Yes, I will actually give you hard to find information on the Deltatone PJ Bass. It’s rare, not valuable, but serviceable.
First, a background story.
Quick Summary: Deltatone PJ Bass
This blog post will go into details. But here’s a short summary.
Deltatone guitars and basses lasted two production years: 2007-2008. A person or company named William C. Stevens of Oakland, CA, USA owned the trademark. I believe the guitars and basses were made in mainland China. In 2009 the Deltatone trademark was not renewed which suggests they ended or re-branded.
Without Internet advertising, about 30 music stores in the U.S. sold these guitars and basses. Illinois had the most retailers followed by California.
I own a Deltatone PJ Bass. Here’s the rest of my Deltatone PJ Bass and its story.
Chris the Contractor Gave me Two Free Guitars
Chris the Contractor came over to finish tiling our kitchen. I asked: “Did you buy your daughter a guitar for high school?”
He said: “No, but I have two guitars for you in my garage.”
Twenty minutes later Chris walks up my front steps with two guitars: a black Dean MLX and a blue bass guitar (Deltatone). He hands me the two guitars.
Chris said: “They’re yours.”
So that’s how I became the owner of two very dusty, dirty guitars. Here’s a link to the Dean MLX free guitar blog post on my website.
Today, we will talk about the Deltatone PJ Bass.
Even dirty and filthy, the Deltatone was playable. I knew it was a “keeper” (worth keeping).
Researching the Deltatone PJ Bass was Difficult
Normal Internet Search Yielded No Information
- Google – Nothing
- Chat GPT – Nothing
- Grok – Nothing
- WayBack Machine
- I knew it had something but couldn’t find it.
Yahoo Search Worked and Led to the WayBack Machine (Internet Archives)
- “deltatone pj bass cobalt” yielded results in Yahoo
- Guitar-List page had useable data
- This provided a link to the WayBack Machine for Internet archiving
- WayBack Machine Archive page – Wonderful
WayBack Machine Archive for Deltatone.Com
Again, if you are researching your Deltatone guitar or bass, go to this page. See below.
I Clicked on Basses since that is My Interest
Again, if you are researching your Deltatone guitar or bass, go to this page. See below.
My WPJB500 Deltatone Bass was $359.99 in 2008
So now, via a deep Internet search that broadened to Yahoo.com and the WayBack Machine, I know the model name of my bass. The bass itself has no markings. But it is pretty in a subtle way. See below.
Sadly, even Grok.com has Limited Info on the WPJB500 Deltatone Bass
What a horrible model number for this bass.
I just call it the Deltatone. It is a very nice black body with a blue pick guard.
Here is some Deltatone PJ Bass Info Courtesy of Grok.com
Deltatone Guitars and Basses were Sold in About 30 Stores
Deltatone was based out of California, US. But the guitars and basses were made in China.
Deltatone did not seem to advertise on the Internet. Their guitars and basses were sold only in certain music stores.
Although owned by a California firm, Illinois (my home state), had 18 stores selling Deltatones. Illinois was the biggest seller of Deltatone guitars and basses.
Who Owned my Deltatone WPJB500 Bass?
Chris the Contractor who gave me the Deltatone (and Dean MLX guitar) does contractor/rehab work in Chicago’s DePaul University college district. He does work for a landlord who rents to DePaul students. The landlord had the Deltatone and the Dean MLX guitar.
My guess? A student left his/her apartment in a shambles or left without paying and just left his Deltatone and MLX behind. Both the bass and the guitar came from a DePaul apartment building owner.
So a student probably owned my free Deltatone bass and free Dean MLX guitar. Both made around 2007-2008 so it makes perfect sense.
Thanks to Chris the Contractor for giving me a free bass and free guitar.
Paul G. my Guitar Guy Set-Up my Deltatone Bass
Paul G. does my guitars normally. I gave him the Deltatone Bass for a set-up and also the Dean MLX (it needed significant work).
Paul G. cleaned up the Deltatone, cleaned/oiled it, gave it new strings, intonated it, adjusted the pickups higher and lower.
So my “free” Deltatone ended up costing me $50 to Paul G. the guitar guy. But it was worth it.
My Free Deltatone WPJB500 PJ Bass Introduced me to Bass Playing
My Deltatone began my bass journey. A free gift that worked out just fine.
I am moderately deaf but the Deltatone always was fun to play. It’s 9 pounds so it’s a bit heavy for a retired guy with a bad right forearm.
“As time goes on, I’ll give you more details on the Deltatone WPJB500 PJ bass.” – Shoshin Guitarist
Thanks for Visiting Shoshin Guitarist Today
I was happy to help any Deltatone bass or Deltatone guitar owners who visited my blog.