love the lack of a control plate
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I prefer Blue Smoker over Kiesel.
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They look great!
The Kiesel has an attractive price, but I have read mixed reviews.
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Sugi looks killer. I checked them out recently. They are handmade, and pricey on Reverb. Ordering direct from Sugi might be an option, but I imagine they’re likely backed up for a year or more. They look top-notch.
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I tried checking out the Ikebe-gakki site, but it’s running slower than Christmas on my phone and desktop. Don’t know what their problem is. The site used to be quick, but not in the last few days.
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I’ll put together a post with some other chains that ship internationally in the next couple days. Ishibashi or Kurosawa would be a good choice. Shimokura too.
The used market is great here too but will be a lot more limited both in terms of willingness to ship internationally and for language (unless you speak Japanese). Plus the best marketplace (Mercari) is Japan-only and the other one (Yahoo Auctions) is pretty hit or miss (and also a web experience right out of 2004 or so).
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Apropos Jazz basses - Gregor and co. have recently been looking at a new (to me) brand called “Modern Vintage” with the guy from Elrick behind it:
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@joergkutter Modern Vintage has been around for a few years. Elrick is the designer, but the basses are made in Korea. The company headquarters is in Austin, I believe.
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I love my Rode NTH-100’s! They’re very comfortable. Be careful if you’re going to use them for audio editing. They do have a bit of a bass boost, which can cause you to accidentally EQ your mix slightly too high and thin.
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Got them pretty much half half price after trading the webcam in (new one coming in a few weeks) n stuff
super comfy! 
Love that CoolTech gel in the ear cups! No more burning ears 
Don’t feel like they’re clamping like I’ve put my head in a vice
No annoying noises from rubbing against the arms of my glasses
Can’t fault them!
Tend to just use them recording/streaming, monitor speakers to edit 
(Hearing the bass acoustics in E standard whilst playing in a different tuning on the drop pedal through speakers is incredibly off putting )
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Ya it’s not you. Same here I gave up trying to look.
@howard - you could start a side huddle with the used market being the go between. With the yen as it is you could still clear $100-200 or more a pop. Lol. Cracking that marketer with rare things outside Japan is a real thing. Saxophones too. Some serious collectors of what I (and others) are looking for out there. Even US resellers.
@howard - GAS Broker
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Yeah, Ikebe’s site is quite slow… That didn’t stop me from submitting an inquiry the other day. Still waiting on a response right now.
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Only thing on the Jazz Bass, is the reputation of having a lot of noise if you don’t have both pickups balanced at same volume. I actually did not notice this on either of the ones I played yesterday, could roll off one or the other pickup and there was maybe a little noise from amp at full volume, but not exactly what I would call noticable. Larger amp or recording might pick it up.
Have also seen a lot of noise cancelling replacement pickups on the market for the Jazz bass if that were a problem. Just not sure how big of a problem it really can be.
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Talk me out of this, maybe.
Even before playing bass I wanted one of these.
They come in two versions, a cheap Cort one and the one Gene overcharges for and signs.
The signature is worthless to me, but you can’t buy the ‘higher quality’ neck through ones any other way except through him and they are stoopid expensive.
I came across one for a very very low price, in fantastic shape, and it is very tempting, but…
No one seems to know a thing about the quality etc.
Shaller tuners, EMG pickups, passive PJ.
I wouldn’t call it my dream bass, but would simply love to have one to play KISS tunes on (right now I use my matte black / red binding Frank Bello bass and keep it 1/2 step detuned for all things KISS.
Most of these sell for $2800-$3800 (or are at least listed at those price points. But I can get it for $1900. The cheap Cort one just sold locally for $1400 which is insane (~700-900 on ebay). Both are no longer made and kinda rare.
There are almost no videos of anyone playing this online (except Gene, lol).
Only one really odd review from a KISS lover which can be tossed out as bias.
All things Gene aside, etc. thoughts?
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Maybe ask on Talkbass if anyone has some experience? For little to no info that price is a bit risky imo. It does look like a nice solid bass!
Good luck with your GAS
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Ya there is almost zero chatter on there about them.
Mostly about the court.
I have yet to see a serial number on one of these over 1,000.
I think a lot of them are in KISS collections vs. bass players collections.
But will toss it out there again and see.
Net/net, I know I can get my money back, and they stop touring this december for good, and, hell, they are in their 70s so… lol.
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I never had problems at home running the pickups unbalanced, but I would pick a lot of noise at my office and sometimes when jamming with others outside of my house. It was unpredictable enough to where I invested in the split coil pickups, and now have 0 problems. It was definitely worth the $$$ to replace the factory pickups. It would be the first thing I did if I bought a MIM.
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I will have a set of Seymour Duncan Apollo pups going up on Reverb as soon as Nordstrand ships me my new ones. They’re noiseless. Just a heads up
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