ESP J Four - run afoul of search feature!

For all I know there are dozens of threads here on this bass, but I can't find them... "J" is too short to use, and "ESP four" brings up every single 4 string ESP ever made.

What I get from Google is that these were ash or alder bodied Jazz clones with EMG pickups and rosewood fretboards.

What's a good price for one that's got some scratches and wear, nothing through the finish,

BUT

has a maple fretboard and non-EMG pickups? They look like your standard exposed pole Jazz pickups. Japan made. The only sales history on Ebay has a rosewood/EMG model with a $300 price, did not sell, reserve not met, so that's not much help.

I don't need it, but it sounds and plays so good... I don't know what to offer the guy, and he doesn't know much about it.

 

Thanks for the tip, that did give a lot more results.

Unfortunately, most of it was pretty old, maybe half dealing with 5 strings. I see mentions of a other models, relatively few just of a J Four - which is all this one said. The posts that do describe a J Four mention EMGs and rosewood.

I do appreciate the Google tip - your result gives me the impression that the non EMG pickups and maple board must be pretty rare in these basses. Of course the pickups could be aftermarket, but a maple board with an ESP logo would be harder to come by than Jazz pickups.

With any luck somebody will happen upon the thread who has some idea of the current value of these basses, even if it is of the seemingly moe common configuration.

 

I've seen the one on Ebay, but it's frustrating since the reserve wasn't met. Similar to the one in the link from ESP, but an older model and only 3 knobs, pearloid pickguard, trams purple finish that shows the wood grain, and MOP-looking dots on the maple neck. Visually quite striking. Do you think the differences between this bass and the EMG/rosewood models would mean a difference in value?

What the seller wants is more than twice what the bidding went to on the Ebay auction, but reserve was not met, and there were no others in completed auctions. It seems silly though to assume that the standard rosewood model is only worht $300 from that one auction, I'd think a really nice Japanese made Jazz would be worth more than that!

I guess they're just too uncommon for even TB members to have seen enough of them to know what they're worth.

 

Chrome hardware, and not the 2Tek bridge others have mentioned - just your basic Fender style cheap looking bent metal bridge. I must say it played and sounded as good or better than any J style bass I've played, even 70's Fenders and upscale basses that start with L and S. Just may have to see how the finances look after I pay the bills for the month, and check if it's still available, but that would make 5 fretted 4 string basses for me, so I wonder about my sanity.