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Vintage cheap basses

#104
I've had a couple of the old Kay KB-series and they are pleasantly light and good thumpers.

This was one of mine...

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#107
There are a few of the "inexpensive then" basses that go for a lot now but many can be had for very reasonable prices. Of course not for what they originally sold for - that's sort of a no-brainer unless you find one in a closet of an abandoned house. As always what one will pay dictates what they sell for and as some are worth what is asked - others are being offered as "vintage gems" for more $ when they are just not that special. Just sellers jumping on the "vintage" asking price bandwagon and those continue collecting dust.

This very cool Teisco FireBird model sells for top dollar when they come up for sale. (not mine... but I wish it were!)

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#109
Conrad short scale (not sure when it was made - 60's?, 70's) I cut the pg borrowing a design from a Russian hollowbody bass. Someone installed a (unknown) single pu at one point and it sounds great! Everything you'd want for that classic hollowbody tone. (LaBella flats of course)
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#112
40Hz said:
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. :laugh:

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:

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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.

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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!”
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That Kay looks very similar to my first bass, which I played for a couple years in the high school jazz band and then stupidly sold off help finance a Korean Squier Telecaster.
 
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#116
stonetone7 said:
That Kay looks very similar to my first bass, which I played for a couple years in the high school jazz band and then stupidly sold off help finance a Korean Squier Telecaster.
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That Kay actually was the first electric bass I ever touched or played. I posted the story about that here in case you’re interested.

(I’m still shopping parts for the restoration.)
 
#117
yodedude2 said:
^^ they are 34" scale! the one on the left got dropped on its face at a gig once. they are tough buggers.
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My first bass (bought new then for $40 at Woolworths dept store), a '66 MIJ Stadium (also badged St George) was a long scale also. Most were short scale but a few were 34".
 
#119
Christine said:
That has to be the most interesting bass I've ever seen!
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It was certainly hit with the ugly stick! :laugh: I created it based on the late 50's Kay Solo King guitar. (also badged Old Craftsman) A bass version was never made. (for some odd reason) ;)
 
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#119
JIO said:
It was certainly hit with the ugly stick! :laugh: I created it based on the late 50's Kay Solo King guitar. (also badged Old Craftsman) A bass version was never made. (for some odd reason) ;)
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Never heard of those before (Thank God :roflmao:) Not even this one does it for me

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I can't imagine they were comfortable to play but still that is a must have piece of....history?
 
#120
Christine said:
Never heard of those before (Thank God :roflmao:) Not even this one does it for me

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I can't imagine they were comfortable to play but still that is a must have piece of....history?
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The Solo King/Old Craftsman club-footed design has been visited a couple times over the years - there's a fairly nice version (guitar) I saw once that was very well made. (can't recall the maker) The one I made is actually comfortable as it is very light and thin. (thinner than that pink one) The neck is a ss Epi EB with a redefined hs and it has the Gibson-esk 4 stop rotary pot. It actually has a pretty brutish (raw vintage sounding) attitude. :bassist:
 
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