Elmaya Rickenbacker Copy. Information needed!

[Golder7]

Hi all!

My Dad has recently got back into playing Bass live and has asked me if I could find some information out on his Elmaya Rickenbacker copy Bass. He bought it in October 1979. The receipt which he still has states "Elmaya Rick Bass" With the numbers "508 72". As I'm sure you can all appreciate we really do not know much about this Bass. We do know that Elmaya made lots of copies back in the 70s, including strats and tele's.

Any information any one can provide will be greatly appreciated!

[attachment=58669:downloadfile.jpeg] [attachment=58670:downloadfile_1.jpeg] [attachment=58671:downloadfile_2.jpeg] [attachment=58672:downloadfile_3.jpeg]

Steve

[Happy Jack]

Have you trawled through the "RickenFakers" thread in the "EBay Links" section?

You should find more information than you can handle.

[Golder7]

I haven't no, thanks! I shall look over there now!

[Bassassin]

No need to go over there.

El Maya and Maya were brand names owned by the Rokkomann trading company based in Kobe, Japan. The brand and company names are derived from mountains local to Kobe. It's thought (but unconfirmed) that Rokkomann had their own factory in Kobe which produced these instruments, as well as OEM rebrands for various importers all over the world. It's also suggested that this factory was destroyed in the Hanshin earthquake of 1995, but clearly this is unconfirmed too. Rokkomann is still trading but no longer produce Maya & El Maya guitars.

It's generally accepted that El Maya was Rokkomann's high-end brand and Maya was the budget range, however high quality guitars appear with the Maya brand as well as the more mass-market stuff. There doesn't appear to be any budget-level El Mayas. As well as copies of popular US instruments, the El Maya range included some very exotic original designs, such as these:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=52746"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=52746[/url]

[attachment=58691:El_Maya_..._cutting.jpg]

Maya/El Maya were one of the few Japanese manufacturers to build unbound/dot-neck 4001S copies, this is the first black one I've seen, as far as I can remember all the others have been natural finish. These are very good quality basses, & the differences between these & the genuine articles are pretty negligible - it will have a single truss rod rather that the 2 in a real Rick, and the fretboard wood is darker than the original. Sound-wise they tend to be quite authentic and often Rickenbacker copy components (the tailpieces particularly) are significantly better quality than the American-made originals. But don't tell that to a Rickenbacker owner.

As you will have seen by now, here on BC we've spent a good few years scouring Ebay, the web & beyond for vintage JapCrap Rick copies, and a natural finish El Maya 4001S, identical to your dad's apart from the colour, holds the record for the highest price achieved in an Ebay auction, at £656. For this reason I'd strongly recommend looking after this bass, don't alter anything ([u]especially[/u] the logo!) and keep it in good condition.

Jon.

[Gust0o]

That's a very nice bass.

I've been showing my dad a few licks on the bass. It's a very rewarding part of the relationship, so I think it's very cool that your dad is a player.

[nick]

[quote name='Bassassin' post='954945' date='Sep 13 2010, 03:48 PM']....For this reason I'd strongly recommend looking after this bass, don't alter anything ([u]especially[/u] the logo!) and keep it in good condition.[/quote]

+100 - cherish that bass.
I had a 70's Maya 4001S copy. It was beautifully made, total quality & great sounding.
Unfortunately, I don't get on with Rickenbackers, but it did sell for a very good price, with many offers.