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| Want something different? Something cool? Here's one we brought in from Japan. This Mosrite-influenced vintage Teisco bass dates from around 1968, possibly a bit earlier. The pickups are obviously very closely modelled on 1950s 'Gold Foil' DeArmond pickups, and the Teisco versions are very sought after in their own right. Ry Cooder, a long-time fan of vintage Teisco guitars, is a passionate user of Gold Foil Teiscos in his long recording career, and on playing this bass I can see why. The sound is amazing! Very powerful, very detailed, and very individual. Think P-90, but probably a little more treble and string detail in the mix. The bass is completely original, right down to the tone control that works in reverse! I guess the logic was that this is a bass, so turning the knob clockwise should relatively increase the bass (by decreasing the treble). Either that or they simply had no idea! Another quirk is the fact that the front pickup has been factory-mounted more for looks than any practical reason, as is mounted a bit too far to the treble side of the instrument to effectively pick up the bottom 'E' string, which sounds softer than the other three strings as a result (through the front pickup, that is). Moving the pickup just 5mm to the left cures the problem (I tried it using Gaffa tape as a temporary mount), but I will leave the bass untouched. It would be a simple matter to drill four new screw holes and to slide the pickup across, as there are no routs underneath the pickup in the solid body. The back pickup doesn't suffer this issue, and sounds incredibly nice and punchy. The pickup selector switch is not obvious on the photographs, but is the small black slider mounted to the pickguard in the treble horn. It is a bit more clear in the close-ups in the 'more pictures' link below. The bridge cover has long ago gone missing somewhere back in Japan. It's a short scale bass, with a 30.5-inch scale length, so is comfortable for those with smaller hands. Its weight is also quite reasonable, at 4kg or 8.8 pounds. Fret wear is virtually non-existent, and the beautiful dark Rosewood fretboard (Brazilian Rosewood?) is as fresh as the day it was made. Only a few chips and small scratches show that the bass has been handled at all - see the pictures in the 'more pictures' link below. No case with this one - it comes in a gig bag, and will be shipped well-packed in a cardboard box. Click here for Australia-wide shipping quote - just add your postcode, select whether you want the security of signing for delivery, and click the 'Calculate Postage' button! $995AUD (plus shipping)
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