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Post subject: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:20 pm
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I've had a heck of a time finding anything out about this bass, other than it's a Fender and has a semi-hollow body. I got it in a trade around 13 or so years ago. I was thinking of putting it up on eBay, but I have no idea what it's worth, and after watching for one on eBay off and on for over a year, I have yet to see one like it. It's black and has a gouge in the front from some cement-head who didn't secure her guitar so that it fell over and hit it. It's in a vintage tweed Washburn case (probably insignificant). Any ideas about what it is or what it's worth? My friend who sort of knew about it said it was only made for two years in the late 90's and that may be why there aren't many around.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:28 pm
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New to forum and don't know how to post a pic. Any idea how I can do that?


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 4:59 pm
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thanks; I'll take some pics and post them... maybe. We'll see how that goes.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2012 9:05 pm
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Look like this?

Image

That photo is a 60's to early 70's vintage Coronado I. (Coronado One.)
The Coronado II (Coronado Two) was essentially the same but had 2 pickups.

The Coronado line was the first use of the Fender Antigua finish. Arthur Smith of "Guitar Boogie Shuffle" fame still plays his Antigua Coronado II six string as his number 1 electric.

There are also some Japanese made semi-hollow body basses which look like the photo below. Quite scarce but not especially valuable and not nearly as collectible as a Coronado.

Image


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:26 am
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If a Coronado guitar or bass would be reissued, it will bear TV Jones pickups as it's difficult to recreate the Fender originals.

Not sure if Fender has plans to reissue these Roger Roßmeisl creations. Ditto for the LTD and Montego archtops.

Roßmeisl was chiefly responsible for the Thinline Telecaster, first introduced in 1968 and reissued in its various guises (single-coil and humbucker-equipped versions) since the late 1980s/early 1990s.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:49 pm
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Roger Rossmeisl is the current Head of FENDER Research and Development so those are not all of his credits. I would like to see the Coronado reissued but they were not very popular models, which is why the line got cut. I don't know why the pickups would be so hard to make. If they could make them, they surely could make them now. That is unless they were outsourced and the company tanked.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 10:24 pm
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If Fender reissues the Coronados, I guess these models would be Japanese-made.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2012 3:20 pm
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I think DeArmond made the pickups, which makes them similar to the Gretsch pups of the day also made by DeArmond. Fender had issues with the binding fitting precisely as I recall. The binding issue is said to be part of what led to the Antigua finish because it hid any binding defects so effectively. Antigua was only available as a color choice on the Coronados for at least a year or two before it was offered as a custom color for solid body instruments. Where were these hollow body bodies made? Was it at the Fender Fullerton plant or were they outsourced to another nearby shop? I've heard it both ways and I don't know which is actually true, but would like to know.

They are unique for sure but for some reason they are not especially expensive today considering they were more expensive back then when compared to the Fender solid body line. Some say they feedback too much. I've played the Coronado II Bass and that one didn't seem to have a major feedback issue but it did have one of the worst neck dives ever. Bulky too.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 11:56 am
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The DeArmond name was used to be a support brand for Guild.

Starfires, Bluesbirds and Pilot basses were among the "recreations" of Guild's iconic designs. These instruments were manufactured in Korea.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 5:27 pm
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Were Coronados short scale? If so, I just got GAS!


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 8:02 pm
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Yes, Starting about 1998 there were DeArmond guitars made in Asia using Guild designs. The entry level DeArmond guitars were made in Indonesia while the high end ones were made in Korea under direct supervision of Guild USA personnel and the Korean made ones were loaded up with DeArmond USA made pickups.

However it is pickups more than effects or guitars that made Harry DeArmond famous.

DeArmond was a pickup and floor effects company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio that made the first commercially available electric guitar pickups called a "guitar microphone" to amplify the Spanish guitar in the mid 1930's. Then Harry DeArmond invented the DeArmond "Trem Trol" which is widely considered as the first production guitar floor effect. The Trem Trol was mass marketed by 1948 after being "road tested." It functioned as an electromechanical tremolo.

Pickup guru Harry DeArmond retired after designing over 100 different pickups that had been factory installs on various guitar makes both domestic and foreign. The Fender Coronado definitely used DeArmond pickups.

The Coronado basses were 30 inch scale I think if I'm recalling correctly.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 8:01 pm
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The Japanese model is a "HMT". I had one. It sounded good but has a "hockey stick"" headstock. I just wouldn't get over the look so I sold it. I would like to find one with a P Bass neck & headstock. It sounded great had EMG P pickups & a pickup in the bridge. The strings passed thru the body. Mine was red. I may have a photo. If I have one I'll post it.


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 8:16 am
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BP GOALIE, that would be great if you could find it and post it. Was it neck heavy? I'm guessing 34" scale?


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Post subject: Re: Semi hollow-body bass
Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 10:56 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
Starting about 1998 there were DeArmond guitars made in Asia using Guild designs. The entry level DeArmond guitars were made in Indonesia while the high end ones were made in Korea under direct supervision of Guild USA personnel and the Korean made ones were loaded up with DeArmond USA made pickups.


The last Pilot basses I saw were the bolt-on Pluses and Pros, the thru-neck Deluxes (which included a 6-string version) and the Standard. The Standard was a Pilot bass with a 34" scale length and passive circuitry while the Deluxe and the Pro boasted a pair of humbuckers powered by a 3-band EQ. Both Plus, Pro and Deluxe Pilots featured a 35" scale length.

Image

Fender made a Pilot Bass string set specially designed for these basses.

Image

The DeArmond brand died circa 2002/03.


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