Wilco

+1 to this. If you didn't want a non Fender P or J, try the Frog configurator. https://public-peace.de/configurator/frog/frog-type (The only thing not quite right about Maruszczyk basses are the slightly rubbish model names! 😆)

So to be clear, this is not a Fender then...?

I'm far too polite to say that your talking out of your derrière 😆 but..... Boutique bass builders by their very nature are low volume & aren't chasing mass sales. I bet a boutique builders profit margins would make Fenders accountants weep though... I don't know how you can measure or even estimate the equating 'the' bass guitar to Fender. I've been a player for 30 years & all I know is that I've never done that. It's a brand, one of many, full stop. If your bass tone is good or what's required in a 'real world' situation, then no matter what you play no-ones going to complain. There are many basses that can do that comfortably as well as & sometimes better than Fender. Wouldn't all basses costing as much as these sound as good? Is there really a duff bass brand at the £1500 - £2000 mark these days? Brand an Industry standard? Once perhaps, but not these days. Again there's too many others to choose from. The standard might well be (or not in fact!) a P or a J, but there's a other brands to choose from with more aesthetic originality or better price vs quality. And there's many a player that would rather play say Warwick, Yamaha, Musicman or a G&L instead. I (& many others I'm sure) would not see a Fender bass as an essential tool to be taken seriously as a player. There's many a factor, both instrument & otherwise, that make up you as a good bass playing candidate. If someone was judging you highly by the presence of a Fender or not, I'd be walking away from them at very high speed! Fender's better at keeping value? - no chance! Market forces of supply & demand & the same old, same old models are factors here. Yes, plenty of new Fenders have sold over the years, which also means there is plenty of used instruments to choose from. Plentiful supply however equals lower prices on anything, & there's not much to differentiate many a P or a J is there so buyers have plenty of choice (proper vintage instruments excepted). My own recent experience? A 2014 Jazz Deluxe (top production model of it's time mind) with a new price of circa £1600, I picked up last year in excellent condition for £950. Then sold I'd for £900 a few months later. Pretty typical & poor asset value retention - certainly not better than other brands. Please don't change your mind - it's good to have an opinion you believe in. But a flip side if you like, for contemplation!

Current band started this time last year & had a mid year wobble with a change of keyboard player, but played first two gigs in December. Spent the previous two years on a project that went nowhere in the end..... 😤

Was that the semi hollow one? Luvverly!

I was eyeing it up from afar, but didn't have the cash at the time. No surprise that it's been sold now!

Don't think this has been posted yet? https://www.public-peace.de/news-archive/2319-bass-guitar-magazine-winner-2017

+49 (0) 2464-907267

Feckin' how much?!?!!!! Wouldn't touch with a barge pole at anything close to that price!

No need - I’ve had confirmation from someone in the FB group that their preamp is the same as mine. Glad it’s all ’stock’ spec!

That's interesting. On the FB SGC group I noticed a few comments about noisy preamps or preamp upgrades. My bass has had all the cavities foil lined which would have meant taking the electronics out - it's not inconceivable that they were replaced at the same time. I'll post about it on the FB group & have a closer look my preamp tonight. Anyone else with a 315 able to take a pic of their preamp?

In comparison it certainly can't compete aesthetically (see pic), the sound is a little 'harsh' & faintly noisy, & whilst playability is good, it's not as good - so a reasonable step down to be honest. Saying that, if I had paid twice what I actually paid for it (which was market rate) I would have still been very happy!! I got exactly what I wanted - a super bass for a very modest outlay. 😁

Bought this from eBay & it turned up on Tuesday. I was after a rehearsal / crap venue bass to protect my Maruszczyk’s from some wear & tear. This fitted the bill nicely as I like old Jap instruments, & the active electronics & 19mm string spacing matched nicely to the M’s. Pleased to report that it lives up to the SGC reputation - great quality, easy to play & sounds excellent.

That looks bloomin' lovely! The spec looks top too (& I prefer a19mm string spacing). I get the impression that new Ibanez's seem to depreciate pretty sharpish though, which would put me off. Definitely a cool looking bass though.

Agreed!!

Mine's 9.2lbs which is heavy, but not by too much.

A fretted one was mine too - back '82 or '83. I'm sooo pleased to have another one & fortunate that it's in such good condition.

So I started this thread when I had two 80's Aria's which I stupidly sold on. Delighted to be a Matsumoku bass owner once more with the acquisition of a fretless 1984 Westone Thunder 1A. It came to me in excellent condition for its age bar a broken toggle switch which I have replaced. My total spend on it is £180 which is ridiculous for an instrument of this quality. People pay £600 - £800 for a similarly aged Fender JV & the like. Bonkers!!

The festive break has finally given me a chance to sort this bass out. Many thanks indeed to Andy above for his advice, guidance & most of all for sending me a new switch FOC - top bloke. The bass is now fully operational as it should be & I love it!

My recently acquired Westone Thunder 1A. Just the job for an occasional fretless noodler like me.

Epic - thank you. A good long read to get through all the posts, but I've started!

So; I do like a bit of 80's Jap bass. A recent acquisition of a Westone Thunder 1A reminded me just how bloody good Matsumoku were at making instruments. Just ridiculous how little you have to pay to get one of those. The information on the Interwebs is pretty good for that manufacturer. I decided recently that I needed a 5 string rehearsal / sh*t venue bass to protect my Maruszczyk's a little, & started to think something 80's Jap would be ideal. Unfortunately there were never any 5 string Westone's produced so started to look at other brands & the original Bass Collection instruments looked just the job. 19mm string spacing like my Maruszczyk's too. Accordingly, an SB315 purchased from eBay is now winging its way to me to arrive in a couple of days. i've googled to try & find out more about the manufacturer, but haven't come up with much (Nanyo Boeki anyone?). Not much on BC or Talkbass either. Plenty of love for the basses, but not much about the manufacturer. Anybody got any historical nuggets of information to satisfy my idle curiosity?

Ooh, nice. That is a very smart looking bass.