Are there any special identifying features of Japanese vs Koream? I apologize for all the questions, just trying to become knowledgable on these basses
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Bass Maniac by Tune?
- Thread starter ShallowBayXI
- Start date
Pretty sure it's Japanese, though in truth I'm not at all familiar with the s/n markings on the Maniac. You may be able to compare yours to some of the Japanese TUNE basses on Ishibashi to confirm. They sell a lot of used TUNE, all Japanese. Or check Digi-mart, another good source. If you find one you like there, I'd consider going for it. My bass buying experience with Japanese sellers has been stellar.
At least on the Zi, TWB, etc., the Japanese serial numbers are short, 6 characters vs. about 14 for the Korean ones. But don't get hung up on that. To my mind, a TUNE is a TUNE.
Greg Lake played a Japanese one, Roger Glover played Korean ones, I'm pretty sure. Both those guys did ok, ya know?
I nearly bought an older Japanese TUNE BE4....but the 36" scale sort of seemed a stretch for my old hands. The LeFay I have is a 32" scale.
Probably now you'll be out there bidding and buying all the other TUNES I'd expected to acquire on the cheap, since nobody knows much about them. Best kept secret in bass-ville, for sure.
ENJOY that Maniac....you are going to love it.
-Kahuna
Another indication that this Maniac is Japanese would be the strap attachment. Japanese TUNES all seem to be built with a strap lock feature such as the one on this bass.
Alright, great. Thanks a ton. I'm going to try to find more about where and when it's from but you've definitely helped point me in he right direction. If it says anything, I picked this over a beautiful Carvin which was similarly priced
You got one of the good ones. There is a Tune club on Talk Bass.
That is a very high quality bass. And you got a great deal. Tune bought their wood from Alembic. Do read up on the man who made your bass. He set out to make the best.
That is a very high quality bass. And you got a great deal. Tune bought their wood from Alembic. Do read up on the man who made your bass. He set out to make the best.
Awesome, good to know. I made a post in that group, and have been looking into the original Tune and the new one. Is this model one of the original Japanese ones or a new one? From what I'm reading both are great
Korean Tune basses start with an S.Then numbers.Are there any special identifying features of Japanese vs Koream? I apologize for all the questions, just trying to become knowledgable on these basses
Japanese Tunes just have numbers.
Just poking around on Google last night it seems as though the neck heel on Korean ones is straight. Yours has the curved neck joint. The serial number should confirm when you find it but I now think it is Japanese.
The company is still around. You could ask them, based on serial #.
tuneguitars
I have a Kawai KRB-55---a virtual clone of the Bass Maniac---that I picked up in '87, made in Japan. My first good bass, that I later refinished with my late father, and hot-rodded with EMG preamp and pickups. Still sounds and plays great, though it clearly has that '80s / '90s vibe. Not necessarily a bad thing. I just know I'll never part with it.
It's possible, given the incestuous nature of MFG, that my Kawai came from the same factory as the Tune, though I'm not sure how prevalent that practice was in the late '80s.
tuneguitars
I have a Kawai KRB-55---a virtual clone of the Bass Maniac---that I picked up in '87, made in Japan. My first good bass, that I later refinished with my late father, and hot-rodded with EMG preamp and pickups. Still sounds and plays great, though it clearly has that '80s / '90s vibe. Not necessarily a bad thing. I just know I'll never part with it.
It's possible, given the incestuous nature of MFG, that my Kawai came from the same factory as the Tune, though I'm not sure how prevalent that practice was in the late '80s.
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The branded bridge. High quality pickups. Flush mount straploks. Tuners are probably unbranded Gotohs. Knobs. Doesn't seem typical of Korean builds. At least to me it doesn't.Are there any special identifying features of Japanese vs Koream? I apologize for all the questions, just trying to become knowledgable on these basses
Edit: Uh oh........wait a minute. I just did some research. Look here. tuneguitars We may be wrong. Contact info is showing Korea. But the bridge and pickups look different on yours and the flush mount straploks. It's up in the air.
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The bass pictured in the link doesnt have the curved neck heel either.
Roland GR 88
Commercial User
You can contact VSN guitars up here in Canada. They import the current line and the owner is a member here.
Yeah, I'm inclined to say it's a Japan built model.
*For those that like the the Reader's Digest version "It's Made in Japan". Yes it's Japanese Tune.
That TUNE link is for the Korean company Hatsun. This is TUNE Japan [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] What's printed on that headstock is not the serial #. The serial would have been screen printed on the heel just above the body, due to the screen printing many of them wore off. The bridge is the biggest clue, is the bridge made of stainless steel? It would have "TUNE Stainless Steel" engraved on the bridge. The stainless bridge got dropped by the Koreans since it was one of the most expensive components. The strap locks aren't really mysterious TUNE OEM pieces, they are just Dunlop inset locks used by TUNE Japan.
This bass has had parts replaced, those tuners are not original to the bass. However it is Japanese, late model Japanese production before the original company imploded. It's very similar to my older 4 string, same finish, you don't find that paint on a Korean TUNE. Also the Japanese fingerboards were tiger striped ebony. The Korean guys were parts suppliers/contractors to the original TUNE Japan, how the whole 2 TUNEs came about is not worth rehashing and someone else could condense it better then I. But once again to the original question, "Yes Virginia, it is Japanese!" The price? That's open to debate. I think they priced it based on condition, that being very good from the looks of it. Since they aren't well known, most Japanese Maniacs sell rather cheaply unless the seller knows what he has, I'd say the guy at GC that priced that one maybe knew what it was.
That TUNE link is for the Korean company Hatsun. This is TUNE Japan [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] What's printed on that headstock is not the serial #. The serial would have been screen printed on the heel just above the body, due to the screen printing many of them wore off. The bridge is the biggest clue, is the bridge made of stainless steel? It would have "TUNE Stainless Steel" engraved on the bridge. The stainless bridge got dropped by the Koreans since it was one of the most expensive components. The strap locks aren't really mysterious TUNE OEM pieces, they are just Dunlop inset locks used by TUNE Japan.
This bass has had parts replaced, those tuners are not original to the bass. However it is Japanese, late model Japanese production before the original company imploded. It's very similar to my older 4 string, same finish, you don't find that paint on a Korean TUNE. Also the Japanese fingerboards were tiger striped ebony. The Korean guys were parts suppliers/contractors to the original TUNE Japan, how the whole 2 TUNEs came about is not worth rehashing and someone else could condense it better then I. But once again to the original question, "Yes Virginia, it is Japanese!" The price? That's open to debate. I think they priced it based on condition, that being very good from the looks of it. Since they aren't well known, most Japanese Maniacs sell rather cheaply unless the seller knows what he has, I'd say the guy at GC that priced that one maybe knew what it was.
Yes his tuners have been replaced with later OEM tuners stamped with the TUNE Logo, they are however the same Gotoh GB7s
- Dec 21, 2007
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@spectorfreak said it more authoritatively. I would have still been "probably", but that finish is an exact match for my Japanese friend's Tune Bass Maniac back in 1988, and I've never seen it on a Korean Tune.
Score!
Score!
