Up for sale, a 1989 Moon MBC-6 six-string bass in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. A boutique Japanese brand rarely seen outside of its country of origin, Moon basses have become prized for their high quality craftsmanship, favored by bass legends like Larry Graham (who had a signature model with the brand) and Marcus Miller. This particular now-discontinued six-string model is a high-end offering outfitted with a bevy of quality components including Bartolini pickups and TCT preamp with three-band EQ, and six-saddle bridge with 16mm string spacing (fractionally closer together than most six-string basses) for an exceedingly comfortable playing experience.

Tonewoods include an alder body and five-piece maple/walnut neck capped by a thick slab ebony fretboard, ensuring a glassy, articulate treble response with a balanced, resonant overarching natural acoustic tone faithfully captured by the stock pair of Bartolini humbuckers. The pickups are warm and round, with plenty of midrange growl and burp, and a thick, punchy low end. The Bartolini TCT active preamp is a popular choice due to its broad tone sculpting abilities and very low noise, offering the player everything from fundamental thump to barking, treble-forward sounds. This bass weighs 9lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with comfortable action and spot-on intonation.

The five-piece maple/walnut neck has a fast-feeling medium D-shaped profile carve with generous shoulders and lightly rolled fretboard edges, measuring .835” deep at the 1st fret and .920” at the 12th. The thick slab ebony fretboard has a 16” radius with flawless medium jumbo fretwire, playing cleanly up the 34” scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The stock bone nut measures 2 1/8” in width, and on the headstock, the gold “Moon”-embossed tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with a light dusting of patina on the buttons.

All of the electronics work as intended, with the Bartolini pickups wired to the stock harness with Bartolini TCT preamp and full-size pots dating to 1989. The pickups are governed by individual Volume knobs, with Bass, Mid, and Treble three-band EQ controls. The gold-plated bridge and saddles are notably clean, with 16mm-wide string spacing for increased comfort and playability. The gloss Black finish has a very subtle sparkle to it, with cosmetic wear limited to a an area of buckle rash central to the waist on the back, some light scuffing on the treble side of the pick path, and a handful of shallow dings and faint scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss finish on the neck profile is immaculate.

The original Moon-brand padded gigbag is included.