Yamato Pbass

[alyctes]

Not many of these out there, though they aren't as rare as the seller claims IMO.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387735676550?itmmeta=01JF8SST6YQGMTV23RM3EN5ZPX&hash=item5a46d8e686:g:yegAAOSwwchnYKc0&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwMxmj%2BiGvOveHXEBClPb29jyMhPE5QL0cdwHrrBu2j2mT3YpF7PGDw%2FEDWZ9V8HBumfv1%2BH5zdeM3XuvuFsvW2h9bjuiMfXuBp1JqjIig1IwoEqJFqLZOB2nMNYkXxWKzewZaqd0c1jkG%2BBXIVSb2g4eS43bf0Hak4dD%2BUYOXZliBdgxGObTzQg6XKKwGkyjR5veeCGPrgj0lFtOz0cqLCxjPYHOJrd4Wa4Rt16Tqr51PXML7YLXcN7epZbZiUCZfA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8ij55n6ZA

[Bassassin]

On 16/12/2024 at 22:39, alyctes said:

Not many of these out there, though they aren't as rare as the seller claims IMO.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/387735676550?itmmeta=01JF8SST6YQGMTV23RM3EN5ZPX&hash=item5a46d8e686:g:yegAAOSwwchnYKc0&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwMxmj%2BiGvOveHXEBClPb29jyMhPE5QL0cdwHrrBu2j2mT3YpF7PGDw%2FEDWZ9V8HBumfv1%2BH5zdeM3XuvuFsvW2h9bjuiMfXuBp1JqjIig1IwoEqJFqLZOB2nMNYkXxWKzewZaqd0c1jkG%2BBXIVSb2g4eS43bf0Hak4dD%2BUYOXZliBdgxGObTzQg6XKKwGkyjR5veeCGPrgj0lFtOz0cqLCxjPYHOJrd4Wa4Rt16Tqr51PXML7YLXcN7epZbZiUCZfA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR8ij55n6ZA

 

It's a generic budget-end 70s P copy - I suppose the name's uncommon & that might constitute 'rare'.

 

It's thought that a lot of these identikit instruments came from an organisation called Matsumoto Gakki Seizou Kumiai, or the Matsumoto Manufacturers Association. This was a collaborative group of manufacturers supplying various components - necks, bodies, hardware, electronics - through an order-book system, to be assembled & branded up to order.

[alyctes]

14 hours ago, Bassassin said:

 

It's a generic budget-end 70s P copy - I suppose the name's uncommon & that might constitute 'rare'.

 

It's thought that a lot of these identikit instruments came from an organisation called Matsumoto Gakki Seizou Kumiai, or the Matsumoto Manufacturers Association. This was a collaborative group of manufacturers supplying various components - necks, bodies, hardware, electronics - through an order-book system, to be assembled & branded up to order.

Thanks; that sheds a lot of light.  I am amazed at their QC, given the date and the potential organisational and logistic problems. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

My first bass in 1979 was a Yamato Jazz bass copy from Soho Soundhouse in Soho Square. It was my xmas present that year and cost my Dad £75 which in today's money is equivalent to £475.

[Bassassin]

17 hours ago, alyctes said:

Thanks; that sheds a lot of light.  I am amazed at their QC, given the date and the potential organisational and logistic problems. 

 

I'd assume the fact that a lot of different manufacturers were condensed into a small geographical area in Matsumoto city made this easier - I'd assume Matsumoto Gakki Seizou Kumiai had premises for component stock & instrument assembly.

 

As usual with old MIJ guitars there are very few records - hopefully more info will come to light about how it operated & what manufacturers were involved. Matsumoto Gakki is credited on literature from distributor Kyowa Shokai for their Fresher & Camel brands, but much of what's known is word-of-mouth from people who worked in the industry at the time. The most comprehensive explanation was posted on one of the FB vintage MIJ groups a little while ago:
 

Quote

Matsumoto Gakki Seizou Kumiai

The Matsumoto Musical Instruments Union (or Manufacter's Association) was, as far as I've been told by people in Matsumoto with firsthand knowledge of it, were a group that put out a catalog with parts that you could order from them and pick and choose to assemble your guitar. Most of it was standard fare - Teles, Strats, SGs, and Les Pauls. They might have gotten the nicer bodies from Matsumoku, cheaper bodies from someone else, hardware from Shinetsu Byora (standard hardware supplier in Matsumoto - still around), electronics from Gotoh or Maxon, etc. And then they would assemble the OEM component guitar for you and put your brand on it. They seem to have been active mostly in the early to mid-70's. The metal truss rod cover seems to have been an original thing with them, and you sometimes see these on early Grecos, Ibanez guitars which makes people think these are Matsumoku - but they don't have the Matsumoku neck plates, and they're not the same build type as Fujigen, which is how we can separate them, if not positively identify where all the components came from.

 

There were a lot of little, little wood working factories back in the original guitar boom of the 60's that turned to manufacturing guitar parts (as opposed to say wooden bowls) while the market was hot, and then went back to turning out wooden bowls when the market cooled - but they would still moonlight and make bodies, etc. when an order came in. Probably a lot of these factories were used, and as they had previously manufactured bodies and necks to spec for some of the larger factories, their product was close in style and quality to those when they'd do these. This was told to me by the former plant manager at Kurokumo (which itself also used to make wooden bowls before it became a guitar factory full time in the 60s).

Craig Campbell, Vintage Japanese Guitar Fanclub

 

Apologies for assuming anyone (other than me!) might be interested in this!

[alyctes]

7 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Apologies for assuming anyone (other than me!) might be interested in this!

I am