Happy Jack Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 (edited) Here's something you don't see every day. The Kent brand was used on instruments from at least two, probably three, Japanese manufacturers throughout the 1960s, which means that quality can vary. This is an interesting take on the classic Hofner Violin bass, probably from the late 60s despite the two-saddle bridge, and with some very high-class touches. The triple binding on the sides is particularly nice. The horn flares are really cool, the sunburst on the back is a beauty, and the controls are a significant step up from the Hofner! The neck is true, with no warp or banana to it, which is always a good thing on these old basses. Being a Violin bass, it is of course a shortscale with a scale length of 30.5". A nice 'thuddy' sound which works well with 1960s pop music, as you'd expect, but is also remarkably good for both reggae and blues. As far as I can see, there was originally a finger-pull on the small piece of scratchplate material below the pickups, now replaced by a couple of screwheads. That finger-pull was then re-positioned above the pickups as a thumb-rest, but is now gone, leaving a couple of holes. Similarly, I'm pretty sure that the tuners haven't just been re-positioned slightly, but are in fact a serious upgrade on the originals that would have been there when this bass was new. These old Kents are getting steadily rarer, and it's quite unusual to find one as playable as this! I always prefer basses to be collected in person by the buyer. It has to be best to hold the bass in your hands and check it out properly before parting with your cash! This one can be collected from either HA1 3RG or W1T 2RE. Edited April 9, 2018 by Happy Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 I forgot to mention ... the three brands I've heard associated with Kent are Teisco, Guyatone and Kawai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ash Posted April 2, 2018 Share Posted April 2, 2018 I had one similar under the brand name of ‘Norma’ it was a great bass to play and a real head turner. GLWTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted April 7, 2018 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Interesting in that Kent is a US brand & never officially sold in the UK. Wonder how it made its way to Harrow? What I know about Kent connects them predominantly to Guyatone, but also Teisco & Fujigen for earlier models. That said, I have an early 70s, slightly weird SG copy which has the same shield-shaped neckplate. That one was possibly made by Sakai Mokko. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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