Ibanez Violin Bass ??

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Author Message Introvert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    I recently bought a pretty Ibanez copy of the Hofner violin bass. It is a tobacco sunburst model with 22 frets and bolt-on neck. The pickguard is plain white (not pearl)3 ply plastic with a finger rest attached. A rectangular white plastic control panel holds 2 knobs (black bell type--possibly replacements) and three switches. The pickups are very accurate copies of the Hofner "staple" pickups, and the floating bridge and trapese tailpiece are pretty convincing as well. The tuning keys are sealed mini 2-per side and unmarked. The truss rod cover is triangular white plastic. I do not see any sign of a model or serial number. The neck bolt plate says only "Japan." The Ibanez name appears on a cream on black strip taped horizontally across the headstock. Any idea what model I have and when it was made? By chance, I came across a 1976 Ibanez catalog, but no fiddle bass appeared. Where can I find this kind of information? Thanks much for your help. JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    Sounds like Ibanez's Hofner Bass Replica, No 2357DX. Check out this page, all the way at the bottom. http://www.comcat.com/~alnico5/copies2.html Hope this helps, JohnS Introvert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    Thanks John, Yes, that does look very close except: the color of the truss rod cover the pearlized pickguard with no finger rest the tailpiece with an extra crossbar I think the scale length on that page must be a typo, as I can't imagine a fiddle bass with a 33.5 inch scale! Mine's much shorter. Is there any record of when precisely these things were made? A book on Japanese guitar building would be just the thing. Does one exist or is it up to one of us to write it? Thanks again, I-Vert JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    I-Vert: The cosmetic differences might be attributed to differing model years. If your's has replacement parts, I can't imagine where someone would get them, other than from a real Hofner. But why deface the "real thing" to make a "replica" whole? The best book on Japanese guitar building is Guitar Stories, Vol. 1 by Michael Wright. It has a very extensive chapter on Ibanez. But not much info on basses, at all. It does mention the "violin bass" starting in 1974 and speculates that the "replicas" might have lasted thru '76, perhaps early '77. I've talked with Michael and there is not a lot of "official" info available from Hoshino on anything from the early days. The recollections of early, key employees, is the major source of info for the book. The next source is speculations based on old catalogs, price sheets, etc. If Hoshino can't put their fingers on the records or doesn't want to spend the time and resources to archive past records, I doubt we'll ever hear anything more than speculation and rumours about production histories. evert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    I think you have a 2357 model[sans DX]I have a copy of the 1971/1972 Ibanez catalog which include the 2357.Does your bass have a white tri- angular truss-rod cover? The catalog doesn't say anything about scale lenghts. JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    Every: I wonder what DX stands for? Deluxe? Is there any way to share a picture of the bass with the rest of us by uploading a jpeg? What other guitars are in the 71/72 catalog? Introvert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    evert, Yes, my bass does indeed have the white truss-rod cover. I suspect that early seventies is a very accurate guess, since my bass also has one of those corny finger rests mounted on the pickguard. Now that's period ambience! What do the knobs look like in your catalog? Can you help us clear up the original or replacement issue below? John S: thanks very much for mentioning the Wright book. It will definitely end up in my library. On the unreliability of records and the pausity of published info, all I can say is I feared as much. As for the knobs, I don't know if they're original or not, but they remind me of nothing so much as Fender silver face amplifier knobs. Maybe they are! Certainly nothing like the Hofner clones in the DX photo. The bass is in very nice shape but has obviously been played a lot and was not considered a "collectable" by the previous owner. If not original, the black knobs may have been simply added as a matter of playing comfort. To complicate the matter with international marketing concerns, I bought, and am playing, this bass in Ankara, Turkey! Best, I-Vert evert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    evert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    DX stands for Deluxe,yes.There are over 40 guitars in the catalog:Les Pauls[no set necks],SG's,Fender basses,Tele's,Jazzmaster,Dan Armstrong "lucite"guitar and bass,Gibson Barney Kessel,ES models and the 1910 semi ac.1915 semi ac.bass,2020 solid,2030 solid bass.These last models are pre-copy era "originals".Also Fender,Gibson and Martin acoustic copies and Jamboree classics and folk guitars. Introvert Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    That's mah bass! And looks like the knobs are original. This bass also differs from the later DX in the electronics. The DX has volume and tone knobs, but the 2357 has only a volume knob for each pickup, on/off for each pickup, and master on/off switch. You control tone only by blending the pickups. I should mention that this bass has a beautiful warm, woody tone--however limited. Above the 9th fret it really sings. The unplugged sound is also fairly impressive--and useful for those of us addicted to late night plucking in our shoddily-built apartment blocks. I-Vert Madd Anthony Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:03 am:    Hmmm. I've recently picked up a similar bass for my son. It has only one pickup though. It has a Volume, Tone, and a third knob that makes the bass sound either Twangy, or real Heavy. It has the same style pickup, pickgurad, and triangle truss rod cover. It doesn't say Ibanez on the outside, just "Made in Japan" on the plate behind the neck joint. I'm tempted to "Open" her up, and see if there is anything internally that will reveal it's makers name. Is there any listings for a Single pickup Beatle Bass?!?

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