Bass Gear Review

Reviewer	Rolf
Experience	3
Review date	July 05 2001
Manufacturer	Tokai
Model	Jazz Sound (defretted)
Price	$60, used, incl. case
Item owned for	1-2 years

Bass type	4 string fretless
Neck join	Bolt-On
Neck construction	single piece
Fignerboard	rosewood
Body	single piece, unknown type of wood
Finish	black glossy
Pickups	2 passive pickups (manufacturer Tokai ??)
Hardware	Tokai, chrome
Electronics	passive, jazz-bass-like controls

This Jazz Bass imitation, probably from the 70's-80's (?), had been defretted by a professional, who had done a nice job. I have put flatwounds on them to give me the feel I was looking for on a fretless bass. Playability is pretty good and I enjoy the sound of this bass played over my SWR Bassic Black combo, but this is largely a matter of taste. For $60 (150 Dutch Guilders)(used), including case, it was a bargain (found it through the internet and acted fast). If you are looking for a cheap passive Jazz Bass clone and you happen to run into a Tokai Jazz Sound, you should check it out. Tokai customer service was disappointing: there is no information on older models on their web site and there was no response to my emails for even a little bit of information on the bass.

Construction	75%
(solid, but not in any way special)
Appearance	75%
(just your average jazz bass imitation)
Playability	85%
Sound	85%
(largely a matter of taste)
Customer Service	25%
(terrible web site, no response to email)
Value	85%
(if you can pick it up cheap)
Overall	85%
(would buy it again at that price (who wouldn't?))