It just followed me home! (70's lawsuit Jbass)

man I should know better than to go to the cool used store. Every time I go there, something tells me it HAS to go home with me! I was looking for some used pickups for a project, no dice there but I did see this 70's Hondo II Jazz copy. I figured it would be the usual plywood/butcher block kind of thing, but it's solid ash (or something that looks like ash...:razz:) and the neck felt absolutely perfect for me. Girth! Huge, baseball bat profile. None of my other basses have a neck like this, if I can get this thing sounding like it should I may just let them all go!
I have another 70's Hondo (set-neck LP doublecut copy, all real wood) and this one is just as well made. My first actual guitar was an 80's Hondo LP copy, but it was the usual plywood/bolt-neck POS that gave imported guitars from that era a bad name. I ended up getting rid of it pretty quick. This new bass, though just feels so perfect. I needed another project like a hole in my head, but I just had to get this. Plus it cost $80 so it's not like I was spending all that much... I just need to figure out what happened to the wiring and maybe wetsand it a little, but other than that it's just getting played. Well, a new bridge might be nice, too. On to the pix!
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17150018.jpg
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17145915.jpg
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17145853.jpg
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17151827.jpg
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17151051.jpg
http://i427.photobucket.com/albums/pp360/dannew2008/h2/2012-04-17145931.jpg
The usual "nice wood, cra**y hardware" copy guitar. The guy at the store said I should find someone who's upgrading a Squier or something and get his old hardware/pups for this. Since if I bought all new stuff, I'd be paying 4X what this whole bass cost me...

For $80 I would've bought it too! If you're lucky the pickups might grow on you. If not I think a Music Man style humbucker would be great in the bridge. Congrats on your new project

Congrats on a nice score, you got a Matsumoku-made bass and those are good dependable workhorse instruments.

For $80 I would've bought it too! If you're lucky the pickups might grow on you. If not I think a Music Man style humbucker would be great in the bridge. Congrats on your new project

Nah, you should check out TV Jones' Thundertron bass pickups.
http://www.themusiczoo.com/PDGImages/TT1TVJ_Thunder_tron_Bass_Bridge_Pickup,%20Chrome_T V_Jones_Cover_576.jpg
They should fit right in without routing.

I like the look of that.... Great job for the price of a tank of gas!

I spent several hours today fooling with it. All I did was spray contact cleaner into the rusty wiring and the neck pickup started working again. Oh yeah I did put my fake strap locks on it, the strap buttons on it when I got it didn't hold the strap on at all. IT sounds awesome, snarly honky raspy with the gain turned up. Clean, not so good but the old mystery strings and the crummy mal-adjusted bridge probably aren't helping. All in all, I think it will become my new #1 bass once I get it cleaned up better.

I was gonna say-don't give up on those pups! Those are humbuckers and I'll bet if you get the wiring working they'll sound awesome.:smile:

Nice buy! I used a japanese pre lawsuit P bass for years, it was a great bass and served me well for hundreds of gigs. I got mine at a car boot sale for peanuts about 20 years ago, I put it on eBay a few years back and it sold for hundreds!

I was gonna say-don't give up on those pups! Those are humbuckers and I'll bet if you get the wiring working they'll sound awesome.:smile:

Nope, don't let the double row of screws fool you, there's a single coil inside those pickups covers. I know, I owned a Rickenbacker bass copy with exactly those pickups.

Nope, don't let the double row of screws fool you, there's a single coil inside those pickups covers. I know, I owned a Rickenbacker bass copy with exactly those pickups. Either way-I'll still bet they sound good!:cool: