Barry wrote:
Hi ajn22 and welcome.
It's interesting to note the position markers are on the edge; I usually equate that with MIK.
Gorgeous instrument. How's she play/sound?
Actually, the fret marker position was pretty common among the Matsumoku made basses in the 60s and 70s. If you check out the earlier topic on a Lyle 335 hollowbody (about a dozen topics down) you'll see the same thing. What is unusual about this particular one is the single cutaway and pointed horn.
As to how she plays/sounds, I am really impressed with it. I have now (and have owned over the last 40 plus years) a fair number of basses, including some pretty expensive boutique models, and this bass has nothing to be ashamed of. I have been on the hunt for a long while now for a short scale hollowbody that wasn't too terribly costly, and that "spoke" to me. I have tried a lot of what is currently available under about $700 these days, and I think this Lyle puts them to shame. After 45 years or so, the neck is straight and perfect, the pots are fine, it sounds rich and thumpy, it looks pretty cool--what more can you ask for? I found it on my local Craigslist just last week, and I can't put it down. It had actually been posted for a couple of weeks before that, but the listing was vague and unwelcoming and absolutely no one responded. Lucky for me--I ended up with it for an embarrassingly low price.