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I’ve pretty much switched over to shortscales , but make an exception for this. Or when I get that urge to play a Ric.

I’d love to see a shortscale Epi Pro.

Nothing quite like a nice girl with a Samurai and an SVT!

For years I’d go pokin ‘ round the interweb looking for a Flying Samurai , oh you could usually find them for sale in Tokyo , but I didn’t want to brave that. I’d see the occasional one in the US , sometimes one might surface in the UK or Australia. But I was reluctant do deal with international shipping , duties and taxes. And one day I noticed one pop up in Toronto , and I had some cash available in the musical emergency sock … and I got it. It’s much like a Jazz , on steroids. Not too heavy , sits nice on a strap, real good player. This is the long scale reissue , and although I generally play short scales now I make an exception for this darling. We have a little instrumental project coming up , I’ve decided this will be the one . My backup will be another classic Japanese surf bass , my UniVox HiFlier. I’m going retro cool. Been putting some time in on this , and I like it.

Sounds like Canada.

I already have too much stuff , but at that price was tempted to enquire if they might ship to Canada.

Clean break , easy glue job , but have a pro do it.

The drummer was on vacation in the Caribbean. Two rehearsals this weekend , one with the core band and another with the two trumpet players. Next one is Saturday , and then one last one before the first gig. Then the bandleader is off to Quebec for six weeks , and then we start up rehearsals again.

They went after Dean. And won. I would not be at all surprised. I’m really not a fan of companies that rip off older designs , and yet , that said , one of my current favourites to play is an early 70’s UniVox copy of a Mosrite. …. guilty

I’ve been running a Monique preamp into a Bergantino Forte to get much the same effect. It has turned my Forte from modern hifi to old school tube warmth. And I could switch between the two instantly without having to spin many knobs or change too many settings. I had not heard of Sisma. I’ve been reading about them. Thank you!

I’m looking forward to the conclusion.

Better link? I’m frequently trying to determine where/when something might have originated. And haven’t found any good guides for the Korean factories from the 90’s on, they’re confusing too. As are the contemporary Chinese/Indonesian instruments.

This is a nice page about Japanese basses and the various factories. https://spinditty.com/instruments-gear/Japanese-Manufacturers-of-Made-In-Japan-Badged-Guitars-from-1950-to-1980 I recently picked up a UniVox HiFlier , and just love the trashy little thing.

I wish they had more of a presence here. There’s a surprising number of Cdn buyers willing to try international shipping , duties and whatever to purchase their gear.

I’m an old Pbass guy , but mostly play shortscales now. I still have three Pbasses.

The Jr was initially envisioned as a cheap budget Gibson in the late 50’s. No binding , fancy inlays or carved top. And the recent Tribute DC Jr bass followed suit , with a cheap rough finish to keep costs down. No binding , inlays , slab body. This Sandberg with a bolt on neck is about twice the price of the Jr. Despite the lack of binding , inlays or carved top. I imagine the finish is much nicer than what Gibson did.

I usually practice at a very quiet volume , and love playing around with the software and a tablet with the Darkglass e500. I should try Monique through the regular amp input there. Sometimes I do run her through that little GK MB150 combo through the effect return. And sometimes through the Headlite. She’s quite subtle at very low volume. Much of my recent practice time is taken up memorizing a night’s material for a little mostly instrumental project we’re working on. That’s usually done with headphones and that tiny Hotone. I never thought I’d spend the amount of time on that Hotone as I do. Monique shines at rehearsal and gig levels. And completely transforms my hifi Berg head into an old school tube sounding rig. But one with 700 watts at 4 ohms. Or 500 watts with a single cab. And I don’t have to lug around a ninety pound tube head.

This is what Gibson EB0 basses looked like before they switched over to the SG style in 1961. The shape was from the LesPaul Jr guitars that were made after 1958. This looks like an updated take on a classic design to me.

It is pretty pricey.

This is my little corner at the in-law’s , we spend much of our time there looking after my mother-in-law. I have another little practice rig at home , and then there’s the gigging gear … I’m kinda nerdy about amps and stuff. And I’m hooked on kijiji , I’ve picked up some great things there. Last weekend a slightly older Berg cab went for just under $400. That was a deal!

JPJ (I managed to get it for $100 Cdn on kijiji) It’s quite a nice little head , but It’s pretty crammed in there. They should have given it a slightly bigger box , but at the time they were obsessed with miniaturization. The only catch with some SWR amps is that some parts are no longer available , so they can be difficult to repair. That said , they were quite famous for being very reliable , and everything in mine works just as it should. They put a lot of stuff in that little head.

It’s a crime that Gibson discontinued their little DC Jr Les Paul bass , but this pushes many of those buttons despite being a bolt on neck. I’m one that appreciates two knob simplicity and a single big humbucking pickup in the classic sweet spot. And I like the push/pull feature , although I rarely use it on my Jr. I would probably prefer the mahogany body because I love the Jr. I’ve pretty much become a short scale guy , and it’s nice to see something like this. I’m good for now , but wouldn’t be surprised to see one at my door sometime in the future. I like the promise of this bass , and this demo vid is excellent!

I’m back to the practice rig for several days , much of the time will be using headphones and the little Hotone amp , but this morning for a change fired up the HeadLite. It’s not a bad little head , sounds fine at low volume with the little PhilJones C2. Spending a surprising amount of time playing the HiFlier.

I liked the Jr so much I bought an SG. Now the SG is a nice bass , but it’s no Jr.