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Help Identifying?

M

mralex

Oct 29, 2010
77
1
#1
Hi All

I bought this bass a few weeks ago and im not really sure what it is, ive taken it all apart, everything off neck, pickguard, everything i cant find ANY model numbers whatsoever, from internet research ive been able to find that its a Teisco from somewhere in the years 62-65, i was hoping one of you might have seen it before?

Thanks!
 

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#3
It's a generic Japanese bass from the 60's or early 70's. A small handful of Japanese factories churned out many thousands of these things and shipped them worldwide. Every importer had their own "brand name" that they put on the headstock, but it's just a mass-produced generic item.
 
#10
for an 85$ bass, i like it more than the Fender RI's ive played before, its got an odd weight balance to it that i like, the neck is heaver than the body, just need to update the pickup and some cosmetics and she should be good to go, i was just curious if anyone knew anything about it. no name on the headstock or anything.
 
#11
mralex said:
at least thats what i found on the ebay listing here

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Teisco-...59?pt=Guitar&hash=item3361e68553#ht_641wt_905
Click to expand...

Just so it's clear, that seller calls it a "Teisco/Matsumoku/Kingston" bass, meaning he has absolutely no idea what actual brand it might be. Matsumoku was one of the most famed Japanese factories producing these generics, but he doesn't offer any evidence this bass came from that factory (though it sure might have--I'm just pointing out what's unknown). Teisco was one of the more successful brands of these types of funky weird-shaped basses and guitars in the US, so "Teisco" is a popular search term on ebay, but Teiscos had a big "brand badge" on the headstock. Kingston is just one of the dozens of brand names that were stuck on these instruments from the generic factories.
 
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#13
oh i know your not bongomania, i assumed it was some mass produced, thats just the ONLY one ive found on the internet so i just took the name haha, like i said it was an 85$ investment that will probably top out at about 300ish if i keep it on the low end budget.

side note i love your compressor preamp and eq faq you have in your sig, it explains alot!
 
#14
Hmmm... I just picked up a simular build. No clue what this is exactly, but damn if it doesn't play VERY well. Might be the best intonated short scale I own. The back of my plate is the same (5 screws) except it says "MADE IN JAPAN"... My pickup is way different, reminds me of those Harmony Gold Foil screamers from the 60's. Sounds great!
Some pics (slight differences from yours and that ebay auction):
mysterybass01.jpg

mysterybass02.jpg

mysterybass03.jpg

mysterybass04.jpg
 
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#16
I just bought one of these basses myself. Mine is missing the finger-rest on the pickguard, those little pointers and has a red/black burst headstock (and back of the neck too, although there is a patch of missing lacquer on it :eek::() I was hoping you might have found out a little more about it?
Before and after a dissection, clean up & fretboard re-oiled (yeah, not a lot of difference but it is a bit shinier ;))
japanese60sbass.jpg
BassCleanedUp.JPG
 
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#18
Okay; both the OP's and Nortega's basses look VERY like my very first bass, obtained in 1965-66 from WoolCo: shortscale, single-pickup, redburst. This is the Jagbass version; there also was a 2nd-generation P-bass model, and both types were available in short and long scale and single and double pickup versions. The family resemblance is that five-bolt plate and the truss rod cover. Those things remain consistent throughout the line. The gold-foil pickup is the older type. Later models had all chrome.

To hear what these puppies sound like, YouTube up some stuff from The Devil's Anvil.

 
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#19
Maxdusty said:
Looks similar to this one. A Kent/Teisco/National bass.
Click to expand...

That's one of the links I came across MaxDusty. There are some small differences (to my bass that is, perhaps not the OP's bass) such as the truss-rod cover plate, lack of thumb-rest (finger-rest on the pickguard was clearly once there though), black knobs, the lower horn has been flattened, and it has larger diameter tuners (many of these changes could just be after-market replacements on this particular bass of course)

The other link I found was this one: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] (sorry, it seems I'm too new to add proper - or even sneaky! - links yet... copy and paste into a Google Search...) It's also missing the thumb-rest but has the finger-rest in place, and the headstock burst seems lacking or very indistinct (perhaps too much black overspray), but is definitely the same bass.

I notice now that on Nortega's the finger-rest has radiused ends but the thumb-rest is squared off. Perhaps these were originally fitted with only the finger rest and mine has been moved (it has radiused ends), and a thumb-rest later added on Nortega's bass?
 
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