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Help.... What is this?


Nick Riffed
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I wanted a Bass case for the Bass I built with the grandkids.
Got a secondhand one.
Only problem is it had this in it!

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/f3z5919jdg1xhsp/AAAS6w5kfybuxdZSBYIHUYjCa

Without requesting the obvious to be stated, has anyone got any ideas what it is?

Date stamped on the neck and in the body.
67-31 7
67-24 6
I think it's possibly Japanese, possibly a Morris from the 6 hole neck plate but they only seemed to do a Jazz bass.
Put a cheapo bridge on it but I'm trying to get the correct adjuster screws for the original 2 saddle one pictured.
Odd size adjuster holes.
Fairly large, almost but not quite 4 mm.
The one remaining original knob and the tuners look exactly like period Fender but aren't unstamped.
The pick ups are quite weighty and have a silver 's' printed on the bottom.
The pots are 500k and it has a green capacitor.
Body is split height wise with a thin layer of a light wood sandwiched in the middle.
There are no dot markers on the top edge of the neck.
Apart from a previous owners liking for removing all things detachable, ie. Pick up cover, bridge cover, thumb rest and adjuster screws........
It seems fairly original.
Lots of dinks,  scratches and chips but bags of character.
Doesn't play bad either.
Not bad with the case for £52.00 off of Evil bay.
Thought I could use the parts for a project but it's way too nice to break up.
Genuine road worn.

Edited by Nick Riffed
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[quote name='Nick Riffed' timestamp='1401382916' post='2463095']
I wanted a Bass case for the Bass I built with the grandkids.
Got a secondhand one.
Only problem is it had this in it!

https//www.dropbox.com/sc/f3z5919jdg1xhsp
/AAAS6w5kfybuxdZSBYIHUYjCa
[/quote]
Only problem i had was that the link didn't work. :(

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I had a body like that - Bassassin (Jon) pinpointed the Japanese factory it came from as it was the only one which used that construction (2 piece horizontally split body) and the 6 bolt neckplate - however I've deleted that conversation long ago & can only hope he pops on here again for his advice.

G.

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Thanks all.
Just had a nose on Google's and that is sure what it looks like.
I own Kay!
Who do a thunk it!
As long as I won't be damaging anything of any great worth if I strip the varnish off and practise my carving skills on it, I may have a go.

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[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1401396272' post='2463319']
That's a [s]plywood[/s] multi-laminate neck? I bet that's heavy!
[/quote]

It looks to be a solid hunk of something rather than ply.
Quite stripy though.

Edited by Nick Riffed
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Late to the party but I'm afraid I'm here to pop everyone's balloons.

Unfortunately this isn't a Japanese bass - Kays of this era were Taiwanese, there are plenty of well-preserved examples with a heel-sticker with the model number (KB-24) and "Made In Taiwan". The good news is that there are quite nice ones of these - I've had two, both of them had pretty decent-sounding pickups, one of them had a really good neck with a quality fret-job. Like all low-end basses, quality control was an issue & occasionally a decent one slipped through without anyone noticing.

Geoff's right about Moridaira using the 6-bolt plate, and like most of the construction techniques on this Kay (pancake body, "strip mahogany" neck etc) it's copied from early MIJ construction. Quite a few Japanese factories used the split-body, including Fujigen, and this technique itself was "borrowed" from Gibson, who used it on LPs from (I think) the late 60s.

Jon.

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I had a trashed one - headstock cut back, body ruined, cut to a paddle shape and repaired with car body filler. The pup sounded great, very warm. The wood has gone but the bits remain. Thanks for the gen - I never knew what it was :)

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[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1401488223' post='2464271']
Pancake bodies are a 'Norlin' trait that typify Gibson Lesters from the '70s I think. The late '60s stuff was made more like the earlier Les Pauls.
[/quote]
Cheers for the info - makes sense that it was Norlin era, in retrospect.

J.

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