Greco SE-800J, Rewarding once mastered < Back Greco SE-800J C781817 This is the result of Jeff Beck's Japan tour of late 1978 - and this is by far the most faithful tribute to the guitar he was seen with. The 800 feels a lot more premium than the lower order models - the soft V neck with the 42mm nut, the hooligan spec DiMarzio FS-1 at the bridge and the heft of a late 70s CBS Strat. It isn't a boat anchor, but at nearly 4kg, it feels as solid as a rock. Of course it's complex - it is a Swiss Army Knife of functionality. You will agree to forego the soft gentle neck and middle in-between tone and receive a huge array of powerful tones in exchange. Rather than fill the page with a description of how the switches work, please battle through the demo video where I attempt to explain it all as simply as I can. The powerful mid-enhanced FS-1 pick-up really bites and makes most humbuckers sound dull in comparison. The accompanying Excel PU-119 pick-ups are as articulate and defined as we know to expect. Having the facility to combine the neck and middle into series, and then add some reverse phase Dimarzio to it will likely have you declaring "that's that sound!". The traditional Strat neck sound is easily found - the switching is a lot more intuitive that you may expect; and as with all complex wirings, once familiarized, they all make sense and can be found on the fly. This guitar demands you get to know it, and once you do you'll just need to rehearse the explanation as to how you are getting that sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyRcZJYZt4s I have the original saddles here and they will be included in the sale. The guitar comes with a slightly well used but functional period correct hard case Price Availability On Sale! Click Buy button to check latest price. 1 at Ketteringham Hall Recommendation Scratch that itch... Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1978 Pick-ups DiMarzio FS & 2 x PU-119 Selector 3 mini-switches Bridge Vintage Tremolo Board Rosewood 3.95kg; 8lbs 11oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Larrivee Custom Shop 00-50, Very rare opportunity for a Concert sized Larrivee in Mahogany. < Back Larrivee Custom Shop 00-50 121203 Larrivée 00-50 sized guitars are held in very high regard and were not made in large numbers. This is even more exclusive being a Custom Shop, produced on May 8 2013 (4 days before Chris Hadfield played a slightly smaller version of this guitar on the Space Station). This mahogany guitar has spent the majority of its life in a case in a collection, and only recently been allowed out to play. A new set of strings and a little tlc later, it has burst into life. It has a tone of its own - slightly more chime than our walnut Froggy, and a great piano like sweep across the strings. It really suits the finger more than the plectrum, but that will be the mahogany talking. With this Larrivée taking the clever lead bits and our '67 J45 taking care of the rhythm, an audience soon forms... This is rare, good and a decent investment. Unlikely to find another in mahogany, let alone in this size, I suggest a quick enquiry to bag this one. We can show you this guitar in real-time via the videocall facility if you wish. I have attempted to capture the tone and character of this lovely Concert sized acoustic in the video, so give it a listen and feel free to ask more questions. It's a cracker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHgmm4WFu3k Price Availability £3,800 Sold Recommendation Savour, cherish, but PLAY IT! Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 2013 Pick-ups n/a Selector n/a Bridge Ebony (pyramid) Board Ebony TBC Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Massive versatility and inspiring tones < Back Matsumoku Greco HH Price £1,795 | SOLD Add to Cart Chat with Us Missed out on this model? Talk to us for a rebuild! This Matsumoku built white 1973 Greco SE-500 arrived in a fantastic condition - it had obviously been loved and cherished. Unusually, it was sporting a humbucker in the neck position with a little mini-switch to access a single coil sound. Having already been routed for one humbucker, and having a pair of new DiMarzios in the drawer, I did a little more routing and mounted them in a new plate. The tremolo routing had also been extended for a replacement unit, although the original one was present on delivery. The original finish was so nice, I complemented it with a shiny new Gotoh vintage style unit. The blocks on these Gotoh tremolos never fail to provide a glorious sustain and harmonic ring and this encouraged me to get a little creative with the wiring and tone options for this guitar. Keith and I used to talk about piezo pick-ups for electric guitars and often found ourselves with a Graphtech basket full of technology, only to bottle out at the check-out page - the cost had got ridiculous. And we don't like batteries in guitars unless absolutely necessary. We didn't want the electric guitar to sound like an acoustic - we had a room full of amazing acoustics - we just wanted that "sparkle"; that high frequency accompaniment to the guitars inherent tones. We just needed to hammer a Fender Mustang over a Strat somehow. The Mustang reverse phase tones are interesting but more often than not useless in a serious delivery requirement. Time to experiment... The second tone control is now replaced with a 6-position chicken-head. This is NOT a Vari-tone - no rats nest of capacitors and resistors here - just regular wire to configure the coils of the DiMarzio Air Norton in every possible way. Both individual coils can be voiced, they can be voiced together in series or parallel, and in phase or reverse phased. 6 tones in all - 4 that stand on their own as viable tones, an the reverse phase tones that are there to work together with the bridge humbucker. The Master Volume knob is a push pull that configures the Gravity Storm bridge humbucker in series as a regular humbucker when pushed down, and into parallel when pulled up. 2 distinct and characterful tones on their own - the parallel setting is our chosen alternative to the traditional coil split which more often than not does not complement the humbucker at all, and doesn't have the teeth of a regular Strat unit - certainly not the ones we use! In parallel, the tone is full of bite, but loses the compression that humbuckers deliver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztE6tSPC514 Combining these two pick-ups together offers a myriad of tones as each individual pick-up is configured differently. This is where the reverse phase neck pick-up settings get really interesting and rather than a word-soup of subjective terms, just have a listen to the demo. The Master Tone knob is also a push pull that configures the 2 pick-ups into series with each other regardless of how they are individually configured. The pick-up selector needs to be in the neck position to enable this function - life starts at the neck pick-up with ut!!. Making them operate in series essentially turns them into one pick-up. This function delivers a whole new palette of tones - again, I urge you to persist with the full demo to hear how this sounds as no-one will take me seriously if I start talking about filtertron tones on your DiMarzio equipped Strat... I appreciate that there are many guitarists out there who worship simplicity and tradition - we love this too, but we just can't stop experimenting and trying things out with the condition that we don't fill the scratchplate with more knobs, buttons and switches. If you are a guitarist that feels that the capability of the guitar is important to the creativity and that different tones encourage a different sense of how you play or write, this is aimed squarely at you. The controls do require a fair amount of familiarisation, but I still think this is easier than a Jaguar, and there is a lot more in the drawer to play with. If you fancy the versatility and design philosophy here, but want a different style of guitar, or a different colour etc, we can repeat this basic specification in a Les Paul style guitar, or any other style of Strat - our stock of worthy MIJ donors is quite comprehensive, and we can quickly find the donor instrument of your choice. Or upgrade your own guitar - just talk to us. Details The Look Possibly unique to see 2 humbuckers on a 1973 Greco SE-500. Original white finish - totally timeless in all other apsects Headstock All original apart from our little decal Neck Sublime 1973 Harayama 5 piece - full C and as comfortable as they get. Pick-ups A DiMarzio Air Norton at the neck and a Gravity Storm at the bridge Bridge Brand new Gotoh GE-102 in Chrome for the vintage look and feel Controls Master volume with CTS push pull for bridge humbucker control, Master tone with CTS push pull for parallel / series option, and a chicken head to control the neck humbucker. CRL 3-way pick-up selector. Gallery ← Previous Next→

1970 Fender Precision Bass, No chance of avoiding the term Mojo with this one < Back 1970 Fender Precision Bass 285152 The serial number 285152 and the 7270 stamp on the pick-up indicate that this is a July 1970 build - the neck stamp is a format occasionally seen between the late 60s and mid 70s, and deprive us of a simple date of construction. The pick-up leads have been repaired by us, and it reads 10.48k which is inline with contemporary instruments. The pots are original and work quietly and smoothly, but we have replaced the output jack. The hardware is also original and in great order - just some age related tarnishing on the tuners. The covers and rest are long gone unfortunately, but the case appears to be original, or at least period correct. The frets display signs of wear - this has been a busy instrument, but are still serviceable and have a few years left before any action needs taking. There is a tiny split in the input jack section of the scratchplate, which we believe to be a later replacement as I would expect a tortoiseshell guard in 1970. The thin sunburst nitro has various dings and buckle-rash, but has that wonderful crazing that no re-issue or relic exercise can achieve. This is no case queen, not part of a cherished collection, it is a 55 year old bass not getting enough stage-time since the retirement of the previous owner. It is way too good to put away and forget about; it begs for more use. Apologies for the well-worn cliche, but this bass has mojo. Not all late 60s and early 70s Fenders meet expectations, but this one will not disappoint. A really comfortable 3.66kg (8lbs 1oz). Price Availability ON SALE! Click Buy button to reveal latest price. 1 at Ketteringham Hall Recommendation Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1970 Pick-ups Original Selector N/A Bridge Original Board Rosewood 3.66KG; 8lbs 1oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Fernandes FR-65S, Sustainer equipped! < Back Fernandes FR-65S No Number Sustainer circuits are extremely sought after nowadays - with modern units being almost as hard to find as original versions. In the late 1990s, Fernandes issued the Sustainer Lite module - a simplified form of the function that performed as a simple sustainer and did without the mode options. As this is the mode that most folk used, it makes a great deal of sense. In a striking metallic olive green, this 90's guitar looks amazing - just a couple of dings on the body to note. The slim neck is pure Japanese super-strat - still comfortable to chord, but enabling the speed-kings to go nuts. The pick-ups sound very premium and deliver equally as well with saturated distortion as they do with super-compressed modulation. The 5-way switch is exactly as you'd expect, the master volume and master tone is joined by a sustainer volume - activated by the mini-switch. The rear LED works to remind you to unplug the guitar when you're finished so you don't run the battery down. The premium spec continues at each end - the tuners and tremolo bridge are Gotoh items. It still has the arm, and you'll be using it a lot as the Wilkinson/Gotoh 2 point tremolo is sublime - like all premium Gotoh bridges. A great addition to a collection, or good and versatile enough to be your only guitar. Everyone needs a sustainer in their lives at least once. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-9unWnXRDM Price Availability £795 1 at Ketteringham Hall Recommendation Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1999 Pick-ups SPD-200, DS-70, FVW-1001 Selector 5 Way Bridge Gotoh VS-100 Board Rosewood 3.77kg; 8lbs 5oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

1973 Greco SE-430, Soulful vintage Matsumoku at its finest. < Back 1973 Greco SE-430 Pre Serial Number 1973 - 1975 are, for me, the most interesting years of Matsumoku's Stratocaster style . Seeing the scale length come right, seeing the bridge design evolve, yet somehow absolutely nailing the neck feel across all years. They all look similar from a distance, but get up close and the differences are there. The pick-ups in this model date the guitar to 1973, and as they tended to sell faster than they were made in those heady days, we can reliably assume this found its first owner in the same year. This has survived nearly 50 years remarkably well. It arrived here in a slightly sorry state - unplayed for many years, grimy and more fluff under the plate than there is in my Dyson. But, as usual with these, a perfectly straight neck. After a deep clean and rebuild, the nerves build as we add tension to the neck for the first time for many years. Of course, it remains dead straight and requires only a tiny bit of intonation adjustment to have it back on full song. The pick-ups are typical Maxon - love or hate, but celebrate the difference! All the really good talented players who regularly pass through here and give it a try almost instantly default to a load of Hendrix songs, smile and nod in appreciation; adjust the gain on the amp, then reel out their SRV repertoire. This may be all you want in an additional guitar for the collection, in which case the guitar can be stringed and made stage ready for you. Alternatively, we can use this as a basis for a DreamBuild - despite the non-standard construction, Gotoh still produces hardware to suit it with only minor modifications. We can make those run-in frets work perfectly for another few years of hard playing, or we can look at refretting. We can keep the patina of the original sunburst finish, or we can carefully strip it and refinish it. We're offering this old warrior as it is, fully serviced and set up for immediate use, or it could set the basis for a DreamBuild where the final price will be determined by the upgrades we make. We recommend spending the budget on the sounds and the hardware, but if a refinish is what you want, we will provide. In any case, it passes to you stage ready to your preferences. No DreamBuild leaves here without a luthier's final touches. They make the difference. Price Availability £845 Sold Recommendation Perfect example of the marque, or a fantastic donor for sensitive DreamBuild upgrade. Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1973 Pick-ups Maxon Selector 3-way Bridge Original Vintage Board Maple 3.57kg; 7lbs 14oz Modifications None (yet!) Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Fender 1972 Custom Deluxe Telecaster NOS, < Back Fender 1972 Custom Deluxe Telecaster NOS R85216 This 2016 Greg Fessler crafted beauty is a mind-blowing example of how guitars create a first impression. Conversations stop when it is noticed - even non-players gravitate towards it and appreciate it. Capri Orange cannot fail to impress. It is a NOS model so appearing brand new - no false aging or slightly insincere grain. Two similar ones to this recently came onto the market in California - both sonic blue. Unsurprisingly neither stayed on the market for long. So, a Capri Orange Tele Deluxe with a Bigsby, built by Fessler probably is all you need to know in order to want it in your life, but let's do the details anyway. This has a solid Mahogany body, so not the lightest guitar in the world, but familiar to fans of Teles with serial numbers between 250000 and 500000. The 9.50" radius quartersawn maple neck is a "60's style Oval C" style at 0.820" to 0.930", the board is AAA EI Rosewood into which sit Sanko 6105 frets (medium jumbo). The larger Strat and colour coded headstock is another great feature of this Deluxe. This is proper twenty-six inch Elephant Bells and Poet Collars stuff. Cuban heels provided by Bigsby with a B-5 vibrato . That enormous tortoiseshell scratchplate is the disco ruffle shirt. Capri Orange? This ought to be collected in a Capri 3000GXL. But beyond the exaggerated tributes to the exaggerated early 1970's, there is a serious guitar here. Fessler looked beyond the Fender pick-up drawers for some (not all) of these Deluxes. This one features a pair of Lollar Charlie Christian pick-ups . With dedicated controls, there is a very wide range of useful and soulful sounds from this Deluxe. Roll the tones down for some big bodied jazzer tone, and set the bridge pick-up free on a slightly driven valve amp for proper 70's rock sounds . Through the simulators and Airbus A380 DAW packages, you get a responsive and expressive set of Tele tones to do what you wish with, and they stay silent when they are asked. A guitar that does most things you need brilliantly, and looks good enough to eat. And, no-one else will have one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSWI-QhgCFk Price Availability Sold Sold Recommendation Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 2016 Pick-ups Lollar Charlie Christian Selector 3 way Toggle Bridge Bigsby B-5 Board Rosewood 4.07kg; 9 lbs Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

1978 Fujigen Greco SE-700 Early Sixties - Natural, What the 70's should have been < Back 1978 Fujigen Greco SE-700 Early Sixties - Natural L783219 This 1978 Greco SE-700 has a 2-piece body and retains its original PU-119 pick-ups (previously found on the most expensive models, and otherwise known as Excels). The rosewood neck is more similar to a veneer to a slab when comparing to Stratocasters from the early 1960's and there is a strong consensus here amongst the talented players and luthiers that this exhibits many of the features of a good late 70's Strat. This is another vintage Greco that blows the minds of Fender traditionalists. These PU119 pick-ups are held in high regard amongst the MIJ crowd - they respond well to subtle control changes on the guitar and the amplifier and exhibit a good clarity and slight nasal characteristic when driven. Everything on this guitar remains original - the bridge and tuners are all in great aged condition - most importantly perfectly functioning. The black scratchplate has had a mystery substance on it at some point and appears to be melting between the bridge and middle pick-ups. All part of the character, and unless this bothers you, we'll leave it be. At a fraction over 3.56kg (7lbs 14oz) this has "that perfect Strat" weight and feel to it - there are a few parking knocks and scars on the body that give it that authentic vintage touch too - we have attempted to catch them all in the photos. The frets demonstrate the chords this guitar has spent most of its working hours with, but not low, no choking or buzzing anywhere and my regular question to the guys that see to our fretwork here gets their eyes rolling. So, years of service available before any remedial work required. Early Sixties really ought to say "What the 70's should have been" but that wouldn't fit on the headstock. This will hold its own next to any 1970's Strat costing 3 times the price of this one, and has the spec that will appeal to fans of JV guitars. The serial Number on this one is L783219, a late December 1978 Fujigen build from the time they were really showing off to impress the boys from Corona. A Fender guitar from this CBS era is hit and miss - there were some real howlers, and even the good ones are likely to have been upgraded by now. During this era, Fujigen and their contemporaries were just the opposite - getting better and better. This guitar feels like one of their very best. This SE-700 will put guitars twice its price to shame. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhmDj7ac8xY Price Availability £1,195 Sold Recommendation Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1978 Pick-ups Original PU119 x 3 Selector 5-way blade Bridge Vintage tremolo Board Rosewood 3.56kg; 7lbs 14oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

1977 Greco SE-500W, Road-worn and ready for more roads < Back 1977 Greco SE-500W H772837 A faded white Strat always appeals visually - this one has all the correct signs of life for a guitar that has been adored, put to work and looked after. At a smidge over 3.4kg, it has the premium classy handshake. the edges of the board have been rolled by chord progression - a feeling that relic guitars can never fully achieve. The pick-ups are the last iteration of the basic Maxon singles - and the celebrate the phasing out of these pick-ups, they packed the bobbin with wire. The neck has an inductance of 1.4H, the middle is 1.9H and the bridge is 2.2H. With twice the DCR of the earlier pick-ups, these manage to retain the sparkly character, but add a bit of heft. Whilst it is tempting to just upgrade, these are good and interesting enough to stay in. From the era where entry level models were made on the same lines as the premium models, this SE-500 feels very different than a contemprary equivalent. A proper grown up and great sunding Strat. We have fully rebuilt this one - every single component restored. Even the tuners are perfectly fine to continue in duty. We can upgrade any element of this guitar, but our advice is to give it a fair go as it is before hiking up the price. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN0DBQ3FPhQ Price Availability £875 Sold Recommendation Try this before blowing a fortune on a Masterbuild Relic. Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1977 Pick-ups Maxon tall bobbin Selector 3 way Bridge Original Tremolo Board Maple 3.42kg; 7lbs 8oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

1975 Gallan (Tokai) Custom, Another war-horse ready for battle < Back 1975 Gallan (Tokai) Custom Pre-serial Number Model Let's get the obvious out of the way first: this is not a mahogany Tokai LC100, it is an entry level Les Paul copy distributed by Kyowa-Shokai and sold alongside Camel, Fresher and a few other brands exclusive to various music stores around the world. Gallan were the premium offering and exported to, we believe, Herb George's music store on 48th Street, Manhattan . They are plywood (but good plywood!) construction and chambered - like the Moridaira versions (which were expensive). It is a set neck - NOT a bolt-on. It has very decent sounding pick-ups; and it's been a busy guitar. Why do we say Tokai? Kyowa had guitars built in virtually all of the plants in Matsumoto - Camel were Chushin, Fresher were un-named plants, and Gallan was Tokai. Everyone built for everyone in the heady days of Japanese guitar production in the 1970s. If you're still reading, plywood doesn't put you off, so let's explore further: The first impression made by this guitar when picked up and strummed is of a high end Epiphone. It has a 'proper' neck - a nice handful without being too much. It is balanced, nicely worn high or low, and feels like a more expensive guitar. The binding is cracked and nicotine stained, but not falling off, or showing signs of falling off. There is a small crack on the rear of the headstock, but this has not been decapitated and sewn back together again. It feels solid, and that ply gives it a nice acoustic snap before you plug it in. The only non-original parts on this Gallan are the electrics. The pots had been replaced a long while ago with terrible Alpha minis, and I decided to rip it all out and give it a new loom and controls. The switch is original and is missing its tip - why do we like it like that? I don't know, but if this is a dealbreaker, give us a day's notice and I'll pop a Switchcraft in there. We now have 3 CTS 500k pots and a CTS push pull to throw the bridge pick-up out of phase. Great for that Jimmy Page / Peter Green number. New Witch's Hat knobs and a set of strings complete the refurbishment of this guitar. You don't have one of these instead of a Gibson, you have one on the way up to one, or next to one in the rack. It is a damn fine alternative to a drop-shipped Epiphone though. Gig it without worrying, no need to worry at all about it - it was made to be played - all the issues that plague vintage guitars for reliability are fixed and this will serve you well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVjH_yxvwqY Epiphones may be new, freshly built in China, click-bought and delivered the next day, but they won't feel like this - all of the luthiers here have had this on their benches and it is now what you'd call stage-ready. Price Availability £545 Sold Recommendation Enjoy as it is Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1975 Pick-ups 2 x Maxon Selector 3 way Bridge ToM style Board Rosewood 4.04kg; 8lbs 15oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Aria Pro II PB-1500, Nobuaki Hayashi's 'Masterpiece Prototype' < Back Aria Pro II PB-1500 078082 The Prototype Range was launched by Matsumoku in 1977, and the majority of these models are 6 string guitars. The brains behind the idea was a bass player - he still makes basses today with his Atlansia company. The SB and TSB ranges are more well known, and very highly regarded; used by many professionals in the 1980s. Prior to the launch of these SB basses, a small number of PB-1500 basses were produced to accompany the PE-1500 and PE-1000 models that showcased Matsumoku's capability of designing and producing new basses, not just making high quality copies of the Precisions and Jazz basses. The bass version was only available in ultimate 1500 spec and featured the DiMarzio pick-up on the amazing neck-thru' (Transmit neck was the original term), and the finest choice of woods and luthiers to craft them. Well before Fender had its Custom Shop facility, Matsumoku had a special section of the production line to experiment, create and generally set the scene for the coming decade. Fender had tried to court Matsumoku for a partnership but Matsumoku were not interested in such a co-operation as they wanted to forge their own way and shape the future, not just prop up the past, although they would do that quite well also. Matsumoku seconded several of their master luthiers to Fujigen to enable that partnership to flourish, and as the Fender cost accountants infiltrated the production lines, Matsumoku continued to create and produce high quality guitars with the volumes to enable very competitive pricing. This PB-1500 is a very rare example of the early Masterpiece Prototype Series - produced alongside the 6 string guitars that featured in the brochures. Very rarely coming to the market, this one has had a busy life - earning its living admirably and continues to do so in a condition that will enable that for many more years. While less well known than the SB-1000 and Elites, this bass is a worthy contender and has a timeless design - one of Matsumoku's real skills was to create designs that would stand the test of time. Nobuaki Hayashi was a true artist AND a very good engineer. With its single DiMarzio pick-up and simple Master Volume and Master Tone, this is a very purposeful instrument - like the poshest Precision possible. It tips the scales at 4.69kg (10lbs 5oz) and has a lovely balance to play sitting or standing. Early versions of Gotoh GB707 are original Aria stamped units and are in perfect working order. They are future proof as current GB707 would fit straight in - no need to ever redrill this headstock. The Gibson style 3 point bridge and is in perfect working order - and again, futureproof as Hosco units fit straight on the posts. The Rosewood neck, brass nut and the fat frets are all in magnificent condition - the only indication of its age is the wear to the familiar places such as thumb rest and from the previous players' wrist just above the bridge. All natural wear and proof that this was a busy instrument - busy instruments are the good ones. Currently strung with tape-wound strings with plenty of life left, this is serviced and ready to keep plying its trade and is a discerning choice for a bassist who appreciates quality and simplicity, but something a little different from the normal Precision Bass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMwv2mdHB-Y Price Availability SOLD Sold Recommendation A piece of Matsumoku history - enjoy it Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1978 Pick-ups DiMarzio Selector N/A Bridge 3-point Gibson style Board Rosewood 4.69kg; 10lbs 5oz Modifications None Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38

Aria Pro II ASB-60, Transition period Medium Scale with toys < Back Aria Pro II ASB-60 No Number By the time this bass was built, the Matsumoku plant in Japan had become Nanbu Park, and the remaining stock of parts had been transferred to Korea to continue production. The ASB range was a medium scale offering, and had the spirit of the older SB models, but has been largely forgotten as the Integra range took over. These ASB models are too good to overlook - they feel and play like the older MIJ guitars. This one had certainly been busy - the bodywork is very worn, but doesn't detract from looking great from the audience. The fun starts with the switching. 2 stealthy S-1 switches for master volume and master tone. When both are unactivated, the bass operates as a traditional PJ style with the 3-way toggle. With the Tone control S-1 activated, the phase of the Precision unit is reversed to get that nasal tone that you think you'll never use, but always do. With the Volume control S-1 pressed, a whole new world appears. The 2 pick-ups are connected in series, but the D and G strings are in reverse phase. If the Tone control S-1 is activated, the phase reversal is swapped to the E and A strings. Witchcraft? No, just having the maximum fun with what tones a PJ is capable of producing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAInSAgMiiI The video demo is very necessary, obviously. This bass will make a fine work-horse, and bass solos will take on a whole new character with the series/phase options. A little mad? Yes, but a whole lot of fun. Price Availability £595 Sold Recommendation Thru'neck and versatile Buy as Is Buy to Upgrade Specifications Year 1989 Pick-ups AP-2; Super Boomer Selector 3 Way Bridge Original Board Rosewood 3.78kg; 8lbs 5oz Modifications New Wiring Schematic Weight ← Previous Next→ Latest Videos Play Video Play Video 03:39 Play Video Play Video 02:20 Play Video Play Video 04:44 Play Video Play Video 05:31 Play Video Play Video 02:04 Play Video Play Video 03:57 Play Video Play Video 02:11 Play Video Play Video 03:38