What Is This Vintage Bass?

[JimmyM]

Ahem, reality please?
Yeah man, I'd play that baby with it's 1/2 inch off the fretboard action, neck back-bow so bad no notes above the 6th fret come out, a neck so thick it feels like a log, pickups so lousy and microphonic they squeal with feedback, hopeless intonation due to the pathetic bridge but that's no problem 'cause ... (see the back-bow problem) ...

1. You don't know that any of that is true.

2. Maybe some of it is true but that doesn't mean it can't be put to good use.

I grew up with those kinds of basses, and yeah, they have limitations, but there's no reason you can't make music on them. And if you can do setups, you can also tweak them to where they're playable and in tune. Maybe it won't lay down nice and easy like Vic's Foderas, but they're far from unusable. Maybe they're unusable to you, but I used to have to make basses like that usable, and I always managed.

You see thorns, I see a rose in there sonewhere.

 

[Melodicgroove]

Early 70's Montaya.

Here is a late 60's Montaya heavily modded.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Sylex's Bassist]

im pretty sure thats tiesco. i actually had one just like that for about a year (im a yardsale fanatic)

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Oh heck yeah, way fun to kick around - as long as I don't have to play it. Kick it? yeah.
That's a "cheap" bass from the days when cheap meant REALLY, seriously bad. Does that thing have an adjustable truss rod?
Nowadays, cheap gets you a Squire, which is INFINITELY better than that Tiesco/Kay. Lots of Squires are pretty damn good out of the box. Straight necks, trussrod, proper bridge, CNC made P or J.
That thing is cool for relic retro bad old days appeal but make no mistake, it's terrible. I mean, what's worse than a Tiesco? If it's not bad, nothing is.
Now it is possible that one could have a straight neck and be relatively playable ... anything's possible ... but those things were the lowest of the low. Nothing worse.
Wait, it DOES have a trussrod. Ok, it's a high-end Tiesco. The best of the worst.

I haven't played one of those but yeah, it'd be fun to kick around on a cheapo import like that. Played a few similar to that one in my day however that were a lot of fun. Since you have played that particular bass, I humbly stand corrected. No reality problems here, thanks.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Mosrites were actually pretty good but that's not a Mosrite.

 

[JimmyM]

Oh heck yeah, way fun to kick around - as long as I don't have to play it. Kick it? yeah.
That's a "cheap" bass from the days when cheap meant REALLY, seriously bad. Does that thing have an adjustable truss rod?
Nowadays, cheap gets you a Squire, which is INFINITELY better than that Tiesco/Kay. Lots of Squires are pretty damn good out of the box. Straight necks, trussrod, proper bridge, CNC made P or J.
That thing is cool for relic retro bad old days appeal but make no mistake, it's terrible. I mean, what's worse than a Tiesco? If it's not bad, nothing is.
Now it is possible that one could have a straight neck and be relatively playable ... anything's possible ... but those things were the lowest of the low. Nothing worse.
Wait, it DOES have a trussrod. Ok, it's a high-end Tiesco. The best of the worst.

Yeah, OK, we get it. You don't like it. We gathered that already. Some do like it. I'd pay $70 for one right now. Does your thought process not allow for that?

 

[rustynuts]

Ahem, reality please?
Yeah man, I'd play that baby with it's 1/2 inch off the fretboard action, neck back-bow so bad no notes above the 6th fret come out, a neck so thick it feels like a log, pickups so lousy and microphonic they squeal with feedback, hopeless intonation due to the pathetic bridge but that's no problem 'cause ... (see the back-bow problem) ...

Sounds perfect for my noise project!

 

[David Jayne]

I would buy that bass, put the nastiest old set of flats I could find on it, run it through a fuzztone, and play it fingerstyle by the neck, and it would kill.

Word.

 

[Melodicgroove]

Yeah, OK, we get it. You don't like it. We gathered that already. Some do like it. I'd pay $70 for one right now. Does your thought process not allow for that?

It's really hard to get any kind of sound out of those pickups. That was the first mod I made to my Montaya. After that, tuners and then a decent fender style bridge so I could intonate it correctly. It's a blast to play.

 

[Cy_Miles]

My dad had a Silvertone Mosrite copy that SHREDDED!

I did not really appreciate it at the time, thinking of it as a cheap Sears guitar. But in retrospect it kicked butt. It had a neck that anybody who played it liked. And what I thought were "cheapo pickups" were designed by, and were possibly made by Dearmond.

I say you could have a real sleeper.

 

[Bassgrinder77]

Sure. For relic appeal I could maybe see $70. I wouldn't pay it but I wouldn't fault someone else. If nothing else it's an interesting piece of history. It might make funky decor on a basement wall.

Yeah, OK, we get it. You don't like it. We gathered that already. Some do like it. I'd pay $70 for one right now. Does your thought process not allow for that?

 

[bigntasty]

Could be a Kingston / Hagstrom / Teisco / Harmony or other Japanese bass from the 60s or early 70s.

 

[experimental bassist]

Any ideas? the person selling it thinks its from the 70's. Link Removed

No ideas, but I like it. Looks like it's got a trussrod design like a Musicman. Very cool.

Boy, you guys are no fun!

Wow, I hear ya! No love for early Japanese starter instruments? Excuse me while I round up the "Lower middle class bass player" club and bring some life to this party!

Peace!

 

[Bassgrinder77]

I'd be curious if one could get some kind of plucky ticky-tac tone out of them (a-la Dano lipstick) ... I assume those pickups sound pretty thin.

It's really hard to get any kind of sound out of those pickups. That was the first mod I made to my Montaya. After that, tuners and then a decent fender style bridge so I could intonate it correctly. It's a blast to play.

 

[bongomania]

Early 70's Montaya.

Just for clarity, "Montaya" is just one of probably a hundred brand names that it was sold under. The "brand name" on these was just a decal with a name given by any one particular importer.

 

[mjwhit]

The auctions up to NZ$50. Which translates to around $30US. Doesnt close for 6 days though.

 

[bass-flyer]

Here's my '68-'69 Sears Silvertone. My first bass, it belonged to my dad.
The two switches were replaced by my dad, they were white just the ones on the bass in question. (bottom photo)

EDITED TO ADD: you can see where part of the pickguard is missing, see the screw holes?
The thumbrest/tugbar is missing and I bet those aren't the original knobs.
And it's missing the headstock "Slivertone" logo, which was made from some kinda metal, NOT a decal.

Link Removed[/QUOTE]

 

[bass-flyer]

Here's a photo I found years ago, from a 1971 Sears catalog.
The logo on the headstock changed to a circle logo it appears, probably painted on, maybe.

 

[bass-flyer]

Check out this '69, it's for sale. $479.00!!!!!
That case that's included is waaaay better than the one that came with my bass!

Invalid Link Removed

 

[experimental bassist]

Cool stuff bass-flyer!