Hi there,
I got this jazz-like bass for just 30 euros.
a short review:
1) this poor fellow had NEVER been set-up: the nut was pretty high (VERY high), it had protruding frets, and the bridge pup had a broken screw, while the other (toward the high G) was missing. The previous owner had probably tried to play by simply increasing the action, since the two higher strings touched the bridge pup (OUCH!).
There are (were) just two dings on the body edges, easy to repaint since they were on the black-painted area. My son borrowed just a few drops of his modelism paint.
The neck has a maple slab, with perfect (though protruding, as I said) frets. So that, after some sandpapering the frets edges, lowering the nut slots, setting the neck (I got the poor bass without the two higher strings, for the reasons above, and it hadn't any neck relief at a first glance) it turned out to be a nice axe.
The neck is rather stiff: with low action, slight relief (no buzzes, after just a little bit of sandblocking) and 40-95's, it's very hard to play. But it's well shaped, with a very light silky finishing (feels almost unfinished, but it's not). Radius is rather flat... flatter than my 9.5" sandblock. 21 frets: I love that high "E", three full octaves - WOW.
The body: maybe it's alder, anyway it's a 4-piece with no veneer, and very light lacquer (you can taste and see the wood veins on the top surface, while it's al little bit thicker and glossier on the back). This animal is pretty heavy.
Electronics are OK, pots do not absloutely scratch.
Tuners are fine. I would say hi-quality, turn well and let the bass stay perfectly in tune.
How old is it? I'd say at least 20 years: removing the pickguard the color underneath is VERY different: this, together with a giant "4" drawed with a green marker on the body (!), made me forget the idea to get rid of the pickguard (I don't play with a pick). The truss rod isn't in metric size: I used the same imperial allen wrench I use for my mexi-Tele (3/17"? Sorry, I don't remember), and this makes me suspect this instrument is neither European nor Asian-made.
I couldn't trace ant info on such brand, and the headstock looks identical to a Fender. A lawsuit...?
Has anybody seen anything like this, out there?
I got this jazz-like bass for just 30 euros.
a short review:
1) this poor fellow had NEVER been set-up: the nut was pretty high (VERY high), it had protruding frets, and the bridge pup had a broken screw, while the other (toward the high G) was missing. The previous owner had probably tried to play by simply increasing the action, since the two higher strings touched the bridge pup (OUCH!).
There are (were) just two dings on the body edges, easy to repaint since they were on the black-painted area. My son borrowed just a few drops of his modelism paint.
The neck has a maple slab, with perfect (though protruding, as I said) frets. So that, after some sandpapering the frets edges, lowering the nut slots, setting the neck (I got the poor bass without the two higher strings, for the reasons above, and it hadn't any neck relief at a first glance) it turned out to be a nice axe.
The neck is rather stiff: with low action, slight relief (no buzzes, after just a little bit of sandblocking) and 40-95's, it's very hard to play. But it's well shaped, with a very light silky finishing (feels almost unfinished, but it's not). Radius is rather flat... flatter than my 9.5" sandblock. 21 frets: I love that high "E", three full octaves - WOW.
The body: maybe it's alder, anyway it's a 4-piece with no veneer, and very light lacquer (you can taste and see the wood veins on the top surface, while it's al little bit thicker and glossier on the back). This animal is pretty heavy.
Electronics are OK, pots do not absloutely scratch.
Tuners are fine. I would say hi-quality, turn well and let the bass stay perfectly in tune.
How old is it? I'd say at least 20 years: removing the pickguard the color underneath is VERY different: this, together with a giant "4" drawed with a green marker on the body (!), made me forget the idea to get rid of the pickguard (I don't play with a pick). The truss rod isn't in metric size: I used the same imperial allen wrench I use for my mexi-Tele (3/17"? Sorry, I don't remember), and this makes me suspect this instrument is neither European nor Asian-made.
I couldn't trace ant info on such brand, and the headstock looks identical to a Fender. A lawsuit...?
Has anybody seen anything like this, out there?
