What is this bass?

[ChicoArts]

I bought this bass today, it is my first. I got it second hand from an old lady. It belonged to her husband which passed away. I cant find this model anywhere and I cant find the name anywhere aswell. Can anyone tell me more about this bassguitar? Tech aswell.

Thanks!

pictures:

[AndyTravis]

Jolana?

edit - tiesco possibly

Edited December 19, 2018 by AndyTravis

[ChicoArts]

2 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Jolana?

Link?

[AndyTravis]

4 minutes ago, ChicoArts said:

Link?

I thought Jolana, but it’s not.

google “tiesco bass” and there are  few similar ones.

[Hellzero]

It's a Condor bass, it's written on the headstock, it's one of the numerous early Japanese instruments like the (El) Maya brand. Hope you didn't pay more than £50 GBP for it as the quality in the early 70's was not at all what the Japanese are offering now. 

[ChicoArts]

i paid 70 pound for it... I'm still happy with it tho. but ye might've overlooked

 

[ChicoArts]

4 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

I thought Jolana, but it’s not.

google “tiesco bass” and there are  few similar ones.

Thanks alot, I found one similar one, but none original similar. it must be that old...

 

[ChicoArts]

Gotta Give it a Name, anyone got any ideas? haha

 

[AndyTravis]

Just now, ChicoArts said:

Gotta Give it a Name, anyone got any ideas? haha

 

Steve. I often think of my basses as “Steve”.

no real reason.

[ChicoArts]

2 minutes ago, AndyTravis said:

Steve. I often think of my basses as “Steve”.

no real reason.

I like Steve, thanks

[Ricky 4000]

How about "The right honorable member for >insert your nearest town here<". 👍

[LeftyJ]

My first bass was a Condor Jazz Bass copy from the 1970s with a heavy plywood body and a fairly nice maple neck with block inlays. It played fine and sounded more or less like a Jazz Bass should. I sold it when I bought my first "proper" bass (Yamaha TRB5II) but later bought another one out of seller's remorse and it was AWFUL. Just sounded dull and honky. Quickly sold it again. I'll never know if that first bass actually was a good one, or if it was just my inexperience and the thrill of owning my first bass. 

[Bassassin]

It looks like a Korean version of a ubiquitous Japanese design from the late 60s or early 70s, inspired by Burns designs.

These were probably originally made by Sakai Mokko (they turn up branded Sakai and often have the strip-ply neck construction commonly used by Sakai) but the same design seems to have been made by several factories throughout the 70s.

I'm saying it's MIK based on the fact it has the Hofner staple copy pickup used mainly on Korean versions, and the assumption that if it had an MIJ stamp on the neckplate, @ChicoArts probably would have mentioned it! 90% of guitars with blank neckplates from this era are Korean, the rest are Kasugas & Moridairas & this is neither of them.

Interested to know if there are any markings or stickers on the back. MIK guitars often have gold model number stickers, and circular inspection stickers.

Should mention these - like most low/midrange cheapos from the era (which this is) turn up with millions of different names on the headstock, they're of passing interest if it's a known brand, but most names - such as Condor - are random importer/distributor brands, 99% of which are long gone now.

Here's an early 2-pickup example, probably an MIJ Sakai build. Same basic design but different pickups, zero-fret, wheel-adjust truss rod, thumbrest positioned as a tug-bar, different hardware, etc etc.

 

[ChicoArts]

Wow. So interesting, thanks for all the information man!!!

it has no stickers indeed. I tested it yesterday. I love the sound of the guitar. it sounds so thumpy like a Contrabass. 

Thanks again for all the info. It is a shortscale am I right?

10 hours ago, Bassassin said:

It looks like a Korean version of a ubiquitous Japanese design from the late 60s or early 70s, inspired by Burns designs.

These were probably originally made by Sakai Mokko (they turn up branded Sakai and often have the strip-ply neck construction commonly used by Sakai) but the same design seems to have been made by several factories throughout the 70s.

I'm saying it's MIK based on the fact it has the Hofner staple copy pickup used mainly on Korean versions, and the assumption that if it had an MIJ stamp on the neckplate, @ChicoArts probably would have mentioned it! 90% of guitars with blank neckplates from this era are Korean, the rest are Kasugas & Moridairas & this is neither of them.

Interested to know if there are any markings or stickers on the back. MIK guitars often have gold model number stickers, and circular inspection stickers.

Should mention these - like most low/midrange cheapos from the era (which this is) turn up with millions of different names on the headstock, they're of passing interest if it's a known brand, but most names - such as Condor - are random importer/distributor brands, 99% of which are long gone now.

Here's an early 2-pickup example, probably an MIJ Sakai build. Same basic design but different pickups, zero-fret, wheel-adjust truss rod, thumbrest positioned as a tug-bar, different hardware, etc etc.

 

 

[ChicoArts]

17 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

My first bass was a Condor Jazz Bass copy from the 1970s with a heavy plywood body and a fairly nice maple neck with block inlays. It played fine and sounded more or less like a Jazz Bass should. I sold it when I bought my first "proper" bass (Yamaha TRB5II) but later bought another one out of seller's remorse and it was AWFUL. Just sounded dull and honky. Quickly sold it again. I'll never know if that first bass actually was a good one, or if it was just my inexperience and the thrill of owning my first bass. 

Great story, thanks. I was thinking about it like that too, whatever this bass is, im gonna keep it, it is my first, thats special enough.

[ChicoArts]

I decided to call the bass Ryu. dragon in japanese, maybe turn it to koorean now i read this

10 hours ago, Bassassin said:

It looks like a Korean version of a ubiquitous Japanese design from the late 60s or early 70s, inspired by Burns designs.

These were probably originally made by Sakai Mokko (they turn up branded Sakai and often have the strip-ply neck construction commonly used by Sakai) but the same design seems to have been made by several factories throughout the 70s.

I'm saying it's MIK based on the fact it has the Hofner staple copy pickup used mainly on Korean versions, and the assumption that if it had an MIJ stamp on the neckplate, @ChicoArts probably would have mentioned it! 90% of guitars with blank neckplates from this era are Korean, the rest are Kasugas & Moridairas & this is neither of them.

Interested to know if there are any markings or stickers on the back. MIK guitars often have gold model number stickers, and circular inspection stickers.

Should mention these - like most low/midrange cheapos from the era (which this is) turn up with millions of different names on the headstock, they're of passing interest if it's a known brand, but most names - such as Condor - are random importer/distributor brands, 99% of which are long gone now.

Here's an early 2-pickup example, probably an MIJ Sakai build. Same basic design but different pickups, zero-fret, wheel-adjust truss rod, thumbrest positioned as a tug-bar, different hardware, etc etc.

 

 

[Bassassin]

9 hours ago, ChicoArts said:

Wow. So interesting, thanks for all the information man!!!

it has no stickers indeed. I tested it yesterday. I love the sound of the guitar. it sounds so thumpy like a Contrabass. 

Thanks again for all the info. It is a shortscale am I right?

Yes - everything I've read says 30" scale.