Kitsch, Tiesco, EKO (from Italy, mostly looked like violins, covered in plastic). Just seen one of those sell for $1000 the other day. It was hanging in a very small guitar shop where I live. A guy from Brunswick, Ga on his way to Ohio walked in behind me and paid cash for it. Said that’s the same bass his dad played.
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Vintage cheap basses
- Thread starter Reclaimer
- Start date
, I had to look that word up. My wife always told me I have a way with words.I agree.
But I could not have said it quite so effusively.
Peavey always makes solid equipment except for that Randy Jackson edition. Although it had the hipshot detuner on the E-string and neck thru, the neck hated barometric change.
I've almost pulled the trigger on T40's many times and that's the only thing that keeps me from it. All my other basses are under 9 lbs. If I ever find a lighter specimen I will jump on it. I've heard some exist.
I know where 2 are that I could buy. 1st is sunburst with peaveys matching hard shell case. This one $1100! 2nd is red, it’s $750 without the case. The right one will come along.
They came out of Japan in the ‘50s and ‘60s along with Guyatone, which was rebranded as Star for the U.S. and UK.
No Sir! My brother lives in Baytown, Tx. He’s on the lookout also. So far nothing. I’ll come across one that someone wants to get rid of to clean out a closet.I guess that doesn't fall under the cheap bass category!!!
I was playing for this band in Georgia years ago. We were at a music festival and met this really cute girl who’s family had a band performing also. We became friends. Her family invited us to their house afterwards. When we got there I noticed this dusty headstock sticking up from behind this couch in the corner. I asked if I could look at it, sure, it was a natural Gibson Grabber natural finish. He said it’s no good. I said I can fix it. He gave me the bass and wished me luck. I took it out to the coach put it on my setup table and an hr later it was playing and sounding like new. Didn’t know what I had! Wish I still had it.
I bought a sheet of black 3-ply laminate. My original plan was cutting it with a hacksaw. Looks like a jigsaw would be better.
I bought this guy about a month back and really loved the sound of it bought it knowingly with bad tone pot and the bridge Bottomed out, no big deal. Before getting into the electronics I decided to get the set up right. Turns out there was no hope, the truss rod probably seized in that thing 40 years ago. A shame really, I got it for next to nothing, luckily I was able to get my money back and the store I got it from put her down. I have a soft spot for basses like that as I have have an old Stella acoustic guitar with a steel reinforced neck that belonged to my mom, don’t know how it lived through 30 years in a case and the me beating it up as a child but through all those years I slapped a new set of strings on it and it played perfect. Just goes to show that the quality of those old cheapies can vary drastically. If it’s good, it is!
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T40s aren’t so cheap anymore! I had a 1979 and I loved it though. What a monster those things are in weight and in sound!
Sounds great! Do you know anyone around that builds or does rebuilds on guitars? Reason is, some of these guys have an edger that puts a nice tapered edge to where all the layers show up and it looks nice also. Or a small tabletop belt sander with fine grit paper will work. It’s much easier than sanding it by hand. A little shop up the road has one from the ‘60s that bevels and polishes the edge. If that pickup does work get me the dimensions and I’ll see if any of these I have will fit.
I get a kick out of some of those weirdass 60s era Japanese and Italian basses. Many of them have their own sound and can sometimes even be made somewhat comfortable to play - if they have a still working truss rod - assuming there is one and it ever worked to begin with. 
Can’t say I love them. Love is a pretty strong emotion to lavish on something like a bass IMO. I don’t even love my main player. But I do like it a lot. Same goes for some of the oddball basses I’ve spent time with.
I had a few old cheap Tiesco and Motsumoku basses that went missing in a move once that I kinda miss. None of them were stellar tone machines. But they played well (or well enough) and had some interesting sonic character.
Only old cheap basses I’ve still got are a Tiesco that’s in pieces (came that way in a box) I think somebody disassembled for storage or something…and this nice little old Kay I plan on restoring:
Most recent cheap bass I’ve bought is a Baltimore “brand” bass. I originally got it thinking I’d route a swimming pool in it so I could use it as a test bed for pickups. Cost a whole whopping $48 new off the clearance rack at GC. But when I got it home and played it a bit I realized it’s actually a very nice bass. And its totally gonzo Dr. Seuss inspired pickguard was oddly attractive and started to grow on me. So I did a setup, cleaned up the electronics a bit, and dropped a better pup in it, and it now turns heads whenever I haul it out at a jam.
It’s not vintage. But it has that same “bicycle factory” and “accordion shop” vibe written all over it.
“Once you’ve played the best it’s time to try the rest!”
Can’t say I love them. Love is a pretty strong emotion to lavish on something like a bass IMO. I don’t even love my main player. But I do like it a lot. Same goes for some of the oddball basses I’ve spent time with.
I had a few old cheap Tiesco and Motsumoku basses that went missing in a move once that I kinda miss. None of them were stellar tone machines. But they played well (or well enough) and had some interesting sonic character.
Only old cheap basses I’ve still got are a Tiesco that’s in pieces (came that way in a box) I think somebody disassembled for storage or something…and this nice little old Kay I plan on restoring:
Most recent cheap bass I’ve bought is a Baltimore “brand” bass. I originally got it thinking I’d route a swimming pool in it so I could use it as a test bed for pickups. Cost a whole whopping $48 new off the clearance rack at GC. But when I got it home and played it a bit I realized it’s actually a very nice bass. And its totally gonzo Dr. Seuss inspired pickguard was oddly attractive and started to grow on me. So I did a setup, cleaned up the electronics a bit, and dropped a better pup in it, and it now turns heads whenever I haul it out at a jam.
It’s not vintage. But it has that same “bicycle factory” and “accordion shop” vibe written all over it.
“Once you’ve played the best it’s time to try the rest!”
