Bassassin

I have a Washburn SB 40 (which is probably what Old Man Riva's referring to) which is identical apart from having a 2x2 headstock and (unfortunately) being passive. When I got mine, maybe 8 or 9 years ago it had the same string height issue as yours. I found it very straightforward to file the string slots in the saddles a few mm each, and the bass is now one of the most playable instruments I own. I'd definitely recommend filing them rather than replacing the bridge. Can't help (beyond guessing) with the functionality of the electronics, as mine is passive with a standard v/v/t/t & selector layout - however I've seen a lot of these, and yours is curious. Every Force 40 I've seen previously has a 3 pot, 2 switch layout, which to have been the standard layout for Washburn actives throughout the Force 40's lifespan. I have read about basses with the control layout yours has though - apparently they are rare & may be prototypes - I've certainly never encountered one before. Anyway, from what I understand, the 3-pot EQ seems to consist of volume and 2-band parametric EQ, with the mini toggle being a high frequency boost. I'd assume that yours is similar, maybe with the addition of a second volume. Don't know how much of an anorak you are about old basses like this (I'm tragically incurable) but there's a lot of interest & discussion about MIJ Washburns on this FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1066707010017715/ MIJ Washburns were initially produced by Yamaki Gakki and share a lot of similarities with Yamaki's own Daion range, and there's a lot of knowledge here about both Yamaki & the later Chushin Gakki Washburns.

As far as I know, they were made by Fujigen Gakki, the factory which built Ibanez in the 70s & 80s. Not 100% sure but I have an idea Roland guitar controllers were a collaboration with Kanda Shokai, which is the company that owns Greco - I seem to remember seeing pics of Greco-branded Roland controllers.

Soon as I saw the name I knew it was a bottle-opener bass! Bid on one of these on Ebay, yonks ago. Didn't get it & haven't seen another until now - if I had, you'd have had a bidding war on your hands!

I've always assumed these to be a rebrand of the India - made FMIC Sunns, they are near-identical and share the same hardware. However that round sticker is what's generally used as a means of IDing a 70s/80s Korean-built Samick. Pics & some info here: http://samick.wikia.com/wiki/Baseball I've had four Fender-headstock Sunn Mustangs over the years & none of them had one of these stickers - whether that points to a different manufacturer or different era, I really don't know.

Sire thing reads, surprisingly enough like a bunch of factually vague PR puff. Looking a the Dame range on their website, it's it's a Korean domestic brand - their guitars are generic Gibson/Fender knockoffs & an Ibanez-esque Superstrat. At a guess Dame blagged a Marcus Miller endorsement & used that to launch the basses under the Sire brand in the US & RoW. And yes, Hoshino do contract Cort to build Ibanez branded guitars, like wot I said. If your 90s or later Ibby has a C or a KC prefix then it's a Cort build.

I'm assuming that's not a rosewood fretboard? Shortcut to the CITES incinerator if it was.

Cort own Ibanez? First I've heard of it! Historically Ibanez is a brand owned by Hoshino Gakki Ten, a Japanese trading company (not a manufacturer) who have contracted numerous factories - including Cor-Tek (Cort) to build their instruments over the last 60 years or so. Can't imagine Hoshino would sell their premium guitar brand to an OEM manufacturer. No idea about Sire - however I very much doubt it's an in-house, single line brand (sounds economically unfeasible), and would not be remotely surprised if a variety of different factories make them. Serial numbers might yield clues.

Maybe if he wanted £90 for it rather than £300.

What a bloody shame. They might as well have smashed it with a clawhammer or chucked it out of a top floor window. Lovely bass wrecked.

US copyright/trade dress protection legislation's not strictly enforceable outside of the US. Certainly not in China!

Hmm. I did wonder, in the event the bass turned out to be MIJ, if "K" might indicate Kasuga, in the same way that later Fujigen-built Ibanezes have an "F" prefix. I would expect there to be an MIJ stamp or sticker somewhere on the bass if that was the case. I'm a bit of a Kasuga anorak & have never heard any suggestion that they built for Washburn - although I wouldn't rule it out, particularly for short-run, high-end models. I should say that it's verified info from people who have probably forgotten twice as much as I know, that Matsumoku never built any MIJ Washburns - in the late 70s & early 80s they were Yamaki Gakki builds, and subsequently, after Yamaki closed (around '83) production went to Chushin Gakki and continued there until about 1986, when records of Japanese Washburn manufacture stop. Matsumoku closed in 1987.

I'd be pretty confident that the "8" puts the bass at '88, which is certainly consistent with the aesthetic - and what I know of the model era. Not sure about the "K" prefix - it's almost certainly a factory designation but without a confirmed country of manufacture it's back to guessing again. By that point MIK quality was easily on a par with Japan, so no clues there!

As Frankensteins go, I like that a lot. Mostly from an aesthetic perspective, never mind the provenance of the bits.

It's a stunner alright! I'm aware of this model - and also aware that the through-neck Chicagos are rare & people sometimes ask silly money when they do come up. However, I don't have a lot of knowledge about post - '85-ish Washies & there doesn't seem to be much info out there. Like a lot of previously MIJ brands, most production went to Korea to keep costs down, so unless there's anything on the bass (country of manufacture, serial number) to ID it then I'll be guessing!

When it's a P-rick? Sorry - as you were...

I knew it was him before I saw the seller ID!

That very bass is for sale quite locally: https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/314726-£400-1980s-washburn-b20-sunburst-pj-bass/ I had one of these in 1981 when I was very young & things like taste & neckdive were of no consequence to me. Neither was boutique-level build quality or the likelihood of it becoming spectacularly rare - so I flogged it & bought an Aria RSB Deluxe, which was more suited to the bad Mark King impressions I was preoccupied by at the time. I still think it's cool in its way but I think it'd need to be the (even rarer) 8-string version before I'd be tempted.

And sold for £181. Outrageous bargain, it's pretty much unplayed by the looks of it.

To me this ably demonstrates why the bass guitar is not a solo instrument - or if you're going to be picky/pedantic, as I'm sure someone will, an instrument on which solos are performed. No matter how refined, meticulous, accurate and controlled the techique is, the actual noise the instrument produces is pretty unpleasant.

Had a tiny bit of GAS for an IGB for a while - I'll take 5 at £25 a pop - cheers! Can't shed a great deal of light on this - my Aria Awareness is peripheral to my MIJ fixation & this one, as it says, is Korean. MIJ IGBs are like hen's teeth. BUT - as far as I know, the S prefix should indicate Samick as the manufacturer - and a quick Goog suggests that this is probably from May 1996: http://samick.wikia.com/wiki/Serial_Numbers Hope this helps.

Fairly recent brand revival - but looks pretty good for £60! They were probably £200-odd new.

Same factory. These are very closely related to the early Musicians. Gorgeous - looks lush. Chapeau!

It's an actual thing: Travelcaster There are basses too, but they're just... wrong.

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