HansonFerrari Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Hey guys and gals,old member from before the name change(was that really 5/6 years ago?!) Looking for a little help from your wealth of knowledge., Im trying to find the original details of this bass, any details would be amazing. I'm looking to refurb it e.g. New tuners, Nut, Pickups, Bridge My aunt brought this P Bass to ,my house after her husband had finished a house clearance I've attached some photos to help out ---- What I know[list] [*]Its heavy as hell [*]There is no decal on the Headstock [*]Truss rod plate is missing at the top [*]Says made in Japan on the back plate [*]It has holes drilled for a pickup cover, Bridge cover and finger rests, like the older fender basses had [*]The tuners are awful [/list] What I'd like to know[list] [*]The Make/manufacturer [*]What type of Pick up that is, and are there any similar ones i can replace it with today? [*]If i can fit a badass bridge [*]If i can fit a dropD tuner [/list] Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Looks like an old Ibanez or maybe it was labelled Antoria. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansonFerrari Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 Thanks for the quick reply, I've had a quick search for both, but none of them seen to have the strap button under the top horn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Could it be a Satellite? I'm guessing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junkyard Rocket Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 (edited) Looks like it has a plywood body as the dark edge of the sunburst extends further over the forearm contour where the edge of laminates would otherwise be exposed. Edited May 6, 2013 by Junkyard Rocket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 [list] [*]The Make/manufacturer - japanese, if bassassin was still around he would be able to tell you what factory it came out of.. but as it is, 70's japanese stuff. More likely satalite than ibanez if you know what I mean, [*]What type of Pick up that is, and are there any similar ones i can replace it with today? Not a clue. Hows it sound? [*]If i can fit a badass bridge - you could - your bridge would possibly be worth more than your bass but it could work. [*]If i can fit a dropD tuner - ahh the bass might be worth a wee bit more than the D tuner. Bare in mind that you'll have small diameter almost guitar size holes for the tuner. [/list] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 (edited) The pickup is very like the type used on Ibanez, Aria Diamond, CMI etc. I think they were by a company called Maxon. There were many basses out there with this type of pickup however and the neck looks like its a laminate of some kind. There would have been a chromed metal truss rod cover on at some stage. Is there evidence of any small holes where a logo badge could have been attached on the fascia? Some early MIJ instruments had a raised plastic logo including Top Twenty, Audition even Ibanez. Edited May 6, 2013 by ash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Yes, back in the early to mid '70's my school band bought one very similar, but with a solid neck instead of the laminate neck. I think its brand name was "Ventura" or something like that. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but any replacement/refurb/upgrade parts are probably going to cost more than the bass is worth. Try to make it playable as is by simply cleaning it up, setting it up, and carefully reinstalling strings so that the tuners work as well as they can. If you got a good one, it will stay in tune and sound reasonably well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 At first glance I thought it was a Fuji Gen (the company that made Ibanez, Antoria and others) as well. But it has a lot of details I've never seen on a Fuji Gen bass. The 6 bolt neck for a start. Moridaira made a lot of instruments with 6 bolt necks, so that's a possibility. And Kay made the KB-24 with a 6 bolt and stripwood neck, but they were made in Taiwan and didn't have the Maxon pickup. So I don't really have a clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jono Bolton Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1367872752' post='2070557'] Could it be a Satellite? I'm guessing. [/quote] My guess also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 I going for an uncle Mat (matsumoku) as they consistently stamped the made in japan bit on their neck plates. Also they messed about more then fuji used to. We really need Jon back here don't we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblueplanet Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Doesn't look worth refurbishing to me. Just spruce it up and make the best of what it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 I was given one of these as my first bass, my cousins fella found it in a garage. Someone had hand-painted a Fender logo on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BetaFunk Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 [quote name='HansonFerrari' timestamp='1367866346' post='2070445'] Hey guys and gals,old member from before the name change(was that really 5/6 years ago?!) Looking for a little help from your wealth of knowledge., Im trying to find the original details of this bass, any details would be amazing. I'm looking to refurb it e.g. New tuners, Nut, Pickups, Bridge [/quote] Both Ventura and FujiGen have been mentioned. I had a Ventura guitar that was FujiGen so maybe start your search there. There are plenty of vintage Japanese guitar forums with many people knowledgeable on the subject. I still have a few Japanese guitars and basses that i know little of where they were made but it sometimes takes time to find out. That's half the fun as is playing them. Spend as little money as you need to make it playable and enjoy it for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted May 7, 2013 Share Posted May 7, 2013 Jon (Bassassin) told me that the 6 bolt neck was indicative of Moridaira as is a body made up of a back slab & a front slab glued together so there is a seam around the outside edge of the body - I had one - check for that. G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Looks like it's made entirely from plywood (even the neck). It's definitely a very cheap copy, probably 80's or earlier. 6 bolt neck seems a little odd. I have an old 80's satellite Les Paul copy that's kind of similar - Cheap materials and parts, cheaply made. Not worth much, but might as well keep it around if it plays alright, or give it to some kid who wants to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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