Greco JB-600N

These were the basses that were traded in for Fenders when funds allowed, and then bitterly regretted as they realized paying double for a name on the headstock was a lousy decision. There are subtle differences between the Fenders and this Greco - notably the pancake construction style that MIJ guitars and basses had until 1976 and the super strong engineered laminate neck that they had until late 1975 . Brochure geeks may question why this is a 600 and not a 500. The specifications were almost identical, but the 600 and 720 models were built at Matsumoku; the 420 and 500 were Fuji - the neck plate giving those details. This proudly has Matsumoku on it.

Vital stats then: the nut is 40mm and the 12th fret is 55mm; the weight is 4.46kg (9lbs 13oz). A very nice comfortable and balanced bass, and the wider nut making it a little easier to play than the 36mm nuts on the earlier models from Fujigen. This bass now has new frets so ready for another 15 years at least - the original Maxon pick-ups are in rude health, the bridge is also original; a little pitted and showing its 50 years of service, but still thoroughly functional so we have elected to keep it. We can easily upgrade it to a current Gotoh unit which will be shinier, and could even install a High Mass version if huge sustain and Grand Piano tones are required. The previous owner decided to swap the old white scratch plate to a black one - this was and remains a popular decision - again we can get it back to catalogue spec, or even apply a fancy such as those you see in our DreamBuild section.

But, this is good to go as it is - perfectly aged great quality dependable Jazz Bass, a fraction of the price of the equivalent Fender and likely to be built to a superior standard.