b7l4s Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 A Jazz bass copy - normal enough... but something was bothering me about it! It took a moment or two (OK, quite a few moments...) to register what was going on here... it's certainly a different approach. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-string-bass-guitar-sunburst-body-rosewood-fretboard-mother-of-pearl-inlay/392324405931 Could this actually work? I don't want to be the person who pointed and laughed at the next revolution in bass guitar design... In case anyone else looks at this and can't see the unique design feature (small type in case this is insulting anyone's intelligence) it appears that a precision pickup has been split across both the jazz pickup routings... _shrug_ ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Good spot. Think the likely motivation is that 1 p pickup is cheaper than a pair of j pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 This is interesting. The reason they've done this is that pickups that would actually fit will be tricky to come by. It's an early 70s MIJ jazz copy (Matsumoku, if you care) which pre-dates the existence/availability of accurate copies of J-type units. Can't be sure but this probably had chrome covered 8-pole Maxons, like these: Or possibly like this: Various inaccurate types of pickups were used on early 70s J copies, as they all would've been sold with ashtray covers - the lowest-end MIJ Jazzes had little chrome units under the covers, the same as those fitted to Telecaster copies. This might be a cool restoration or project, if it stays cheap, but would require some modification to fit standard J pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b7l4s Posted July 1, 2019 Author Share Posted July 1, 2019 Thanks for the information - it makes sense. I didn't know that the pickups in those early copies were so variable. I am aware of the following that vintage Japanese instruments from factories like Matsumoku attract, so this could be cool for someone with the knowledge/skill to bring it back to something like original (or just more normal) condition. Aside from the missing tone knob and broken nut (and original pickups!) it looks complete, and there are no obvious major cracks, but we do know the wiring must also have been messed with... There is no comment in the listing about the changes that this bass has gone through, or how it now sounds, so possibly the seller isn't aware that this is both quite old and modified? The description of that and the other two instruments he is selling don't sound like a bass players words i.e. he gives the overall length of the instrument rather than the scale length - so I'd be wanting to see it before bidding in case the neck is a ski-ramp etc. I'm still curious as to how a split pickup would sound across the strings when it's been split by that amount? Might be OK, but I suspect less than ideal... Still - this is the eBay wierd and wonderful section 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted July 4, 2019 Share Posted July 4, 2019 Well, it definitely has a split personality! If it was nearer, I'd put an opening bid on a Mat at that price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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