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Cimar Jazz Basses


kevbass
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Basswise I can only go off what I've heard, good quality stuff from Ibanez. If you can find a nice jazz for instance at a good price, I'd jump on it. In fact, I've been on the look out for one myself for some time.

I [i]did[/i] have a Cimar lead guitar many years ago, and it was really very very nice indeed. Well made, great player and a great sound. I seem to remember it being a version of the Roadstar.

If one comes up on the bay, you'll have to fight me for it :) .

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They sound bloody great - i still have one but its no longer got the original p/ups. The originals had rounded ends and were not square ended like regular Jazz p/ups. If its reasonable nick, get it. Same goes for any CSL jazz bass too. Made by the same factory as Cimar for the UK market ( Charles Summerfiled Limited )

Edited by fleabag
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Looks like a job for Captain JapCrap... :)

Cimar. Depends on the bass - got any pics or anything?

Cimar was associated with Ibanez in the late 70s & 80s, but the official line is that the "copy era" Cimars weren't connected to Hoshino (Ibanez's parent company) - and by the looks of them came from a different factory.

I had a 70s Cimar J, it was OK but not great, plywood body, quite a nice neck, round-end pups, 2 saddle bridge. It couldn't compete with my CSL Jazz (more on that later) so it went - as it happens a long-ago Bassworld member who went by the name of Bonzo ended up with it, he's still using it as a test-bed for various projects & modifications so it must have something!

Anyway, like most Jap brands from this era, they sold different spec versions of each instrument, so there will have been more "upmarket" variations available at the same time.

The CSL Jazz I have is identical to later Cimar Jazzes from about 1980, built at Fujigen Gakki, after Hoshino/Ibanez started using the brand:

[attachment=15345:cimarflyer.jpg]

Notice the Ibanez Blazer-shaped headstocks. If the Cimar you're looking at is one of these - go for it. My CSL Jazz is, I think, the one bass I'd rescue from a burning house - and that's a [u]lot[/u] of other basses going up in smoke!

Jon.

Edited by Bassassin
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[quote name='Bassassin' post='317805' date='Oct 29 2008, 06:03 PM']Looks like a job for Captain JapCrap... :)

Cimar. Depends on the bass - got any pics or anything?

Cimar was associated with Ibanez in the late 70s & 80s, but the official line is that the "copy era" Cimars weren't connected to Hoshino (Ibanez's parent company) - and by the looks of them came from a different factory.

I had a 70s Cimar J, it was OK but not great, plywood body, quite a nice neck, round-end pups, 2 saddle bridge. It couldn't compete with my CSL Jazz (more on that later) so it went - as it happens a long-ago Bassworld member who went by the name of Bonzo ended up with it, he's still using it as a test-bed for various projects & modifications so it must have something!

Anyway, like most Jap brands from this era, they sold different spec versions of each instrument, so there will have been more "upmarket" variations available at the same time.

The CSL Jazz I have is identical to later Cimar Jazzes from about 1980, built at Fujigen Gakki, after Hoshino/Ibanez started using the brand:

[attachment=15345:cimarflyer.jpg]

Notice the Ibanez Blazer-shaped headstocks. If the Cimar you're looking at is one of these - go for it. My CSL Jazz is, I think, the one bass I'd rescue from a burning house - and that's a [u]lot[/u] of other basses going up in smoke!

Jon.[/quote]

Cheers John!I knew I could rely upon your wisdom. The one I've spotted is overpriced but I'll take it on if I can ge the seller to drop a few quid from it. Its a real fixer upper so Im just buying it to keep me entertained in the evenings so I can tinker with it and try and restore it to its former glory, watch this space.

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