Obscure Musical Backwaters - The Great SGC Nanyo Thread

[Carnelian]

Hey guys,

I was drawn to this forum through this very topic!

It is all excellent history and execllent documentation for what seems an underdocumented bass.

A friend of mine is thinking of selling his bass to me, its a SCG Bass Collection, but i'd be very grateful for any help in identifying the model! it is an active bass which presumably rules out the SB 301, and so i think it must be an SB 310 as it doesn't have the gold knobs that seem to be on all the SB 320s. The serial number is 883988 which i gather means it was built in 1988. This is on the back of the bass on the battery box. This number is repeated in the battery box against a bright blue in the same font.

Assuming it is an SB310, what is a fair price to pay for it? £100?

thanks for your help and hope this adds further to this topic

[attachment=30278:IMG_2826.JPG][attachment=30279:IMG_2828.JPG][attachment=30280:IMG_2833.JPG][attach
ment=30282:IMG_2838.JPG]
[attachment=30281:IMG_2840.JPG]

[Happy Jack]

That's a really nice-looking SB310. On eBay it would probably go for a pathetic £150 +/- £25.

At £150 that's a helluva lot of bass for the money ... if you can get it for £100 then you're doing really well.

Mind you, these numbers are so laughably small (50 quid each way!) that it almost doesn't matter.

Assuming that bass has no "issues", then as a player it will easily blow away any Encore-type copy of a Fender, IMO it will do the same for any Squier-type copy, and quite frankly it will also blow away any MIM Fender.

It won't be fashionable and you'll never make much of a trading profit, but you won't regret playing it.

[Linus27]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='560908' date='Aug 5 2009, 09:34 AM']That's a really nice-looking SB310. On eBay it would probably go for a pathetic £150 +/- £25.

At £150 that's a helluva lot of bass for the money ... if you can get it for £100 then you're doing really well.

Mind you, these numbers are so laughably small (50 quid each way!) that it almost doesn't matter.

Assuming that bass has no "issues", then as a player it will easily blow away any Encore-type copy of a Fender, IMO it will do the same for any Squier-type copy, and quite frankly it will also blow away any MIM Fender.

It won't be fashionable and you'll never make much of a trading profit, but you won't regret playing it. [/quote]

Have to agree with Happy Jack here 100%. For £150, you are getting a bass that is comparable to far more expensive basses. As long as the style and design is to your liking, then you should swap it up. Amazing basses.

[Doc B]

[quote name='ashevans09' post='12253' date='Jun 5 2007, 12:53 AM']....last time I was in a store near me there was a 5 string (possibly a 325?) SGC in white with the SGC pickups, rosewood board and matching headstock....[/quote]

I had one just like that until I sold it on here (or a previous incarnation of this forum) about 3 years ago. It was passive, white pearlescent painted body, neck and headstock and a brass nut. The action was fantastic, better even than my Warwick! I got it second hand in Big Deal in Sheffield in about 1999/2000 and never had to adjust the action. The SGC pups had a pretty high output for passives. It was the wide string spacing and painted neck I couldn't get on with.

Great bass though.

[Carnelian]

@ Happy Jack and Linus27: Great to hear some quick feedback - unfortunately i was not around to hear it for past few weeks. I have been steady building up a relationship with it and think I will go for it as am v happy now i've adjusted it to my liking

[pete.young]

Nice SB325 just went through the bay, if you like the colour.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SGC-Nanyo-Bass-Collection-SB325-5-String-Bass-Guitar_W0QQitemZ320414380825QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item4a9a2f7319&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14QQautorefreshZtrue"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SGC-Nanyo-Bass-Colle...utorefreshZtrue[/url]

This shot up from £130 in the last 10 minutes - I think someone still got a nice axe for a good price. Anyone we know?

[Leftbass]

Had this a few years ago. I think I created a monster. I changed the pickups( EMG 5P and J) because I felt that the originals did not cover the low B well enough it sounded awesome and I wish I never sold it on. Its in Spain somewhere I think. The colour was not one of the best finishes tho'

[Néal Zheimer]

Hi

Thanks for that topic, the best information on the Internet about thoses Bass Collection bass guitars.

I'm wandering about getting one of those. I don't know what model it actually is, I suspect it to be a SB325. It's said to be:
- 5 strings
- mahogany body
- maple neck
- ebony (?) fretboard
- bronze (?) nut
- Gotoh bridge and tuners
- P/J pickups
- a warwick streamer feeling in the sound

Looks like this:





Seems to be in very good condition. Unfortunately, I can't give it a test drive before I buy it (4 hour drive away).
To your expert opinions, how much this baby worth?

Thanks in advance.
Guillaume

[Happy Jack]

Now THAT'S a weird one.

Who are the pickups by? Do they say SGC on them?

I've never seen a Bass Collection with a mahogany body and, good as it looks, I doubt that it's the original.

The headstock appears to have a mahogany facing so the neck could be the original, just modified. My old 325 had an ebony fretboard, so that's correct, and the 325's shared the gold Gotoh hardware with the 320's.

Value? Well, you're in France which may change the position, but in the UK you'd be lucky to get £250 for a 325. That makes them arguably the best value-for-money 5-string bass available if you're a buyer, but a bit of a disappointment if you're the seller!

These don't appear to be well-known instruments in France. I bought my 320 in Paris for ... gulp ... €100.

[Néal Zheimer]

Hey!
Thank for your fast reply!

I guess the pickups are SGC:

The photo is a little fuzzy but it can match.

The body seems to have an laminated top, seller isn't sure but thinks it could be padauk:


According to the owner, the only defect is (and a glance at the back plate):


You're right, here they seem to be totally unknown, first time I hear about it.

Thank for the approximate estimate
I wanna give the 5 strings deal a shot and it sounds like a good (and cheap) way to start...


I'm gonna take advantage of your kindness, what's the confort of those neck? (large, narrow?)

Thanks again Jack!
Guillaume

[Happy Jack]

The profile of the neck (from memory) is a pretty shallow C-shape, very comfortable to play.

Like any 34" 5-string the 'B' can be a little flabby, so string selection is crucial. To make up for that, this is one of the lightest 5-string basses I've ever played.

Mind you, I have NO idea how much the one you're looking at will weigh.

How much does the seller want for it?

[Néal Zheimer]

Starting price (including flycase and postage) is set to 400€ (360£).

Edited November 25, 2009 by Néal Zheimer

[Happy Jack]

Ouch!

That's an excellent bass, and there are plenty of other basses out there which cost €400 without being any better, but I would never pay that sort of money for a Bass Collection.

If it was me buying (which it isn't) I'd wait a couple of weeks, then offer him €250 but be prepared to pay €300 because of the unusual finish.

[Néal Zheimer]

Bought it and received it just today.
Looks gorgeous and I'm waiting to try it home and in rehearsal tonight.

Special thanks to Happy Jack who created this topic.

Pictures to come...

Edited December 9, 2009 by Néal Zheimer

[Chris2112]

This bass always reminded me of a Bass Collection, and it sounds stupidly good!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH2Wp_b9COs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH2Wp_b9COs[/url]

[TheRev]

I think this is one of the original 600 (605?) series.

when I bought my 301 way back in '93, there was a top of the range 600 series with mahogany bodies and pudak or maple tops. The hardware was all top end Gotoh which seems to be the case with this bass. The only thing I'm not sure about is the PJ pickus - IIRC, all of BC's 5 stringers came in a JJ format, but the 600 series could have been the exception.

A 301 was £400 in 1993, a 601 would have been around the £700 mark.

If you're paying less than £300 for the bass in the picture, then it's a bargain. IMHO of course....

[TheRev]

[quote name='Chris2112' post='679483' date='Dec 9 2009, 07:57 PM']This bass always reminded me of a Bass Collection, and it sounds stupidly good!

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH2Wp_b9COs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH2Wp_b9COs[/url][/quote]


That's a Tune Bass Maniac - the Bass Collection basses were pretty much a copy of the Bass maniac.

[Néal Zheimer]

[quote name='TheRev' post='679557' date='Dec 9 2009, 10:11 PM']I think this is one of the original 600 (605?) series.

when I bought my 301 way back in '93, there was a top of the range 600 series with mahogany bodies and pudak or maple tops. The hardware was all top end Gotoh which seems to be the case with this bass. The only thing I'm not sure about is the PJ pickus - IIRC, all of BC's 5 stringers came in a JJ format, but the 600 series could have been the exception.

A 301 was £400 in 1993, a 601 would have been around the £700 mark.

If you're paying less than £300 for the bass in the picture, then it's a bargain. IMHO of course....[/quote]
Thanks for the info! Got it for 300€ (~ £270).
Well, it's definitely a 5 string bass and I would say a Bass Collection from SGC Nanyo since it's written on it.
I can't tell which model it is exactly though since there is no indication anywhere.

As promised, some pics, sorry for the poor iPhone quality, but I don't own a camera.
[url="http://img697.imageshack.us/i/img0118l.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://img686.imageshack.us/i/img0120t.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://img682.imageshack.us/i/img0122uo.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://img686.imageshack.us/i/img0117p.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://img697.imageshack.us/i/img0113q.jpg/"][/url]
(Yeah, my couch is ugly but it's very confy )

So this baby was made in 1988 and is in great condition.
I didn't take it for rehearsal because the action is REALLY low it's buzzing way too much for me and I need to get used to the extra string.
The jack outlet cracks a little when the jack moves (I don't know what I can do about it) and I have yet to found what all the pots are for...

Regarding the fretboard, I don't think it's ebony. I'm not a wood expert but there seems to be some rosewood looking wood stripes on it and last time I saw an ebony board (on a friend's cello) I think it was pitch black. I would say it looks like some kind of black rosewood. Anyway, here is a picture:
[url="http://img44.imageshack.us/i/img0116xq.jpg/"][/url] [url="http://img686.imageshack.us/i/img0125w.jpg/"][/url]

If someone could give me a clue about the function of the pots (I think I found the volume ), it would be greatly appreciated.

Edit : I've found a brasilian (I guess) webpage talking about those SGC Nanyo Bass Collection here: [url="http://www.bandatempo.com/baixos%20do%20tempo.htm"]http://www.bandatempo.com/baixos%20do%20tempo.htm[/url]
Found mine, it seems to be a SB 615. Anyways, it sure looks like the one on the webpage!

Edited December 10, 2009 by Néal Zheimer

[LawrenceH]

[quote name='Néal Zheimer' post='679993' date='Dec 10 2009, 10:32 AM']I didn't take it for rehearsal because the action is REALLY low it's buzzing way too much for me and I need to get used to the extra string.
The jack outlet cracks a little when the jack moves (I don't know what I can do about it) and I have yet to found what all the pots are for...

If someone could give me a clue about the function of the pots (I think I found the volume ), it would be greatly appreciated.[/quote]

Hi Neal,
Lovely looking bass! I have an SB330. The pots on that from L-R as you look down at the bass when playing are volume, pickup balance, bass, treble - I guess yours is the same. I had to replace the jack socket on mine when I bought it (secondhand) as the connection was intermittent, it is a barrel-type unit where all the connections are contained. Doesn't cost too much. Some contact cleaner might do the job for you though.

[Happy Jack]

That really is a lovely bass, Neal. I hadn't seen that mahogany/padauk style before, but it just oozes quality.

[Néal Zheimer]

Ok thank you Mister L! ^_^

I couldn't resist playing (unplugged) this baby after rehearsal yesterday and compared to my PB, it's so light and the neck feels great up to the last frets. I think I'm gonna like playing it a lot.
I think I'm gonna open the electronic cavity this week-end to see what's inside the beast and maybe clean it up a bit.

PS : I found more information about Bass Collection here: [url="http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/200909_1/?folio=68#pg71"]http://digital.premierguitar.com/premiergu.../?folio=68#pg71[/url]
[quote]According to the 1993 price list, retail prices ranged between $659 for the SB301 to $1650 for the SB615.[/quote]

Edit: Hell yeah looks quite gorgeous!

Edited December 10, 2009 by Néal Zheimer

[Sibob]

[quote name='Leftbass' post='585199' date='Aug 30 2009, 03:26 PM']
Had this a few years ago. I think I created a monster. I changed the pickups( EMG 5P and J) because I felt that the originals did not cover the low B well enough it sounded awesome and I wish I never sold it on. Its in Spain somewhere I think. The colour was not one of the best finishes tho' [/quote]

This looks the same as the two that I had, albeit right handed!
Trans-purple 5 strings with soapbars, 4 controls (vol, blend, bass, treble) and an avtive/passive switch!

Excellent basses!

Si

[Happy Jack]

Not everyone reads this thread ... here's the text of an eBay advert that's current at the time of posting this:

[color="#0000FF"][i]Hi there. You are looking at my Bass Collection SB301 passive four string bass made in the famous Japanese Matsumoko factory for the S.G.C. Nanyo company in the mid nineteen eighties. S.G.C Nanyo was started by an Englishman; the three initials being the initials of his name. There was a range of active and passive basses, mostly sold through The Bass Centre in London.

DO NOT CONFUSE THESE JAPANESE BASSES WITH THE CURRENT BASS COLLECTION CHINESE COPIES. THE MATSUMOKO ONES ARE FAR HIGHER QUALITY. I know this from personal experience. Having owned a Japanese one back in the eighties when they first came out, I made the mistake of buying one of the Chinese ones secondhand and supposedly " mint " through Ebay. It was downright awful and shoddy and was returned to the seller. I found this one in a local music shop and snapped it up.[/i][/color]

Wonderful stuff.

[Musky]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='702241' date='Jan 5 2010, 10:30 PM']Not everyone reads this thread ... here's the text of an eBay advert that's current at the time of posting this:

[color="#0000FF"][i]Hi there. You are looking at my Bass Collection SB301 passive four string bass made in the famous Japanese Matsumoko factory for the S.G.C. Nanyo company in the mid nineteen eighties. S.G.C Nanyo was started by an Englishman; the three initials being the initials of his name. There was a range of active and passive basses, mostly sold through The Bass Centre in London.

DO NOT CONFUSE THESE JAPANESE BASSES WITH THE CURRENT BASS COLLECTION CHINESE COPIES. THE MATSUMOKO ONES ARE FAR HIGHER QUALITY. I know this from personal experience. Having owned a Japanese one back in the eighties when they first came out, I made the mistake of buying one of the Chinese ones secondhand and supposedly " mint " through Ebay. It was downright awful and shoddy and was returned to the seller. I found this one in a local music shop and snapped it up.[/i][/color]

Wonderful stuff.[/quote]

Better point out that the guy is talking complete rubbish Jack, just in case someone doesn't get as far as reading your first post!

[BassBunny]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='560908' date='Aug 5 2009, 08:34 AM']Assuming that bass has no "issues", then as a player it will easily blow away any Encore-type copy of a Fender, IMO it will do the same for any Squier-type copy, and quite frankly it will also blow away any MIM Fender.[/quote]

Having just sold a Sandberg, (awesome player), to fund another deal, when the "other" deal fell flat I was gutted. So on 6th Jan, my Birthday, and suitably intoxicated I ended up buying what I believe to be a Bass Collection SB 301 5 String . Active with 2 Jazz pick-ups and in a metallic pewter. According to the serial number it was built in 1988. It was to be a stop-gap but it isn't going anywhere. I can get another Sandberg, (and probably will), but what a fantastic Bass this is. It weighs nothing and plays like a dream. It certainly punches above it's weight.