pjbass Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 I've done some research and have seen a few around on Ebay (mostly imports), but have never heard one. Does anyone have any experience with the late 70's / early '80's models? Any advice would be great! I saw one for sale in Singapore that looked gorgeous... It got sold tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 No I dont know much either but that one is mighty purdey..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbass Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 [quote name='The Burpster' post='201555' date='May 18 2008, 03:13 PM']No I dont know much either but that one is mighty purdey..... [/quote] Isnt it - The pictures from the back showed a really prominent wood grain. MMmm, I'm on a mission to find something similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 First thing to remember here is that like many other famous brands, Greco's just a name. What this means is that you can find the exact same instruments labelled with different brand names. Greco's owned by Kanda Shokai, and is predominantly a Japanese domestic brand - which is why they seldom turn up over here, and I don't think they were ever "officially" imported to the UK & Europe. Two factories were responsible for the 70s Greco output - Fujigen Gakki & Aria/Matsumoku, both of which produced very high quality instruments. An interesting detail is that Kanda was, and continues to be, one of the partners in Fender Japan - and until the mid 90s, MIJ Fenders were built at Fujigen. 70s copy-era Grecos are often identical to Ibanez copies from the same era, since Ibanez was built by Fujigen. Similarly, the Antoria brand, owned by a UK distributor, was identical to the Ibanez range, even down to the model numbers. Precision copies with UK market brands like CMI, CSL, Cimar, Arbiter, Grant, Eros, and various others often seem to be sourced from Matsumoku or Fujigen (importers would presumably utilise the factory offering the best deals, so it's not consistent) and will often be significantly cheaper than the "big name" Japanese brands, despite being identical. There were various other factories which produced very high quality instruments like Kasuga, Moridaira, Maya - but be aware that all of the builders at the time built to various levels of quality, depending on the customer's requirements - so it's important to get as much info as possible before buying, and preferably to see/play the bass in question. Keep an eye on the JapCrap thread in the Ebay board - decent P copies do come up quite often. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbass Posted May 18, 2008 Author Share Posted May 18, 2008 Wow, a wealth of knowledge. Thanks for the big post Jon. I had no idea about most of that - esp. the western brands bit! I guess im looking at Grecos because i heard a "super real" strat-copy from the same era. The tone was [u]really[/u] sweet - and that if i could find a p-bass similar i'd be stoked. I'm probably looking for a simple answer in a big topic, but, what's a faithful p-bass copy from that era? Will the domestic market brands be a safer bet in terms of quality? [I'll definitely keep an eye on the thread] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul, the Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I like Greco basses, you do sometimes see them on UK ebay. The 'Greco' badge is very attractive, and I love the zany names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 [quote name='pjbass' post='201600' date='May 18 2008, 04:44 PM']what's a faithful p-bass copy from that era? Will the domestic market brands be a safer bet in terms of quality? [I'll definitely keep an eye on the thread][/quote] Most of them were pretty convincing looking - although on earlier ones you'll find some funny little idiosyncrasies, like plastic or metal truss rod covers if the rod adjusts at the head, and Gibson-type nuts were very common. I have a pre-75 Ibanez P which has both of these features. Domestic brands are certainly more common - but quality (& here I mean mostly construction materials) is variable depending on the model. Some brands like Avon, Satellite etc catered more to the low-end market so these will tend to be ply bodied. However I would say you seldom see a duff neck on old Jap basses - possibly this is because they're 30+years old, and the crap ones have long since been flung into landfills! Another good thing about them is that they are fairly collectable now - if you buy one & it's not for you, it's very unlikely you'll lose money selling it on. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbass Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 Cool - natural selection for basses. I guess im going to start saving then , im still annoyed i missed that bass up the top. Does anyone know what wood it might be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 [quote name='pjbass' post='202882' date='May 20 2008, 02:32 PM']Cool - natural selection for basses. I guess im going to start saving then , im still annoyed i missed that bass up the top. Does anyone know what wood it might be?[/quote] Looks like ash to me. Very nice finish - never seen anything like that on a P before. There's this popped up on Ebay: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260242196526"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=260242196526[/url] Although personally I think it's a little steep, & I'd prefer to see the pickup & bridge, and be assured it wasn't going to be ply under that sunburst. Don't know if you'd consider P-style Japcrap that wasn't a straight copy, if so, there are two Ibanez Blazers: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=320254165971"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=320254165971[/url] [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Blazer-Precision-Bass_W0QQitemZ330237593874"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ibanez-Blazer-Precis...emZ330237593874[/url] And a Roadster: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180244180497"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=180244180497[/url] Blazers & Roadsters have great reputations, in fact plenty of people on here have, or have had them. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennysFord Posted May 20, 2008 Share Posted May 20, 2008 (edited) if it helps i have an '81 Ibanez blazer and an early 80's mij Riverhead 5 string bass.the build quality on both is top drawer.The Ibanez has been hot-rodded somewhat but its amazing,i love it.it feels just right and the tone.......i'd better stop now. providing the one you go for is in good nick im sure you'll be happy. edit, if i had the spondoolies i'd buy that CMI in a heartbeat.very nice. Edited May 20, 2008 by kennyrodg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjbass Posted May 20, 2008 Author Share Posted May 20, 2008 thanks guys, and thanks for the links. I probably am looking for a faithful p-copy (shallow i know) but it's definitely something that will have to be done fairly soon. The Aria II Primary's always looked good to me. I may have to hold out til the right one comes my way. I'll definitely be checking it out with you guys before i do it - i'm not sure i'd be able to spot a plywood body Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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