Kasuga Stereo Bass

Made in Japan, early '70's. 4-string, 20 frets. Body and neck both painted black, i have no clue about the wood it's made of. It's an exact copy of the Rickenbacker 4001 and i've never seen another Kasuga somewhere. Neck is not bolted. It has two pickups and i altered one of them, i removed some of the original parts (the cover of one of the pickups) because i play with picks. Bought it with a homemade flightcase.. so heavy i just use a gigbag most of the times.

The music of the band i'm in is based on alternative rock. The bass sounds very crisp and clear and that sound fits perfect with what i want. It sounds best on big amps, it has quite a low output-level and my current rehearsal amp (Ampeg BA-112) is not strong enough. Sometimes i use a Boss overdrive-pedal. You can get a lot of different sounds from this bass and yes.. it sounds like a Rick! I used it on stage and now i use it for recording, decided to try flatwound-strings for a more jazzy sound and it almost sounds like a double bass now.

The quality of this instrument is fine, from time to time i have to re-adjust the height of the pickups. The selector-switched got replaced recently.

When i just had it i used it as a backup for my other bass, a Gibson G-3. Later it became the nr. 1 bass but it took a while to get used to it, it's quite heavy to play and very different from the G-3. I use it frequently and it's very reliable, sometimes i dare to take it out on stage without backup. The electronics are a bit noisy when the connector/amp is not properly grounded.

Kasuga doesn't exist anymore as far as i now.

I'm playing bass since 8 years and have this bass for 5 years now. I consider it as my child.. the first thing i will evacuate in case of emergency. The other bass-guitars i own are a '78 Gibson G3 and a Motion B-05 acoustic bass. I also play guitar (altough not good). I think these Kasuga-copies are quite rare and i wonder how many were built. Check the electronics when you are considering buying one, i think that's the weak point.

I bought this Japanese 'Rickenbacker' copy bass in the UK in 1977 quite by accident really. John Hornby Skewes sent it by mistake after I had ordered a JHS Rickenbacker copy. When I plugged it in though..... it was staying with me!
Unlike the Rickenbacker 40001, this natural finish 20 fret bass has a bolt-on solid maple neck with the 40001 style flashes instead of position dots on the maple fingerboard. The body is a two-piece chunk of either alder or maple with beige edging. It's quite a heavy bass that's for sure!
The two pick-ups wake up either individually or together using the three-way selector switch. There are two jacks; one 'standard' and one 'stereo sound' although I have to confess that I have only ever used the standard socket. (After 23 years, I wonder what it would sound like if I...???)
Apart from the bolt-on neck, the bass looks identical to the real thing except for the machine heads which are larger (and cheaper of course) than the 4001. Even so, they hold the tuning for a very very long time!

One reason why I still have this bass is the fact that I can get, (depending on the strings)some nice warm bass sounds effortlessly when I select either the bass pick-up or both at once. The bass does sound almost identical to the superb 60's and 70's Rickenbackers which suits me right down to the ground. With the treble pick-up selected, I get those rich and gritty Bruce Foxton, Chris Squire sounds which made the Rickenbacker's popular with 'those' 70's 'progressive' rock bands.
I tend to use Rotosound Swing Bass strings and prefer to DI the bass almost exclusively for home recording these days. When I used this bass on stage, it tended to be a little noisy (unlike the easier to control Rickenbackers) when set to ear splitting levels (maybe it would be less noisy if I used the stereo jack???).
I love this bass mainly because it has some personal history after 23 years and because I have found it difficult to get these sounds on many other basses. If I were playing live though, I'd probably go for the real 4001 but it would have to sound at least 20 times better!

I remember this bass being set up quite well originally but for personal tastes, I adjusted the pick up positions almost immediately to get a softer, deeper bass sound. I can't say I have ever had a problem with the electrics or the controls.
The chrome plated hardware has survived excellently but there is a bit of mild oxidation on the large tailpiece and saddles. Everywhere else though, the chrome's still shiny!

Apart from the oxidation in chrome, a major PLUS for this instrument lies in the fact that it has been accidentally kicked, dropped, rained on, and frowned at many many times and still looks like I bought it six months ago. You'd have to search out a decent surface scratch even on the back of the bass and considering the weight of the thing, you'd expect alot worse after all this time!
This is without question, the most durable instrument I have and it's 23 years of service says it all really. It's a very reliable bass but I would always have a back up handy if I went out live with it.

N/A but I would love to see another one!!!!!!!

I bought this bass because I couldn't afford a Rickenbacker. And 23 years on, I still want a brilliant one and maybe a Fender jazz or Precision to feel more complete and respectable.
I've been playing about 26 years and originally started out playing bass in quite a few bands but moved over to guitar when I became more serious about writing and recording. I have always used copy guitars cos the ones i have do the job brilliantly. I currently have a lovely Fender Squier 57 Strat (original Japanese 83 version), Epiphone Les Paul standard, Washburn D12S acoustic, Yamaha FG420A, and an Eros MK11 Les Paul copy from 1973. I work exclusively on home recording these days and it no longer matters if hardly anyone gets to hear it!
I would sob publicly if this bass was lost or stolen but I think it's about time that I went out in search of a new baby.
My advice to up and coming bass players... don't ever turn your nose up at so-called 'copy' guitars and basses cos you might just find a something precious that you just can't beat or let go of!!!