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Bassassin

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Everything posted by Bassassin

  1. Bassassin
    Those look like Schaller M4S types with but cloverleaf keys instead of cast ones. Might be available from Schaller.
  2. Bassassin
    What - just me, you mean?
  3. Bassassin
    "Double thumbing" is basically using the thumb like a plectrum, playing upstrokes as well as down. Like most stunt bass techniques, it's of no use in my particular musical biosphere, but I did learn the basics of it out of curiosity. Got good enough to be able to do a stupid & messy-sounding solo bass rendition of the Captain Pugwash theme tune, then never bothered again. And no - you're never going to hear that!
  4. Bassassin
    That's my point - Ibanez were selling slick, lightweight SoundGears in metallic pink & blue to kids who wanted to be in Def Leppard. And Aria had dropped out of the game, pretty much.
  5. Bassassin
    I'd suggest the Aria downturn was a combination of two reasons - primarily the closure of Matsumoku (1987) and the movement of production of most Arias to Korea, which started a year or so earlier. There was an undoubted big drop in quality. Secondly the change in musical fashion away from the late 70s/early 80s trend for upfront, showy bassists - with ostentatious stripy basses to match - towards pointy shred guitars, Superstrats & poodle hair-metal. Ibanez had pretty much cornered the Superstrat market and bassists were relegated to a much more background role & generally more utilitarian instruments. In an era of streamlined designs & primary colours, Aria's Alembic Hippy Sandwich-inspired designs started to look very dated very fast, and the brand never had quite the profile with guitarists that they did with bassists. I might be talking rubbish here.
  6. Bassassin
    Plain slugs on the J & DiMarzio-type hex poles on the P - the hex poles might've corroded a bit. I have a Washburn SB-40 from the same era (early 80s) made by the same factory (Chushin Gakki) and with identical-looking pickups. I *think* the comedy pricing is because he wants to do a straight swap for a guitar - hence my £15 car boot Sunn Mustang offer...
  7. Bassassin
    Really hate it when a description is a pack of blatant made-up lies. Stupidly cool & rare bass, though - wonder how much actual money he wants for it. Or if he'd do a straight swap for an old Sunn Mustang Strat I've got hanging about.
  8. Bassassin
    Yeh. Can't play it though.
  9. Bassassin
    It does - in fact they're push/push, just to be flash! Very versatile it is too.
  10. Bassassin
    I've wanted one of these for a ridiculously long time. Big fan of Yammy SGs in general but I've always loved this particular model - the unadorned front & visible through-neck make seem it less of a Gibson variation than most of the rest of the SG range. This is a Yamaha SG1500, dated 1984 according to the pickup codes. What's interesting, unlike any other SG I've seen, is that it has no serial number on the headstock or model number on its truss rod cover - according to the guy I got it from, its previous (first) owner got it direct from Kemble Yamaha when the Kemble piano factory closed, so it presumably sat around for a long time after the model was discontinued. As Kemble was Yamaha's UK distributor I can only assume it was a not-for-sale sample that sales reps would have taken around their dealer network - I've heard of similar not-quite-retail models being used in this way before. Anyway, it's fairly well-gigged and has a few knocks & bumps, but also has been well looked-after, plays perfectly and is 100% original. Sounds immense, too. And did I get a bargain? Oh yes, I think I did...
  11. Bassassin
    Typical comedy price from unsere Deutsche Freund. I do know what it is - or was - assuming anyone cares. It's a mid/late 60s Matsumoku build, anyone's guess what the brand was, although Aria's always a possibility. The offset dots & "Steel Adjustable Neck" plate are a 100% ID for that manufacturer. It's probably worth about £60.
  12. Bassassin
    Went for £501. Didn't expect that, looks like it was a last-minute frenzy since it was still at £125 at midday. A realistic price for a scarce, high-end vintage bass, but still surprising. Makes me wonder how much my "rare" SB-40 would fetch. Not that I'm selling.
  13. Bassassin
    Looks brand new - the finish on these falls off as soon as you look at it. These are £500+ new - secondhand, they're ridiculously undervalued basses.
  14. Bassassin
    Those ubiquitous Gotoh tuners turn up on pretty much everything MIJ from that era - plus a few places you don't expect: Not the best looking & come in for a bit of stick, but never had any problems with them myself. This bass is really nothing to do with those Satellites - shame it's not a 99p no reserve auction, because you lot'd be turning your noses up at it for £50 while I'd be busting the "no-basses-in-2018" resolution before the end of January!
  15. Bassassin
    We'll see. It's going well, so far. I have just bought a guitar, though. That doesn't count.
  16. Bassassin
    Hi Pier - I'm not really in a position to advise about price/value since I'd only be able to base that upon sale prices of other basses like yours - and there aren't any! What I know about these is based on a general interest in (and the resulting knowledge of) 80s era MIJ basses. Specifically I recently purchased an Aria Pro SB-ELT, from about 1988/9 - which is constructionally nearly identical to your bass, and what led me to judge that yours is from the same period & manufacturer. My SB-ELT is the post-Matsumoku version of the earlier SB-Elite II / SB-R80 model & is identifiable by having a simplified control layout and no serial or MIJ stamp. There's no 100% confirmation of manufacturer but several MIJ / Aria sites, forums & FB groups associate these with Tokai Gakki, who it's claimed, took over production of the high-end Aria Pro instruments after Matsumoku closed. Low & midrange instruments went to Cort in Korea. Examples of the SB-ELT apparently sometimes have an MIJ sticker on the headstock, but mine does not. There's also what appears to be an identical bass called an SB-RSZ, which I assume is a Rudy Sarzo signature model. I've found some pics of an ASB-60 model which appears identical to your ASB-65, but is described as short scale - I'm assuming yours is a full 34" / 864mm? All this could be easily cleared up if there were any catalogues from the correct period available - but unfortunately I'm unable to find any complete scans of Aria catalogues from the 87-90 era, which is where I'm sure your bass fits in.
  17. Bassassin
    That is strangely awesome, and if I had time/space/use for another project I'd be tempted... I'm seeing it with the headstock cut to a Tele shape, the (s)lime green paint gone & an oiled finish, and a P pickup in addition to the MM, wired with a bunch of passive switching options. Only problem is I'm aiming for a no-new-basses 2018, so it's not gonna happen! GLWTS!
  18. Bassassin
    I'd say in execution it's closer to something like a Westone Thunder I, with its mock-through-neck build. A lot higher up the food chain than those rather nasty Korean-made Satellites, my feeling is that this is a Chushin or maybe a Yamaki build. Twice what I'd even think about paying, though.
  19. Bassassin
    Dunno if it qualifies as a Musician copy (although those did exist!) but it's certainly interesting to MIJ geeks such as myself. Massive cast Chushin bridge on it, same as on many early 80s Washburns. And I wonder if that pickup's a DiMarzio? Bit dear for a curiosity punt, though.
  20. Bassassin
    Odd coincidence - only about 10 minutes ago found this pic in a random folder on my lappy:
  21. Bassassin
    Clearly advertised as a Deko - but I'm not convinced the seller's at all clear what a Deko actually is...
  22. Bassassin
    That's lovely, and a rarity too. Factory fretless is about as Bathiki as it gets, and aside from the fingerboard, this is my SB40 with a different headstock. Interesting that it's a got v/v/t/t & selector setup, presumably passive - the other Force 40s I've seen have an active pre with a different control layout. Watching this - only through curiosity though, it's too far away & I'm hopeless with an unlined board!
  23. Bassassin
    I remember that £15 one. New one looks sweet - what are you going to do with the project though? Give you £15 for it...
  24. Bassassin
    Cool looking project - and good to hear it's something old & interesting, not just an MIJ Fender... DiMarzio P/J set with cream covers, then?
  25. Bassassin
    This really says "I don't give a sh!t" just like a "PLEASE LOOK AT ME!!" t-shirt might. The only evidence of not giving a sh!t here is the quality of the Dulux paintjob.
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