Another Japan made (Matsumoko) re-build? 70's / 80's Jazz bass

[Marc S]

Following on from my cheap P bass quickie re-build a few weeks back,
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/270736-not-so-much-a-build-diary-as-what-you-can-do-in-an-afternoon-p-bass-re-build/page__fromsearch__1

I decided to finally start on a similar sort of project. A Japan-made Jazz bass from the 70's or 80's
Now this one was super cheap! My lad bought it a few years back, from a colleague of his, and he only paid a tenner for it!
I realised it was a Japan made bass, probably from the 80's or more likely the 70's, due to the engraved neck plate

However, the neck is clearly a replacement. The body has a channel / slot for heel adjustment,
but the trussrod in this neck is accessed from the headstock end. The body is rather chipped and a bit scratched & chipped here & there, but I'm not concerned about that. It's an old bass, after all
The binding is sound and the frets down the bottom end have a bit of wear & tear - but they're OK...

Since the photos, I sanded the headstock, and opened the holes for the tuning keys (I bought a cheap set of Squiers, which were too wide for the holes) the tuners it came with were clearly added later. My lad had done nothing with the bass at all - except lose the control knobs.
When sanding the headstock, I was hoping to discover the name the previous owner had clearly tried to cover, by chipping away at the logo, and adding something else.
However, I was a bit too quick with the sander! and couldn't see anything apart from bits of what must have been letraset

If someone can identify what parts are by what manufacturer, or brand, I'd be most greatful
it'd be nice to know the provenance of the parts - particularly that neck.

Photos when I can get imgur to work again

[Marc S]

Can't seem to get the images from imgur (again)
anyhow, here's a link to the imgur album - which should work, hopefully

[url="http://imgur.com/a/iAxkg"]http://imgur.com/a/iAxkg[/url]


Edit, as soon as I had finished that last P bass project
I advertised it for sale on a facebook group. I was really pleased with the bass
and it sold the same day - with several further enquiries about the bass
Before the buyer (a guy I know) collected it - I told him I'd do a band rehearsal and an open mic night with it
He was happy with that, and agreed that it was a test for the bass

Anyhow, I really liked it even more. And I found it quite liberating, to play a gig with something that only cost you a few quid
Since then, it has made me want to get something similar - good enough to gig with
but something I wouldn't mind taking to "certain" venues

Edited October 22, 2015 by Marc S

[Marc S]

Ah, now Imgur is working as it previously had




Would like to identify that neck! The trussrod adjuster is at the wrong end for it to be original to this bass
Someone may well be able to identify it via the blocks, binding, and that shaped metal trussrod cover?

[Marc S]

I do like the colour and grain of the wood


I also like the blocks & binding on the neck, and the colour & grain on the fretboard
though there are a couple of small "gouges" in the surface....


There is a small gap around the heel of the neck, in the neck pocket
But the neck seems to be very securely attached. I realiss the neck plate is upside down, and haven't yet taken the neck off
The trussrod seems to work - I won't remove the neck just yet, as I want to check the trussrod is fine first

[Marc S]

Anyone recognise the origin of this neck?

[HowieBass]

Looks like a neck from a Columbus bass - look at this image http://guitar-auctions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/lot0108.jpg

[Marc S]

[quote name='HowieBass' timestamp='1445891326' post='2895154']
Looks like a neck from a Columbus bass - look at this image [url="http://guitar-auctions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/lot0108.jpg"]http://guitar-auctio.../05/lot0108.jpg[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for that HowieBass. It does look very similar
Funny thing, the 1st bass I ever sat down a played for any time was a Columbus Jazz
But it was more like a Fender neck, with no plate in that position.
You could be right, as I said, as I was sanding, I tried to see what was underneath the daub of black paint
Although I had gone too far too quickly with the sander, it did look a bit like a C or a G at the start of what was left of the name

Cheers
Marc

[HowieBass]

My first bass was a Columbus Jazz as it happens and I seem to remember that it didn't have any kind of truss rod cover, plus it had Fender style tuners - however I think the instrument I linked to might be an earlier version and they possibly came from different factories too.

[Simon.]

Going slightly O/T here, but has anyone ever used the Guitar-Auctions site Howie linked to? I just had a quick look at the catalogue for the next auction (10th Dec), and while there's not much bass content but, going but the estimate prices, there appears to be some very good deals to be had on some of the acoustics and Fender Japan electric guitars.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Simon.