What bass is this and what model is it?

[badboy1984]

I'm a big fan of this Hong Kong band in the early 80's and 90's.

I was wondering what bass is this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULfvZCK3uM

I think is a 5 string Tune but not sure what model is it.

[BassBus]

It looks like a Tune from Japan. This clip gives a better look.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_458ilt6Emc#t=166"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_458ilt6Emc#t=166[/url]

And on the Tune website.

[url="http://www.tuneguitars.com/product/zi74.php"]http://www.tuneguitars.com/product/zi74.php[/url]

[fretlessguy]

Greg Lake played them during ELP's reunion during the same time frame. They started a craze for ergonomic styling a lot of basses from the orient copied. Well made at the that time, but I cannot vouch for them now. They currently do not have a distributer in the states these days. Originally made in Japan, most production is in Korea, or the last I heard. Known for that headstock.

[badboy1984]

Those bass seems to have very slim neck and light weight. Never play one altho i love to try one. Haven't seem one of these in UK before.

[Kiwi]

Looks like a Tune Bass Maniac.

[badboy1984]

It does look like the Tune Bass Maniac but i think the one in the video is a early MIJ Tune bass.

The first video was film in 1991 but he had the bass before that, so i guess is a 80's Tune bass.

Edited October 21, 2013 by badboy1984

[Dingus]

Does indeed look like a Tune. The were high quality basses that had a certain profile in the Far East in the early 1990's , and a few started to filter over here as word spread about how giood they were . I seem to remember that had a couple in the Bass Centre at Wapping and Graham from Wet Wet Wet bought a fretless one , if I recall correctly . I think these basses must be where Bass Collection licensed their designs from .

Edited October 21, 2013 by Dingus

[Musky]

[quote name='fretlessguy' timestamp='1382277557' post='2249942']
Greg Lake played them during ELP's reunion during the same time frame. They started a craze for ergonomic styling a lot of basses from the orient copied. Well made at the that time, but I cannot vouch for them now. They currently do not have a distributer in the states these days. Originally made in Japan, most production is in Korea, or the last I heard. Known for that headstock.
[/quote]

I've got a vague memory (probably wrong) that there was some dispute over the ownership of the name, which resulted in a split in the company and two companies using the name - one in Korea and one in Japan.

As I said, probably inaccurate but there was some bizarre twist to the fate of the company.