Kawai FIIB / F2B Early 80s £1250 Valencia (Spain)

[1966powers]

Up for sale, a 1980 Kawai F-II B, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. 1450 €

This rare, expertly-crafted Kawai clearly takes its design cues from Alembic, featuring maple/mahogany neck-through construction, maple/koa body wings, and active electronics, including the four-way rotary pickup selector only seen on the earliest F-II Bs.

Each humbucker is powered by its own 9v battery, dynamic and immediate with great upper-midrange burp, and the bass benefits greatly from the articulation, immediacy and roundness of the active electronics. The bridge pickup has a potent sound with enough nasally top end attack to cut through when needed and provide the necessary presence. With both pickups engaged, there are a myriad of subtle variations via the three-way Tone Character toggles, and the interaction between both pickups and tone switches provides many of the most pronounced and thumpy sounds the bass has to offer. The mini toggles are essentially midrange boost/cut controls, neutral in the middle position. At the neck, the bass has a certain softness and breadth, with a pillowy low end that sits well in a mix, and the fourth position on the rotary pickup selector is a mute/kill switch.

 

Neck Specs:

Wood: Maple/mahogany (five-piece)

Shape: Slender C

Fretboard: Rosewood slab, dot inlay

Frets: Medium jumbo.

Scale Length: 34”

 

Body Specs:

Wood: Koa /maple

Pickups: Humbucker x2

Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, “Tone Character” three-way mini-toggle x2, four-way rotary Pickup selector

Hardware: Rugged brass toplader bridge

Original rectangular case. Worn but still functional.

 

Shipping at the buyer's expense. Open to possible trades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Friday at 17:46 by 1966powers

[briansbrew]

The images are a bit low resolution, can you upload any more sharper ones please

[1966powers]

Of course! Tomorrow I'll take photos in natural light and update them all.
They were taken with artificial light.

[1966powers]

20 hours ago, briansbrew said:

The images are a bit low resolution, can you upload any more sharper ones please

Let's see how the pictures look now...

[briansbrew]

2 hours ago, 1966powers said:

Let's see how the pictures look now...

Thats much better thanks 

[TheGreek]

Got the same bass - MONSTER tones!!! 

 

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by TheGreek

[Raslee]

What’s the weight please? 

[1966powers]

Yes. The most incredible thing is the combination of possibilities with the switches and the three-position control that combines the pickups. It has very good sustain due to the solid bridge and the strings through the body.
A very, very interesting bass, really.

 

3 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Tengo el mismo bajo: ¡¡¡Tonos MONSTRUOSOS!!! 

 

 

 

 

[1966powers]

3 hours ago, Raslee said:

What’s the weight please? 

I don't have a scale handy...but comparing it to a jazz bass next to me I'd say between 4.200 and 4.300 kg.(9,25-9,47 lb)