Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

csl jazz bass


mazza7
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

I bought a CSL Jazz Bass slightly more than 30 years ago. Due to a financial pinch at the time I had to sell my Fender and downgrade. I was pleased with the general build, tone and quality of it. As the years have gone by it has grown to be a serious favourite in my collection. More expensive bass guitars have arrived to share time with it, but I frequently return to it for familiarity and its unique tone. I was recently able to buy a second one with a similar vintage on it... and didn't hesitate. Great Bass all round.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I found a picture of myself playing my CSL in about 1983 .... [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/92145742@N08/8368891714/in/photostream/lightbox/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/92145742@N08/8368891714/in/photostream/lightbox/[/url]

Edited by Dr_Bass
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 years later...

Resurrecting an old thread:

CSL were the brand of Charles Summerfield Ltd. The instruments were made at FujiGen but they're not merely rebranded Ibanez. Summerfield had his own ideas about construction and, especially electronics, and FujiGen built the guitars to his specs quite apart from the Ibanez lines.

Naturally, Ibanez then nicked a fair number of his ideas.

I owned both a sunburst CSL Telecaster guitar and an off-white CSL Jazz bass around 1974 / 75. They held their own with just about anything that Gibson and Fender were producing at the time.

If I could find another (or a German Hoyer from the same era - which were astonishing, especially their Ric 4001 copy) I'd buy it in a flash.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've used a CSL Jazz as my main bass since finding it for £60 in a local pawn shop, about 13 years ago. I'd intended to hose it down & flip it for a profit, but was seduced away from that idea by the fact it had the nicest neck of any bass I'd ever picked up.

I'm usually quite an anorak about original spec on vintage MIJ instruments but admit this one's been modded, just a bit.

[url="https://postimg.org/image/1937vv0s0b/"][/url]

I'd be intereseted in seeing pics of your CSL Jazz & Tele, if you have any. The brand is of interest to me because I'm a bit of an MIJ nerd and always assumed that CSLs were ordered through Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez parent company) alongside Ibanez, as C. Summerfield Ltd was UK importer for Ibanez at the time. Interestingly, most (if not all) the CSLs I've seen - including my bass - are rebranded Cimars, the majority of which were absolutely not Fujigen builds. Cimar was another brand owned & distributed by Hoshino, and there is a bit of shared DNA between late 70s/80s Ibanez & Cimar, and as a consequence, CSL too.

The little I can find about Charles Summerfield Ltd suggests that the company was a successor to Summerfield Brothers - whose own brand was Sumbro. I can't find any confirmed time periods for either of the companies, but Sumbro instruments (which appear to be budget Chushin Gakki builds) are typical early/mid 70s, while most of the CSLs I've seen appear to be "post lawsuit" - which is to say the copy instruments have re-styled headstocks, which is typical of instruments made after 1977. It may be that the CSL & Sumbro brands ran alongside each other as upper & lower quality tiers, much like Rose-Morris' Avon & Shaftesbury brands. Sadly there aren't enough examples around to be able to draw informed conclusions!

My bass has no serial or dateable pickup/pot codes but it has the headstock shape of the Mk 1 Ibanez Blazer, which dates from 1980. Later versions of the same bass (both CSL and Cimar) have the subsequent, better known Blazer/Roadster-style headstock, so it's fair to assume these are 1980 or later.

[url="https://postimg.org/image/1cyb9xglez/"][/url]

Do you have any other info about Summerfield & their involvement with design?

Edited by Bassassin
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I've a CSL Jazz bass which I obtained for £30 in 1985.

Neck is maple on maple with black block inlays and binding.

Body is ply, solid black.

Tortoiseshell pickguard

Neckplate stamped 'Made in Japan'.

CSL logo in mother of pearl on headstock.

Like Bassassin's specimen, the neck on mine is the best I've ever played in 37 years.

They were a common sight in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK when I was growing up. A friend of mine had one which had stacked pots like the original Jazz Bass. The headstock shape used to vary a little but the rest of the specs were a dead ringer for a '72 Jazz.

It's stood the test of time and is a phenomenal bass.

Short of lashing out circa £2,000+ on an original Fender '72 Jazz there really isn't a better option than a CSL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
  • 2 years later...

812F54B4-A510-4BA1-83E1-7C8D5283E161.thumb.jpeg.7567cff768e46e4ac301494c14cded69.jpegI have a CSL that has been with me for over 25 years, not pretty, extremely heavy mahogany body (I believe) but stunning to play with a full range from soft low blues to funky high end, this bass will be with me forever, hangs pride of place in my office alongside a 1959 Framus Star bass, all a bassist needs. 

Edited by Paul Metcalf
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Paul Metcalf said:

812F54B4-A510-4BA1-83E1-7C8D5283E161.thumb.jpeg.7567cff768e46e4ac301494c14cded69.jpegI have a CSL that has been with me for over 25 years, not pretty, extremely heavy mahogany body (I believe) but stunning to play with a full range from soft low blues to funky high end, this bass will be with me forever, hangs pride of place in my office alongside a 1959 Framus Star bass, all a bassist needs. 

 

Looks like that's had the original transparent brown stripped & the mahogany lacquered or oiled - looks great, really brings the grain out. Could be tempted to do that with mine...

 

Since my old pics are long-gone, this is the beast.

 

CSLresize2.thumb.jpg.e8dca20e4a51b06f14bdb91343cdf9ab.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah it was looking old and worn so I had it stripped and lacquered and I was really surprised how stunning the mahogany was underneath the old paint. 
You’re right they are beasts and a 2 hour gig really takes it out on my shoulder but the tone is amazing for an old cheapy bass.

yours looks really nice like that, I love the chrome hardware.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...