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Japanese P bass Copies

The Wiz

The Wiz

Mar 27, 2013
264
76
Reno
#1
Last week I paid $120 for a 1983 Hondo p bass copy online, and upon receiving it on Friday, it is hands down the best P bass Ive ever played. Sounds and plays better than any AM Standard P bass Ive ever played which surprised me. Plenty of people warned me against this purchase because the necks easily warp on these japanese beauties (and so is mine a bit, but a scheduled repair for tuesday should take care of that.) Anyway, Im so stoked on this P bass im considering ordering another one of these vintage japanese P bass copies. I dont know where to begin looking for others, so does anyone know any brand names/models i could look up to help me on my search?:bassist:
 
#4
thanks for the list garmenteros! And pet sounds i shouldve been more clear, I heard that Vintage hondo necks tend to warp easily from a different thread on here. Im not sure if its true for all japanese basses
 
#7
Pet Sounds said:
The JV and SQ model Squiers of the early '80s are pretty great.
I don't know that I've ever heard that MIJ necks are particularly subject to warping. Do others have more info on that?
Click to expand...

Agree on the JV and SQ's. Tokai,Arias and Grecos are really nice also. I have never had and issue with a MIJ bass neck ever in fact they are rocks.
 
#8
The Wiz said:
Plenty of people warned me against this purchase because the necks easily warp on these japanese beauties
Click to expand...

I started out on Hondos, and had fond memories of them, so I bought a few off ebay about 10 years back. They all had bad necks, though I think the basses were Korean, not Japanese. Every Professional Series one I've come across was a lot nicer than the Fame and the no-name ones I had, and I'm thinking those were the Japanese ones.
 
#9
The Wiz said:
Last week I paid $120 for a 1983 Hondo p bass copy online, and upon receiving it on Friday, it is hands down the best P bass Ive ever played. Sounds and plays better than any AM Standard P bass Ive ever played which surprised me. Plenty of people warned me against this purchase because the necks easily warp on these japanese beauties (and so is mine a bit, but a scheduled repair for tuesday should take care of that.) Anyway, Im so stoked on this P bass im considering ordering another one of these vintage japanese P bass copies. I dont know where to begin looking for others, so does anyone know any brand names/models i could look up to help me on my search?:bassist:
Click to expand...

I Picked up a Hondo Fame 830 for $60 at a pawn shop. What a Jewel! Best P bass I ever played.
 
#10
My first bass was an 80's MIJ El Degas P-Copy..

It came loaded with cream cover DiMarzio's & a series/parallel mini switch

I always tried to hide the headstock logo with a Fender, (even a Kramer in the 90's) or blanked it out...

I brought it to a recording session in the early 90's (it was my only bass at the time)... I asked the engineer if I could borrow the Fender Jazz they had sitting in a corner, but he was way too pleased with the sound we had laid down with the El Degas (assuming it was some sort of Kramer bass)...

I still have it - it's my only P & I don't really need another...
 
#11
Tomorrow I'm picking up a late 70's early 80's Rogue MIJ P Bass copy from a local shop that I'm trading for a MIM Jazzmaster Body, It's horrifically ugly - a really bad refin in Florescent Yellow. A couple of days ago I picked it up and was really surprised how good it felt. I own a really nice Fender 72 Precision, this blows that away.

I sort of got the same feeling when I picked up a Shadowsky P Bass for the first time.
 
#12
I have a late 70s Univox Eagle, which is a gorgeous looking P bass copy with a carved body & headstock, and the sound/build quality are both excellent.

Also just picked up a '78 Ibanez Silver Series Jazz bass, and it plays extremely well. The pickups are a little hotter and voiced a bit deeper than what I'd expect from a jazz bass, so might swap them out, but everything else is spot on!
 
#15
ADHD librarian said:
Is your Hondo definitely Japanese? Lots (most?) of them were make by Samick in Korea.
Click to expand...
F745B47B-F209-4D98-8C3E-BA5BBB13D344.jpeg
 
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#17
I've recently been GASing for a MIJ '70's P bass with a maple neck - I can't really explain why. I've seen the usual Grecos, Arias and Fernandeses - which are easy enough to find information on.

I recently saw a Campbell Translator Bass, but the only information relating to the brand I could find was a connection to Vesta Graham and an old item on Reverb which was a 335 clone with the same logo.

Is anyone familiar with the brand?
 

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