Maude

Dig deep, you're all on the home stretch now! 😂

We're all very proud. 😋

There seems to be serious lack of will power in this thread... but an abundance of excuses so it all balances I 'spose.

So you want his gold bridge then?

Nothing to add other than that title is a great blues backing band name. Blind Willie Fiddler and the Perennial Unwanted B-String Overtones.

The blue, but with the ivory pearl.

Bugger, I must have another one somewhere then. 😁

Cornwall's got competition then has it? 😄

It's a big body but it's relatively thin so that keeps the weight down a bit. Were the Gibsons thin as well? It's not thin like the plywood Kays but thinner than your average P bass and the like. I'd like to get a 'The Ripper' TRC from the somewhere rather than the 'Custom' one on there, and I'm considering putting in string through ferrules to make it more in line with a genuine Ripper. There's an argument to keep it as original as possible, but the mods will make it more like a genuine Ripper. Something to ponder.

It's not too heavy. It's no lightweight but not any heavier than most of my basses. The Gibsons were maple, apart from a couple of years in the late 70s I think, this looks like ash so is probably lighter than the Gibsons. Maybe a wood expert on here could advise? I might see if there's a decent way to darken this scratchplate. If it was almost black with the pattern faintly showing I think it would be better. That's what the originals were like.

I've always liked the look of the Gibson Rippers and Grabbers, and in turn the 70s/80s Japanese copies. That's why when this popped up on facebook not too far from home I had to have it. After a quick message to our resident expert on Japanese basses, @Bassassin, for some much appreciated info I'd agreed a price the seller and I were both happy with. These are the sellers pictures. I picked it up yesterday and had a chat with the seller. He acquired it forty years ago in a swap for a 4x12 guitar cab, the seller is also a guitarist so it's spent the last forty years hanging on his wall, with the occasional play just for his own fun so it's in really nice condition. A couple of dings that were there when he got it and a couple of little issues that have been sorted but obviously have left it non original, which is a shame but can't be helped. Firstly, the original scratchplate was a celluloid one and had started gassing off and crumbling, so he has fitted a replacement. The original would've been a very dark tort, as per the early Gibson Rippers, the later ones were black (I think). I was going to make a single ply black one but I actually quite like one on there now. Secondly, the original three point bridge had snapped and this is a generic replacement. It seems a pretty good copy and looks the part so it'll probably stay as well. The only issue is the strings are higher than I'd like but the bridge is bottomed out, something I'll address. I've pulled it apart for a good clean and polish, and to sort any little issues such as the pots which are a little crackly. Very clean in the cavities and nice, tidy routing. Maybe newer manufacturers could learn something from the Matsumoku workers as I've seen some more modern basses that are much rougher. The electrics look good and all original so just a squirt of some cleaner/lubricant will hopefully quieten things down. You can see the 'burn' marks where the celluloid scratchplate had started to react. It's constructed in a kind of butchers block fashion but build seems really good. The rear with a rather nice grain to it. Three piece neck construction so should be stable. And a set neck. All the wood joins are nice and tidy and in all honesty most of the woods match really well. I'll update in a couple of days when it's rebuilt, set up and been put through it paces with some new strings. Hopefully the pickups will have the same edge to them as the Gibson ones.

Looks fantastic, well it would it's a Thunderbird. Such a cool bass. 😎👍

I picked this Kimbara up yesterday. Awaiting a clean, polish and set-up but it's in really good condition for a 70s bass.

Yeah I get that, but just purely visually it's all wrong anyway, wrong colours, wrong amount of stars, unevenly spaced stars. It's just a poor attempt at a Confederate flag. If you want to go down that route, surely put some effort in to space the stars correctly, even if you can't do the colours.

Maybe I'm being dumb here (it has been known) but it reminds me of a Jamaican flag just as much as a Confederate flag.

I bought these a while ago, don't be afraid to make an offer. 😉

Another Journey By Train - The Cure

I've always thought Crafter to be similar to Yamaha, in that at any given price point you seem to get more than your money's worth. I've got an old Crafter bowl back acoustic that I've had four years, it's a great little guitar.

These look fantastic. I love the little details like the Guild logo knobs. It would've been easy for them to just slap a pair of generic tophats on, especially being a relatively affordable bass, but they've got the extra mile. I don't know which colour I prefer. 🤔

A guitarist wanted a 4x12 cab which the seller had, offered him this bass in exchange for it. Also being a guitarist, the seller hung it on his wall for the last 40 years, occasionally having a plonk on it. Apart from a couple of dings that it had when he got it, it's in amazing condition. A couple of little issues, but age will do that to you. 😁

Sorry, it's not a Gibson. Kimbara, 70s Matsumoku copy, but a very close copy apart from the lack of through body stringing. The scratchplate is a replacement as the original tort one was gassing off and crumbling, which is a shame. It's still lovely none the less.

NBD post to follow once I've had a play. Have a sellers pic teaser for now. 😉

Hmm, the back seat of the car this morning would imply I'm definitely out now.

I'd Rather Go Blind - Etta James

Tied Up Too Tight - Hard-Fi