• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Epiphone Rock Bass -- Anyone have info??

jmac85

jmac85

Mar 22, 2008
121
0
41
Duluth, MN
#1
I'm looking at one at a pawn shop and it plays and sounds great. It's got strings through body and the wavy Epiphone headstock, not the the one with just a straight edge on the opposite side of the tuners. It's $199 with strap and soft case. Seems like a good deal but I can't find any info on them! My research suggests that its an Epihpone Rock Bass.

Its got two volumes and a tone knob. Two jazz style pickups with a jazz style pickguard and control plate. Anyone have one or know about them?!
 
#7
Anyone else have more info?! Possibly a review? I like the one at the pawn shop. It's set up fairly well (G string buzzes a little, I'm sure raising it a little will take it out). Sounded decent. It's $199 with strap, strap locks, and gig bag... Should I try to talk them down or is that a fair price?
 
#8
The Rock Bass's P/J cousin, the "Power bass" was my first bass and while it sounded decent, I was a bit shocked to find out that it had a plywood body. It was a bit of a downer given that it was sorta mid-priced as far as entry level instruments go, I'd expected a bit more from Epiphone. I might be wrong but this sorta suggests that your Rock Bass may also have a plywood body. My Rock Bass had the pointy-type headstock, though.

Oh yeah, the pickups were also kind of quiet which was a bit annoying as I plugged straight into the board a lot when I was just starting out.
 
#9
I was able to dig up from the epiphone forum site that the Rock Bass's with the batwing headstock are alder bodies with maple necks :bassist: Also, I do have a GK1001RB-II head to play through, so low output isn't too much of a problem for me.

I currently have a Squier HM-V 5 string and a Squier Jazz Bass Std with Duncan Designed pickups and CTS pots freshly installed! The Jazz is at my parents' house though as my dad soldered it all together. Haven't had a chance to A/B the two and I don't want to miss out on a good deal!
 
#10
jmac85 said:
Anyone else have more info?! Possibly a review? I like the one at the pawn shop. It's set up fairly well (G string buzzes a little, I'm sure raising it a little will take it out). Sounded decent. It's $199 with strap, strap locks, and gig bag... Should I try to talk them down or is that a fair price?
Click to expand...




i Own one.

Mines black..and miens a 98

batwing headstock and everything



i got mine for 25 bucks.....at a pawnshop lol
 
#12
This is the same model I learned bass on. I "sold" it to a buddy of mine (who never gave me the money for it) about 14 years ago. Long-story-short I tracked the bass down and got it back last week. Stripped everything off, replaced the rusty screws, cleaned it up really good, put it back together, and it sounds better than what I remembered.
 
#14
Necro!! Lol
I have one with the Explorer style headstock and all original parts. Plan to keep it for many more years, I like the way it sounds.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20210611_002329.jpg
    IMG_20210611_002329.jpg
    857 KB · Views: 219
  • IMG_20210611_003720.jpg
    IMG_20210611_003720.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 185
#15
Hopefully I'm not a problem for necroing this, but ages ago, this thread helped me ID my long-suffering bass. I have one of the brief models made from 86-88 that is entirely maple. While these things were never expensive (I think they were Kmart specials at one point), I encourage anyone who sees one to give it a try. My first bass was a peavey with a rattling tuner key. This was a Christmas present from my parents back in the mid 90s. Between the all maple and big brass bridge saddles, this thing is a unique tone. I have a buddy who is one of those weird polymath types with language and music. He picks up a new instrument and learns it immediately. After our high school band broke up, he played bass a lot and has a half dozen including a Paul McCartney replica. While mine is not his favorite, he said he's never heard a jazz bass that has so much punch on its highs and has a sustain that lasts for half of forever. Notes will just sit there singing out for as long as you could ever want and then some. It is an odd duck. When I picked it back up, i had a few issues, so replaced the pickups with some SD quarter pounders (though turns out the issue was just wiring, not the pickups).
 
  • Like
Reactions: gregmon79 and HaphAsSard
#18
PraiseTheLard said:
Hopefully I'm not a problem for necroing this, but ages ago, this thread helped me ID my long-suffering bass. I have one of the brief models made from 86-88 that is entirely maple. While these things were never expensive (I think they were Kmart specials at one point), I encourage anyone who sees one to give it a try. My first bass was a peavey with a rattling tuner key. This was a Christmas present from my parents back in the mid 90s. Between the all maple and big brass bridge saddles, this thing is a unique tone. I have a buddy who is one of those weird polymath types with language and music. He picks up a new instrument and learns it immediately. After our high school band broke up, he played bass a lot and has a half dozen including a Paul McCartney replica. While mine is not his favorite, he said he's never heard a jazz bass that has so much punch on its highs and has a sustain that lasts for half of forever. Notes will just sit there singing out for as long as you could ever want and then some. It is an odd duck. When I picked it back up, i had a few issues, so replaced the pickups with some SD quarter pounders (though turns out the issue was just wiring, not the pickups).
Click to expand...

Hey. A buddy of mine just asked me to set his up and do a couple minor repairs/adjustments to it. Its the bat wing version. Does that designate that it's an older one from the 80's? Or would that mean it's a 90's version?
 
#19
gregmon79 said:
Hey. A buddy of mine just asked me to set his up and do a couple minor repairs/adjustments to it. Its the bat wing version. Does that designate that it's an older one from the 80's? Or would that mean it's a 90's version?
Click to expand...
According to the ever URL-migrating Epiphone Wiki,
https://epiphone-wiki.org/EpiWiki2/index/Rock_Bass.html
the Rock Bass received the batwing headstock very early, after only three years of the model being in production (it had sported the Explorer-style headstock before).
In short, your frientd's could date back to anywhere between 1989 and 1999.


[The Accu Bass and the Power Bass (the P and PJ clones) made the same headstock change six and seven years later, respectively.]
 
  • Like
Reactions: gregmon79
#20
HaphAsSard said:
According to the ever URL-migrating Epiphone Wiki,
https://epiphone-wiki.org/EpiWiki2/index/Rock_Bass.html
the Rock Bass received the batwing headstock very early, after only three years of the model being in production (it had sported the Explorer-style headstock before).
In short, your frientd's could date back to anywhere between 1989 and 1999.


[The Accu Bass and the Power Bass (the P and PJ clones) made the same headstock change six and seven years later, respectively.]
Click to expand...
Thank you much! Appreciate the info.
 
  • Like
Reactions: HaphAsSard

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back