Oh my, this is on its way!

[leftybass]

Orfeus Hebros bass from Bulgaria. Late 60s/early 70s.

[Highlander]

Interesting...

Did Ilan buy one of those as a wallhanger...?

[ilan]

I have the exact same bass! Here's mine:



As you can see I gutted the crappy soviet harness, installed two decent pots (master vol and master tone), a pickup selector switch and a Switchcraft jack in the front.

Not a bad sounding bass (although pickups are weak) and a nice playing neck once I shimmed and straightened it.

You can find more info here: http://www.euroguitars.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=406&sid=776e034b53b1c504b2ef97225d3a5db5

Definitely a conversation piece. I bought it just because it reminded me of the Gibson "Jazz Moderne":

[Dave W]

Wow. Two Orfeus (Orfeii?) on one small forum. Are we trendsetters or what?

[leftybass]

Ilan, that's awesome and beautiful! The finish on mine doesn't appear to be in as good a shape as yours, but matters not.
Question: How do you adjust the pickup height?

[Psycho Bass Guy]

It's a commie Coronado!

[TBird1958]

It's a commie Coronado!

LOL !   


Very cool basses too!

[ilan]

Question: How do you adjust the pickup height?

I don't think they are adjustable for height. They are just bolted to a white plastic base. I guess you can raise them but you can't lower.



They are so shallow, there's not even a cutout in the top.

[Dave W]

Now that's a bare bones pickup.

Should be easy enough to shim it if you need to raise it.

[leftybass]

If there's no cutout, I can mount any pickups I want in there if I decide I don't care for the stock ones. I might go mod crazy on this one.

[Denis]

Saw that and thought it looked cool. Congrats!

[ilan]

What I hadn't noticed when I hit the BIN on mine, and surprised me when I received it (same seller, BTW), was that it's a flat-top (and back).

[leftybass]

found this:(translated)
There is a log Bulgarian .... although it was rather ... Generally speaking that Bulgarian music as a master greatly exceeded the Sverdlovsk gunsmiths on product quality, I would not. But the resource is embedded in their creations much more. Where necessary - left under the tree dofrezerovku, space for other coil ... In general "in mind" designed. Do not think that this is a copy of the very gibsonovskoy model. No, what you just look at the original orfeevskuyu trehuhuyu hyperfine head bent forward and strings at once clear that Gibson then, copyrights, rock will never be ... postyditstsa and bitter cry, and go into a corner.

The sensors are also very original: a chrome-plated brass box contains three square kusochika magnet. Lie obliquely, not haphazardly, but side to side as they fell raspolyusovany. not all together, but not through one, and not just fix this raspolyusovku because they lie on a thick layer of thick kleeobraznoy substance is not fully lost its viscosity. Magnets wound neatly around sickly Bulgarian wire "four" in the plastic coil. Wire wound sparse, economical: on the front sensor is about two and kilooma but in the background as much as three! The sensors are connected in antiphase and each have its own volume control. Before going to pyatishtyrkovy jack is decorative tone control. Its capacity is, unfortunately, can adjust the high frequency part of the only guitar band, but he is able to on bass at the expense of drying Konder create that unique high background, which in amplifiers are called "warm vintage sound." The number of background adjusted within wide limits, but not up to scratch.

Scale is not very long, very short, probably as a consequence, the string tension is not great, and leaves open the possibility to play fluently at the ninth fret, even that can not but rejoice solo bassists, so your favorite music in any team. The upper and lower deck completely flat and made of a three-layer plywood. Instead of springs, by attaching the neck to the bottom of the buttons is a continuous beam of alder with a delicately milled groove. Sound like the sound of the original product's gum from the cowards and the timbre of sound and by volume.

However, under the fence to throw a beautiful hand was raised, and after alteration of landing the neck and replace the original coil pickups on homemade, made on the basis of the magnets from hard drives and WD Fudge scientific method of winding, and then rewind back to the scientific part of the wire, the instrument came to life. Particularly pleased with the anchor, without strain straightened cm deflection on the neck. Very hard at anchor correctly, yes! all who wants to poklast anchor somewhere - find a monster, disembowel him neck take a look what's what, understand, learn, and send picture please ... or at least, the basic dimensions:) The original tone control was replaced by variton in volume replaced by potentiometers. The result is an instrument with an original, but full-sounding antique.

[Dave W]

However, under the fence to throw a beautiful hand was raised

Was this a review by Yoda? 

That "continuous beam of alder" must mean it's a semihollow.

Sounds like whoever wrote this had replaced the pickups.

[ilan]

"continuous beam of alder" I think refers to the sustain block. Looks more spruce than alder but I could be wrong.