Sean

They had a manager that didn't work Saturdays because his band was busy! And not in a friendly way but in a "you're probably just a weekend warrior and I'm on the verge of superstardom kind of way. He needed to get over himself and start giving the "visitors" (cos they weren't "customers") some proper attention and get selling some stock. Manager? He couldn't have managed a good fart after my mum's leftover curry! Saturday - busiest day of the week, punters wanna do deals, customers need service, stock needs skillfully selling. If he's so busy with his wonderfully successful band a. why does he need the job and b. how shortsighted is the guy employing him?! These folk don't deserve to be in business. It took me about £1500 before I realised this! Maybe someone ought to start a feedback thread for them!

[b]Introduction[/b] Late last Saturday night I was signed into a pretty deserted Basschat and was going through motions of reading PMs, checking the For Sale and Ebay Links threads and saw that Jon (Bassassin had posted a link to an ATK with a BIN of £95. I gave the listing a cursory once over and made the purchase. I thought that even if it turned out to be disappointing I could easily make my money back if I wanted to but hopefully I would have a decent quality giggable bass. All I had to do now was wait until the postman turned up with it at work. [b]Initial Impressions[/b] I was on my way to the canteen to collect my roll yesterday and bumped into the Postman who was carrying something vaguely bass shaped wrapped in bin liners and parcel tape. I stopped him and took the parcel off him thinking that it was quite poorly wrapped and then started to expect the worst. After a good grope, I realised that the gig bag it was in is one of those Warwick padded ones which afford decent protection but certainly not enough for a journey through the postal system. I got a pair of scissors and cut the bin liners away and examined the gig bag which is fairly sturdy and in reasonably good condition, certainly serviceable for going to rehearsals and those small gigs where no one handles your gear and you go in your own vehicle. Gig bag open, quick intake of breath and… Phew! It’s OK, it’s all in one piece and hasn’t been a victim of the mysterious ultra-violence that goes on between leaving the vendor and arriving with buyer at times. First impressions were that it’s nowhere near as heavy as some of the reviews around and also the comments on Talkbass have indicated and also the neck is much slimmer than I was led to believe – it’s comparable to my Lakland 44-02. In fact the whole bass is comparable to my 44-02; maple neck and fingerboard, sunburst finish, J/MM configuration pups, through-body or bridge stringing option, 3 band active EQ, five bolt neck joint, variation on Leo body shape, made in Korea and general heavy duty, high quality construction. [b]Examination[/b] The action is a little bit high for my taste but this is something that I can sort out as I’m going to give it a proper set up and going over. Played acoustically it sounds very bright, loud and airy – it seems to breathe well. The top is a laminate of ash, the body is mahogany, which seems to be an unusual choice for what sets itself up as a Stingray clone/wannabe/alternative but it certainly has a lot of promise at this stage. The plastic film on the electronics covers has been left on and there is no buckle rash or marking on the back of the body. The cracking around the volume pot is just a small war wound and looks as though it occurred as a result of the instrument being dropped or bashed against its volume pot; it’s purely cosmetic and hasn’t affected the wood underneath. Build quality and feel is extremely robust, the pot knobs are very solid and heavy; they have a nice feel when turned. The bridge as you can see is huge and contributes to the tone in spades. The tuning machines are quality units and turn beautifully. The five-way selector switch moves very nicely and feels very positive and not at all loose. The neck construction is six-piece and it is maple with abalone inlays. The headstock is angled back, which distinguishes it nicely from a Leo clone. It’s much slimmer and faster than I thought it would be too. [b]History[/b] Let’s remember this bass was £95 BIN (£15 Shipping) and came with a gig bag and what seem like fairly new strings, there’s certainly a lot of life in them, so any criticisms I may have may seem a bit harsh but so far I just can’t find one. We all know that the Stingray inspired the Lakland 44s and 55s and that the ATK was Ibanez' “Stingray Killer” in the 1990s but it’s got me wondering how much the ATK influenced the design of the Lakland or vice versa. It seems evident that there is a thread there; they came on to the market at about the same time. [b]Meat & Potatoes or Salad?[/b] So now it’s on to the business end of it all, the sound of the thing, the raison d'etre. I’ll try to relate everything to the five-way switch position - now that I've got the manual it makes it easier. Once I’d changed the strap buttons to Schaller and fitted the strap I plugged in and it became apparent to me why this bass had been sold at such a low price; the preamp 9v battery was flat! The bass sounded quiet and farty. After changing the battery the instrument came to life and boy, is it loud! It’s very zingy and bright and just begs to be slapped. For the first five minutes of playing it all methodology and reason left me and I just flailed away at it grinning like the idiot I can so easily be. The five-way selector switch gives a heck of a lot of options and the combinations make it a very versatile instrument indeed. Position 5 is the Jazz neck pup soloed and it’s very punchy for a single coil, position 4 is bridge coil of the humbucker with neck pup and this setting thumps in a very different way to setting your blend on a jazz to the centre detent and seemed to me to be the default setting for anything you’d normally play on a P bass. The middle position is the bridge single coil setting and this, as you might imagine, is very thin, trebly and bright and is not a sound I relish on any bass so I quickly skipped over this one. Position 2 is what this instrument is all about and surely the reason why this bass gained a reputation as a Stingray killer in some people’s eyes; it gives a huge ass-kicking sound with plenty of punch and sparkle in equal measure. Playing Chili Peppers’ songs on this setting through a GK RB700 with just a touch of compression gives a very faithful reproduction of the Flea tone and sonically if not aesthetically this would be ideal for someone in a RHCP tribute act. Position 1 is the inside coil of the humbucker and is very useable, it’s bright and nice for slapping with a bit of smiley face EQ adjustment. [b]So what?[/b] How does it compare to my Lakland 44-02? It’s a very different animal despite all the similarities but the mahogany body makes it sound very different from the Lakand’s Ash and the electronics are worlds apart. The ATK is a fantastic instrument and I’d recommend one to anyone in the market for a Stingray/Sterling as a bang-for-buck alternative. I’ve never particularly liked the feel of Stingrays so for me I’d take an ATK every time and I think that this ebay bargain is a keeper. For the time being at least. Many thanks to Bassassin for the heads up and also thanks to Barneytthedog for sending me the manual for the bass. Attempt to show the crack (as described in ebay listing) Eccentric offset tuners on angled headstock And a nice bit of mahog'

Review coming tomorrow - I'll post it with pics in the review section but until then just know that I cannot believe how much bass I've got for the money. New quality strings and gigbag too! I rehearsed with it tonight so got to play it in anger but I've still no idea about the pick up switch settings.

[quote name='bass_ferret' post='131090' date='Jan 31 2008, 02:51 AM']Why? You have got a pukka bass so why string it with sh*t?[/quote] Read the OP. [quote name='john_the_bass' post='131095' date='Jan 31 2008, 06:58 AM']spend the extra on a set of strings that will feel better, sound better and last longer - you won't replace them as often either, i bet.[/quote] If you read the OP you'll see what I use and I've a big pile of DRs, enough to last me a couple of years. I was just asking out of interest and thought that people on a budget or beginners might be interested also. Just trying to be helpful and surely the "hidden gems" phrase might have given a clue to the fact that I think that most of those brands [i]are[/i] sh*t but remain optimistic that maybe some are not.

As someone that is pretty much sold on DR Extra Life and Thomastik Flats I was looking through ebay and saw strings there on sale at prices of between £2.99 and 7.99 a set, things branded DADI, Olympia, King Lion etc. Does anyone have any experience of any of these and are they any good. I bought some Roberts strings back last year and they were absolutely sh*te and a complete waste of my time so I'm really not interested in them at all but any advice on some hidden gem cheapos would be greatly appreciated.

I did question the way they operated in a thread months back and wondered why they had a manager that didn't work peak hours and why they toof so damn long to deliver everything and why they never ever once called back after promising to - I really felt that once they had your order and your money they couldn't care less. Major high street retailers might be able to get away with rude or indifferent staff but niche businesses like bass shops need engaging people who are enthusiastic and I never saw this in my dealings with them.

[quote name='King Tut' post='128992' date='Jan 27 2008, 11:15 PM']Not sure but I think the USA one is a little older than 3 years - isn't Z1 = 2001?[/quote] Yep, sure is.

[quote name='Sean' post='127687' date='Jan 25 2008, 12:51 PM']Just come back from Aldi in Cheltenham and they haven't got any. [/quote] Just come back from Aldi in Quedgeley and they haven't got any.

[quote name='noisedude' post='128660' date='Jan 27 2008, 01:14 PM']Failing that, you can always hang on to it for a bit, take some proper photos and make a better listing, and then stick it bay on Ebay and turn a few quid profit![/quote] I've got a feeling that I'll be hanging on to it for the foreseeable. When the day does come, though it should make up a tiny bit for all the cash I've lost in depreciation over the years with other instruments! I just hope the seller packs it properly and the courier doesn't jump up and down on the box - there's no case with it.

[quote name='WarPig' post='128521' date='Jan 27 2008, 01:47 AM']Post pics and a review! [/quote] It'll be interesting to compare it against my Lakland Skyline 44-02 which has the same pup config and same style construction.

Cheers for the heads up on that one, Jon. I've just bought it. £95 + £15 for shipping? It has to be worth a look. It's worth double that all day long with a decent listing and nice photos. An educated guess says it's one of the older Japanese ones as the new ones don't come in that finish or pick up config from what I can see on the Ibanez web site. It's a lovely looking piece of wood. Once it arrives I shall investigate and report back.

I think we need some help from Stingrayfan. My answer: hold on to it.

[quote name='Pedro1020' post='127944' date='Jan 25 2008, 06:41 PM']That price is just taking the piss [/quote] I couldn't agree more. You can a brand new one for a tenth of the price.

[quote name='sk8' post='127871' date='Jan 25 2008, 04:52 PM']odd, i asked a query on a previous email and nothing was mentioned[/quote] When was this? It looks like their decision to stop exporting is very recent.

I've looked at it a few times and with my previous experience of Gary Willis stuff I decided to dodge it. I've always been taught to pick intervals that relate to songs that you know - I'll dig out my list tonight (when I get home) and post the examples, I find that they are very useful.

Just come back from Aldi in Cheltenham and they haven't got any.

And now I have another reply my friend got from a different member of Ishibashi's staff:- "Thank you for your e-mail. This is Tomonori from Ishibashi WEB SHOP. I am taking to you on behalf of Koichi. I am afraid to say that we can not sell Fender Japan products for overseas right now. we received this notification from Fender Japan. We are very sorry for inconvenience. Your full understanding of this matter would be greatly appreciated. If you have a question,please let me know. Thank you very much. Best regards," It looks like it's all over! Oh well, I'm off to find a used Lakland Skyline Bob Glaub and some sushi instead. Saying that though, surely Ishi aren't the only source for these?

There are loads of threads here about Laklands and how good they are. I used to have USA Fenders and made the switch to Lakland Skylines over time just because they are so good and IMO better than the Fenders I had. There are some great Fenders out there but the quality of Laklands tends to be more consistent and their design takes a classic idea forward rather than just replicating it. I have no experience of Sandberg but as far as Laklands go, and I think there are a few people on this forum that would agree with me, I would order a Lakland unseen whereas I would always insist on having a go on a US Fender before ordering. Another alternative is a Japanese Fender and there are a couple of active threads on MIJ/CIJ Fenders on this part of Basschat at the moment that are very informative. Fender is a huge brand and is the default and original bass for millions but there are alternatives out there that are too good to overlook. What I will say about Lakland and Sandberg is that they have so much of their own personality and feel that they aren't "copies" at all.

It's fab. Managed to buy a copy for £6 somewhere - bargain of the year. I grew up loving The Police and Stew is my absolute fave drummer no question.

I'm getting a friend of mine to email and see if he gets a different response. Maybe certain staff overlook such things where others reinforce the rule - who knows? Really gutted now and my bonus is burning a hole...

[quote name='Chopthebass' post='123254' date='Jan 19 2008, 08:48 AM']I've just emailed Jeff at Ishi and he has given me a price inc shipping to UK. So, they are selling to UK[/quote] I just had a reply from Ishi: Dear Sean, ******************************** Thank you for your inquiry. We are very sorry to say, we do not ship any new Fender Japan product internationally. Sales of new Fender Japan merchandise outside of Japan are restricted. We appreciate your understanding. Best regards,************************ International Sales Manager Any ideas?

PB70-93US is a stunner. Might just have to...

This is great... [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Japan"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Japan[/url] You can also see if you go to... [url="http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english/web/?wb_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ishibashi.co.jp%2Fwebshop%2Fguitar%2Findex.htm&wb_lp=JAEN&wb_dis=2"]http://www.excite.co.jp/world/english/web/...EN&wb_dis=2[/url] and have a browse through the different models that there are two distinctly different logos, one red and the other brown and curvy. These different logos correspond to the two different distributors.