Samurai, at last

[ilan]

Mine are 34 in scale [...] it's perfectly balanced.

I think I figured out how this is possible. The vintage SB-5A (medium scale) has a total length of 115.5 cm, that's 1 cm LONGER than the 114.5 cm SBV500 with its long scale neck. For the new models the moved the bridge back, and the result is a better balanced bass with a 34" scale length. Win-win. That's good design.

[morrow]

I find they look similar to an upside down Rickenbacker.

Not such a bad thing in my opinion. I tend to prefer short scale basses these days , but I do play these Samurai. And the Rics.

[Pilgrim]

Agreed, that blue is lovely. The right shade of blue is a color which has led me to make some interesting and possibly ill-considered purchases.

On a skillet-hot 4th of July about 1995, I spotted an '85 Chevy short box pickup on a used car lot in Austin, TX.  It was one of those shades of blue.

Getting it out of town required a new battery, an alternator, and a few miles down the road, a fuel pump. Most things in life are more enjoyable than replacing the fuel pump on a hot Chevy 305 V8 while working in a couple of inches of dust by the side of a Texas road in 100 degree heat.

It wasn't until i drove it a few days that I learned it need a transmission rebuild. The rest was chump change that I did myself, but that one was done by a local shop. That pickup ended up being more expensive than I expected.

But it was blue, beautifully blue. And fortunately it ran great after the tranny was sorted out.

[morrow]

How's that Samurai ilan?

[ilan]

How's that Samurai ilan?

Fantastic. Great tones and playability. Haven't gigged with it yet.

I just can't get used to the knob layout - vol/tone/pickup balance (reversed - clockwise is full bridge, and no center detent). But it's all original so I'm not messing that up.

[morrow]

Mine are reissues with the standard vvt controls. And 34 scale.
A friend described one as a Jazz bass on steroids , and regretted selling the one he had.

I'm mostly using short scales , but whenever I pick up a Samurai I'm impressed with how comfortable they feel and play.  TI flats on one , well broken in rounds on the other.

[ilan]

A friend described one as a Jazz bass on steroids

The bridge pickup is very Jazzy but the neck pickup, positioned at the end of the neck, sounds more like a Ric toaster.

[morrow]

The reissues placed the pickups closer into Jazz bass territory , and simplified the knobs. I think they were made in Singapore rather than Japan too.