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Rickenbacker copy


Sulfurix
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Hello, first post.

Bought this old Ric copy some years ago but i have never been able to identify it.

[url="http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx285/Stiggjo/Rickenbacker%20copy/Bass-21.jpg"]http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx285/S...opy/Bass-21.jpg[/url]

No name on Trc, no serialno on back of neck.. :rolleyes:
I made a Photobucket album with pics of underside of pickups, electronics, bridgeunit etc.
Hope some kind soul could take a look at the pics and help me identify this one. :)

Album: [url="http://s764.photobucket.com/albums/xx285/Stiggjo/Rickenbacker%20copy/"]Rickcopy[/url]

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[quote name='Musky' post='865813' date='Jun 13 2010, 11:40 AM']It has some similarities to Jon's Kasuga, so that be my guess. We'll have to wait for the man himself for a positive ID. :)[/quote]

Well spotted Musky - that's a Kasuga copy. Mine's the bolt-neck variation, but it shares many common details: checked binding, identical hardware/electronics (apart from the tuners) and most tellingly the incredibly neat hand-routing for the 6 individual pole pieces of the Toaster pickup. Rickenbacker could learn a thing or two from this sort of attention to detail.

The tuners aren't original - the through-neck Kasugas I've seen before were factory-fitted with genuine US "wavy" Grovers.

Anyway, a similar bass appears in a Japanese "Heerby" catalogue, the only difference seems to be the finish & stereo outputs. Heerby was one of Kasuga Gakki's home-market brands:

[url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/heerby/197x/index.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-a...197x/index.html[/url]

The plain trc's quite interesting - most vintage Rickenfakers have had their covers swapped for pretend Rick ones, but I'd say it's possible this bass was sold unbranded, as quite a lot of 70s MIJ copies were.

Tino - it's not a Fresher, but just wondering if you have any idea who made them? I don't think it was a manufacturer in its own right.

Jon.

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[quote name='Bassassin' post='866016' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:02 PM']Well spotted Musky - that's a Kasuga copy. Mine's the bolt-neck variation, but it shares many common details: checked binding, identical hardware/electronics (apart from the tuners) and most tellingly the incredibly neat hand-routing for the 6 individual pole pieces of the Toaster pickup. Rickenbacker could learn a thing or two from this sort of attention to detail.

The tuners aren't original - the through-neck Kasugas I've seen before were factory-fitted with genuine US "wavy" Grovers.

Anyway, a similar bass appears in a Japanese "Heerby" catalogue, the only difference seems to be the finish & stereo outputs. Heerby was one of Kasuga Gakki's home-market brands:

[url="http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/heerby/197x/index.html"]http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-a...197x/index.html[/url]

The plain trc's quite interesting - most vintage Rickenfakers have had their covers swapped for pretend Rick ones, but I'd say it's possible this bass was sold unbranded, as quite a lot of 70s MIJ copies were.

Tino - it's not a Fresher, but just wondering if you have any idea who made them? I don't think it was a manufacturer in its own right.

Jon.[/quote]

although theres a lot of dubious info on Kasuga,I feel this one can be substantiated...

In May of ’72, a portentous advertisement appeared in The Music Trades. In an ad stretching across the top of a two-page spread, drawn cartoon-fashion with a jet soaring from Japan to the United States, the headline read, “Kasuga Guitars Come To America.” Kasuga was a guitarmaker established in Nagoya, Japan, in the late ’60s. In ’67, Tommy Moore, the successful musical instrument merchandiser from Ft. Worth, Texas, and one of the founders of Hondo, visited Japan in order to strike up a guitarmaking deal. With only a voucher of credit in his pocket and no contacts, Moore hooked up with a Mr. Kaku, who steered him to Tokai Gakki. Tokai had become very successful in Japan making and marketing the Pianaca, a keyboard harmonica used in Japanese schools. On December 15, 1970, Moore and Tokai Gakki entered a joint venture called Tokai USA Inc., and Tokai began making private label and OEM guitars.

Tokai quickly found it couldn’t keep up with demand, so it found a factory that could meet its quality standards: Kasuga. Another joint venture was established between Tokai USA and Kasuga called Kasuga International. Marketing offices were established in Singapore, Zurich, and Frankfurt. In ’72, these guitars began to come into America.

In December, ’72, an ad touted the Kasuga line, copies of the most popular Gibson, Fender, and Martin acoustic and electric solidbody designs. Presumably these included Telecasters. These were sold under the Kasuga name (briefly; a notice of Kasuga acoustics appeared in Guitar Player in September, ’72) and carrying the monikers of various importers, as in the ’60s

Whats your spin on Kasuga......I dont think Ive ever owned one but then I forget alot...its my age :)

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That's the article that's led to the popular Ebay myth "Kasuga, made by Tokai"! :) Anyway, that's the story, and I think they're the undiscovered gems of 70s MIJ guitars. Kasuga was a manufacturer in its own right - in fact the factory postal address appears on their old "K-Country" acoustic guitar catalogues & you can even find the original factory site on Google Earth!

They do turn up everywhere - in the UK there are Kasuga-built guitars with the Arbiter & CMI brands, they built the Canadian Northern range (some of these are stunning) certain models from the US Electra brand, Japanese BC Rich - and I've even seen an Aria-branded Kasuga Les Paul copy, just to upset Matsumoku purists! :rolleyes:

Jon.

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[quote name='Bassassin' post='866116' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:23 PM']That's the article that's led to the popular Ebay myth "Kasuga, made by Tokai"! :) Anyway, that's the story, and I think they're the undiscovered gems of 70s MIJ guitars. Kasuga was a manufacturer in its own right - in fact the factory postal address appears on their old "K-Country" acoustic guitar catalogues & you can even find the original factory site on Google Earth!

They do turn up everywhere - in the UK there are Kasuga-built guitars with the Arbiter & CMI brands, they built the Canadian Northern range (some of these are stunning) certain models from the US Electra brand, Japanese BC Rich - and I've even seen an Aria-branded Kasuga Les Paul copy, just to upset Matsumoku purists! :rolleyes:

Jon.[/quote]
I have to Bow to your knowledge,I had in the distant past heard of an Ibanez connection,but I think that was possibly the CSL Chestnut or even Herring.
My passion is the Electra for the range but I have never personally owned a "DECENT" Electra bass of any description...I tend to stay with the variations of the LP some of which put Gibson to shame...
As it happens I found a Kasuga acoustic last week in one of our yards somewhere along the lines of an Epiphone Texan looks OK unfortunately about twice the weight of the original and laquerb cracks like ive nevber seen in my life along the neck,it looks like the thickest applied finish ever.still it will go to the back of the pile until I get a few hours

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[quote name='Bassassin' post='866116' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:23 PM']That's the article that's led to the popular Ebay myth "Kasuga, made by Tokai"! :) Anyway, that's the story, and I think they're the undiscovered gems of 70s MIJ guitars. Kasuga was a manufacturer in its own right - in fact the factory postal address appears on their old "K-Country" acoustic guitar catalogues & you can even find the original factory site on Google Earth!

They do turn up everywhere - in the UK there are Kasuga-built guitars with the Arbiter & CMI brands, they built the Canadian Northern range (some of these are stunning) certain models from the US Electra brand, Japanese BC Rich - and I've even seen an Aria-branded Kasuga Les Paul copy, just to upset Matsumoku purists! :rolleyes:

Jon.[/quote]
Jon did the Kasuga not have 2 inputs as a Riccy,I may have missed something but does this not have a single jack?????

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[quote name='tino' post='866143' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:43 PM']Jon did the Kasuga not have 2 inputs as a Riccy,I may have missed something but does this not have a single jack?????[/quote]
Mine's got one, the through-neck that the thread's about has one but the one in the catalogue has two. Seems to be quite common that copies from various manufacturers are inconsistent with the number of outputs - I've seen exactly the same thing with Fujigens and bolt-neck Matsumokus. Does your Ibby have one or two?

J.

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Wow :)
Thanks a million.
I now have some reading to do :rolleyes:
You are right about the tuners not beeing original, the old screwholes are still there
and the ferrules are to wide (Touching the trc)
Remember seeing a Kasuga rick once and thinking that the headstock on mine seemed wider.
Maybe just an illusion because of the wider ferrules.

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The headstock on mine's quite wide compared to my other two Rick copies (a Matsumoku & an unidentified copy) but I suspect there was quite a lot of variation - these mid 70s basses mostly pre-date the use of CNC machinery so there will be some scope for differences.

J.

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