Just bought this yesterday from a friend who got it off eBay two months ago (https://www.ebay.com/itm/266636584511), but now has a better use for the money towards a vintage Fender Rhoads. So, meet my new c.1966-68 Yamaha SB-5A "Samurai bass" in pearl white.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/10gAAOSwR-5ls9kw/s-l1600.jpg)
Nice score! Congrats
Very classy!
You got an original! I have a yellow reissue , they're 34 instead of 32.
A friend described them to me as being like a Jazz bass on steroids. And they are. I think of them as a Japanese surf bass. I like mine a lot. They're also kind of shaped like an upside down Ric. But the body is much rounder. Congratulations ... they are fun things.
Nice! And better than a Fender Rhodes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoWo4ChYuQ
Nice score! Looks great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POAB22PmHbY
Super cool! I used to have a sunburst one. A small bass!
Soooo nice. And White! Always wanted one, this doesn't help ;D
Congrats, those always looked like fun!
(https://i.postimg.cc/cLvKcLDh/IMG-0263.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
A blue reissue Samurai recently popped up on our local kijiji , initially asking a market price. Nobody moved on it. Yesterday it went to our L&M , the big music retailer in Canada , and a friend there called to say one was in and was set aside in case I wanted it. Very good price.
I couldn't resist , and am very grateful that I came to mind when it came in. I'll pick it up this morning.
Nice! Any neck dive? Mine is a 1967, medium scale, I wouldn't call it a neck diver but it's not perfectly balanced so I'm using a counterweight at the body end. Yours is a long scale.
(https://i.postimg.cc/52SV7p0q/IMG-0271.jpg) (https://postimages.org/)
Mine are 34 in scale , the reissue made in Singapore. I just put on a strap and raised both arms above my head , it's perfectly balanced. I have Thomastik flats on the yellow one , the blue has some older rounds , I'm liking how they sound. The blue one is in surprising shape , one tiny ding on the headstock , and one more by the output jack. I've been playing around with the setup. It's feeling really good.
I'm feeling very thankful that my name came up when it arrived in the shop. It did not make it to the floor. They just set it aside with my name on it.
These are mid weight , slightly on the lighter side. The necks are comfortable , they're well balanced similar to a Jazz bass , maybe slightly more aggressive. They are fine basses. Fender style bridges , easy and fast to set up. They sound good. I like 'em despite mostly playing short scale basses these days.
Congrats! I love that blue.
Quote from: morrow on April 25, 2024, 12:59:52 PM
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.
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.
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.
How's that Samurai ilan?
Quote from: morrow on November 09, 2024, 05:17:52 PMHow'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.
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.
Quote from: morrow on November 10, 2024, 06:42:53 AMA 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.
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.
The Fender Jazz locations have become almost the standard. Leo has won. I like single coil real neck pickups, the Pictures Of Home bass solo tone, but we're a minority. Even Glover has switched over to J locations.