A bass that stays well-balanced on your shoulder is a must. It will help you celebrate. I have waited 6 mo to write the review, to be sure of some things. It has just started to show a power dropoff. That is good performance.
Control knobs are plastic.
In the 3nd month, I knocked one of the high, stacked knobs on a doorway frame and bent the aluminum shaft. The gig bag foam kept the knob from breaking. The stacked pot was replaced, and I got a hard shell case with my next paycheck. The gloss black finish has been very scratch resistant. The only backup equip I ever take is 10's and 13's strings.