kawai bass?

[Guinea Pig]

It's my exssesive compulsiveness, i find new equipment i feel i need to buy each day (im sure alot of you people know how that goes.) Anyways i frequently see these kawai basses that sort of resemble alembic basses on ebay, i have no doubt in my mind they do not reach the clarity and feel of an alembic but anyone have any idea how good these things sound, i love the design im just worried its going to sound like ****, I don't have much cash anymore due to finacial reasons so i would like to buy a good looking and sounding bass for a decent price.

here is one thats being auctioned now:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Excellent-Condi...oryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Guinea Pig]

i apologize i made the mistake of posting this thread before searching, i got my answer. Just didn't think anyone had previously posted a thread about this bass. will not make this mistake again

 

[Frank Martin]

Kawai basses? Kawaii!!!
(It means sweet in Japanese - sorry couldn't resist )
No need to apologise, at least you found your answer

 

[A9X]

Anyways i frequently see these kawai basses that sort of resemble alembic basses on ebay, i have no doubt in my mind they do not reach the clarity and feel of an alembic but anyone have any idea how good these things sound, i love the design im just worried its going to sound like ****, I don't have much cash anymore due to finacial reasons so i would like to buy a good looking and sounding bass for a decent price.

I have a zebra/maple F2B and two Alembics. They don't sound the same, but similar in lots of ways; clean, clear, excellent sustain, dense harmonic structure. The fit and finish is excellent and puts them in the higher leagues of basses. It is definitely not embarrassed by the Alembics. Besides, I think mine is flippin' georgeous!

The one in the auction you posted is a later model (schaller bridge) koa top and maple core by the look of it. If you can afford it, and are looking for something Alembic-ish, I would personally go for one of these than a secondhand Epic

 

[90k]

I have owned many high end basses over the years(including Alembic). I once owned a maple / mohogany Kawai F2B. loved evreything about it. Sweet bass!

 

[phxlbrmpf]

Kawai basses? Kawaii!!!
(It means sweet in Japanese - sorry couldn't resist )
No need to apologise, at least you found your answer

I don't think the brand name is supposed to mean cute/sweet.
"Kawai" seems to be a pretty common last name with dozens of spelling variations. Apparently, the brand name is spelled 河合, it seems to mean "joining rivers" or something along those lines.

 

[ladros2]

don't know if they're related, but kawai are a company that makes very high quality pianos.

 

[Peter Squire]

I don't have much cash anymore due to finacial reasons

This is a very common reason to not have cash....

 

[Frank Martin]

I don't think the brand name is supposed to mean cute/sweet.
"Kawai" seems to be a pretty common last name with dozens of spelling variations. Apparently, the brand name is spelled 河合, it seems to mean "joining rivers" or something along those lines.

Hey, I'm still just learning, I'm not yet at Kanji Gomen

 

[xmadcatx87]

I thought "kawaii" meant cute rather than sweet. I think sweet would more refer to "sugoi", which means amazing. At least in the context of the sentence. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[WJF]

A picture of the backside of my stripped down Kawai. The picture is about 10 years old and don't ask about the plugged holes, in the headstock.....I think someone tried to make her an eighter.....

Link Removed

Anyone know what model she is? 2 soapbar looking pickups, 4 knobs and a few switches. Plays like a dream, well, did. Currently hanging in the basement, awaiting a new fingerboard.