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Tokai Talbo B135


Happy Jack
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OK, this really IS rare. At £1200 it's not too tempting (to me, anyway) but undeniably something a bit different.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stunning-ultra-rare-Tokai-Talbo-B-135-Bass-Good-original-condition-Alu-body/254651491114?hash=item3b4a69632a:g:pl8AAOSwwshfCyez

My only real criticism is that Tokai really, really should have hired a graphic designer before turning a 12-year-old loose with the Letraset on that headstock.

 

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TBH, in the early 2000s they weren't that uncommon, The UK importers had a load and just about every shop in Denmark Street had one on display. However all the ones I saw in the UK had noticeable casting marks on the body, something I'd not seen on any during my previous trip to Japan. I wasn't impressed with the finish of the ones I'd seen in the UK and ended up buying mine from Ishibashi. I believe @Bassassin bought one of the UK imported models.

As I said when I moved it on, it went back to Japan. It could be the same bass, but my photos were taken about 15 years ago, so even if it is, they will hardly be representative of the current condition of the instrument.

There is a really rare 80s version that I have only ever seen in a Tokai catalogue.

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18 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

TBH, in the early 2000s they weren't that uncommon. 

As I said when I moved it on, it went back to Japan. It could be the same bass, but my photos were taken about 15 years ago, so even if it is, they will hardly be representative of the current condition of the instrument.

 

"I personally imported this bass into UK around 10 years ago, as I don't think they were ever retailed over here."

Fascinating ... it is of course possible that Mike sold the bass back to Japan in 2005 only for another Englishman to re-import the same bass in 2010 but that does seem like one helluva coincidence. And the suggestion that they were never sold in the UK rather undermines the vendor's credibility.

 

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On 27/12/2020 at 10:39, BigRedX said:

TBH, in the early 2000s they weren't that uncommon, The UK importers had a load and just about every shop in Denmark Street had one on display. However all the ones I saw in the UK had noticeable casting marks on the body, something I'd not seen on any during my previous trip to Japan. I wasn't impressed with the finish of the ones I'd seen in the UK and ended up buying mine from Ishibashi. I believe @Bassassin bought one of the UK imported models.

Indeed - still got it. And it came from Denmark St, memory's a bit vague but I think it was Roka's. Casting's not perfect on mine but it was a bit of a bargain & sort of had to come home with me! There were some of the painted body ones there too, the blue was quite pretty.

Nice bass but only ever gigged it once - the hollow metal body is very microphonic, and to get it to not squeal like a piggy meant I had to seriously cut the top/high mids & couldn't get a tone I was happy with.

Nearly sold on here a few years back (unforseen cash emergency) but if I remember right I was talked out of it! However seeing the £1200 tag on this (whether or not it actually exists!) and the fact mine's basically unmarked does mean I could possibly be persuaded... :D

Look. Look at the shiny...

talbofupscale.thumb.jpg.060963a62517605532495682a5fe7845.jpg

 

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9 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Indeed - still got it. And it came from Denmark St, memory's a bit vague but I think it was Roka's. Casting's not perfect on mine but it was a bit of a bargain & sort of had to come home with me! There were some of the painted body ones there too, the blue was quite pretty.

Nice bass but only ever gigged it once - the hollow metal body is very microphonic, and to get it to not squeal like a piggy meant I had to seriously cut the top/high mids & couldn't get a tone I was happy with.

Nearly sold on here a few years back (unforseen cash emergency) but if I remember right I was talked out of it! However seeing the £1200 tag on this (whether or not it actually exists!) and the fact mine's basically unmarked does mean I could possibly be persuaded... :D

Look. Look at the shiny...

talbofupscale.thumb.jpg.060963a62517605532495682a5fe7845.jpg

 

That is gorgeous. I’ve always wanted to try one.

Would look fab with an aluminium Kramer neck.

 

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I had a look at my records and I bought my Talbo Bass in December 2007 from Ishabashi U-Box. It went back to Japan after being advertised on eBay in June 2013. Even allowing for the time that has passed, it was neither bought or sold for anything like the price of this current offering. It cost me just under £500 including shipping, VAT and import duty, and was sold for slightly less. IIRC the ones I saw for sale in the UK were initially being offered for £699.

@Bassassin I recall the painted Talbo Basses from one of the guitar shows in the early 2000s, however I'm pretty sure that some of them had wooden bodies. A fiend of mine has a Talbo Jr Guitar with a salmon pink painted body which he bought direct from the UK distributor, which is definitely aluminium underneath. However it's the only painted Talbo Jr I have ever seen.

I just did a search on Digimart to see what a Talbo Bass would cost from Japan, unfortunately there are none available right now. However it did bring up the EVO Bass which appears to be the latest version and has the partially cutaway body design of the Talbo Jr. However they are not cheap. A quick on-line price conversion comes out at around £2790!

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2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

I had a look at my records and I bought my Talbo Bass in December 2007 from Ishabashi U-Box. It went back to Japan after being advertised on eBay in June 2013. Even allowing for the time that has passed, it was neither bought or sold for anything like the price of this current offering. It cost me just under £500 including shipping, VAT and import duty, and was sold for slightly less. IIRC the ones I saw for sale in the UK were initially being offered for £699.

@Bassassin I recall the painted Talbo Basses from one of the guitar shows in the early 2000s, however I'm pretty sure that some of them had wooden bodies. A fiend of mine has a Talbo Jr Guitar with a salmon pink painted body which he bought direct from the UK distributor, which is definitely aluminium underneath. However it's the only painted Talbo Jr I have ever seen.

I just did a search on Digimart to see what a Talbo Bass would cost from Japan, unfortunately there are none available right now. However it did bring up the EVO Bass which appears to be the latest version and has the partially cutaway body design of the Talbo Jr. However they are not cheap. A quick on-line price conversion comes out at around £2790!

Well unless they have a time machine they didn't import it personally from japan 10 years ago as they claim in the ad.. certainly smells a bit fishy

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Just now, Nibody said:

Well unless they have a time machine they didn't import it personally from japan 10 years ago as they claim in the ad.. certainly smells a bit fishy

They could have done. Not all the photos used in the ad are ones that I took of my Talbo bass, the other photos could be of the bass that is for sale and that one could have been imported as stated. However using photos which are not of the actual bass they are selling is not a particularly good idea, as eBay take a dim view of goods not being as described in the ads. 

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