Bassassin

I've always understoog "gig" to be a contraction/abbreviation of "engagement" - meaning a booked performance. IMO an impromptu performance in front of an audience would still constitute a gig.

Send him a PM, if you haven't already.

Most disappointingly, a Peavey T-40. Loads of love for these things everywhere but I found mine to be insanely heavy to the point of being ungiggable. Certainly incredibly sonically versatile for a passive bass - but implemented in the most fiddly, frustrating and unintuitive way. I never found it possible to get the same sound twice - unless it was one I didn't like. Any Precision or Precision copy. I've lost count of how many Ps I've owned - including two gorgeous 80s MIJ Squiers - but they always feel awkward, sluggish & hard work to play, and while I might be able to get a great, raw, punchy & aggressive tone unaccompanied, stick it in a live or recording situation & I might as well be twanging a bungie cord stretched across the top of a wheelie bin. These days I keep a lovely 70s Daion Precision copy, hotrodded with DiMarzios and looking 110% rock as f*ck, hanging on the wall in plain sight and within easy reach - just to remind me never to buy another one!

I have a Fenix ST-20 Strat - Fender headstock, enclosed single-coil shape humbuckers, Gotoh hardware - £30 from the local car boot. I also have an 80s MIJ E-serial Squier Strat - it's a great guitar but the Fenix owns it. Anyone want to buy an MIJ Squier?

Currently, the top half of this: Preceded by this: And this - which in a case of brutal irony, I sold because I thought it was too heavy! Had a beautiful (and lightweight) Japanese Ibanez SR800FL prior to that, which I didn't get on with due to lack of cheat lines. What did I do with that? Swapped it for a Peavey T-40. Not sure what it is with me & back-breaking boat anchors.

If I'd spotted it, I wouldn't have been able to help myself.

Blimey. Anyone here get it?

"No longer available". Just out of curiosity, what was it?

Cool - that'll be them pesky adjustable collars then! I'd always recommend leaving original parts on a bass of this vintage anyway.

I've used a CSL Jazz as my main bass since finding it for £60 in a local pawn shop, about 13 years ago. I'd intended to hose it down & flip it for a profit, but was seduced away from that idea by the fact it had the nicest neck of any bass I'd ever picked up. I'm usually quite an anorak about original spec on vintage MIJ instruments but admit this one's been modded, just a bit. [url="https://postimg.org/image/1937vv0s0b/"][/url] I'd be intereseted in seeing pics of your CSL Jazz & Tele, if you have any. The brand is of interest to me because I'm a bit of an MIJ nerd and always assumed that CSLs were ordered through Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez parent company) alongside Ibanez, as C. Summerfield Ltd was UK importer for Ibanez at the time. Interestingly, most (if not all) the CSLs I've seen - including my bass - are rebranded Cimars, the majority of which were absolutely not Fujigen builds. Cimar was another brand owned & distributed by Hoshino, and there is a bit of shared DNA between late 70s/80s Ibanez & Cimar, and as a consequence, CSL too. The little I can find about Charles Summerfield Ltd suggests that the company was a successor to Summerfield Brothers - whose own brand was Sumbro. I can't find any confirmed time periods for either of the companies, but Sumbro instruments (which appear to be budget Chushin Gakki builds) are typical early/mid 70s, while most of the CSLs I've seen appear to be "post lawsuit" - which is to say the copy instruments have re-styled headstocks, which is typical of instruments made after 1977. It may be that the CSL & Sumbro brands ran alongside each other as upper & lower quality tiers, much like Rose-Morris' Avon & Shaftesbury brands. Sadly there aren't enough examples around to be able to draw informed conclusions! My bass has no serial or dateable pickup/pot codes but it has the headstock shape of the Mk 1 Ibanez Blazer, which dates from 1980. Later versions of the same bass (both CSL and Cimar) have the subsequent, better known Blazer/Roadster-style headstock, so it's fair to assume these are 1980 or later. [url="https://postimg.org/image/1cyb9xglez/"][/url] Do you have any other info about Summerfield & their involvement with design?

I have one of these - aesthetically slightly different in that it has bubinga (or something similar) front & back veneers on the body wings, with a pale timber core - very hippy sandwich! Really nice, playable 5er, if you don't mind tight spacing. Should put some new strings on mine & actually use it a bit more!

Will definitely grab a copy of this - although from what I know of his extensive bass collection, he's sorely in need of educating regarding the merits of MIJ instruments. "Bignose's Bass Book" would have been my choice of a title.

[quote name='BigLicks67' timestamp='1506672656' post='3380262'] The Bass was recently in for a re-fret and set up and the Tech suggested that the tuners were slipping and may need replacing. [/quote] Sorry for the late response! As I mentioned, these tuners have torque-adjustable collars (which your tech may not have noticed) so try tightening these before replacing them. If they do need replacing, I'd be interested in the old ones for spare parts.

Here's a cracker for the old folks' home: [media]http://youtu.be/C-CUSIK7-Gs[/media]

I'm familiar with the MIJ copies (typically Avon in the UK, & the same bass as Cimar & probably made by Chushin Gakki) & had one myself a few years back. These are very, very accurate copies and could almost pass for the real deal. I've not encountered MIA or Eagle (suspect they're not UK brands) but the Melody copies are actually Italian-made & quite different - I've heard mixed reports about these, and they're a lot less common. There are Kimbara & Aria-branded Ripper copies (both Matsumoku builds, AFAIK) and these are both rare and expensive! Will keep my eyes peeled for an MIJ Grabber & if one turns up will give a heads-up. Assuming I can manage to not buy it myself - I miss my old one! [url="https://postimg.org/image/6ko8gph8ij/"][/url] [url="https://postimg.org/image/3iscfhjr7f/"][/url] [url="https://postimg.org/image/66uk40l0jf/"][/url]

Sold for £156 (+£25 post) which is not at all bad, given that it looks pretty decent apart from the missing/damaged bits. Anyone on here?

Got my pickup back safe & sound & thanks alexcaber for the t-shirt! Hope the pup was of use & happy to help out!

What's the problem with the existing tuners? If it's the ones with the cast backs & torque-adjustable collars, I have a couple of 1980-ish basses with these and they're good quality units. 80s Yamahas also use a variant of these, with cast buttons instead of the cloverleaf keys.

[quote name='dyerseve' timestamp='1506580467' post='3379621'] Hmm. These arent actually that rare IMO. I just sold one and my mate bought one earlier this year after trying mine. They are phenomenal basses though, especially for the money. Think the seller is optomistic on the prices he mentions in the listing - about £250 is the going rate for one of these in good nick. As for the pups, they arent actually P pups despite appearances. Within the cover there are two seperate jazz coils with only half the pole pieces populated. Not sure why they did that but you cant argue with the resultant sounds these things can make. Very well balanced and comfortable to play. Lightweight to at 3.95kg. [/quote] True - should've said "P-ish"! I have an RSB Deluxe II (the P/J-ish variant!) and it's ridiculously versatile for a passive bass. I'd assume the exposed coils are simply for aesthetic reasons, the pup's specified pretty much the same as the MB-II, as far as I know. Interesting (and a little bit annoying!) that he's trying to conflate this bass with Cliff Burton's SB Elite Black & Gold. Entirely different instruments and at opposite ends of the range at the time.

It's from the same era - basically a 2xP version of the P/J RSB Deluxe II. Not sure why they used that name, though. Too bad about the missing knob - those Aria co-ax sets are twice as rare as rocking-horse poo.

[quote name='prowla' timestamp='1506062038' post='3376133'] Mind you, it's cheaper than this one: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westone-Thunder-1A-bass-made-in-Matsumoku-Japan-1984/292248382043?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D47510%26meid%3Decb95e64fba74db5998f921493afb342%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D302461789532&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851"]http://www.ebay.co.u...5.c100005.m1851[/url] [/quote] And that one's going nowhere fast! Seller's a well-known overpriced dealer - [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Avon-SG-bass-made-in-Japan-excellent-condition/302404064748"]cheap & nasty plywood Avon EB copy for £320, anyone[/url]?

[quote name='MoJo' timestamp='1505899701' post='3375024'] That must have been what the seller was testing here, hence the appearance [/quote] Turns out they're not idiot-proof! Mk 1 & 1A are great bargains considering the quality, shame the through-neck 2 & 3 tend to be more in line with other similarly built Matsumokus. Always fancied a 2xP Thunder 2.

[quote name='itsmedunc' timestamp='1505859671' post='3374875'] What a kin mess! There's a red one on that looks well for £140 BIN too! [/quote] £150 or so is the going price for these, seems like that's always been the case, probably because they're bomb-proof and there are thousands of them around. And Ebay's full of delusionals & chancers with ludicrous BINs & start prices. And they never, ever sell....