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Collecting "Socialist block" era basses (advise needed)

D

DmitriiF

Aug 10, 2013
17
5
RF
#1
Hello guys\gals. I've spent a lot of time to read different forums, but still don't get some things... need some help\advice, so i put it here.
First of all, i am a collector of vintage "socialist block" era basses (mostly) produced in USSR, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, DDR etc. so i interested to know is some one here interested with this weird kind of stuff or only musicians here?
I have a few buddy in US whom i helped to find out some info and get original parts for restoration their "pieces of history" but i decided "broaden the horizonts"
I also try to find topics where collectors trade their "cheesy" basses\parts but did not find any closer for that :( guide me please if you know where it..
(btw, If you don't know how they look like, it looks like that http://imageshack.us/g/1/10285299/)
Sorry if that wasn't inapropriate, but if someone have some questions or need some help i will glad for communicate! :)
 
#8
img2321bd.jpg

Check out the nifty fret placement.
 
#11
lowphatbass said:
I had a Ural bass a lot like that. There's 2 or 3 ebay sellers that list them from time to time.
Click to expand...

Right, and very sad that the almost always describe them as "all original" but really they are not...
lowphatbass said:
You probably don't. The necks are pretty unplayable.
Click to expand...

in most cases it's true, that's why they for collectors mostly... (but it does not mean that imposible play on them)
 
#13
This is from Cheesyguitars.com...

While the whole world played Precision and Jazz, Soviet Union had its own bass for everyone. It was Ural. Ural was produced in huge quantities and was actually the most common bass in USSR. You can still find one for the price under $100 if you'll go to Russia. There was also a guitar - Ural, which was even more popular. Urals were heavy, they had small neck radius, high action and they had a very bad sound. But they were unbreakable. You could drop it, you might want to smash it against the wall - nothing would ever happen to this guitar.

Ural guitars and basses were made at Ural plant at Sverdlovsk, Russian Federation. The bass was named "model 510L" while guitar was named "model 650". Body shape - single cut, LP type (not like the guitar). Pickups were made at the same plant. The bass had two single coils with white plastic covers. Controls: volume, tone1 - high frequencies, tone2 - low frequencies. There's also a small panel with three buttons. These buttons responcible for switching pickups on and off plus some tone variations. The bolt-on neck is not wide but its radius is very small. "Ural" logo is printed on the headstock, there's also a triangle string tree plate. The headstock is almost parallel to the neck. Tuning machines are just like on all the Soviet basses.
The bass sounds low, but not like bass, it's just low. You can describe as McCartney somewhere from 1964 heard through an radio with 2" speaker.
 
#15
Landy67 said:
This is from Cheesyguitars.com...

While the whole world played Precision and Jazz, Soviet Union had its own bass for everyone. It was Ural. Ural was produced in huge quantities and was actually the most common bass in USSR. You can still find one for the price under $100 if you'll go to Russia. There was also a guitar - Ural, which was even more popular. Urals were heavy, they had small neck radius, high action and they had a very bad sound. But they were unbreakable. You could drop it, you might want to smash it against the wall - nothing would ever happen to this guitar.

Ural guitars and basses were made at Ural plant at Sverdlovsk, Russian Federation. The bass was named "model 510L" while guitar was named "model 650". Body shape - single cut, LP type (not like the guitar). Pickups were made at the same plant. The bass had two single coils with white plastic covers. Controls: volume, tone1 - high frequencies, tone2 - low frequencies. There's also a small panel with three buttons. These buttons responcible for switching pickups on and off plus some tone variations. The bolt-on neck is not wide but its radius is very small. "Ural" logo is printed on the headstock, there's also a triangle string tree plate. The headstock is almost parallel to the neck. Tuning machines are just like on all the Soviet basses.
The bass sounds low, but not like bass, it's just low. You can describe as McCartney somewhere from 1964 heard through an radio with 2" speaker.
Click to expand...
Very old words. Ural was only two models of 20-30 bases produced in USSR but everyone knows only Ural. First one Ural 510L the second Ural 510G (like guitar Ural 650 body) - both you can see in my pics + "Bas-2" (Rostov factory bass)
And one more mindless thing that confuse you: a lot of this basses named БАС "Bas" БАС-1, БАС-2 ("BAS-1, BAS-2") it is actualy means BASS in Russian, just imagen that Leo named his basses Fender BASS, Fender BASS-1 :))) A few Captain obvious worked in those factories))
 
#16
Looking at your basses reminded me of the first time I saw a "new" Russian motorcycle in the early 70's. It too was a Ural with a sidecar and looked an awful lot like a WWII era BMW, a LOT like a WWII era BMW.

My next thought was the music store in the town where I spent most of my younger years. They sold (but never stocked) Fender but they always had a Tesco, Ayar, or some other low cost oddball from Europe or Asia.
 

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#20
fhm555 said:
Looking at your basses reminded me of the first time I saw a "new" Russian motorcycle in the early 70's. It too was a Ural with a sidecar and looked an awful lot like a WWII era BMW, a LOT like a WWII era BMW.

My next thought was the music store in the town where I spent most of my younger years. They sold (but never stocked) Fender but they always had a Tesco, Ayar, or some other low cost oddball from Europe or Asia.
Click to expand...
Yes, but now it's just a part of History.. The Big difference - Asia, USA even Europe made tons of guitar and will make a tons in future (even if u can't buy a vintage Fender u can buy a modern Fender), USSR (Russia) Electro guitar industry is gone forever, no one el guitar was made since 1994 (end of USSR era) - thats why some collectors call them "Imperial Remnant" this artefacts is never will be reissued they never came back.
 

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