Ventura Jazz Bass

[Donnyboy]

I've been given a hot tip that I could get my hands on a " dirt cheap" Ventura Jazz Bass, in need of some work.

Is it even worth bothering about, my suspicion is that it might be a bit of old rubbish.

[hamfist]

Many Ventura basses were make at the Matsumoku factory in Japan, which will be high quality. Whether it's still high quality will depend on the abuse it has received in the meantime !
Look for a "made in Japan" on the neck plate (if it's bolt on). If it's there, I'd say the chances are very very high that it is a Matsumoku-made bass.

[Donnyboy]

Why thank you - I've just been doing a bit of Googling. Some seem to say they are real cheap & nasty others reckon they are quite good.

I need to find out a bit more, but I reckon it's been well abused/neglected.

[Dazed]

I recently got hold of one. It's mint condition so either hardly ever been out of a case, unlikely as it came to me in a bin bag, no really 😄, or it's almost new.

No Japan label on this one. It's not too bad as it goes. Action very high and even with a neck shim can't get it where id like it......yet!
The build quality is good not bad frets, neck seems to be somewhere between a jazz and a precision although its a jazz copy.

Lets see some pics of your potential one

[hamfist]

I'm no expert on this, but even though many "Ventura's" were built at Matsumoku, I guess it's possible that a later cheaper range were built elsewhere.

In my experience, Matsumoku-built basses do tend to have "Japan", "or "Matsumoku" written on them somewhere though.

[Bassassin]

The Ventura name was used recently on some new low-end cheapies being sold through Ebay a couple of years ago - there's every probability that thiis is what it'll be. Probably worth £30.

A few points about old Jap Jazzes and Venturas. Ventura was a brand name owned by distributor C. Bruno in Chicago, and Japanese Venturas were never exported to the UK. There will be one or two floating around so you can't rule it out but it's highly unlikely this will be one. Always worth remembering that 70s Japanese J copies almost always have block position markers, 99% will say "Japan" on the neckplate or somewhere in the hardware - and lots of them weren't very good.

Jon.

[Donnyboy]

Well, I'll never know whether I've missed out on something good, bad , or so what.

I heard today via the friend of a friend etc who was selling that it's gone.

Asking price was " about £25". Oh , it had no strings or control knobs, and something else,unspecified, wrong with it.

Thanks for the reply's.