Deluxe 5 J-Bass? Help me identify this

[OShagHennessyBass]

I found this beauty the other day at a price too crazy to believe.  Seems the little shop didn't identify it very well.  Based on the hardware and pickups, I took a gamble that the parts were Warmoth.  When I took it apart, the stamps were there!

Here's what I think I know, but could be wrong since this is my first experience with Warmoth:

Maple, fretless 4+1 neck with lines and blocks, black binding.  I couldn't find a way to configure it like this on the current site, maybe that helps to date?
Schaller black mini tuning machines
Schaller bridge
EMG 40-DC pups (there was also an extra EMG 40-CS in the case)
Deluxe 5 J-Bass body, rear routed, 18v double battery box

Questions:
Neck has number 43 written on the heel.  That's the only numbering on it.
Body has number 73 burned or embossed in dot matrix in the heel pocket
There are 2 batteries in the electronics cavity in addition to the 2 batteries in the battery box - what would those be powering?
Is there any way to determine the body wood type?
Custom pickguard?
Any way to date?
Color?

 

[AutoBat]

The 43 & 73 mean nothing. They're just used during initial production and are not tracked. They are also reused.
I've never seen a pickguard like that before
The batteries would be for active pickups with active tone knobs. Really feels like overkill having 4 batteries though.

 

[line6man]

The extra batteries are quite odd. My guess is that either someone didn't know what they were doing, and thought that you had to have separate batteries for each pickup, or that someone was really anal about battery life, and figured that there would be fewer battery changes if you had four batteries.

In any case, I would get rid of the extra batteries. If there are two 18V pairs wired in parallel, then the batteries will likely drain at different rates, causing damage to one of the pairs, as it is "charged" by the other. If you have a separate pair of batteries for each pickup, then you are just wasting batteries.

 

[ghotiphry]

That pickguard is quite unusual.  It looks like it was adhered to the body with double stick tape?  Also, what are the batteries for?  This looks like a passive system to me.  I would guess the color to be charcoal frost, if it is a Warmoth finish.  Here's a P bass in the same color.  Fantastic find, man.  That fretless neck with blocks and binding is fabulous.  From the neck pocket, I would guess the wood of the body to be alder, but I'm no expert at that.  I have no idea how to date.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Very odd duck indeed.  The pickups appear to be the only thing active there.  Don't see a preamp.  Reading up the battery life, when series in 18v, the battery life is cut in half.  When adding a 2nd pickup, that also cuts it in half.  2 pickups and 18v is 1/4 the battery life of one pickup at 9v.  Maybe it's (2) 18v series sets in parallel.  Maybe it's (4) 9v parallel sets.  Maybe it's (1) 36v series set.  Don't know.  Can't tell.

 

[TonyP-]

I dig that pickup placement...Very tight sounding.

 

[AirCap]

I've seen this bass somewhere before.... NAMM coverage, or something like that. Can't recall any other details, sorry.

 

[BigSteve22]

I've seen this bass somewhere before.... NAMM coverage, or something like that. Can't recall any other details, sorry.

Looks real familiar to me too... Maybe saw it on ebay or reverb, but I definitely remember the knob mounted in the hole on the pickguard.  :icon_scratch: