Having said this, there are a lot worse guitars out there, and as well as being historically important, the 1820 bass can certainly provide the goods when required.
Over the course of the 70s, the Japanese output improved dramatically, and in many ways these early 70s models are a low point for the brand. These new Epiphones were based on existing Matsumoku guitars, sharing body shapes, and hardware, but the Epiphone line was somewhat upgraded, with inlaid logos and a 2x2 peghead configuration. The Matsumoku factory had been producing guitars for export for some time, but the 1820 bass (alongside a number of guitar models and the 5120 electric acoustic bass) were the first Epiphone models to be made there. This was scratchplate mounted in a fairly central position, resulting in a pretty gritty midrange sound (listen to soundclips here) with just the usual tone and one volume controls to give a little variation - for the right band how much more would you need?īy the end of the 1960s, a decision had been made to move Epiphone guitar production from the USA (at the Kalamazoo plant where Gibson guitars were made), to Matsumoto in Japan, creating a line of guitars and basses significantly less expensive than the USA-built models (actually less than half the price). Although very simple, it does have some sturdy components, especially the bridge, and was certainly a more substantial instrument than many other 'entry-level' basses.Īlthough a good functioning bass, it could perhaps be considered a little limited tonally, having only one single-coil pickup. It was an easy-playing good quality, solid, reliable bass. This example is exceptionally clean for its age, less some light scratches from pickwear and a scratch on the edge. It does not get simpler than this, one pickup, tone/volume and a bridge. The Musicmaster was Fender's least expensive bass model (in 1973, it had a list price of $139.50, compared to $293.50 for the Precision), and with the shorter 30" was scale perfect for student musicians. 1978 Fender Musicmaster-Black A late 70s Musicmaster. As with Fender’s guitar bearing the same name, the bass was a simpler version of Fender’s Mustang Bass. Very little fret wear, some rosewood wea. Old School Old School: 1978 Fender Musicmaster Bass by Corey Brown Monday, November 21st, 2011 Fender’s Musicmaster was first introduced in 1971, and in production through 1981. The only real difference is the position of the thumbrest, but then, this catalogue does re-use the image from the 1970 catalogue - the first appearance of the Fender Musicmaster bass. Clean, refinished many years ago in matte gray, possible pickup change to maybe a Strat pickup. Have a look at the 1972 Fender catalogue, which has an almost identical guitar pictured. Often times we find vintage guitars listed at a high premium, but what about the hidden gems that are actually affordable Check out this beautifully aged Musicmaster from 1978, a single-pickup. The bass pictured is completely typical example of an early Musicmaster. My dad is surprised I followed through with it, for the record.The Fender Musicmaster bass was a new instrument for the 1970s, being launched in the second half of the first year of the decade. Considering I probably spent no more than $350 on it, I’d say it paid off! A case in point being this great version of ‘Big. Rory added another pickup in the bridge position to make it closer to a Tele / Strat setup and in the early 80s Rory would plug this guitar in live if his ’61 Strat was playing up. Only took 10 years to finally get that pickguard. Rory was first seen using this 1978 Fender Musicmaster around 1982 when touring his Jinx album. I love the 24” scale and having only one (original!) pickup is surprisingly nice. scratched to hell with sandpaper? (I really don’t know what the poor thing has been through.)Įither way, it’s not all original but I’m very proud of it.
#1978 FENDER MUSICMASTER CRACKED#
There weren’t, that I could find, any websites that offered the specific 1976-8 pickguard for it around 2010, but I found WD Music does now so I ordered a new one since the original was cracked and appeared to have been. I scored a pristine 1978 neck around 2014 and could finally play it! I stopped playing guitar for a while but got back into it during the pandemic.
#1978 FENDER MUSICMASTER SERIAL#
I hunted eBay for years to get the right year (according to the date printed on the body cavity and research about 70’s Fender serial numbers). The biggest challenge was finding the right neck. Someone who owned it previously did a number on it - and must have been left handed, because they drilled in a strap button on the lower horn! Not long after, I stripped the paint using an orbital palm sander (oof), refinished it with car paint with my grandpa, learned to solder to replace the pots and jack, and replaced the strap buttons with strap locks. 13 year old me begged my dad to let me buy it (bless his heart), and I swore I was going to restore it. Little backstory: back in 2010 a local pawn shop was selling this with a mismatched Squier Strat neck in barely functioning condition for $80.
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