Bassassin

Regrettably a lot of people appear to be. You'd think musicians, who you'd expect have devoted a lot of time, effort & dedication to learning & refining their craft, might be skeptical about music 'created' in seconds from a handful of lines of text, whether it's supposedly 'original' or intended as some sort of jokey pisstake. Maybe not being content, even eager to embrace my own obsolescence means I have finally succumbed to old-fartdom. I dunno.

AI slop, then. I'm curious but don't feel I want to encourage it.

Hark! Is that the echo of the sounds of salesmen?

Yes I do. It's not something I feel there's any ambiguity about - I play musical instruments to create music that would not exist if I had not created it. It's not for me to judge whether or not the music I make has any 'artistic value' - but I like it; since I first started dabbling in composition many thousands of years ago, I've always been motivated to try & make music I'd want to buy or go & see if I heard it. I didn't start out with any ambitions to be a composer/songwriter - I just wanted to play in a band because I loved music, and wanted to make the sort of noise my favourite bassists made! I doubt I'd still be playing at all if I'd never got beyond just playing other bassists' lines, though.

I never said it still fits me...

Hah - still got mine, somewhere... That's an objectively awful design.

I think 1980 Rush would be shocked - possibly even horrified - that the band still existed in any form, 45 years on. I've mentioned I've followed them for a while. I distinctly remember reading an interview with Geddy - I think it would've been in 1984, the band's 10th anniversary and the release of Grace Under Pressure, their 10th studio album - discussing the future of the band. Of course, a band with a 10 year career was fairly unusual back then, and they already had a huge back catalogue & had been through several musical metamorphoses. Discussing what he thought the future held Geddy said Rush was "nearer to the end than the beginning", and that when it came it "would be a beautiful day". I wonder if he remembers giving that interview?

I'd like to hope QC has improved in the post-Big John era. There's been progress - they seem to have finally managed to drag themselves in to the mid-late 20th century with truss rods & intonation adjustment, after all!

Quite. Wonder what 1979/80 Rush would make of 2025 'Rush'? 🙁

I would think any full-scale 24-fret neck with (what I assume is) standard Fender heel shape/dimensions could be made to fit. Unless you can find a random 80s Ibby neck with the correct proportions (which is wildly unlikely) you'll have to improvise/do some modding, or at least shimming to make it work. Is the original neck definitely unsalvageable? And do change the thread title!

Lob a set of these in. 😎

That'll be me! Cool little thing - have wanted one since a much younger & poorer version of me saw one in the old Wapping Bass Centre back in 1980-something. Its future may hold a refinish - the black's not original anyway, and I always fancied a pink one... I'm also vaguely curious to find out if the wood/build's like this under the paint. But I bet it's not. I have read a bit (old MIJ basses/guitars are sort of my thing) about the background of Headway/Riverhead & it's likely the info on the current Headway/Deviser website is a pretty reliable overview. https://www.deviser.co.jp/en/headway/about/history Prog nerd factoid - Fairport Convention/Tull bassist Dave Pegg played one of these, & liked it so much he named a bass instrumental piece after it. And presumbaly it's the bass he's playing here: https://youtu.be/iC_GmZzfq8M?si=lowA6MZInIv5wWKm

There was someone on the Rickenfakers FB group a while back who got a Chinese builder to make them a one-off Kip Winger Spectorbacker copy. I think they mentioned that it was subsequently available as a 'standard' model! I'm strangely OK with the gold bling!

Much as I didn't want to think this was a cynical, last-ditch cash grab, the screen grabs I've seen of prices for some of the different 'packages' tickets are being flogged in, with prices going into the multiple thousands, do lead me to the uncomfortable conclusion that my once-favourite band whose principles as artists I once admired, are quite happy to gouge like there's no tomorrow.

Probably not all of them! I do know Aria's MB range of pickups used in the SB, RSB, TSB etc basses did include P-style coils in a soapbar case. Some even had exposed poles.