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Columbus P bass


AMPEG
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I have a Japanese Columbus P bass and want some info about it. The spec is great on it and it feels like my Fender p bass
It has the serial number 195M and I'd like to know
1. When it was made
2. Is this an early model
3. What sort of prices do these command if selling

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[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1332960752' post='1595614']
I don't think they're worth big money. They were at the time budget basses, made out of plywood.
[/quote] This bass is a natural wood finish tho so it cant be plywood it feels like (weight...its heavy) its made of Alder

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[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1332960914' post='1595619']
Without pics its difficult, but i wouldnt expect to get much more than £100 for it, how much did you pay?

I too believe they are made of plywood?
[/quote] My mate give it to me gratis, so i've cleaned it up. Put a new bridge and chrome knobs on the pots....its really solid virtually like a real precision much better than a squire copy

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I bought one in 1977. It cost me £125 from a shop in Uxbridge Arcade.

Natural wood, chrome pick up and bridge covers, thumb rest, white pick guard, maple neck with black dot fret markers. Lovely instrument as I recall, quite heavy.

I'd like to see pics of your one, shame I've no pictures of mine, long since swapped for a photographic enlarger.

Edited by MSL
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[quote name='Rayman' timestamp='1332956463' post='1595546']
Ahh, my first bass, 30 years ago was a Columbus, a Jazz, not a P bass. Fond memories.
[/quote]

Me too, and almost as long ago! I was in a school rock band and didn't play anything, just sang. When we all finally went our separate ways I bought the bass players bass off him for £30. He'd butchered it and put a couple of Dimarzio P bass pick ups in between the original 2 jazz pickups, one of which didn't work anymore anyway. Years later I restored it back to a proper jazz config with some decent PU's and a mighty mite neck (the original one was becoming severely bowed and the truss rod was shot). It ended up as a present for my niece who was just starting to play in a band. Ironically she's gone the other way and now is a lead vocalist. I think the jazz has finally retired. Still worth less than the sum of its replaced parts! The only other Columbus I've had was a Gibson EB0 copy which i got just to see how I'd get on with short scale basses but it quickly got sold on to another new starter.

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  • 3 months later...

I had a Columbus Jazz bought second hand in the late 1970s, happily I don't have any pictures of it to jog unpleasant memories and I don't recall what happened to it once I got my hands on a Yamaha BB800 (which I still have) in about 1979.

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[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1332960752' post='1595614']They were at the time budget basses, made out of plywood.[/quote]
[quote name='AMPEG' timestamp='1332961785' post='1595633']This bass is a natural wood finish tho so it cant be plywood it feels like (weight...its heavy) its made of Alder[/quote]
A brand name which was used for many years. It's certainly the case that some were plywood/butcher's block, but not all. My first bass was a Columbus Precision, with what initially appeared to be a three-piece body, but was in fact a six-piece body (two layers each with three pieces). Most commonly the examples constructed with larger timbers were Sen (ash), Nyatoh (mahogany), and Agathis.

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This thread is certainly bringing back the memories! When I started playing, the school bass was a sunburst Columbus P copy, with very low action and flat strings. At the time I owned a short scale Eros EB-3 copy so the Columbus felt like a 'real' bass!

I struggled with the low action though and thought there was a fault with it (not knowing anything about setups and adjustable action). Looking back, it was probably quite well set up.

Incidentally, the school bass amp was a Cougar combo - a 1x15 I should imagine.

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  • 9 years later...
On 28/03/2012 at 16:51, AMPEG said:

I have a Japanese Columbus P bass and want some info about it. The spec is great on it and it feels like my Fender p bass
It has the serial number 195M and I'd like to know
1. When it was made
2. Is this an early model
3. What sort of prices do these command if selling

Hi, I’ve just seen your bass for sale, had a play today. I noticed the serial number and remembered it. Neck like a tree but sounded really good

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26 minutes ago, gnarloo said:

Hi, I’ve just seen your bass for sale, had a play today. I noticed the serial number and remembered it. Neck like a tree but sounded really good

 

You sure? The thread's 10 years old!

 

And that's a model number, not a serial.

 

columbusbasses.thumb.jpg.5b5ccc37ba43d9ef352d993225103073.jpg

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Haha. The number strangely stamped on the back of the head. 195 M. I did some Googling after finding it (my first bass in about 1991 was identical so I’m tempted by it) and found this thread, so thought I’d respond to this very old thread just in case it’s former owner was interested. Prices have slightly rocketed since I sold mine for £50 in about ‘93, this one going for £350 now. Solid as a rock, good pickups, no dings. Was quite impressed, thought it might be a bit crap but sounded decent.

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