NBD: Japanese bolt on Rick copy

[tuuur]

Score!
While casually strolling over a music market, I stumbled over this one stringed Japanese Rick copy.
On closer inspection, it turns out to have two Seymour Duncan Rick pickups, SRB-1B and SRB-1N. Also the bridge looks pretty good, and the pickguard looks like a genuine Rick one. It even has standard and stereo sound!
I just have to fix one tuner and add strings. Couldn’t be easier

 

[Tele-beeb]

I probably would have brought it home as well!
Nice score!

 

[ElJay370]

Matsumoku made. Even has the dual truss rods. These are getting harder to find. Well done.

 

[tuuur]

I repaired the broken tuner with a key from a tuner in the parts bin; works for now.
The action was way too high though, so I added a shim to try and fix that.

 

[tuuur]

I had it set up by a local luthier; he straightened the neck, crowned and leveled the frets, and added a 0.5mm shim.
He thinks its build quality is pretty good, and that it sounds very good and natural.
I looked up the serial number system of Matsumoku; it seems very simple, the first digit is the year; so I think it is from 1971.
But nowhere it says the brand... so I am planning to make a truss rod cover saying "Tuuurderbacker" ;-)

 

[Flip G]

What a beautiful bass!

I remember the band "The Jesus and Mary Chain" being interviewed on television, and when the interviewer observed that the bass player had only two strings on his instrument, the band's guitarist replied, "Any more would just confuse him."

 

[trandy9850]

I remember seeing those new back in the early 80’s IIRC…they were sold under a couple of different names including Fresher, Cortley, and Burny (Fernandes).

 

[Chuckster]

Fakenbacker... nice!

the bass player had only two strings on his instrument

Mark Sandman created his entire sound around his two-stringer.

 

[marshman]

I got my '83 4001 in '93, by which time it had already had those exact Duncans installed. I LOVE that neck p'up, and have contacted Duncan about getting some more, but they'll only do them in chrome, and I'd like one in gold and one blacked out. Anyway. I didn't love the bridge p'up and have tried several others since, but none I've found have actually been better than that SD model, just variations.

For a few years in my youth I played through a 1970s Univox head, and then about 10 years ago I saw a Univox branded Rick Copy and have kinda had my eyes peeled for one, just for the kitsch factor.

Nice Score

 

[cyclopean]

What a beautiful bass!

I remember the band "The Jesus and Mary Chain" being interviewed on television, and when the interviewer observed that the bass player had only two strings on his instrument, the band's guitarist replied, "Any more would just confuse him."

That band drowned things in so much modulation and dirt that a few notes goes a long way.

 

[Wyzsard]

Looks close to an Electra.

Electra Guitars

 

[tuuur]

Pretty close indeed, that hardware looks the same!
Mine doesn't have that center rosewood strip though.
I guess that Electra/Corsair bass is a neck through...

 

[tuuur]

I remember seeing those new back in the early 80’s IIRC…they were sold under a couple of different names including Fresher, Cortley, and Burny (Fernandes).

So your guess would be that this is a 1981 bass, rather than a 1971 one?

 

[trandy9850]

So your guess would be that this is a 1981 bass, rather than a 1971 one?

Yes…but it’s only a guess.

 

[radiocaster]

So your guess would be that this is a 1981 bass, rather than a 1971 one?

I'm not sure they had straight copies in the early 70s, that was more like mid 70s.

 

[lowatter]

I'd use "Rockinbacker"

 

[yegbert]

 

[Tele-beeb]

I didn’t act quickly enough on an Electra Ric copy (less than 30 minutes from me!)
I am still regretting that dumb decision…