compartment – everything from the neck sleeve to an independent compartment for the headstock. My favorite of these features is the pad that drapes over the body of the bass. It has a small loop for routing the strings and allows for safe travel, without worry of scratching the body while in transit. I have never seen anything like this, and I love how it protects the finish. Additionally, the backpack converts into a gig bag for fully-assembled transport, if desired.

Knowing that I would have to assemble the bass, I was excited for the learning process. I was also a bit nervous about building it correctly, but I was relieved when I found a quick start guide inside the bag with pictures, tips, and QR codes linking to more detailed information on the Journey Instruments website. After inserting the headstock into the neck and making sure the strings were not twisted around anything, the build ended up being lightning fast. I love how the strings were already attached to both the headstock and string-through body. I simply ensured that the strings were seated properly in the bridge saddles and then popped the neck into the pocket so that the stainless steel latch could hook on (this step produces a satisfying click). Then, I hand-tightened the large bolt on the back of the neck pocket until there was no gap between the body and neck. This step is critical, because leaving no gap guarantees the lowest possible action from the build itself, and I did tighten things a second time just to be safe. Lastly, the bass tuned up quickly and the action still felt a bit high for my liking, but I kept all settings “out of the box” in order to test this bass the same way I review others.

In terms of form, the full build is classy, with its gloss black finish, and ergonomic, with its single-cutaway body shape, making it appropriate for the stage, just as much as practicing on the road. The maple neck with composite fingerboard feels smooth from every angle. The sturdiness and heaviness of the stainless steel latch and bolt at the neck pocket do add weight to these basses, putting them in the low nine pound range. This seems like the only unavoidable compromise with this design, and it is worth noting for players who may be sensitive to this specification, as anything over nine pounds would be considered weighty for a short-scale. I would most likely play this bass seated in a practice context, but a wider strap would be a quick solution in a live setting, and I appreciate that such a crucial mechanism has been built to withstand the constant shock and tension changes of assembling and disassembling an electric bass.

As a final note on the build, my only struggle was that the neck attachment steps required solid hand and grip strength, but besides this, players can rest assured that assembly is straightforward with practically no way to make an error. The included instructions are merely extra support during this incredibly intuitive process, and disassembly largely follows the same steps in reverse, just with the added requirement of pushing the black button to release the latch system.

In Action

Considering that the neck is reinforced with dual carbon rods, I was very curious about how the factory setup would feel during my play test. I assumed that settings did not move too much, even while the bass was disassembled in shipment. I generally prefer low action, so I knew that I would have to work a little bit harder with the higher action, but that this would ultimately balance out with the comfortability of the 30-inch short scale length. Anyone seeking to adjust beyond the factory setup can do this through the two-way adjustable truss rod and fully functional bridge.

For consistency, I recorded all of my samples through a clean Line 6 “Studio” amp and cabinet model into my DAW with no additional processing. This bass boasts a standard passive PJ pickup configuration, with a volume knob for each pickup and a master tone knob, so it is well suited for nearly any genre. I kept sound samples broad with rock, funk, and more classic sounds manipulated through altering the pickup volumes and varying the tone setting. I even felt inspired to grab a plastic pick (not my typical felt pick), which is something I rarely do, and quickly discovered that this instrument sings during brighter applications. The fingerstyle funk sample corroborates this, too, with a nice tight sound from playing over the bridge pickup. On the flipside, we must not forget that this bass is a short-scale, so it also boasts a very full-bodied low end, with lots of fundamental. This makes for a more even sound with settings that feature more high end, but the opposite end of the spectrum can get super round and a little muddy if there is too much neck pickup and/or the tone is rolled off too low. As a bonus, I recorded a sample using one of my fuzz pedals, as I accidentally discovered that this bass plays well with effects. This may come down to the way it is voiced, but it is an asset to know that it may become friends with your pedalboard, too.

All in all, the bass delivers a warm and organic tone, on par with non-travel electric short-scale basses. I appreciate how Journey Instruments designed this bass to feature a wooden neck, as opposed to all carbon fiber, which can become too sterile, in some instances. During my play test, I enjoyed the low-profile body shape and the way that the thicker neck profile (1 11/16” nut width) fit into my hands. It is worth noting that there are only 18 frets, but I did not find this limiting. Hearty specifications enable the Overhead to feel so robust that you would forget that it is collapsible. As a whole, the instrument felt balanced and smooth to play with no neck dive.

The Bottom Line

Ready for takeoff, the Overhead Electric Travel Bass from Journey Instruments fits as seamlessly into bassists’ hands as it does their luggage. While primarily designed for travel, its strong build quality matches up to its standard non-travel peers. The Overhead is a fun, highly accessible, and useful instrument that is worthy of a spot in any player’s rig, empowering them to groove anywhere.

​