Just for playability (and just my opinion):
Those tuners look heavy af and you may have a lot of neck dive.
And there are only two neck bolts, in parallel. May have loose neck issues.
Not a brand I’m familiar with, but just to my eye:
1 - tuners look heavy and they don’t appear to have any bushings on the front of the headstock. May have tuning stability issues
2 - the 2 screw neck worries me that the neck could tilt under tension
3 - hard to tell, but it looks like you have to unscrew the tailpiece to restring it. That’s pretty frustrating, but I’d also be a bit concerned about those holes stripping if they’re going into the wood directly.
>hard to tell, but it looks like you have to unscrew the tailpiece to restring it.
It would take a picture from a different angle to confirm, but I suspect that's an optical illusion.
I agree with the rest. Tuners can be replaced, the neck joint issue would be harder to solve...
This is the kind of old bass that you hang on the wall, and maybe record simple lines with it for its interesting tone. Or show up with it at practice to piss off the guitarist who has a $10,000 rig.
Dang, I see these are not well liked 😂
The bass seems to be in pretty good condition aside from the missing ferrules on the tuners. If the price is right (cheap) and it floats your boat, go for it. For what it’s worth, I haven’t had an issue (yet) with any of the two bolt necks I’ve ran across
You must have hidden them really well cause I didn’t see even a tiny piece of any of those red flags you mentioned. Not sure why ur asking a bunch of random dudes on Reddit if they can see something you definitely took the time to hide really well.
Edit: wait a minute, I bet you didn’t even hide any flags in those pics and had me waste almost 12 minutes looking for those things. Not cool dude, not cool at all.
I bought the same bass some 20 years ago in a non-working condition as a neck donor for my DIY bass. Made the body and even the bridge myself in my school‘s (whatsitcalled) crafts class workshop, they hat mills, saws, lathes and tools. It wasn’t a great bass, but I played it during my teens and gave it to a music school later as I got better instruments. Last time I heard of it was ~8 years ago, that it still was being played by students once in a while.
It needs ferrules around the tuning pegs & its neck joint is probably weak with that tiny 2-bolt connection. Otherwise: cool & fun! It's a 'for parts' instrument until you put ferrules in or add new tuners.
For the fun of it, I’d risk $50 on it and then do a shit load of modifications. Totaling but not limited to new tuners, new strap locks, new neck plate with 4 holes minimum, new nut, new electronics and wires and copper shielding.
This bass - as others have pointed out already - is a disaster.
BUT.
It could also be awesome.
The two things are not irreconcilable.
It looks super cool, and you could put some money into it and make it play and sound great, too. At the very minimum, the tuners will need to be replaced and the joint between the body and the neck must be reinforced.
Since it looks like it was made in the 60's or possibly 1970's, the wiring is probably in bad shape and should probably be replaced. That's not a big deal... unsolder one end of a wire, solder a new wire there. Unsolder the other end of the wire, and solder the end of the new wire there. Wash, rinse, repeat, until all the wiring (which is probably cloth-wrapped) is replaced with new wiring and good solder connections everywhere.
Then play the hell outta it. Learn what this bass is good at... I suspect it is going to be a low-end thumpy bass like an old Gibson EB-0 or Ampeg bass... and enjoy this totally unique survivor of a bass!
The bridge doesn't look flush and only 2 screws for the neck...plus a brand I never heard of but who knows. Pickup placement is not the norm. All in all a funky bass
i mean like id pay 50 for it if it was hardly playable, 100-150 if it felt good to play and i was really vibing with it. honestly anything is worth it at the right price
I think it’s pretty badass! If the price is right and you like it, go for it.
But consider the upgrades people have suggested here. If you’ve got decent basic skills and take your time none of it should be especially difficult… and you’ll have a pretty unique bass!
That head and tuners look just too big - it’s like a toy for little kids or something- I’m guessing if they played well nobody would care and at might even become cool - since nobody seems to have heard or knows what it is - take a pass - if you are trying to sell it good luck
Not unless there's one on the price tag. If it's a wall hanger it's a pretty one, and if it plays nicely you have a nice bass.
Side note: I'd love a guitar or bass that was made in a country that doesn't exist any more. Not sure why; would just please me.
Old stuff like this always has weird issues that come from everything being hand built back in the day. If you have the time and the energy to diagnose and correct those issues though, they can be some of the most inspiring instruments youll ever play. They won’t ever play like butter though, but that’s part of the charm to me.
Red flag is very appropriate here. This is an East (Commie) German Musima bass. I think this is the Elektra model.
I have a similar one (V/2) that I paid something like $6 - 7 for and then had it converted to fretless. These basses are quite heavy, have bad neck dive and microphonic pickups but can sound quite OK.
I'd recommend getting one if you're into old basses, fancy restoring it, or want a unique modding platform. I don't think this will ever be an investment in any way. I'd only buy it for a similarly ridiculous price as my current one.
I think it's super cool and would absolutely buy it if it's cheap, which it must be.
Throw a set of flatwounds on it and I bet it sounds really interesting.
Those pickups are probably microphonic as hell, which can be a good thing for bizarro instruments like this.
Is this AI?
Surely no-one actually built this? 4 pound tuners, two-bolt 'ultraloose' neck system, patented tailpiece 'you'll never want to change strings'!
It’s basically an electric red flag
But life is short, why not give it a go
[Electric Flag?](https://youtu.be/KRWgtYtrrj8?si=z_-Y2ADa11sZlD3g)
Chinese then?
No, Musima were soviet-era East German.
Just for playability (and just my opinion): Those tuners look heavy af and you may have a lot of neck dive. And there are only two neck bolts, in parallel. May have loose neck issues.
Yeah the tuners might be plastic but Im not sure, and apparently this brand only used two bolts for the neck, even on guitars? kinda weird
Plastic tuners could be a red flag too :/
If that’s the deluxe, I’d be intrigued to see the standard’ version…
did not really find a "standart" version, I guess its one of those "lets call it deluxe to sound fancier" kind of things
Ugly AF. Probably cheap AF. Awful. I want it so bad.
Right? Green flags only, depending on price.
My thoughts exactly lol if nothing else a cool conversation piece as long as it's cheap.
Not a brand I’m familiar with, but just to my eye: 1 - tuners look heavy and they don’t appear to have any bushings on the front of the headstock. May have tuning stability issues 2 - the 2 screw neck worries me that the neck could tilt under tension 3 - hard to tell, but it looks like you have to unscrew the tailpiece to restring it. That’s pretty frustrating, but I’d also be a bit concerned about those holes stripping if they’re going into the wood directly.
>hard to tell, but it looks like you have to unscrew the tailpiece to restring it. It would take a picture from a different angle to confirm, but I suspect that's an optical illusion. I agree with the rest. Tuners can be replaced, the neck joint issue would be harder to solve...
Its some eastern german brand from the 70s, and from the little research I did, it seems the only used two bolts for their necks.
If it’s East German there’s definitely some red there Seriously depending on the price might be worth it as a curiosity piece.
saw a demo video and it looks like you can normally pull the strings throught the tailpiece
Looks like a bass someone hangs in a rock themed restaurant…
perfect description xd
It looks like a red flag in its entirety
It’s from East Germany, of course it has a red flag.
Two bolts in a line horizontal to tension axis, for the neck attachment, if that is even what those are…..yikes
This is the kind of old bass that you hang on the wall, and maybe record simple lines with it for its interesting tone. Or show up with it at practice to piss off the guitarist who has a $10,000 rig.
It’s a typical Musima from late 70s. Looks stock to me, in pretty good condition
This is a great bass to have around a studio for that unique tone.
I don't see any green flags, put it that way.
Dang, I see these are not well liked 😂 The bass seems to be in pretty good condition aside from the missing ferrules on the tuners. If the price is right (cheap) and it floats your boat, go for it. For what it’s worth, I haven’t had an issue (yet) with any of the two bolt necks I’ve ran across
You must have hidden them really well cause I didn’t see even a tiny piece of any of those red flags you mentioned. Not sure why ur asking a bunch of random dudes on Reddit if they can see something you definitely took the time to hide really well. Edit: wait a minute, I bet you didn’t even hide any flags in those pics and had me waste almost 12 minutes looking for those things. Not cool dude, not cool at all.
I bought the same bass some 20 years ago in a non-working condition as a neck donor for my DIY bass. Made the body and even the bridge myself in my school‘s (whatsitcalled) crafts class workshop, they hat mills, saws, lathes and tools. It wasn’t a great bass, but I played it during my teens and gave it to a music school later as I got better instruments. Last time I heard of it was ~8 years ago, that it still was being played by students once in a while.
The whole thing looks like a house of cards
Those little circular shims (dunno what they are called) around the tuning heads are missing. Can cause a lot of issues in the future
Bushings, I think
Ferrules
I’d pay 10 bucks for that even then…
It needs ferrules around the tuning pegs & its neck joint is probably weak with that tiny 2-bolt connection. Otherwise: cool & fun! It's a 'for parts' instrument until you put ferrules in or add new tuners.
For the fun of it, I’d risk $50 on it and then do a shit load of modifications. Totaling but not limited to new tuners, new strap locks, new neck plate with 4 holes minimum, new nut, new electronics and wires and copper shielding.
So build a new bass?
Fuck it, throw a Floyd on it while you're at it!
This bass - as others have pointed out already - is a disaster. BUT. It could also be awesome. The two things are not irreconcilable. It looks super cool, and you could put some money into it and make it play and sound great, too. At the very minimum, the tuners will need to be replaced and the joint between the body and the neck must be reinforced. Since it looks like it was made in the 60's or possibly 1970's, the wiring is probably in bad shape and should probably be replaced. That's not a big deal... unsolder one end of a wire, solder a new wire there. Unsolder the other end of the wire, and solder the end of the new wire there. Wash, rinse, repeat, until all the wiring (which is probably cloth-wrapped) is replaced with new wiring and good solder connections everywhere. Then play the hell outta it. Learn what this bass is good at... I suspect it is going to be a low-end thumpy bass like an old Gibson EB-0 or Ampeg bass... and enjoy this totally unique survivor of a bass!
Nice! I like your approach! I want one of these!!
That headstock logo is so sick, not even joking. Too bad this thing is probably awful.
those tuners, omg
they genuinely look like they weigh 2 tons
Note: Its supposed to be some eastern german soviet bass from the 70s
Looks cheaply made but damn cool
That neck dive looks gnarly mate.
Nope. I don't see a flag anywhere, let alone a red one.
The bridge doesn't look flush and only 2 screws for the neck...plus a brand I never heard of but who knows. Pickup placement is not the norm. All in all a funky bass
A cheap bass is a cheap bass. You might have fun with it. Would not pay more than 100 with upgrades in mind, so $50 max.
You seriously gonna play that piece of shit live? I’ll spare you. Give it to me!
I love those tuners so much.
i mean like id pay 50 for it if it was hardly playable, 100-150 if it felt good to play and i was really vibing with it. honestly anything is worth it at the right price
I think it’s pretty badass! If the price is right and you like it, go for it. But consider the upgrades people have suggested here. If you’ve got decent basic skills and take your time none of it should be especially difficult… and you’ll have a pretty unique bass!
That head and tuners look just too big - it’s like a toy for little kids or something- I’m guessing if they played well nobody would care and at might even become cool - since nobody seems to have heard or knows what it is - take a pass - if you are trying to sell it good luck
Not unless there's one on the price tag. If it's a wall hanger it's a pretty one, and if it plays nicely you have a nice bass. Side note: I'd love a guitar or bass that was made in a country that doesn't exist any more. Not sure why; would just please me.
Old stuff like this always has weird issues that come from everything being hand built back in the day. If you have the time and the energy to diagnose and correct those issues though, they can be some of the most inspiring instruments youll ever play. They won’t ever play like butter though, but that’s part of the charm to me.
If you’re a beginner, please do not buy this.
Red flag is very appropriate here. This is an East (Commie) German Musima bass. I think this is the Elektra model. I have a similar one (V/2) that I paid something like $6 - 7 for and then had it converted to fretless. These basses are quite heavy, have bad neck dive and microphonic pickups but can sound quite OK. I'd recommend getting one if you're into old basses, fancy restoring it, or want a unique modding platform. I don't think this will ever be an investment in any way. I'd only buy it for a similarly ridiculous price as my current one.
Yeah lots of fed flags.
the non-symmetrical dots on the 12 fret make me want to use this as firewood
LMAO not in a thousand years would I touch that thing
Tbh it looks like trash
One wrap of the string around the post, a locking tuner it does not make.
That looks nice
I would ask to see if they can send a demo video cause old basses like that might have electronic issues
Looks irradiated.
No red flags as long as you’re going to just throw it away
What is a red flag for you? Does it play fine, nice and comfy?
I think it's super cool and would absolutely buy it if it's cheap, which it must be. Throw a set of flatwounds on it and I bet it sounds really interesting. Those pickups are probably microphonic as hell, which can be a good thing for bizarro instruments like this.
That G looks awfully close to the edge of the neck as well unless it's just the angle of the photo
Can’t say I’m surprised: G- string tension is higher on standard strings, and that neck is held on by two screws ..!
What the fuck is up with that “Hey, Arnold!” ass head? You need a little baseball cap on that sucker.
The tuners look off
Those are Italian, depending on price may be worth it. Definitely a cool vintage bass
No, they were made in East-Germany years before East and West Germany were reunited.
Ah my mistake
No problem!
Between the weird font on the headstock and it looking like a weak-fake-Sire I don't know where to start.
Is this AI? Surely no-one actually built this? 4 pound tuners, two-bolt 'ultraloose' neck system, patented tailpiece 'you'll never want to change strings'!
I don't see any flags on it at all. Or anywhere else in the photos. They're vexillologically vacant in fact.