Japanese Newport ???

[Iome]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-Lefty-Excellent-Epiphone-Japan-New-Port-Bass-W-HSC-/150532760674?pt=Guitar&hash=item230c73a462

What is this? It says all original....

[Highlander]

Some very strange marks on the bottom edge of that neck...

[Dave W]

I know it's not a Newport.

[Iome]

Look at those pickups ..

[gweimer]

I can't make out the headstock, but I'd even question if it's really an Epiphone.  The closest thing it comes to would be the ET-288M, based on the controls and P/G configuration, along with the pickup placement.  Even then, the Epiphone I have is all maple and a neck-through.

[Dave W]

I can't make out the headstock, but I'd even question if it's really an Epiphone.  The closest thing it comes to would be the ET-288M, based on the controls and P/G configuration, along with the pickup placement.  Even then, the Epiphone I have is all maple and a neck-through.

Did you miss all the pics below? Definitely has Epiphone on the headstock. Multi-piece neck through, and the wings look to be some kind of maple.

[eb2]

A nice bridge cover.  Other than that, it is a fun peculiarity.  If only it had been a Greco it may have come out more accurately.

[gweimer]

Did you miss all the pics below? Definitely has Epiphone on the headstock. Multi-piece neck through, and the wings look to be some kind of maple.

Oops.  Yep, missed all the pics at the bottom.  Well, it's NOT a Newport.  Even my ET-288M never had an actual name.  The neck-through looks a lot like mine, though.  It has a different bridge than mine.  Interesting bass, regardless.  I'm curious what kind of pickups they are. 

On the upside, if it's that close to my Holy Crap bass, it could be a custom Matsumoku piece.  I don;'t even know if they did anything like custom orders back then.

[Hornisse]

The neck pickup looks like the toasters that were used on the Aria and Univox Ric copies.  The treble pickup is similar to those used on Ibanez Destroyer Basses and the early Ibanez Artist Basses. 

[Dave W]

... 
On the upside, if it's that close to my Holy Crap bass, it could be a custom Matsumoku piece.  I don;'t even know if they did anything like custom orders back then.

I doubt if they did custom orders. OTOH it could have come from a run never intended for the US market.

[Daniel_J]

I have seen a couple of these model before, while browsing through japanese auction sites and they are always label Epi Newport.
This one being a lefty might be somewhat rare.

Anyway, quick search on google japan and I found its brother:

http://www.figaroguitars.com/guitars6/epi%20j%20newport%20bass%20nt.html

[uwe]

I kinda like it. Looks like it was in the middle period between the early seventies ETs and neck thru Holy Crap basses that came out around 1976/77.

[Dave W]

I have seen a couple of these model before, while browsing through japanese auction sites and they are always label Epi Newport.
This one being a lefty might be somewhat rare.

Anyway, quick search on google japan and I found its brother:

http://www.figaroguitars.com/guitars6/epi%20j%20newport%20bass%20nt.html

It must have been a regular model then. Never seen one here though.

[gweimer]

Well, now that we've seen two mirror duplicates, I have to agree that these had to have been production somewhere at some time.  Now, I'm curious to get one myself.  I thought I was done with GAS...