Bass In Japan

[The Funk]

Hi all. It’s been a few years since I was last on here.

I was in Tokyo recently and thought I’d check out some guitar shops and see what they had in terms of basses. I could not believe what I found when I headed down to Ochanomizu, and what is colloquially known as Guitar Street.

The place reminded me of my trip to Manny’s Music in NYC as a teenager when I picked up my first bass, except there was an even greater selection. It reminded me of the awe I felt when I first went to Denmark Street, the Bass Centre or The Gallery, except it was a Godzilla-scale version.

Tokyo is known for being an expensive city but, when it comes to bass guitars, it is extremely good value for money, not just for the Japanese-made instruments but also those imported from the USA. In many of the shops, you will get a tax-free discount if you show your passport. 1000 yen is about £8.

The service is pretty good, although very few staff members speak English. You can get by just pointing and smiling though - the staff won’t laugh at you. Most of the staff are also guitar techs, so unlike here you will be dealing with people who understand how the instrument works and who aren’t just killing time until their next rehearsal/gig after the shop closes.

The shops are open pretty late (8pm) most days and you will probably need about 4-6 hours to explore just the bass shops/departments. If you want to look at guitars too, you would need about 3 full days.

I tried many basses I’ve only ever seen on the internet, including Sadowsky and Bernard Edwards-style BC Rich, but also noticed that between all the shops they had every kind of high end bass amp available. I didn’t bother looking at effects pedals but I did notice that there weren’t many vintage bass effects available, with an emphasis on the latest and greatest. (There may have been more vintage effects available in the guitar shops).

There are Made In Japan models of Fender, Musicman, G&L etc., as well as Japanese brands which are worth trying. I even saw and tried a Pignose bass, which I haven’t been able to find in the UK. One shop also had a good selection of EUBs and double basses. There is also an ESP Custom Shop, where they will build an instrument for you.

I did not make it to one of the jam sessions I managed to find online during my trip but there was a different funk jam taking place in Tokyo on each successive night of my short trip. A decent summary of what’s available is at this link: http://www.yangmillsquartet.com/jam-info/ .

I did manage to pick up a MIJ 70s Fender Jazz Bass, with pick-up cover, bullet truss rod, blocks and binding on a rosewood neck etc., all for around £350.

If you ever find yourself in Tokyo, go to Ochanomizu and spend the day there. Incidentally, if you are into anime/manga/games, then check out nearby Akihabara - but give yourself a full, separate day for that.

Edited October 3, 2017 by The Funk

[Marc S]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.
I'm frequently finding online examples of guitars and basses I know I'll probably never see in the UK - but would love to try out

I've got two basses from the 80's from the Fender Japan factory, and have owned non Fender Japan made basses in the past (incl a Japan Ric copy I still own)
I have to say the MIJ / CIJ instruments I've owned or played have all been superb instruments. My current examples just feel, look and sound lovely

I really would like to pay this visit - but there are no future plans in my household to do so.....

Sounds like you got a real bargain with that Jazz - but aren't you charged import duty when bringing it home in your luggage?
There have been a few instruments recently, that I would have been highly tempted to go for, had it not been for the import duty and postage making them a bit too pricey

Cheers

[umcoo]

I went to Ochanomizu last December, was on my honeymoon with the wife....she loved it

Similar experience to you, but I didn't bring anything back with me. Loved seeing Fender Japan, Bacchus, Moon, etc basses everywhere. I remember seeing a few Sadowsky 200 valve bass amps there too. Crazy good quality stuff.

There's a shop in Shinjuku called TC Gakki which is chock full of 2nd hand gear. It was a dream come true

Would love to go back there