The Guitar Gallery Forums - The Guitar Legacy of Matsumoku

Greetings, Matsumoku enthusiasts!

Trying to gather some intel to be able to post intelligently. Purchased in the early/mid '80s, but never knew anything about it.

I see similarities to the Vantage and to searches for Mats Neck Thru, but the head is clearly not of the Vantage design, right?
Pix at: http://www.tinyurl.com/BPOaklandBass

It's got a 6-position tone selector, amazingly strong neck, great sustain.

I'm an acoustic player so the longer length was appealing. I did some research a year or so ago and some TB friends help me figure out the Matsumoku connection. Its serial number is 010053, and I've searched the web for years and only seen one other photo of even a remotely similar bass.

The closest I've found is this TalkBass post from 2013: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/matsumoku-factory-neck-through-basses-compared.1222315/
Matsumoku factory neck through basses compared.

I see similarities to the Vantage and to searches for Mats Neck Thru: https://tinyurl.com/MatsumokuNeckThru. But the head is clearly not of the Vantage design, right?

I want to think that this was an experimental model, hence the XB100 and low serial number? Anyone want to correct or expound?

Hi Bruce and welcome.

Someone with better information should pop by soon, but in the meantime, I can tell you that the Oakland name does surface on Matsumoku built instruments, including this one: http://www.westoneguitars.net/guitars/thunder/thunder-ii/. (Scroll down in the Version I listing).

Just who owned the name "Oakland" and where they were marketed I do not know, but it was not unusual for Mats and other builders to "white label" their products. In most cases it was a simple change to the name on the head stock. In others, they appear to have changed the physical shape of the head stock as in this case.

I could not state for sure if it's a Mats, but it's unlikely to be an "experimental" model. More likely the X is either a marketing affectation or it's an internal serial numbering to indicate a white label product.

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