Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

sarakisof

Member
  • Posts

    36
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by sarakisof

  1. Heh, i see. It's about 150 bucks, will wait and if goes down to 100 or less i will go for it. As you understand, I'm not in a big will for it. 

    I mean, i have found a lovely Cimar XR for that money a year ago, but it's in my brother's home (he picked it up) waiting for me.

    @Bassassin, it will be a nice Cimar thread when i have it in my hands. I'm looking forward to discuss about it, will see what i mean when i will open the thread! Looks identical to yours in an old thread but -maybe- Super P4 or Schaller pickups, will discuss it further when time comes!

    Peace and love to everyone 💜

  2. Hello everyone, found this one locally for little money. Would go for it for a future restoration project but as it is a bit far from my place and my studio is full of them,  i would like to make sure it worths the effort, not the money. 

    Seller claims it is from 80s and that he doesn't know anything else about it. 

    I know pics are crap but don't want to ask him for more pics (neckplate, back of tuners etc.) because if he starts searching about it he could probably change mind and raise price. 😆

    But as he doesn't states something like Japan etc. i think neckplate has no writing. Just guessing.

     

    I am into those old basses, owning many decent ones from that era. Trying to avoid crap ones. Did my research but couldn't find something. From my experience, it isn't one from the good old ones, those you should go. But you never know.

    @Bassassin could maybe help :thank_you:.

    Spots which may help: Control plate and knobs, bottom fretboard/number of frets, truss rod position / truss rod cover (removed).

     

    According to those holes, It could be already cannibalized.

     

    What do you think guys?

     

    IMG_20220426_070642.jpg

    IMG_20220426_070605.jpg

    IMG_20220426_070500.jpg

  3. Really glad, once again, i found another one that seems identical to mine at this site 

    https://best-vintage-guitars.de/morris_moridaira_precision_bass.html

    Apart from colour and knobs all the other specs are the same. Look at the pickup screws (that i was wondering if it were replaced..), they are the same as mine! My bass also weights exactly 4.1kgs and in this site it is mentioned as 4.09kgs!

    @Bassassin is true again indeed, Moridaira. It could also be from late 70s who knows, anyway i felt pretty comfortable  when i saw those pups being identical. 😁

     

     

    morris_moridaira_precision_bass (7).jpeg

  4. Just a last question that could help a bit. @Bassassin: Do you remember what was the pups ohm reading  in your 1984 bass?  Or what are the average resistance for those Moridaira's, are they in the 8-10K or 10-12K plus range?  I got 8.5Kohm and 8.6Kohm in mine.

    I get a sweeeet tone out of this beauty. Was jamming about 4 hours non stop yesterday night. No left hand pain at all, yeah!

    Thanks everyone for helping in this long thread so far. One love.

  5. @Bassassin Yes, i miswrote it. By saying "comes from UK" i was meaning "the sellers on Reverb ads selling those No. 81XXXX come mostly from UK", not the instruments 😁

    Thanks for Moridaira indication, didn't know about those.

    After some easy soldering back broken wire connection and replacing old rusty "Japan" out jack (i did my best to fix it but was totally oxidized and jack's sleeve didn't make contact at all)  with a new Switchcraft one this beauty came to life again revealing its magical world!

    My only wondering, is if those pickups are Japan originals...

     

     

     

    IMG_20210312_020053.jpg

    IMG_20210312_005208.jpg

    IMG_20210312_004940.jpg

    IMG_20210312_000705.jpg

  6. Me too, that's why i care mostly about it. I found another on on Reverb, again from UK.

    https://reverb.com/item/20924101-1981-made-in-japan-precision-p-bass-purple-lawsuit-greco-ibanez-hondo-vester

    Any NoName MIJ with this same label serial number "No. 81XXXX" i have found, comes from UK. I believe there is a good chance someone here knows someone else that owns one. I would be really glad to see if those pups are original.

     

  7. Good news guys, the second (uknown MIJ cream one) bass just arrived. Looks and feels nice. 

    Just some things that make me worry a bit. I had little output with huge buzz, so i opened up the thing to see what's going on under pickguard. Wire from vol to tone pot was broken and actual wire was missing. Only wire endings on the two solder spots was there, like the wire was cut. That's a pretty easy fix for me indeed, but all those made me wonder if anyone was there before me and messed things up. (Usually, in a broken wire situation, you just find the cut wire there, next to the solder spot...).

    Then i realised that comparing to the other same model bass i had found online in my previous posts, the pickup screws in mine were more flat-head - modern type and not the old oval-head style ones. The base seems like old brass one-piece vintage style. No markings, writings anywhere. Also look at the pickup wires, one wire that comes from pickup windings inside has the lettering "CSA TR-64" which i guess is a modern type hook up wire, I don't think it comes from 1981. So, maybe pups have been replaced from previous owner and he messed things up with pots? And they left the brass base untouched? Pots are "Noble" branded.

    Wish i could find someone with same model to compare ohms measurements.

    IMG_20210311_200237.jpg

    IMG_20210311_220623.jpg

    IMG_20210311_222319.jpg

    IMG_20210311_223148.jpg

    IMG_20210311_234243.jpg

    IMG_20210311_235757.jpg

    IMG_20210312_000705.jpg

    IMG_20210312_000659.jpg

    IMG_20210312_000600.jpg

    IMG_20210312_004353.jpg

    IMG_20210312_005154.jpg

    IMG_20210312_005208.jpg

    • Like 2
  8. Wish i could. Seller is far away from my area and will ship it. Asks another 20-30 for packaging and shipping so will cost me about 50€. I'm skeptical because the value of the bass alone is less than shipping 🤣 , the fact that i dont like fretless so much and that i see something wrong about bridge / string / neck position there. Those bridge string holes from the back don't look to be in-line.

    • Like 3
  9. I am back. Are you ready for a long  extended report ?

    So, the first natural bass just landed three days agoI. As expected, it's a Korean Hondo II HJB-2N or Johnny Guitar (the same Samick Hondo HJB-2N model exported in Europe). And as i was guessing, it's not a No Name one, remember my first post when i was saying that the headstock seemed from the pics a bit discoloured? I was true. It's pretty hard from the scratch to tell the brand, but i think it was saying Hondo II there. ☺️ What do you think, Hondo II or Johnny Guitar in a circle?

    The bass was pretty dirty, but it is aged very well. After a full cleaning process, restoration and setup it plays like butter, with lovely oldish tone. 😍 

    If you look and zoom carefully to before - after pics it's like day and night. I removed rust from each every screw using white vinegar, baking soda and Dremel tool, polished hardware with microfiber cloth and Silvo polish, frets using nail buffer, cleaned wood, fretboard and whole thing with damp cloth. Also removed old grease and dirt from tuners, polished, regreased and reoiled with vaseline and light parafin oil when needed. Neck was straight like sword and rod worked from first time. I just made the appropriate little truss rod adjustment by turning a bit clockwise when doing setup for 0.40-0.45 7th fret relief. Low nice action as i prefer it and left intonation for today. This, will probably be a bit hard to do due to double saddle, but will see. Worst case scenario, you must learn to live with things like that when it is about those old beauties. 😁 

    Electronics: when i got it, neck pup and tone pot were completely dead. Turned out to be a broken solder connection on the neck switch leg and a completely missing tone cap! This must something to do with the replacement handmade control plate that previous owner had done. Someone messed things up in there while replacing the old plate. And could also explain the low price (almost free) i gave the instrument for, as was listed as "not working item".🤣 I resoldered the neck pup broken wire connection, searched internet for pics on what caps those Hondos were using and added an old NOS Philips yummy tropical fish 47nF cap i had laying around from a previous Philicorda organ restoration! Cleaned all contacts with isopropyl and sprayed pots with Teslanol T6 for life.

    Body: Some kind of ash or NATO wood (accord. to Samick wiki site). 3 pieces of solid nice wood. A bit in the heavy side, the whole bass weights about 4,9kgs. 

    Neck: Maple, maple fretboard. Nice frets, already rounded (no work needed), zero buzzing at all, easy truss setup that stays solid after strings put on, really dig it.

    Tuners: Seems like they suffered in the past, not the greatest ever, but do their job perfectly. 

    Pups: As the master @Bassassin said, Maxon licenced, unbranded, but comparing with original ones, their specs and measurements online, they must be Maxon's, not just copies. Pretty hot, punchy, but oldish moody groovy sound. Measured about 10.4K and 10.6K. Pseudo humpbacks but single coils, like Maxon's should be.

    Nut: Used an old brass one, don't think it's original, probably added by previous owner. Cannot say i like it too much, gives a metallic tone that my buddy another bassist found awesome for slappy playing. As I'm not that slappy guy, i will change it anyway lol. 

    Have also ordered from ebay new bridge and pup covers, control plate, thumb rest and truss rod cover.

    As you can imagine, i really really really already love this thing, big ups to everyone, Peace.

    PS. More pics to come up.

     

    IMG_20210218_213602.jpg

    IMG_20210218_214911.jpg

    IMG_20210218_215542.jpg

    IMG_20210219_031612.jpg

    IMG_20210219_031620.jpg

    IMG_20210219_041701.jpg

    IMG_20210219_041726.jpg

    IMG_20210220_015828.jpg

    IMG_20210220_045221.jpg

    • Like 1
  10. Yes, true story.  I think this thread has way more to go. Will keep updating when receive and restore them.

    About bridge n pups covers, do you think something like that would fit?

    What about metal material, should i look for a certain kind (chrome, zinc etc) to match the original? What metal did they use back then?

    IMG_20210216_200852.jpg

  11. While waiting for the first bass to come here, i keep digging trying to solve the mystery.

    @Bassassin  Look to what i have found. Johnny Guitar. They share common square heels, narrow backplate (just a sticker that can easily have gone away), pseudo-Maxon pups, tuners etc.

    https://best-vintage-guitars.de/johnny_guitar_jazz_bass.html

    A pic from another Johnny Guitar bass and then a No Name Korean 70s (Hondo Samick). Now that i see it, due to saddle and no name in headstock, it's more close to the second one 😛

    https://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=42&p=1511787

    @Bassassin thank you for your great info on old beauties so far. If you are into those things like me, it's a pleasure reading your posts. Love digging for infos and help too on those pieces of history, more arms on the wheels !

    Alter-E-Bass-Jazz-Johnny-Guitar-vintage-4-Saiter.jpg

    gqgCxXM.jpg

    • Like 1
  12. Hehe thank you guys, hope things turn more clear when receive them. I will keep you updated but they will take time to land here as my friends will visit me only by end of February due to covid limitations.

    I am really anxious to see what is under those monsters!

    Any other info, clue or anything is welcome!

  13. Hello everyone, another MIJ identification nightmare thread.

    Found two unbranded basses for little money the other day. The pics are taken from mate's dad so don't expect much, those are the only ones i have for now.

     

    Bass #1: No Name Jazz bass, Natural finish, probably Japan 70s, Maxon pickups, covers and thumb rest are missing. Factory?  Maybe headstock logo has been erased? Looks like there us a little slight discoloration there or it's the pic. Don't want to bother my friend's dad more with that, so i have to wait still i get it in my hands. 🤣

     

    Bass #2: No Name P bass, MIJ, probably early 80s Lawsuit (I'm not saying the three words 😂) in pretty decent condition in its hard case. For this one i found one and only result identical to my bass in the whole internet world. It's an old sold item from a UK seller / luthier on Reverb. 

    https://reverb.com/item/15045310-vintage-lawsuit-p-bass-1981-made-in-japan-faded-dirty-blonde-with-hard-case

    It's the same as mine, missing covers. I don't think its a Hondo or Vester like mentioned there. What do you think guys?

    Any help would be appreciated. 🙂

    received_759804238246399.jpeg

    received_188052849729846.jpeg

    received_162453605482450.jpeg

    received_419904522576940.jpeg

    received_1185684041890135.jpeg

    received_412393036690716.jpeg

    received_485606616167314.jpeg

    received_3905497096161034.jpeg

×
×
  • Create New...