| FS: Original Japan Tune Zi-3 5-string
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You don't find these very often--this is my Japanese Tune Zi-3 5-string, which I bought new at Rudy's in NYC back in 1991. This was made before there ever was a Japanese-Korean split at Tune--it's one of the originals. It sounds incredible and is incredibly playable--I'm selling it to raise cash for the beginnings of a mac-based studio.
Construction: 4-piece laminated maple neck with an ebony fingerboard. The body is mahogany with a walnut top and bottom. Years ago I attached a thumbrest across the top of the pickups which makes it much easier to articulate the B string. (A mod inspired by Mark Egan's similar attachment on his Pedulla's). It is easily removed if necessary.
Electronics: The electronics on this are great: It has an 18-volt preamp with volume, pan, bass, mid, and treble controls on the front. Inside the control cavity there are individual gain controls for each pickup and a variable notch filter. I have switched out pickups over the years, occasionally using a set of custom-wound bartolini's in it. Right now it has the original neck pickup and a Duncan SJB-5 in the bridge position, a combination that I really like. (I think the pics show the Bartolini's, though). I have the original bridge pickup. All the pickups (originals, Bartolini's, and the Duncan bridge p/u) will come with the bass.
Sound: Awesome. Crisp high end, unbelievable bottom end, and it can get a really growly midrange too. This bass has one of the most unbelievable low B strings I've ever heard. The mahogany/walnut body contributes the super-big low end, and the maple neck and ebony fingerboard give it a lot of growl, snap, and sizzle in the highs. The preamp is incredibly useful.
Blemishes: What you might expect from a bass of this vintage. It has a couple of dings on the headstock and one ding on the body (shown in pictures). Nothing affects its playability or sound.
I've had this bass for 20 years and it's been a good friend. Over the last 10-12 years I've moved to playing primarily MusicMan basses and this one hasn't gotten the attention it really deserves. $1200.00 plus shipping. |