Annoying Twit

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='840394' date='May 17 2010, 11:58 PM']The 'Made in Japan' on the neck plate is a bit of a giveaway in this case. Looks to be not solid wood.[/quote] Yes, when I peer at it, that does look more like "Made in Japan" than "Made in (Somewhere else)".

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='838476' date='May 15 2010, 09:51 PM']Given that there is no verb "to pedant", one can be neither "pedanted" nor "out-pedanted".[/quote] How do you know there is no verb "to pedant"? English is a living language, and dictionaries etc. only reflect the language, they do not define it. So, if people are using the words "pedanted" or "out-pedanted", then they exist. A google search for "out-pedanted" gives "about 2140 results". Personally I believe you are suffering from pedantophobia.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-ELECTRIC-BASS-GUITAR-MADE-JAPAN-JAPANESE-MAYA-/260604402009?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3cad3b9959"]Maya Precision[/url] Interesting looking pickup, would that classify as a "lipstick" pickup? This talkbass thread has a whole lot of discussion as to what a similar looking bass might be. One post says that the bass in the talkbass thread might be Korean not Japanese. Same for the one on ebay as per the above link?

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/shaftesbury-bass-rikenbacker-replica-70s-classic-/320533625640?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4aa14afb28"]Another one of these 330 guitar-ish basses[/url]

Isn't the Avante Korean made rather than made in Japan?

Westone Thunder III. I really like the way this looks from the front, with the dark finish with wood grain. And the proper through neck. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-1985-Westone-Thunder-III-Bass-Matsumoku-Japan-/220606326459?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item335d2966bb"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-1985-Westone...=item335d2966bb[/url]

The Rockbass Corvette has an alder body, maple neck, and rosewood fretboard it seems. Not that I'm saying that there's anything wrong with that choice of woods, but I don't think it could be further from the exotic wood choices found on real Warwicks.

Though, a matchbox is still a matchbox when it hasn't got any matches in it A milk bottle is still a milk bottle when it hasn't got any milk in it A mouse trap is still a mouse trap when it hasn't caught a mouse Why can't a fretboard be a fretboard when it doesn't have any frets in it?

I'm confused. The adverts for Active Rockbass Corvettes say that they have active MEC J/J pickups. (or at least some of the adverts do in case there are different versions). Are these actually just passive pickups matched to active EQ?

Shaftesbury. Not a 4001/4003 model. I don't know what model number this bass reproduces. (hint hint: I hope someone tells me ) [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cool-1960s-style-bass-Rose-Morris-Shaftesbury-/280507344632?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item414f8a66f8"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Cool-1960s-style-bas...=item414f8a66f8[/url] Low starting price. Pick up only in Surrey.

All the way from Vilnius, Lithuania.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-II-Avante-Neck-thu-Bass-WARWICK-upgrades-/220605908590?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item335d23066e"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-II-Avante-N...=item335d23066e[/url] I've not seen people using MEC electronics as upgrades before. Not that I claim that means much, I haven't looked that hard. I wonder if someone has cannibalised a Rockbass.

There were so many Aria SBs on ebay a while ago. Seem to have been far fewer lately. Here's a bass said to probably be a SB700. Starting bid @ £600 seems high though. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-ll-BASS-GUITAR-/220605828157?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item335d21cc3d"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARIA-PRO-ll-BASS-GUI...=item335d21cc3d[/url] Edit: Antoria Precision. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Electric-Bass-Guitar-/120569579171?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1c1281c6a3"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Antoria-Electric-Bas...=item1c1281c6a3[/url] Were all Antoria instruments MIJ?

First £40, then £30, then back up to £40, now up to £55. IT'S BAAAAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!! [url="http://leicester.gumtree.com/leicester/54/58564354.html"]http://leicester.gumtree.com/leicester/54/58564354.html[/url]

[quote name='gjones' post='835787' date='May 12 2010, 11:27 PM']They have one of these in the Taybank Hotel in Dunkeld in Perthshire (which holds acoustic sessions throughout the week). It's made with a precision fretted neck attached to a bassdrum skin stretched on a frame with a spike protruding from the bottom of the frame so it can be played upright. It's sounds fantastic with loads of oooomph and the volume of an upright double bass (louder than an acoustic bass guitar). And amazingly it's lighter than an average electric bass. If someone built these in decent numbers (rather than a one off novelty) they would sell like hotcakes![/quote] What is the bridge attached to?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='835771' date='May 12 2010, 11:14 PM']Bath ain't far, and I'm jobless, if people had a whip round for my train fare, I'd go check them out and write up copious notes.[/quote] Walk! [url="http://www.bristolbathrailwaypath.org.uk/home.shtml"]http://www.bristolbathrailwaypath.org.uk/home.shtml[/url]

I wouldn't mind translating some of these if the results were put up somewhere. I couldn't promise lots of time, but I could do a page here and a page there and it could build up. The first one would be tricky as I'd have to learn the specialist language. E.g. someone unfamiliar with guitars might read an English document and wonder what these "machine heads" are, wondering why they are mentioning "robot craniums". But the scans I looked at are too small. E.g. this: I can pick up many words from the grey bit, but there are too many of the more intricate Chinese characters which are not clear at that resolution. Even with the Fernandes scan you posted before, I couldn't quite read the right hand side of the character after "Mahogany". But I could guess that one from context. On the above scan the text under the guitars themselves is way too small. No chance. Are there bigger scans?

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='835383' date='May 12 2010, 03:43 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-White-Bass-classic-styling-DON-T-MISS-/190396405603?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c54829763"]Acttually tempted by this musicbacker.[/url][/quote] Any Lost-watching bass guitarists should buy two, one white, one black. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Black-Bass-classic-styling-DON-T-MISS-/190396416848?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c5482c350"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-Retrovibe-RV4-Bl...=item2c5482c350[/url]

[quote name='Jerry_B' post='835373' date='May 12 2010, 03:38 PM']Or it's just that the factory or company is based near or in some town or location with that name.[/quote] Seems more likely! I was going to be arrogant and post that Fujigen is also named after Mt. Fuji, but I thought I should check first as homophones abound in Japanese. But when I checked the original Fujigen site, they don't use Chinese characters for their company name, it's all in the Katakana alphabet. This is very interesting, as Katakana is usually used for foreign, usually English, loan words. But, certain people who have been seen to become "international" might have their names written in the "foreign" Katakana alphabet. An example being Yoko Ono. I'd guess that Fujigen writing their own company name in Katakana is a strong statement that they see themselves as an international company. PS: I lived in Japan for four years. Being illiterate got stale REAL FAST, hence plenty of motivation for the reading and writing bit. (Apologies if I went off track here)

[quote name='Bassassin' post='835182' date='May 12 2010, 11:41 AM']In answer to your earlier question about Kawai - I can't do much better than point you at this coincidental thread: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=87742[/url] They made good stuff, alright. [/quote] Yes, I saw that, and noted the price! [quote]Asama is the most common brand - apparently it's a mountain in Japan & the name translates literally to "Big Bottom". [/quote] If you mean 浅間山 for Mt. Asama, then that is a very strange name. It more or less translates as "wretched" or "cursed" "interval". Maybe that has something to do with the volcanic activity there. BTW: It's not only in basses and guitars that there is "JapCrap". I was at my local car boot on Sunday, and was looking at some old binoculars. They were made in Japan, looked a couple of decades old, and were "Plus" brand. The seller wanted £5 for them. I couldn't make them focus properly even going through the whole focus the left then focus the right separately business, so was going to leave them. But a gentlemen appeared and asked to see them. He was saying that these were actually decent, and all that was to open them up "on the bench" and clean and polish the lenses and other bits. But that he wouldn't buy them himself as he just has too many binoculars at home. The seller then dropped his price to £3, but i don't think I'd get around to taking them to bits and manage to clean and put them back together again. But I recognised the existence of another field of "JapCrap".

Kay SG type bass. £9.99 start. The seller is local to me but doesn't do collection or viewings. They sell a lot of stuff, and I wonder if they do house clearances. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELECTRIC-GUITAR-PLEASE-VIEW-/400121220661?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item5d29154e35"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-KAY-BASS-ELE...=item5d29154e35[/url] Edit: Does that bridge cover look a bit wonky? Does the whole thing look a bit home made?

[quote name='Bassassin' post='834955' date='May 12 2010, 01:36 AM']but this is what they really are: [url="http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg"]http://www.fernandes.co.jp/others/catalog/1978_f_01/27.jpg[/url] With a few variations in pickup/controls, it's a Fernandes "Custom Hand". Where do they get these names? According to one of the Japanese vintage sites, Fernandes was built by either Kawai or Tokai at this point.[/quote] That all makes them sound quite high spec. The brochure says that it has a mahogany body, "a pickup that can be used as a single coil or a humbucker" ("coil tap" would be shorter) and an optional boost switch. How did the Kawai instruments fit in among the other manufacturers if they are ranked as to quality of goods? (Approximately of course).

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1983-Greco-4001-S-McCartney-model-bass-guitar-VERY-RARE-/130390772125?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item1e5be5499d"]Greco 1983 Paul McCartney Model[/url] Looks good. I'm expecting it to go for a fair wodge of cash.

The Ibanez PF300 has only been mentioned once on the MyLesPaul forum, and it's not a very useful thread. [url="http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-pauls/71199-should-i-make-trade.html"]http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/other-les-...make-trade.html[/url] You could try asking on that forum, with the obvious caveat of not posting the gumtree ad in case someone else buys it Edit: Here's another thread I found, but it's even less useful. This happens on the MLP forums. I've made several attempts to start a "JapCrap Spotting"-like thread on there sometimes but have never had it catch on. A mention here: [url="http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/forum/vintage-and-custom-electrics-and401970s-onlyand41/pf300400/"]http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/forum/vint...and41/pf300400/[/url]

What is this? Looks like one of the early Hondo basses doesn't it? Nice (IMHO) through neck, except the headstock seems to be making a bid for freedom. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NECK-BASS-PROJECT-LINCOLN-/270577702175?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item3effb0151f"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/QUALITY-MADE-THRU-NE...=item3effb0151f[/url]