Pro Series Signature Adam Blackstone "Gladys" Concert Bass V

Name: Jackson Pro Series Signature Adam Blackstone "Gladys" Concert Bass V — Black Stone
Brand: Jackson
SKU: B0CMXYS98T
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

Black Stone

A session player's signature bass, not a metal bass with a famous name on it

8.8

Fretline score

Amazon rating

5.0 (1)

Price band

$500 - $1,000

See it on Amazon

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The short version

Adam Blackstone is a musical director rather than a metal player — Rihanna, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, the Super Bowl halftime show — and this instrument is built around what that job actually needs. Two J-style single-coils rather than humbuckers, which is the layout that sits cleanest in a dense modern mix, feeding an active three-band EQ for correcting a room from the stage. The compound 9-to-16-inch radius is the specification that gives it away as a Jackson: it curves at the nut for comfortable chording and flattens toward the upper frets so the action can drop without choking. Graphite reinforcement in the neck and a HiMass bridge handle the tuning stability side.

Score profile

Six axes, scored 1-10. These are editorial judgements about what this instrument delivers for the money — not measurements, and not anyone else’s ratings.

Build: 9.0
Tone: 9.0
Versatility: 9.0
Comfort: 9.0
Electronics: 9.0
Value: 8.0

8.8overall / 10

Scores are Fretline editorial ratings on a 1-10 scale. They are our own assessment and are not supplied or endorsed by Amazon or by any manufacturer.

Full specifications

Full specifications for the Jackson Pro Series Signature Adam Blackstone "Gladys" Concert Bass V
Body
Brand	Jackson
Model	Pro Series Signature Adam Blackstone "Gladys" Concert Bass VBlack Stone
Body	Concert Bass solidbody
Body wood	Poplar
Neck & fingerboard
Neck joint	Bolt-on, graphite reinforced
Neck wood	Maple
Scale length	34"
Fingerboard	Maple with black block inlays
Radius	9"-16" compound
Frets	21
Fret size	Jumbo
Hardware
Bridge	Jackson HiMass
Tuners	Open-gear
Hardware finish	Black and gold
Electronics
Neck pickup	Custom Jackson BBE J-style single-coil
Bridge pickup	Custom Jackson BBE J-style single-coil
Configuration	JJ
Electronics	Active three-band EQ
Controls	Volume, pickup blend, bass, middle, treble
General
Type	Electric bass
Strings	Nickel-plated steel
Finish	Black Stone with creme pickguard
Orientation	Right-handed

23 verified fields. Specifications come from the manufacturer first, then the Amazon listing, then authorised dealers — sources are listed at the foot of this page. Fields the manufacturer does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.

The good and the bad

What we like

Compound 9-to-16-inch radius gives comfortable chording and low action in the same neck
Graphite-reinforced neck and HiMass bridge for stable tuning and sustain
J/J layout and active EQ are genuinely suited to funk, R&B and modern pop
Artist-specified voicing rather than a cosmetic signature model

What we do not

J-style single-coils will not give the thick humbucker weight some players expect from Jackson
21 frets rather than 24, which limits upper-register reach
Very few published owner reviews so far, so long-term consistency is unproven

Who it is for

Skill level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedProfessional

Styles it suits

FunkPopRockJazzBlues

What owners and reviewers report

Patterns we found across published reviews and owner feedback. These are summaries of recurring themes — we do not reproduce or invent individual testimonials.

What comes up most

Too few published owner reviews to identify a reliable pattern at the time of writing

Frequent complaints

Too few published owner reviews to identify a reliable pattern at the time of writing

Recognised strengths

Specification and hardware choices are consistent with Jackson's Pro Series standards

Recognised weaknesses

Owner feedback is not yet sufficient to judge unit-to-unit consistency

The verdict

The Jackson name suggests metal, and this bass is the opposite of that. It is a clean, articulate, R&B and funk instrument with the hardware and neck engineering Jackson is genuinely good at, and the compound radius makes it one of the more comfortable five-strings to play across the whole neck rather than just in one position. The J/J layout is a deliberate choice for clarity, so if you want the thick, aggressive humbucker weight of a metal five-string this is not it. Priced against other Pro Series basses it looks fair rather than cheap, and the very small number of published owner reviews so far means there is not yet a reliable consensus on long-term consistency.

See it on Amazon Compare with another instrument

Sources

Amazon rating captured 2026-08-26. ASIN B0CMXYS98T.

Strings for this guitar

All strings

The manufacturer does not publish the gauge this instrument ships with, so these are ordered by our editorial score rather than by fit. Measure the set on the guitar before changing to something noticeably lighter or heavier.

D'Addario · Strings
EXL170 XL Nickel Wound Bass
The four-string bass set every other set gets compared to
7.8/10

What else you need

All accessories

The highest-scoring option in each category that suits this instrument. If you have never owned a guitar before, the starter guide explains what each of these is for and what you can safely skip.

New Bee · Cables
Instrument Cable
The cable an electric guitar needs on day one, at the price of a coffee
6.6/10
Fender · Tuners
FCT-2 Professional Clip-On Tuner
The tuner to buy first, before strings, before a strap, before anything
7.8/10
Dunlop · Picks
Tortex Standard
The Delrin pick that replaced tortoiseshell, in the gauge most people settle on
8.2/10
GLEAM · Stands
Adjustable Guitar Stand
The accessory that decides whether the guitar gets played at all
7.4/10