Kimbara Jazz

[TheGreek]

If the acoustics are anything to go by this may be a bit of a bargain:

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jazz-Bass-copy-KIMBARA-70s-Vintage-made-Japan-Rare-/250877622102?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3a6978b756#ht_510wt_1132"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jazz-Bass-copy-K...6#ht_510wt_1132[/url]

[Mr. Foxen]

Would guess the acoustics might not be made in the same place, branding doesn't mean that much, does look nice though.

[BigRedX]

I've got a Kimbara acoustic guitar. It's pretty crap.

Also all the Kimbara basses I tried when I was a teenager in the 70s were just your low-budget standard Jap Crap. Better than what you'd get shopping at Woolies, but only by a small amount.

[gary mac]

My brother had a twelve string Kimbara that was a very good instrument.

I quite like the look of that Jazz

[nick]

I've got a sunburst Kimbara Jazz copy. It's a good bass, nice player - deep profile 70's style neck, which I like on a jazz.
The pickups & pots were crap, but had them rewound by Wizard, & rewired it with CTS pots.

Edited September 2, 2011 by nick

[Stacker]

[quote name='gary mac' post='1355222' date='Aug 29 2011, 01:46 PM']My brother had a twelve string Kimbara that was a very good instrument.[/quote]

So did the guy in my first band. A lovely instrument with a nice action.

[oldslapper]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='1355217' date='Aug 29 2011, 01:40 PM']I've got a Kimbara acoustic guitar. It's pretty crap.

Also all the Kimbara basses I tried when I was a teenager in the 70s were just your low-budget standard Jap Crap. Better than what you'd get shopping at Woolies, but only by a small amount.[/quote]

I was surprised at how good mine is, it's not crap, and it was for sale.

That bass looks solid enough, I'm getting a hankering for 70's and 80's Jap made guitars.

[BigRedX]

Having had to deal with some pretty awful Japanese "copy" instruments in the 70s I think that sometimes people are a little bit rose-tinted in their view of these, with maybe rather too much hankering for their long-gone youth.

For what my Kimbara acoustic cost back in 1974 in real terms you could now get an outstanding guitar that would out-perform it in every way (and would most likely also have a pickup/preamp system built in).