rorytufano Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) Hi everyone, I've just put down a 10% deposit to take this off the shelf in a London bass shop. *edit: sorry the website says ET 288N 1975. They said ET 280 1971 in the shop Also, images have been removed from website, [b]see 5 posts below for images I took[/b]. Comes with a soft case. [b]Currently at £795[/b] I loved the sound of it and really would like the bass as a replacement for my MM Stringray 2 band. I wanted to ask your opinions on whether the price is a too high though! It is playing really nicely but there a couple of aesthetic problems, nothing major:[list] [*]One chipped tone knob [*]1 tuning peg is non-original and markedly different to the others [*]Missing cover for/over bridge [*]Various bumps, but those are forgettable given its age! [/list] Any feedback would be hugely appreciated since I'm clueless regarding this brand/bass. I walked in and just loved the tone through the Mark Bass rig! - Rory Edited June 2, 2014 by rorytufano Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 ET280's go for a lot less, but I've not seen a 288 to offer any advice sorry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I've bought, loved and sold on a 1975 ET280, strung with heavy flats. The tone for dub and reggae was awesome. Paid In the order of £300 for it, fixed up a few problems, and sold it for a very similar amount a couple of years later. That was three years ago. I think it's too expensive, but it's a shop and they provide a service that online auctions don't. They let you try it before you buy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytufano Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 True, true and it does come with a two year warranty plus full service prior to purchase. From the feedback so far (and my own reading) I might try and bring it down a bit though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 I've no idea how much these are actually worth but if £795 is the price they've got on the tag then you should definitely negotiate it down - their price will never be as low as an ebay or private sale (they do have bills & wages to pay after all) but independent shops are always up for a haggle, it's part of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 The link won't work for me - but I'd think the ballpark for a decent mid-70s Matsumoku Epi ET280 should realistically be about £200 or so. They'e not that rare (The Aria version with the 4-a-side head's a lot scarcer) and they do come up on Ebay/Gumtree from time to time, and I think a few have floated around BC over the years. Can you post a different link, or maybe just the pics? I think the ET288 is a neck-through (owes a little bit to Matsumoku's Rickenfakers, I think) and would probably command a few more quid than a 280. However, considering the condition you've described, £800's wildly over the odds and probably about twice what it's worth. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytufano Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 It is a through neck. Here are some of the shots. I think they've taken the link down since it's now classed as 'reserved'. I took a couple of shots though. [url="http://postimg.org/image/ec1u6lofx/"]Full body[/url] [url="http://postimg.org/image/pkkm84rnh/"]Headstock[/url] (top right key is the odd one out) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 Yep - through-neck ET288 - definitely a little more rare & exclusive than the 280! What's annoying is that the Matsumoku.org site seems to be down at the moment. I did want to check Wunjo's claim that it's 1971 - the Mat site has a catalogue scan featuring this bass, which I think is 1975, which is a more realistic date. Matsumoku instruments prior to 1976 don't have date-related serials, in the case of through or set necks they don't have any, so the only way to establish a date is from literature like catalogues. A bit of digging suggests they were mid/late 70s, later ones should have an SN. Anyway, that's irrelevant to the price - while I might wince at the price tag, this is one seriously rare bass (certainly in the UK) and you might have quite a wait, or search, for another if you pass this one up. However, I would haggle, and haggle hard - when they turn up overseas they're nothing like that sort of money, so it might be worth pointing out to the shop that you'd pay less to buy one from the US & import it! Anyway, found a TB thread about them lots of pics & a bit of info there: [url="http://www.talkbass.com/threads/neck-through-epiphone-newport-embassy-coronet.596452/"]http://www.talkbass....coronet.596452/[/url] J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rorytufano Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 That's some really useful information Bassassin, thanks very much. I'm wondering what to try and get the price down to...tough call! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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