ShortScale.org

So I picked this up from a pawn shop today for $25 (including tax). No markings other than the made in Japan. Looks like it actually had a pickguard at one time as well, there are screw holes in it where one would mount. Been looking at pics for hours and I can't figure out what it is. Any help would be appreciated!

mybe an ibanez. regardless,for 25 bucks, YOUWIN

Agreed $25 can't be beat. I haven't been able to find any pics of a short scale LP style bass with that bridge and tailpiece.

Yeah, that's pretty damn nice.

Though I'm certain it's not a Greco, there were some nice Greco full-scale LP Custom style basses that looked quite a lot like that. Never seen the bridge. Pretty cool find.

Very cool! Especially for $25!

prolly hondo or some other matsumoku brand.

i like it!

1. black =win
2. no three-point shitbridge =win
3. 25??? 25???????? WIN

Maybe a Aria?

blenin wrote:So I picked this up from a pawn shop today for $25 (including tax).

Good grief. Unbelievable.

It was a pretty lucky find. They wanted $50, I got it for $25. It's been played pretty hard, scratched up and dinged quite a bit...in other words....perfect! And I swear it's heavier than my Thunderbird!

perhaps a Hondo II? It looks a lot like the style of a few Hondo II LP's I've seen and worked on

i think the proof is in the neck plate. i believe i remember seeing that a particular 70's japanese branding with that style plate.

IIRC.

It could be straight up Hondo?

I have Hondo II made in Korea, and a Hondo II Pro made in Japan but by Tokai so has a Tokai serial number on the neck plate. I'm not sure if it's that cut and dry with production though, and who else they outsourced to

Closest in looks I have found so far is a Brice. Close...but not it.

I think I've seen a couple Manns with a reck plate like that.

blenin wrote:

NOt to take away from teh $25 bass score, but that "Bryce" is boner central!

Interesting since Mann is my Grandmothers surname. I can't find any photos. Didn't they become Ibanez?

Mann were made at the Fujigen Gakki, yeah.
I think they ended up changing factories at some point in the 80's and then, fell off the face of the earth.

From memory, they were pretty decent, especially their Rickenbacker 4003 copies.

What bothers me about that in relation to your bass is that every Mann I've seen had pretty obvious headstock branding.
Perhaps the neck plate thing can at least point to a place and approximate time of manufacture?

blenin wrote:Interesting since Mann is my Grandmothers surname. I can't find any photos. Didn't they become Ibanez?

My friend has a Mann Les Paul guitar that was his fathers... it didn't have a neck plate like that. But, who knows.